A birth story (before I forget!)

We are now 13 weeks in to parenthood, and even I still don't quite fully trust my calendar. It can't possibly have been 13 weeks.  I swear we just brought her home.

Then I look at her. 

She's getting so big. And beautiful. More beautiful than the first time we saw her.  She's just... the most. 

So before the time keeps escaping me, I figured I'd write out her birth story before even that escapes me.  So here goes.

Austen June was due October 12, 2015 and made her big debut one day later -- October 13, 2015.

At our 39 week check-up, we mentioned to my doctor our concern of having a huge baby. Evan and I were both whoppers, so we figured baby girl would follow in our footsteps.  So our doctor offered to induce on the due date, Oct. 12.  We signed the paperwork, and if she didn't come on her own before then -- her birthday was set!

Then I chickened out. The day before I called the hospital and told them I wouldn't be coming in.  I just felt like I was rushing her, and I really wanted to feel myself go into labor naturally.  My doctor was so sweet about my hesitation, and told me all was okay. We'd give her a few more days.

By this time, my parents were in town and we were on serious baby watch.  Evan and I still went to the hospital the morning of our scheduled-yet-cancelled induction so they could check and make sure baby was healthy. She was. Our doctor smiled and said, any day now!  

Evan and I went to breakfast. I could barely fit in the booth.

My dad and Evan built a fence around the pool pump in our backyard.

My mom and I went shopping, and out to lunch.

Evan went to work.

I came home and took a nap.

When I woke up... my cramps had started.  Not close enough together to where I could "time" them. But I was definitely cramping.

We went out for some Mexican food for dinner, and I knew the cramps were now contractions. I started timing them on an app on my phone, secretly. I told Evan we were going to have a baby on the 13th. I told myself it was my last night in my bed without a baby.

We went home, Evan went back to work, I took a shower, and crawled into bed. 9pm, and my contractions were speeding up. I think I can wait until the morning, I thought to myself.

11pm... we will most certainly not be waiting until the morning. I was in labor. Full steam ahead.  But Evan's newscast had JUST started and I decided to wait until he was done.  (Before Evan sounds like a jerk for still being at work through all this, it wasn't his fault. I didn't exactly tell him the truth about how much I was contracting.  I kept telling him I was fine!) 

I took this photo of him, to document his last newscast "not" a Dad. Signing off!

Evan finally got home around midnight, and I met him at the backdoor. Told him to wash his makeup off (what wife says that to their husband? ha!) and that we were going to the hospital.  Contractions were about 6 min. apart.

Grabbing the goods!

One last picture... just a little excited.

Get in the car, drive to Saint Agnes, and by the time we arrived my contractions were about 4 min. apart. Yikes.

Check into triage, and PLEASE LORD GIVE ME THE EPIDURAL.  Contractions were wave on wave, right on top of the other and I couldn't catch a break.  Any breathing exercises I'd practiced went right out the window.  When we finally got into the delivery room, I threw up. A natural birth was not going to happen for me. (Not that I'd planned it, but by now I was BEGGING for the meds.)

They were so worth it. Shortly after, Evan and I were both laughing and enjoying our last moments as just us. We napped on and off throughout the night. My water broke around 3:30. I needed some oxygen at one point to help baby girl, who wasn't responding well to the contractions.  But overall, things were going good.  Just a waiting game until 10cm!

By the time the sun came up, baby was getting close.  I think she wanted to wait for my doctor, who wasn't on call overnight but came in around 7:30.  At 8, he checked me and said... "let's get this baby out!" Our sweet team of nurses got everything ready, Evan and I had one last panic attack, then it was go-time.

3 pushes later, Austen June was out and immediately filled our hearts with so much joy.

Our first family photo. <3

8:34 am, 8 lbs 8 oz, 21.5 inches long. Perfect in every way.

She did swallow a little bit of meconium on her way out, but the medical team was so on top of it and took care of her so quickly, I never had a chance to worry.

Once everything died down, everyone left, and she was just... ours. 

Named after the city we were married in, and my grandmother.  She was actually "Austin" for the whole pregnancy, but the morning of we decided to spell it -en because it felt more girly. I'm so glad we did.

