So Far Soooooo Good!

Hi all, well Mac has made it to almost 2 weeks old and is perfectly fine, so we must be doing something right!!

To say the last 2 weeks have been a complete rollercoaster would be an understatement. I will admit that the baby blues are no joke.. my hormone levels are beyond through the roof!!!!   But, all in all, this new mom gig is sooo worth it!!!

couple of thoughts before I bombard you with pics again!!

• My parents left on Saturday - it was so nice to have them here and so sad to see them go.  They were a tremendous help and we are trying to manage without them!! We miss them terribly.
• Mac had his first photoshoot on Saturday.  It's unbelievable how much more my heart swelled with love watching him be photographed by the amazing photographer we hired..  hopefully I'll have some good proofs to share soon. I did sneak a shot in while she wasn't looking and I've posted below!!
• My healing is moving right along.. I still have a lot of pain at night and my stomach is all sorts of jacked up from the c-section.  Everyday gets a little better.
• I'm down around 20 of the almost 50 I gained.  Hopefully this continues to move downward as well until I can get the all clear to work out. 
• I called to see about getting a fill yesterday. I'm ready and motivated to get back on the "band"wagon!  I just need to get the all clear from my OB when I go in on Thursday. I'm not breastfeeding (it just didn't work out for me OR Mac) so I'm hoping to get in to the Band Dr. in the next few weeks.

I think that's about all I have to update.  My life lately is pretty standard - wake up, feed Mac, entertain Mac, get stuff done while Mac sleeps, feed Mac, entertain Mac, and keep repeating..... 

Enjoy the pics!!  Hope everyone is well!!
xo,js

Family Shot

Just Mac!

snuck a shot in during his shoot!!

Mac with his Nana and Chief

Mac and his Daddy





Worth the Wait - Meet Mac!!!!

Hi All!! 

So sorry for the absence!! Had a really good reason though!! Baby Mac arrived last Wednesday, July 13th at 9:29 in the evening!!!   He was exactly 6 days past due!!! His stats were:  8 lbs 3 oz, 21 inches long.  But he was soooo worth the wait!! Here's my story!!!

For the last three weeks or so, I went to the dr. each week and when she would check my cervix, I was not appearing to be dilating at all.   Finally at 39 weeks, we talked about some things we could do to "ripen" my cervix to see if we could get me going.  So, 2 weeks ago, I went to the hospital to have some gels inserted to ripen my cervix (yes, it's just as fun and comfortable as it sounds!!!)  Went back to Dr. on Friday and still nothing..   we made a plan to have me go in on Wednesday, 7/13, evening, have Cervidil (another ripening albeit more strong gel) inserted and then the following morning, we'd check me and if I had made progress, we'd induce and if not, we'd go for a c-section.  Honestly, was totally fine with that option.  I went again on Tuesday morning to check things out and still nothing at all.  So, I asked, "why would we even do cervidil if nothing else has worked, why wouldn't we just go ahead with a c-section"..  she said it was my choice so I opted for a c-section, scheduled for Thursday, the 14th at 1:30...WELL, things did not go as planned b/c the next day, after we dropped my dad off for his dialysis (yes, my parents arrived almost a week early and just had to hang out and wait with me!! ) we headed to Target. In the car, I felt as if I might be peeing on myself and was like "you have got to be kidding me!!". So we got to Target, and I went to the bathroom, realized that I was not peeing, but my water had broken and came out to tell my mom.  I called Tim to come get me while my mom finished up what she needed to do and then go get my dad.  WE arrived at the hospital and determined that since I had just eaten (In N Out burger!!), I had to wait for 8 hours until we could go into surgery... so, that's what we did.  Just wait and wait and wait!!!  I was surprisingly calm until they came in to prep me and tell me what was going to go down.. then the nerves kicked in.  I was wheeled into the operating room around 9ish and at 9:29, Mac came right out!!!  Tim was very emotional, and I was just relieved!! Everyone kept saying how cute he was so I was anxious to see him!! When Tim brought him over to me, I just melted. It really is a miracle that he's here!  If you know my story, we never thought this would ever happen for us and everything just went text book and perfect and now we have the most beautiful addition to our family.  

