Halloween

I have always loved Halloween, but its ten times more fun with a baby!  This year our costumes were football themed. Andrew and Rome were football players, I was the ref and Mason was a football.

We went to the pumkin patch. Mason didn't quite know what to think of it

Andrew is convinced he is raising a future NFL star. Be the ball. Ha

Had so much fun with our cousins at the Halloween party

I can't believe how big he looks! In most pictures it looks like he has seven hands because he never stops moving!

cute little Roman in his Eagles football jersey

3 months

3 months old already!? I am so in love with this little boy. I cannot even fathom the idea of life without him. He is the happiest/cutest baby I think I've ever seen! Here are just a few things about our little Mase:

-at birth he weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. At two weeks he was 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.
- snorts when he gets really mad
-finally starting to like bath time
-loves to hold on to your finger
-loves to be held and cuddled
-smiles a lot now both when awake and asleep
-sleeps with his mouth open the majority of the time
-can roll from his back to his stomach
-if he's lying on his back and you hold his hands, he tries to pull himself up into a sitting position and then he will stand
-loves his binky
-loved to be swaddled as a newborn. Not so much anymore
-ticklish on his thighs and his belly
-he can be a little dramatic at times. He fake coughs and fake cries
-very alert and interactive and tries to talk to everyone
-used to cry every time he was naked or had to have his diaper changed. Now it's the complete opposite. He cries when you try to dress him!
-he can be very serious and looks as though he studies and analyzes everything he looks at
-loves to stare at light fixtures and windows, and is obsessed with ceiling fans
-loves to eat! When he wants food he wants it now
-loves to look at books and be read to
-loves to listen to music. It calms him
-never stops moving his arms and legs.. Even in his sleep
-he now hates to nap during the day and will fight it with all of his might
-he has to have his hands by his face pretty much at all times
-loves to be outside
-has figured out he can laugh and makes all sorts of yelling/silly noises
-really good at ripping my hair out
-at 3 months old he weighs about 13 pounds.. He's a chunk!
-he sleeps best if he has a binky, blanket, and his soft blue doggie stuffed animal
-still has a ton of dark hair, which he wears in a fo-hawk everyday
-gets tired and goes to sleep around 9, then wakes up at 3:30, 5:30, and 7:30 to eat and change diaper, then goes right back to sleep
-loves watching shows on the iPad, like Thomas the engine, franklin, and his favorite of all is the baby beluga song
-he's a total ladies' man
-loves to hold his rattle toy and shake it like crazy. Hits himself in the head sometime
- loves to smile and laugh when you smile at him
-tries to suck his thumb but mostly just gets his hold hand in his mouth
-likes to watch football with his dad, loves staring at that screen
-he's not quite sure what Rome is yet, but he likes to watch him. Rome loves to sit by Mase and give him kisses. One day they will be besties.
-he was blessed in the same outfit that his dad wore 25 years ago!
-he has big brown eyes and a smile that will melt your heart

Mason Andrew Pollock

I could just sum up this post by saying that 12 babies were born on July 15 at St. Marks hospital. I was the first mom to arrive at the hospital and the very last one to deliver. But since you asked, this is how it went. On Sunday night July 14 I was induced. I was given three rounds of cytotec to get things going. It was a very long night! I burned through 3 movies as I lied in a hospital bed in pain. I laughed every time the nurse would come in and tell me to try and get some sleep. Not possible when you are 8 days past your due date, having to pee every five minutes, feeling cramps and contractions, starving because you're only allowed to eat popsicles, jello, and water all while lying in a hospital bed with a thousand gadgets hooked to your body and an annoying blood pressure cuff that must go off every 15 minutes! Sleep? I don't even know what that means.
Finally 8 am Monday morning rolled around and my water broke. I was so shocked that my body decided to do something on its own. I was pretty sure of two things: 1) I lost about ten pounds right there and 2) Mason was always meant to be born on July 15. However, I still had a long way to go because I was only dialated at a 2.
At 10 am they put me on pitocin and this really got the contractions going. Boy did I have strong ones. By 1 pm I was only at a 4 but got the very well deserved epidural. I had gone through nearly 18 hours of pain. The instant relief was amazing until my blood pressure dropped extremely low. I was having a hard time breathing so they put me on oxygen and I just remember feeling so weak I could barely keep my eyes open. Mason was not handling the drug well either so a few minutes later they injected me with something that boosted my blood pressure back to normal. The next 4 hours of my life I got to love pain free, but Mason was still not doing so well so about every 20 minutes the nurse would come in and help me switch positions to see if we could get him feeling better.
At 5 pm I was only dialated to a 5 and my dr came in and let me know that we would have to do a c-section. A lot of time had passed and the baby and I were both in distress so it was the best thing to do. A part of me always knew that I would have to have a c-section, but I still wasn't prepared for it.
Once again the anesthesiologist came in and gave me even more powerful drugs. This time my entire body was numb. I don't think I have ever been more scared in my life. It was all very surreal watching Andrew dress in the blue surgical gown, being wheeled into the operating room and staring up at the huge blinding lights as they strapped my arms down out to the side of me. It was the first major surgery I've ever had and there is nothing pleasant at the thought of having your stomach ripped open, but all I really cared about was that Mason was healthy.
It only took a few minutes until I heard Mason's cry. I was bawling and said to Andrew, "Is he cute? Does he have hair?" Both to which he replied yes with tears streaming down his face. In the 7 years I've known Andrew I have never seen him shed a tear until that moment. I'll never forget the image of our baby (aka mini Andrew) that had just come from heaven in Andrew's arms as he brought him over to me so I could see him. It was incredible!
I was dying to hold my baby but it took another 30-40 minutes for the doctors to finish up the surgery. During this process I started to feel a lot of undescribable pain so they had to give me more numbing medicine. Even though I was completely loopy and puking, I have never been happier! I don't think I stopped crying for the next hour haha. I was so incredibly happy to finally have a healthy baby boy in my arms and to have an amazing husband who didn't leave my side once. All 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches of him were absolutely perfect. He immediately brought so much joy to our lives. We just kept looking at him and saying, "we made this!" "He is ours forever!" He may have been stubborn every second in the womb, but he is seriously the sweetest baby in the world that will steal your heart with one look into his eyes.