Mimi and Pawpaw met us a little later, and Grammie's plane arrived from Denver that afternoon.  The snuggles were real.

And they haven't slowed down since! 

Made her TV debut on NBC that night!

Ready to go home!

Meeting Bear for the first time. He couldn't have cared less.

Like I mentioned, 13 weeks in and we are still over the moon. No, things were not easy as we adjusted to being parents.  There were many long nights, exhausting days, and tears shed.  

But I'll let you in on a little secret.  Generations of parents were right... it's all so, so worth it. 

We love you, AJO! We're so glad you're here.

A love letter to my husband

Our sweet baby girl made her debut on October 13, 2015 at 8:34am. 8 lbs, 8 oz and 21.5 inches long. Perfect in every way.

They say once baby arrives, you'll feel love like you've never experienced.  They were right.  She's amazing, and I'm so smitten with her. But it's her daddy that made me realize love can, in fact, go even deeper.

Evan, you deserve more than some silly blog post. And whoever reads this deserves more than some silly love letter to my husband.  But seeing you as a father, as my child's father, gives me all the feels.  It makes me the happiest person in the world.  Even in these first few weeks of weepy baby blues and long, sleepless nights -- you are the reason I made it through. 

Grateful is the word here... but even that, I don't think, covers it all.  I'm not even sure I'll ever be able to cover it all.  But I'll try.

I just feel the need to say thank you. For everything. From holding my hair back during labor, when the epidural hadn't been given yet and the pain made me sick.  Then laughing with me after the epidural, about what a mess I'd been.

Thank you for pledging in the hospital, to change every diaper in those first days. 

Thank you for your patience, when we got home and realized -- we have no idea what we're doing.

Thank you for helping around the house, when you knew the mess was driving me crazy but I hadn't done anything about it.

Thank you for making me oatmeal every morning.

Thank you for being so kind, when I'd break down in tears for the hundredth time in a day.

Thank you for reaching over at night, and holding my hand.

Thank you for supporting me. With an unending amount of patience.  

And maybe most importantly, thank you for being the best dad to our daughter. 

I remember looking over at you at our first ultrasound, seeing how excited you were, and wondering how it was possible to fall in love with you all over again.

Now I'll never forget looking over at you once we heard those first cries, and the doctor placed our girl in my arms for the first time. THAT is falling in love again. My heart remains so full.

You make me the happiest. And I hope I get the chance to repay all of these debts to you. 

xoxo,
JO

And so a new adventure awaits

Truth be told, I'd kind of resigned myself that the days of "Onstot Ever After" writings were over.  I haven't posted since 2014. The very last day of 2014. And here we are, October 2015.  I'd say a little time has passed.  

But oh, how much has happened since then! And I thought to myself, as I tried to remember my password to get into this blog, if I don't write this stuff down now -- I'll forget. I need to document this time of our lives. The excitement, the bliss... the terror. I guess what I'm saying is, this post is mostly for me. But if there's anyone who actually still reads this little corner of the inter webs, then... here we go. I make no apologies for how long I will ramble.

I'll start in February. The Tuesday after the Super Bowl, where the Patriots beat the Seahawks in a game that would soon be known more for "Deflategate" than any actual football achievement. It was 2am, and I woke up with a fierce feeling that something was different. I took a test.

It was positive.

2 weeks along... how's that for a gut feeling?

Several things ran through my head. A baby! *Our baby! How incredible! No more wine? I can't be a parent? We're going to be parents! Why did we do this? Why did we wait to do this? The strongest feeling of all though, was... I knew it. I just knew. And I knew Evan was going to be ecstatic.

I waited until that Friday night to tell the dad-to-be. That was really hard work, keeping that secret. I wanted to blurt it out every second that passed! But I knew, considering how little Evan and I see each other during the work week (still on those opposite schedules, two ships passing in the night) that I wanted to tell him when we actually had time to celebrate together. So, Friday night's dinner break became the plan.  

I enlisted the help of Bear, because he is, of course, my first child. 