We stayed in the hospital until Saturday morning ( had the option to stay until Sunday but I was moving around much more than expected so they gave us the OK to leave early)   The stay in the hospital was a little rough..  my emotions and stress level were through the roof and we had a LOT of visitors which was at times a little overwhelming for me.  Being home has been great, he's a great eater, sleeper and just all around an easily appeasable baby.  I hope this continues!!  My recovery has been a little slower than I'd like.  I had forgotten about little things like gas pains and it's been a bitch to sit down and stand up... I'm sooooo bruised as well.  Again, all worth it when I look at Mac!!! 

For those whom I'm friends with on Facebook, the below pictures you've already seen!!! Sorry for the photo bomb but I can't stop taking pictures of this little man!!!

Hope you are all well!! Trying to catch up on blogs!

xoxo
js

Mac - around 15 minutes old!

this is what he does ALOT!!!

Heading Home:

Chilling with his Chief (his grandpa)

Loves his giraffe!

Chill Baby

went for our first walk today!!!

Anniversary Post (aka: a picture history of the shrinking Stulls...)

Hi!

Last week was Timmy and my 9th anniversary. It's shocking to think that we've been together that long (not really that shocking, I just like to say that for dramatic purposes) ACTUALLY, we've been together 11 years next week but I guess you don't count that!!

Anyone who knows us knows that we have been through A LOT in the past 9 years and have perservered with the best of them!!!  It's exciting that we are starting our 9th year with something that we've been working on since our 2nd or 3rd year.. 

I was looking through pictures on FB the other day and was laughing at how much we've both changed. How is it that I'm the one who had the surgery to lose weight and yet my hubs just loses it naturally? I'd like to think I've been some sort of inspiration/motivation to him but nah, that's not it.. the man has mad motivation.. he goes to the gym EVERY.SINGLE.DAY (not 5 days a week, but 7 days) I had thought by now it would have rubbed off on me but it hasn't :) !  maybe someday!!

Here is a photo history of our time together over the past 9 years..  look how much we've changed!! LOVE IT!!!

xo,js

This was in 2001.. before we were engaged.. look at all that hair on Timmy's head!!! And for some reason, I thought that style on me was cute.. NOT!!

Youngins' in Jamaica

June 22, 2002 (sorry the pic isn't a good one, I think I took a picture of a pictue)

Early 2004

Apparently, though 2004 - 2007, I didn't take a lot of pictures of myself!!!

UGH, this might be the worst of the worst!!!  2007

2009 - couple months pre-surgery

2 weeks pre-Surgery

2009 - 1 1/2 month post-surgery

December 2009

May, 2010



July, 2010

August, 2010

October 2010 (had just found out I was preggers!!)

Christmas, 2010

June 25, 2011!!!!

(it's safe to say that Tim has lost the 40+ lbs that I have gained!!! )

Sorry for the photo bomb, but wanted to document this!!!

 

Still Cooking.. and things I wish I would have known..

Hey all, well, I'm still here and baby boy is still cooking and appears to have no intention of going anywhere in the outside world fast!!!  I am officially 38 weeks today and will see my dr. again tomorrow morning. I thought I had some contractions on Sunday but haven't felt anything since. I was actually in the pool and was somewhat bored so I started doing some squats and once I got out started having some cramping but once I laid down, they left me..  sooo...  here I sit.. just waiting.

I had a dream last night that involved a beach and a tidal wave, which woke me up in a panic thinking my water had broken, but it didn't.

I woke up this morning and forgot I was pregnant for a minute, which was wierd too. did that happen to anyone else ever??

I'm off tomorrow to get some things taken care of. Important things like Pedicure, Eye-brow Wax, and Hair cut/color.. can't be having this baby looking like a hot mess.. 

Sarah  posted a really great blog yesterday about her thoughts on being banded and pregnant.  I remarked to her that I thought it was ironic that she did that post b/c I had been thinking a lot about things I wished I would have known and also how I think being banded has affected this pregnancy. So, I'm kind of stealing her idea with some thoughts of my own!