Just got to the hospital. Unaware I would be in labor for the next 23 hours..

I was really hoping I wouldn't have to add that '1' haha

Love this picture! They are twins!

 

 

 

 

23 hours of labor, C-section, and very drugged.. don't judge me haha

 

getting ready to take him home after 4 days in the hospital

 

 

 

 

A week late but worth the wait!

Yep still pregnant! My dr has been calling this baby stubborn ever since I was 8 weeks pregnant. I should have known he would be exactly like his father :) Because of those stubborn genes I get the joy of being pregnant for 41 weeks by the time I actually have him. I like to look at it as my superhero moment in life. At least I know my baby has a sense of humor as well. I'm convinced this is my punishment for Joking the entire pregnancy that my labor and delivery story..ahem nightmare, would go like this:
I would be alone somewhere miles away from the hospital when my water breaks. Andrew would either be in the middle of a test at school, unreachable at work, his phone would be dead, or he'd be so focused on his game of mushroom wars with his phone nowhere in hearing distance right when I need him most. Naturally I would have to drive myself to the hospital only to have my car break down or run out of gas, and I would have to walk barefoot (because my shoes don't fit) in the down pour that just started. I would reach the hospital and Andrew would show up after its all over.
At least my son has made sure that my labor would be scheduled for induction on a nice Sunday summer evening when there is no class, tests, work, or anything to do at all besides patiently wait around all day together. If anything, he scored me an extra awesome push present from his father. And maybe he truly did have his mommas back and just knew I would feel a lot better with a plan and time to get everything organized.
Although I might be an anxiety attack waiting to happen tomorrow, if 41 weeks is what my little prince needed to be perfectly healthy and happy then I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Now on to enjoying my last weekend of freedom as I know it!

It's the final countdown!

I can't believe I'm saying it, but its T-minus 7 days until show time.. I hope! It's 100 percent true that the last few weeks of pregnancy are the hardest! I am dragging my kankles around every day hoping that each pain I feel will be the start of the end of this journey. So far not much has happened! Baby boy is clearly a little too comfy in there and feels the need to be a typical man and make a woman wait.

The nursery is almost completely organized to my liking, the hospital bags are packed, the car seat is ready to be thrown in the car, and my emotions are all over the place! I have been telling Andrew for the past couple of weeks that it is crunch time and we have to be ready. He replied with, "oh great you have that disease." Yes he means the completely normal disease called nesting! And thats when I said good riddance thank goodness for mommies!

It's crazy to think that 9 months ago I was staring at a little plus sign and now I'm staring at a big round belly that feels like It's hanging to my knees! Pregnancy is beautiful yet challenging so here is what I hope to be the the last pregnancy update:

-Our son's name is Mason
-I am a hot swollen mess in this heat!
-I officially haven't thrown up in 9 weeks
-Mason has way more clothes than I do
-It's funny to watch my stomach when he gets the hiccups, and the feeling makes me laugh
-His movements now are very visible and it's hilarious/weird to watch my whole stomach move
-In fact the best part of the day is feeling him move around.. even if it is more like powerful blows to my ribs and bladder
-Mason is already so loved by so many people that it brings tears to my eyes
-I hardly sleep anymore and can't possibly imagine being more exhausted than I am now. The scary thing is I know I will be
-Wearing clothes at this point is just plain uncomfortable
-I have learned to never point my toes to stretch especially when I'm sleeping because this triggers a Charlie horse in about 1 second
-It's ok to demand a back and foot rub everyday. Sometimes that is the only thing that keeps you sane
-I am so anxious to meet my little guy that it seems like he'll never get here!
-The best advice I have gotten and would give to all is to do what YOU feel is right and what YOU feel is best. Someone is always going to have an opinion.

