Hunter Bryan Balmforth

Time to record the birth story for those who are interested. As I said in my last post, I was induced with Hunter on March 2nd. The night before we went into the hospital I started to have major anxiety. Not about labor or delivery but about the fact that my little Lincon was no longer going to be my only child and no longer going to be my "baby." I was worried about not being able to spend enough time with him and that he would be neglected. Up until this point I had never stayed a night away from him so of course I was worried about being away from him for too long.  My sweet husband calmed me down and told me everything was going be okay - and of course he was right :)

I didn't sleep much that night between getting up to go to the bathroom and thinking about the next day. We woke up at 4:30 and got dressed. I grabbed a granola bar and some chocolate milk and we hopped in the truck. It is really hard to eat that early in the morning but I forced myself because I didn't know how long it would be until I could eat again. We got to the hospital around 5:15 and went straight to our room.

After getting hooked up to monitors and getting my IV the nurse checked me. I was about 4.5 centimeters dilated. They started me on pit and then the waiting began. With Lincon my labor was 12 hours and  I pushed for 1 1/2 hrs. I was just hoping that this baby was going to be out by 5:00 pm. I switched nurses at 7 am. She kept telling me that I was going to have the baby by noon but I didn't believe her. Neither did Adam - ha ha. She told me that I should get my epdidural soon (even though I hadn't really started feeling contractions) because she thought that when my doctor came to break my water I would go really fast. So I said sure. I got my epidural around 7:30 and it was awesome. The anesthesiologist was really good and super fast. Adam kept saying that it was like he was roping cattle it was so fast. And it was a good epidural. (Of the 2 I have had - this one was amazing. I could feel everything with Linc so I'm pretty sure it was wearing off when I pushed with him). My legs were all warm and tingly. I watched some TV and also tried to take a nap but that didn't work too well.

By 9:30 my doctor still hadn't come to break my water and Adam was bored so he went to Walmart to get a few things and to get my favorite Easter candy for afterwards. My nurse came in to check me after he left. She stared at the monitor for a second and said that she thought I was leaking water. So she checked me and sure enough I had started leaking water. Even though she told me that in my mind my doctor still needed to finish breaking it all the way. Turns out that wasn't the case and my body had broken my water by itself.

My friend Becca was going to come up and take pictures during the birth. I debated about calling her after she said I was a 6 but I knew it could still be awhile so I didn't. 15 minutes after the nurse checking me and telling me I was a 6, my doctor came in and checked me again and told me I was almost a 10 and that I was going to start pushing in 15 minutes. WHAT!?? I hurried and called Adam (he was almost there) and I hurried and called Becca. She immediately got in her car and sped her way up. This was going by so fast! Those 10-15 minutes went by and Becca still wasn't there and I started to push. First push and you could already see his head. I started to panic (I really wanted pictures and video and I hadn't gotten my camera out or had it set for video). So my sister brought me over my camera so I could set the settings in between pushes. Ha ha. I think my doctor was a little annoyed that I did that but my nurse backed me up :) Well a few more pushes and he was out. Becca literally walked in right as he was coming out (she already had her camera out) and got there just in time.

So he was born at 10:47 am and it all happened so fast. Also - I didn't feel anything so it seemed so unreal. He literally came right out. I didn't really even have time to be emotional because I still couldn't believe that is was already over. But he was perfect and weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces. Just 1 ounce bigger than his brother. He was 21 inches long (which I learned later was a generous 21 inches and it a little shorter than that).

We named him Hunter (because my maiden name is Huntsman and we thought it was a nice variation of it) Bryan (my dad's name). He came out with a little peach fuzz brown hair (different from Linc who came out with blonde hair) and his dad's nose.

We spent the next little while just hanging out with family, breastfeeding, and enjoying our new son. After a little while they wanted to move me to the recovery room so I had to get up and move. Well I thought my epidural had worn off enough to get up to I started to get out. Turns out my left leg hadn't come back all the way and I dang near fell on the floor. I completely buckled and it was a good thing my nurse was there to catch me. I started laughing but I'm not sure she thought it was that funny because it could have been bad.