I love his old man stare. Like, hold up... WHAT am I gonna be?

I realize I am not a crafty person, so please give my sign a break. It served the purpose! Evan walked in the front door with Bear to greet him, and I'll never forget his face once he realized what that sign said.  He looked up at me with the best grin. I couldn't hold back happy tears. Baby Onstot was on the way!

Our first ultrasound came a few weeks later, mostly to confirm that the little bean in my belly was still growing.  A good, strong heartbeat came along with it, and that was enough to carry us into full "we're having a baby" revelation. 

Big brother Bear was a little skeptical when I showed him the ultrasound. "I'm no longer the baby?"

The second revelation came after a hike near Yosemite, when we stopped for lunch. At a brewery. And the beer? No longer an option for me. Oh, how life was changing.

Root beer cheers! 

The things we do for baby.

One of my favorite stories of Papa Evan thus far: the day after I told him the news, we went to get gym memberships. And this goober tried to sign us up for child care. I had to remind him that we were many months away from actually having a baby. "We'll take just two adult memberships, please."

This is one of my favorite pictures.
Evan made his first "dad" purchase at REI -- a baby carrier for this wilderness child we'll be raising.

Next step was finding out -- boy or girl? Full disclosure: I KNEW it was a boy. Just as solidly as I knew I was pregnant 2 weeks in... Baby O was most definitely a boy. And the old wives tales were all siding with me. I had very little morning sickness, only got sick twice. Pickles? I'll take the whole jar, please. The only thing that said "girl" was the Chinese prediction calendar. Those things are way too specific to be right.

It was time to find out! We had the technician place her bets in an envelope, then Evan surprised me by having cupcakes made for the two of us.  

We bit into them together, in the empty soon-to-be nursery... and...

PINK!

So much for my intuition. We were having a sweet baby girl. Despite the overwhelming thrill I felt, I also panicked a bit. This was not what I felt control over! Girls are... GIRLS! I could handle rough and tumble, care-free, dirty boys. But so much pink? I had to brace myself. Evan, of course, had no fears. He's going to make the best dad.

Grandma Onstot found out first, because she was staying with us at the time... she also got to eat a cupcake. :)

We told the rest of our families by ordering "poppers" to launch over Face-time.  My brother and dear sister-in-law had my parents over for the big reveal, and surprised *us by ALSO having over quite the crowd of family and friends! I was so surprised.  It was the best feeling, turning the camera and watching face after face pop up on the screen. 

The aftermath of the big POP with M & P! Pink paper everywhere.

Colin and Christy popped theirs a few days later in Denver, and I wish I had pictures! Alas, I don't... but this part of the baby timeline was definitely a favorite. Even though we had to do everything from afar, technology certainly made it a lot easier and whole lot more fun to see everyone's faces. 

We waited a little longer before "publicly" announcing (i.e., social media and at work.) When it came to saying something on-air, I remember being very nervous. When it comes to actually talking about yourself, and your personal life, it's a little weird. 

My team, on "announcement day."

The nursery slowly came together after that, and when I say slowly -- I mean... we have 9 months to prepare for this thing and WHAT THE BABY IS DUE NEXT MONTH? I guess we'll get a stroller now.

We started with the crib. And while Evan was excited to put it together... Bear got to the directions first.  See snack marks in picture below.

Jealous, much?

Good thing this guy is a smarty pants... we got it assembled no problem. Unfortunately for Bear.

Proud dad in front of his handiwork. 

Then we painted. (Anyone remember our "Rid the Red" project in Lubbock? This was SO MUCH better.) In and out, one day. It helps when you don't have 5 layers of primer and ceilings to tackle. 

I digress.

Sweet baby girl's room went from neutral beige to a cool mint.

This picture gives me all the feels.

Last wall, like a champ!

Aaaaand we're done!

The painting project was followed by a steady stream of collecting baby things. We are so grateful to have had a beautiful shower with family and friends in Dallas in June, then a second, equally as beautiful shower, in Fresno with co-workers. Thank you, so much, for helping get us set up. We certainly wouldn't feel as prepared as we do if it weren't for you!