Pregnancy update!

Well I have entered the third trimester. Yes already! The uncomfortable, unattractive, ornery stage as I call it. Part of me feels like it has gone by kind of fast. I am so excited to meet my little miracle, but boy growing a human is kind of hard sometimes! I am thankfully past the puking two or three times a day part, but here are just a few of the joys that the third trimester brings. Read it and weep for me.

1. I finally have a little bit of energy, but I've still never been more tired in my entire life!
2. I have more of an appetite. I no longer have to plug my nose every time I open the refrigerator, mostly just in the morning. It's amazing to be able to eat without fearing what it's going to taste like coming back up.
3. My little boy moves like crazy! In fact I feel like he does a full tae bo class in there each day and I'm almost positive my ribs are going to break at any second. The song, "hey I heard you were a wild one," is a perfect understatement. We are gonna be in trouble!
4. Just when I thought it was getting hard to move in general, it just keeps getting harder.
5. My saving grace was my air mattress until it got a hole. I refuse to believe it popped due to weight gain! I had the best sleep on that thing. I didn't feel hardly any hip or back pain. Oh the days.
6. Food cravings: Mexican food, fruit smoothies, and Popsicles.
7. I now randomly get Charlie horse like leg cramps in the middle of the night. Freaking hate those!
8. Just recently acquired heartburn! I have never ever had this before so thank you webmd and tums for the help on that one.
9. The hardest thing I've had to do so far: find a name that Andrew and I both agree on. That aged me about ten years.
10. Now that its getting warmer outside, I have started puffing up like a blow fish. Could this be one of the reasons people hate being pregnant during summer??
11. Apparently I have a slight waddle in my walk now..
12. Two words: baby brain. It's a real thing! I can't remember anything anymore.
13. The power of the fetus is also a real thing. If baby wants it, mommy gets it. Hehe.

Life moves so fast

Has it really been three years??  On Feb 24 we celebrated our 3 year anniversary.  it was a low key celebration, but that's what happens when you get married in the middle of the semester and your wife is 4 months pregnant. In those 3 years we have traveled a ton, bought a house and a puppy, have a baby on the way, and experienced more happiness and love than I could have ever imagined! I really couldn't ask for a better life or a better husband.
A week later my little Roman turned 1! He's no longer the little puppy that would have to stop and take a rest on the way to the mailbox, or afraid to jump off of anything higher than 5 inches. He has now graduated to being able to run a marathon, eat everything in sight, steal clothes, shoes, keys, wallets etc just to watch me waddle around in confusion. But he is very protective of me and really a sweetheart. Oh how I love my little fluff ball!
And on top of all of that I just barely turned a quarter of a century/halfway to 50. It was probably the greatest bday I've had yet. I think I'll turn 25 every year from now on :)

Watch out world! Baby Pollock is on the way!

Rewind to Halloween night when we sat at home and passed out candy while watching What To Expect When You're Expecting. Ya I had no idea I was watching the next 9 months of my life! A few days later I found myself staring at that little plus sign in complete awe.  I always imagined being able to tell Andrew in a clever way that we were pregnant and I never imagined he'd be more calm in the situation.  Instead it went like this:

Me running downstairs with the stick
Andrew: staring at it for a very long time, and finally saying, "I don't get it."
Me: "There is a plus sign man! A plus sign!"
Andrew: "Take another one!!"
4 tests later... My ego is definitely prego!

There is nothing quite like the moment you find out a human is growing inside of you and hearing the heart beat for the first time is enough to make anyone cry! Even though the past few months have been an exhausting blur with my head in the toilet for most of it, I cannot wait for July 7 to be here so we can meet our sweet little baby!  I couldn't be happier that we are finally going to have our own little family and I get to teach the little offspring everything I know!



By the way we found out.......

 :)

Disneyland 2012!

By some miracle I talked Andrew into taking a last minute Disneyland trip for Labor Day.  It was bloody hot, and busy but oh so worth it! I fell completely in love with Cars Land and can't wait to go back!  Here are some pics of our two day Disney adventure.

First ride of the day, Autopia! Can't you just see the crazy road rage look in his eyes??

You HAVE to get a tea cup picture

Spooky Tower of Terror Mansion.  Not sure why the picture turned out like this, but it fit the atmosphere!

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party!

Before we left Cali Andrew found this Honduran restaurant called La Ceiba.  We decided to check it out and they made him his favorite meal baleadas.  He was in heaven!