Recovery was too easy. I seriously had little to no pain. I honestly think because he didn't spend a lot of time in the birth canal that that was the reason. I did have an episiotomy so I did have a few stitches but it wasn't bad. I never iced and didn't take all of my pain meds. I feel so grateful that it was so easy because I can't imagine trying to take care of another kid and be in a lot of pain. I would say that the one thing that still hurts on me is my tailbone and I can't sit one way for too long or I look like an old man trying to stand up.

He was born with an ear tag which we call his little elf ear. He has to see an audiologist to make sure it didn't affect his hearing but we haven't done that yet. He has been a pretty good baby. He had a pretty high bar to reach considering Lincon NEVER cried but Hunter will just cry at normal things. Like hunger, dirty bum, or being cold. But his crying doesn't last long and he is easily comforted.

I have been trying to breastfeed and pump. I like the convience of a bottle but I do like the bonding of breastfeeding. However I think he likes the bottle more so I'm not sure how much longer the breastfeeding will last. Also - I am a milk producing machine. Adam has considered selling me to the local dairy because our freezer is chuck full of milk. I think I have around 425 ounces frozen and my kid is only 3 weeks old. Yeah - - - a lot. It is nice though because with Linc I didn't produce a lot so I'm grateful to have enough.

We are still working on getting a schedule going but so far everything is going pretty well. Hunter has only woken linc up twice in the night so I think we are doing pretty good. I enjoy my time with my 2 boys at home and feel pretty good if I'm able to do the dishes or a load of laundry. Adam has been super paitient with dinner and doesn't expect anything from me :)

I realize nobody probably made it through reading this long post but I wanted to remember so it is mostly for me anyway. Now here are some pictures. The first are from my friend Becca (check out her facebook page). Some people might think it is strange to have a photographer in while you are having a baby but I love having these pictures! Having a baby is such a special time and I personally think it should be documented!  It was a party in my delivery room :)

We did a newborn session with my friend Katelyn (check her out here) when Hunter was a week old. And the the snap shots of Linc meeting him were taken by my sister. Linc loves his brother and is always giving him kisses.

Baby, School, and Birthday

This will be my last pregnancy update before baby boy makes his debut. I posted a picture on Instagram earlier today showing my 39 week belly. I had a doctors appointment today and it will be my last one! I was still dilated to a 4 and the doctor asked if I wanted to be induced. Although this whole pregnancy I have said that I was going to wait until my due date before being induced, the question was just TOO tempting! So that being said, if the little one doesn't come before Saturday, I am going to be induced bright and early Saturday morning, 2 days before my due date.
I know there are probably many moms that look down upon being induced but I was induced with Linc and had a great experience. My cervix is "favorable" as doc likes to call it and I sort of like the fact that I KNOW he will be here then. Plus when you have a kid already it is nice to already have planned out what will happen with him the day his brother comes.

Also, we have been asked many times if we have a name picked out. The answer is... Yes! But - - we are keeping it a secret until that day. Not for any particular reason (in fact close friends and family probably won't be surprised because it was one we were already thinking about) but I figure that we have waited this long, why not just wait till then?!

We also got some other great news today - Adam got accepted into Physical Therapy School at Northern Arizona University! They have 2 campuses, 1 in Flagstaff and 1 in Phoenix. He was accepted to go to Phoenix. Such a happy day. We are still waiting to hear from other schools and are not 100% sure about going yet but we are so relieved and grateful to have the option to go there. I am so proud of my husband. He has put in a lot of hard work to get to this point and it is so nice to finally see it paying off.