THINGS I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWN

• first let me say that my girlfriends/moms rock, however, they were blatant in their non-disclosure or  lack of information on all things pregnancy!  I mean, we have beaten the subject of pooping on the table during birth and "down-there" pain after birth to death, however, how could they have left out some of the following?? 
• The peeing situation. I knew what I signed up for when I got pregnant that I would be peeing A LOT, what I didn't know was how much money we would be spending on toilet paper due to said peeing situation..  I also thought that it was supposed to taper off a bit during the 2nd trimester.. um.. not so much!! And then to take it to a whole 'nother level..  I thought that your bladder got loose AFTER you had the baby.. notsomuch with me..  I can't tell you the number of times I've had multiple undies changes during a day due to laughing,coughing,sneezing, moving and subsequently wetting my pants..  ridiculous!
• While we are talking about things "down-there" - DISCHARGE..  WTF?? 
• The pain I've experienced in the past month or so as baby got bigger and started pushing down on my lower regions is enough to kill a horse.. pregnancy is definitely not for the weak. 
• Baby kicks are not all cute and "awwwwww" inducing.. they can be violent, like "get me the eff out of here" violent..  I am continuously amazed that babies haven't figured out an alternative way out of the belly. 
• The looks, the smiles, the "how are you feeling"s, the "when are you due"s...  are enough to make you crazy. I want to wear a sign that says, "I feel pregnant", "I'm due 7/7/11" and "No, I don't have any idea if he's coming early" so that people leave me alone.. I can barely get to the bathroom in time before my next undie change without getting 20 questions on the way there!! 
• I'm increasingly surprised that the divorce rate isn't higher during pregnancy..  my poor husband has been a trooper. There are days when my mood swings are so beyond that if he even looks at me funny, he's in for a doozy of a fight.  I'm not making any excuses, I've been a crazy bitch these last few months..

BEING BANDED

• I have to say that being banded is the number one reason why I believe I was even able to get pregnant. As many of you know, we've been strugging to get pregnant for a long, long time and I truly believe that the weight was keeping me from it (that and a a little bit of miracle going on!)
• With that said, I wish I would have lost more prior to getting pregnant. I had lost 80 lbs when I found out I was pregnant.  I have gained about 40 lbs back and it's been rough on my body. Thankfully, I worked out up until about a month ago and really only gained in my belly area, but that extra 40 lbs is no joke. Sometimes, I'm really shocked that I carried an additional 40 lbs on top of that less than 2 years ago. 
• I was definitely naive in thinking that I wouldn't gain too much weight or that I'd be able to follow the band rules during my pregnancy.  When I was about 10 weeks, I had 1/2 the fluid taken out of my band.  I was at 9 cc in an 11 cc band and now have 4.5 cc.  For a long time, you would think I had NO cc's in my band. Releasing the fluid in my band eliminated any morning/afternoon sickness I had and when I discovered I could eat the things that I couldn't with a higher fill level, I went to town.  So, my only advice to any bandsters who are trying to get pregnant and using the band as a tool for weight-loss, LOSE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN prior b/c you will gain weight.  The three bandsters I know on here who have been pregnant, have all gained around the same amount. It's unrealistic for anyone to tell you that you won't.  Maybe it happens, but I haven't seen it yet! 
• I find I have more restriction in the past couple of weeks. I think it's due to baby boy getting larger and pushing up against my band and there just being a lack of room in there these days.  I'm not able to eat as much as I was 2 months ago.
• One good thing is that I know from where I came. I know how it feels to be 40lbs lighter and I have some mad motivation to get back there and then keep losing the additional 70 or so lbs I wanted to lose to get to where I think I'd be happy with my weight.  I find myself already looking up gym class schedules and planning my plan to get back on track with weight loss in a couple of months! 

So, with all the (really not so major) annoyances, I know how lucky I am that this is happening to me. I'll take a million sleepless nights and repetitive questions to be able to go through this experience, especially one that I honestly never thought was possible.  I'm surrounded by people who are generally sooo excited for me and for my family and who can't wait to meet him.  We've had a rough 1st part of our year and I can only hope that this little one brings the joy that we all so desperately need! 
I'll keep ya'll posted!!!

