MORE ON MORRELLS: December 2012

My little boy is growing up so fast!! It makes me so sad. So much has been happening and we're still trying to figure out how to be parents. I feel like once we get it figured out he's going to be a toddler and then we'll have to figure that out!!

So, just to clear up a couple of things... A couple people have said they read the birth story and said it sounded like a breeze. It basically was, other then the whole waiting room incident everything happened as planned and went so smooth. I can't even tell you how blessed I felt to have it go as well as it did. I can honestly say my many prayers were answered and I was being watched over the whole way through. I've had people ask how I was after labor. I was really well, I think, compared to what I've heard from other's stories. I did end up tearing during labor, how could I not with a 10 pounder!? That has probably been the biggest challenge. I've also heard after labor you feel contractions (and start feeling pain after the epidural wears off) but they're not as painful as they are during labor. Luckily for me my nurses had forgotten to turn off the epidural after labor and I was still getting a low dose 3 hours later! ha. When she noticed she apologized and I told her I was okay with it. So long story short, I didn't feel much pain till Wednesday morning which was awesome! I was still able to move a little bit while I had the epidural so it wasn't too bad. The only time I felt contractions after labor was while I was feeding little Gav. The hospital stay wasn't to bad for me, I can't say the same for Jake. When they moved us from the delivery room to the recovery room it was a big disappointment. We got in the room and we could barely even fit! It seemed like a closet turned into a room! Then we saw what Jake got to sleep on... A chair, not even a bed! It folded out but it was a tiny chair and he ended up just sleeping with it folded up. Lets just say he wasn't to happy about it. Gavin wasn't too bad at night. The only way he would sleep was if I was holding him, so that's how we slept for our hospital stay. It was cute!

We were able to go home on Thursday around 1. It was great cuz my mom had flown in the night before and stayed at my brother's house in Plano. When we got home she was already here and so excited to meet her new grandson! For the next week my mom was here with us and helped out so much!! I would go to do the dishes and they were already done! And our laundry was always magically done too! At night time Gav would get really awake around 9, my bedtime. My mom would take him and watch him for me so I could get some sleep before it was time to feed him at 11. She left the next Wednesday to stay with my brother in Plano for a couple days before heading back to Utah. I bawled, ha. She was still in Texas and I was still seeing her everyday and I still bawled when she left my house! Then I bawled even more when she went home. I don't know if she knows how much I appreciated her being here, but I sure did. Thanks mom!! Jake was able to stay home till the Monday after Gav was born, and it was so hard to let him go back to work. But my mom was still here when he had to go to work so I still had some help. My dad and little sister were able to come visit the next weekend. It was nice to be able to have everyone meet our new little guy but it was so much harder when they went home then if it were just Jake and I. Hopefully we'll be able to move back to Utah someday.

Not much happened with Gav that first week er so. We taught Jake how to change his first diaper in the hospital, he's a pro now! Gav slept a ton and he is a very relaxed baby so he didn't fuss much or anything. He started smiling a little bit when he was a couple days old. Melted my heart!! It is the cutest thing I have ever seen when he smiles. Love it!! Oh my goodness, that just reminded me! The first time Jake held little Gav was so cute! I have never seen Jake hold a little baby before so I was a little nervous :) It wasn't till Wednesday and I don't know what I was doing but I looked over at Jake and he was holding our little guy (every time I looked over before that, Jake would just stare and touch Gav, but no holding). I had an instant perma smile. So cute!! I immediately grabbed for the camera!! Jake just had this look on his face of pure love but at the same time what the heck have I done.

Sorry, fast forward. After my family left it was just the 3 of us for a couple days. That next Wednesday Jake's parents and little sister were able to come visit for Thanksgiving! It was great to see them again. We didn't do a whole lot since we had Gav, but we hung out at our place and talked and spent time together. Thanksgiving was great! Jake's parents took us out to Ruth's Chris'. SO GOOD! Best turkey I've ever had! Thank you again Hal and Carol! On Thanksgiving night Jake and I went to go do some black Friday shopping. It didn't end up happening cause the lines were too long but we were able to get out of the house for a little bit, thanks to Jake's family for watching our boy. The next day we did some shopping and went to an aquarium. I can't wait till Gav's old enough to enjoy going to places like that! It was hard the next day when they left to go back to Utah. We were leaving to go have lunch with them before they left and I lost it before we even got to lunch! Then of course after lunch was especially hard saying bye to them. I'm tellin ya, its a lot harder once you have a little one that you want to grow up with your family. But we sure enjoyed having them here with us!

Since Jake's family left we've been here on our own. I've been trying to keep up with both families sending pictures and skyping so he knows them as much as he can. Gav is a really laid back kind of baby, really relaxed. He just started getting a little more fussy but its nothing bad. A couple days ago he started crying (its more of a whimper) in his sleep and it makes me sad when he does that. He's a really good sleeper and gets up only once or twice most nights. I think the most he's gotten up is 3 times. Yet another blessing. We've only had 2 or 3 rough nights with him and it usually ends around midnight and he sleeps like normal Gav the rest of the night so we're not complaining. He had his first laugh last Friday and when I saw his smile and him laughing I started crying. I'm emotional okay! dumb hormones. I don't know why I cried, I guess I got so happy I cried. I don't know. But that's one thing I look forward to everyday now. He's done it 3 times and every time it puts a smile on my face. He's becoming more aware and talks with ya more now. We put up our Christmas decorations the other day and he loves the Christmas tree!! Thats one of our new ways to calm him down if he's crying is to turn the lights on. So funny.

I can't believe our boy is growing up so fast. It feels like yesterday we just had him!! Love ya little Gav :)