Linc turned 2 last week and it was a great day! We had cake and ice cream and he LOVED blowing out his candles. So much in fact that we probably did it 30 times in 2 days. He mostly got new clothes because I was still squeezing him in 18 month clothes and he got a few toys too :) He has his 2 year checkup this Wednesday so I will be post his stats (plus I'm going to do his 2 year photo shoot this week so I will make sure to post some of those as well). Although his terrible two's are kicking in, he is overall a good little boy and I can't believe how fast 2 years goes. I can't imagine my life without my little buddy and although I secretly hate him getting older, it is fun to see him learn new things.

Update

I decided it was time for an update since the last time I wrote on this blog was when I was announcing I was pregnant. Well I am now 35.5 weeks and time is flying. I can't believe we are going to meet this little guy in a month. I'm feeling pretty good. Pretty big - but good. At my 35 week appointment I was dilated to a 2 and "pretty thin" (whatever that means) but I'm not counting on going into labor early. In fact I'm hoping not to go into labor before March. They are easier inside of you than out right? Plus I booked a wedding on February 22nd (I will almost be 39 weeks then). I know it probably seems crazy but I couldn't turn it down!
Today I went to Ijump with my sister and her kids and of course Lincon. You better believe that I was climbing up the slides and sliding down with my little buddy! I was getting some weird looks though - ha ha. 
We don't have a name picked out (that is the #1 question we get asked), but we have been throwing some around. I THINK we are leaning towards one over the rest but we probably won't tell anyone until he is born. We have waited this long - we might as well wait one more month!
I've been going on a organizing/nesting phase lately. Just trying to figure out how to fit 2 kids stuff in one room has been stressing me out. I went and bought a closet organizer and some totes to try and get things orderly. Otherwise we haven't spent very much because Linc and this little guy will be the exact same season so we are just reusing all of our clothes! I have a bought a few new outfits and of course need to get diapers and those kinds of things but I am grateful to be having another boy! It has taken some of the stress off of the bank account!
 

How far along? 35.5 weeks

Total weight gain: I think 15? They never tell me but according to my home scale I think it is that. Right now I'm on track to be the same weight I was with Linc. (I started out heavier on this one but haven't gained nearly as much so that is good).
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Stretch marks? It is hard to tell since I did get them with Linc it seems like my old ones have just extended slightly. Oh the joys.
Sleep: Not too bad. I'm waking up more frequently to use the bathroom. But I go right back to sleep.
Best moment this week: I always enjoy hearing the heartbeat at my appointments. I think I'm lucky to say that I have pretty boring appointments though. Everything is right on track and no concerns :)

Miss Anything? It is hard picking up Lincon sometimes because the belly gets in the way.
Movement: Tons. This little guy is pretty strong.
Food cravings: At the beginning of this pregnancy nothing sweet sounded good but now (unfortunately) fruity or sour candy always sounds good. But most of the time still eating normal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really anymore.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: None. I never get heartburn which is probably why I had a pretty bald baby. But honestly I think I would take a heartburn free pregnancy over a baby with a full head of hair. It grows eventually right?!
Belly Button in or out? It is actually still kind of in, but flattening out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Normal? I don't know you would have to ask Adam. I'm a pretty emotional person even when I'm not pregnant so I'm a mix of both.
Looking forward to: I'm honestly looking forward to spending this last month just Linc and I. I'm trying to get out and do fun things before his brother comes. That being said - I'm excited to meet this little one as well. Curious to see if he'll look anything like Linc.

Pregnancy

Many if not all of you know that we are expecting baby number 2 on March 4. We are very excited! Here is how we announced it to the facebook world.