Bowling Broads, Bieber and Over It....

Hey all!

First off, congrats to my belly twin Sarah who got to meet sweet little Liam yesterday!!!  I'm so happy and a little jealous of her right now!!! I didn't think I would get to this point, but I am SO OVER being pregnant!!!  Seriously, this has all come in the last 2 days or so but everything has gotten harder..  I can barely walk to the bathroom without breathing heavy, my belly has all of a sudden started resembling a very large watermelon and everything aches more than ever!!  I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow, which according to everything I read is considered full-term so bring on baby!  I have the nursery ready (barring a bookshelf that I want to get this weekend), car-seat installed, and clothes washed, so I'm ready! 

I have a confession - I watched the Justin Bieber movie this weekend and I have to say, I loved it!!!  I would even venture to say I would watch it again!!! 

Last Friday night was our annual Bowling event at work.. normally it's a fun-filled beer fest, however, this year, as I could not bowl, I was a cheerleader for my team "Broads with Balls"..  here's a pic.  I actually think I look pretty decent in this pic..  I really haven't gained a lot of weight anywhere other than my belly and even though that's close to 40 lbs (yowzers!!!), I'm excited to see that I'm not dreading pictures being taken of me!!   That's a NSV without even trying to be one!! :)

xo,js

In case you missed me..

Ha! Updated pics of the bump...  dare I say I'm ready for this to be over??  I AM!!! 

**Still can't comment unless I'm on my phone, which blows***

xo, js

Shower, Blogger Issues and heading into the home stretch!

Hey all, Happy Memorial Day!!! Hope you are all enjoying your 3 day weekend, if you get one!!!  We have had a really nice, very low-key weekend and it's been awesome!!  I've seen two movies  - Hangover II and Bridesmaids. Both were funny, but Hangover was so much like the first one that it wasn't nearly as funny or shocking. Bridesmaids made me laugh so hard I cried and almost peed my pants at times..  which isn't that hard to do these days since I seem to have quite a loose bladder!!! :)

So, Blogger seems to be a pain in the ass for quite a few of us here!!  I still can't comment unless I'm reading blogs from my phone.  And, while I wish that the reason I only got one comment on my last blog was due to the comment issue,I know it wasn't!!! I've come to the realization that I'm just not an avid blogger anymore and just don't have that connection with people that a lot of you do.. add to the fact that the majority of the peeps I follow are lap-banders and right now, well, we know that I don't have much to say about the weight loss front these days..  and really all I have is this baby stuff going on..  oh well, such is life.  I'll keep reading and doing blogs as I have something to say and if people read, they read, if not.. whatyougonnado?

Speaking of lap bands..  seems like while mine seemed to take a hiatus for awhile, my restriction is back!!  Last week, I attempted to eat a sandwich on two seperate occasions and got completely stuck and actually PBd.  I think it's probably b/c baby boy is running out of room and might be putting some pressure on the band. It's not bad enough that I need to go in and get completely filled and I'm still getting in most foods no problem, just have noticed it quite a bit lately! AND, my weight gain has subsided as well, which is fantastic, since I'm up about 40lbs..  which blows!!

Baby is good.. went in for my growth ultrasound this week and he's estimated at 5.5lbs already so he's right on track.  The ultrasound tech even showed me that he's already got quite a bit of hair which is hilarious.. we always knew the poor kid is genetically predisposed to having lots of hair, being short and chubby so that was just a little confirmation!!!  Otherwise, my pregnancy has been remarkably problem free - just have the usual hip pain, lack of sleep and waddle going on still!!!  Only 5 more weeks until I'm due!! CRAZY!!!


My shower was last weekend and it was nothing short of fabulous.  The hostesses, Michelle and Joy went completely overboard and really outdid themselves!! My mom came to town as well as my friend Angela and her little one Delaney.. it was a fun girls weekend... I'll leave you with some pics!! 

Cute Invites!!

Me and Michelle - the creative hostess!!

Mom and Me!

girlfriends from work!!

Lisa and Kelly

Yummy Cake and DONUTS!!!