Speaking of feeling prepared... I present to you -- proof Evan knows how to change a diaper. Wife win. ;)

 We also made sure we were part of the elite club of "those parents." 

The "Safety First" Honda CR-V

This car is actually pretty awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone even if a baby isn't on the way... but you should see how wide those back doors open! This momma will have no problem getting that car seat in.  (Ugh, how "parental." Don't tell anyone I said that.) 

So I guess that gets us about caught up!  One week or less until the big birthday.

Baby girl, we are SO ready to meet you. (We apologize in advance for all the mistakes to come.) xoxo

2014: A Look Back

As I enjoy my second cup of coffee, on the couch, with Bear (yes, he's up here with me... breaking the rules... don't tell Evan) I can't help but think about what a year it's been.  Change, in every sense of the word, met us in 2014.  Not easy change, mind you. But I am still very grateful for this life we have.

We still miss Gordon dearly.  Evan's dad passed away in May, after a frustrating battle with PSP.    The holidays were especially hard, since it was all about our "firsts." First Thanksgiving, first Christmas, without him. I've learned, it doesn't get easier. But we made it. I know he celebrated right along with us, forever in our hearts.

I'm pretty sure he's singing along to Boomer Sooner.
The ultimate sign of welcoming a daughter-in-law to the family. :)

Another obvious change for 2014, was our big move to California.  I'll be honest, the weeks leading up to it were not easy for us. Mostly me. It's the biggest move I've ever made; I had a hard time leaving my beloved home state, my family, my friends. Fortunately, I have a very patient and supportive husband, who handled my sporadic meltdowns with grace. (Oh, you don't know about those? I can't be lovely to be around all the time. I know, breaking news.)

4 months into our new landing spot, I'd still say it was a good move.  We both really enjoy our jobs, our new home, and we've picked up some new hobbies along the way (thanks, great proximity to wine country and mountains!) The hardest part is still not having our circle of friends and family close, but no one ever said it's bad to have too many friends. We're working on that. :)

So here's to a new year, new adventures, new lots of things.  I look forward to new aspects of change, but hope some things stay the same: our good health, our good fortune, our lives together.  And we hope the same for you.

Here's to the new chapter.  Happy 2015, friends... we are so grateful for each and every one of you.  Much love from year one in California. xoxo

The Onstots, Christmas 2014

Turkey and Trailblazin': Thanksgiving 2014

We survived the move into our new Fresno home (almost) just in time to host Thanksgiving for Evan's mom!  

We closed on November 8th, I turned 25 on November 15th, and Mary arrived on the 26th. Whew. Those couple of weeks flew by. Still working on a few things around the house, but it was in order enough to find some very crucial things: the roasting pan and... well, the wine I suppose.

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

Bear seems to think so.

Bear loves pictures.

 This year was a first for me -- I actually cooked a turkey! I followed the advice of Ina Garten, and she got me through it.  Maybe I'll try something fancier next year, but my goal this time was just to get it cooked through and not give anyone food poisoning.

Evan carving the masterpiece.

After our feast for three, we made the short drive up to Yosemite National Park. It's only about 2 hours from Fresno, and worth it.  Fun fact I've learned about living near the mountains: these drives make me incredibly carsick.  As long as the destination is worth the journey, am I right? Below are some pictures I took, they'll pretty much speak for themselves. :)

Yosemite Valley, looking at Half Dome.

Half Dome is in the middle, that curved thing.

Good-looking guy in the Valley.

 

Evan got to break in his new boots.

The waterfalls were a little sparse, but not a week later from when I took this it rained and they are supposedly gushing again!  

In the spring, those rocks are typically covered by water. Drought, anyone?

This deer was so close! Must be used to people.

My dear with a deer.

So close!

We ended the day with some drinks by the fire at the Historic Awahnee Hotel. Gorgeous building, with some pretty stellar views.  

View at the grand room.

Evan is looking forward to many camping/backpacking trips up there this spring/summer.  And apparently, I will be joining him. I may just get lost and end up (saved) right here in this great room. But it will be totally on accident, I swear. Stay tuned. :)