 People always ask me if this pregnancy is the same or different as last time and that for me is a hard question to answer because my situation is completely different. With Linc I was working full time up until the day before I had him and with this pregnancy I am a stay at home mom with an 18 month old toddler. I have "felt" more sick this time around but puked more with Linc. With Linc the most I threw up in a day was 7 and so far this pregnancy is 6 though I usually average around 3.  I think I feel more sick because I am at home and have more time to concentrate on it rather when I was working full time I was often distracted and didn't have time to have a pity party on myself. It has however been slightly different because I have lost weight instead of gained and never lost any weight with Linc. I'm pretty sure I have lost 7 lbs so far but we will see for sure when I have my next appointment tomorrow. And for those of you who might be worried about me losing weight I promise it is ok. I still eat - - I just throw up and I also eat smaller portions because that is literally all I can stand. Food isn't my friend very often but when I do feel like eating I always do. Plus I am more overweight to begin and I wasn't with Linc so I'm happy about the weight loss because I need a little more wiggle room :)

The next question people ask is if I want a boy or a girl. HONESTLY, I want a boy but of course would be happy with either. I'm a little terrified of having a girl but that is probably because I used to a boy! Plus this baby will be born in the same season as Linc so clothes and everything would just be easier. But that is the lazy side in me talking - :)

Things I have enjoyed so far: Strong nails (I have such weak nails usually that I LOVE this). Being pregnant with my sister, it will be fun to have our babies so close together. And that is all - (that is a short list sadly but I'm sure it will get longer when I start to feel better or start to feel those baby kicks).

18 months

Just got back from Linc's 18 month appointment a little while ago. Here are the stats:
Weight: 23 lbs - 30%
Height: 31 1/2 inches - 18%
So the conclusion is he is a little pipsqueak. I guess he is one the charts so that is good right? He had to get 1 shot this time but I came prepared with a sucker to give him and it worked like a charm, didn't even cry. (Well he cried when I took the sucker away from he after I put him in his carseat but that doesn't count).

He is such a good little boy and we loving having him around. He is starting to talk a lot more and understand a lot of things we say. The words he can say now are: Dad (this is the favorite), mom (he CAN say this but choosing usually not to), uh oh, yuck, ouch, belly button (this is definently one only I can understand), yeah, okay, and bye bye. I honestly think he can say more because I have heard him say other things but these are the words he uses the most.

He points to his: head, nose, eyes, ears, teeth, belly button, and toes. He points to them on other people to. His favorite is to find other people's belly buttons.

He waves hi, bye, gives good open mouth kisses, blows kisses, plays peek a boo, and gives hugs (complete with a back pat).

He is very active and loves being outside. We had our first "big" accident yesterday when he tried to go down the cement steps and fell and scraped his head. It looked pretty bad yesterday but already looks a lot better today.

He is still taking 2 naps a day (on a regular day when we are at home for most of the day). And still sleeps great at night.

He has 5 teeth but has about 3 coming in. I'm so grateful that Lincon "teethes" well. I have never noticed a difference in the way he acts but we'll see with his molars coming in. That can't feel pleasant.

Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure. Taken earlier this month. We gave him a cookie and he really liked it. I have yet to take his 18 month pictures and probably won't until his scrape goes away a little :)

Baby Powder

I was getting ready for the day and was blow drying my hair - - -All of the sudden I smelled baby powder and saw some flying through the air. I turned around and Linc was shaking the baby powder everywhere and this is what he looked like. Hard to get mad over something so funny. Plus - he is cute :)

What Linc has been up too!

Just wanted to write a couple things about Linc so that I don't forget:
- Started walking around 11 months and is now running. This makes church pretty painful because all he wants to do is run! We have to trap him in the bench and he doesn't like that very much.
- Knows where eyes, nose, and ears are.
- Says Dad A LOT - and mama sometimes. Says Uh-oh- and a lot of jibberish that I don't really understand :)
- Will sometime talk through his nose - for those who know him know what I'm talking about. It's annoying and funny at the same time. Adam said tonight that he would have been a good Aboriginal because apparently that is how they talk. Ha
- Is for the most part a great sleeper. Sleeps 10-11 hours at night and is still taking 2 naps a day.
- He is a crazy sleeper! He will not stay in the same place. If I go and check on him one minute and check on him 5 minutes later - he is clear across his crib and backwards. Needless to say - if he ever gets up crying in the night and I bring him into my bed or sleep with him on the couch for a bit - I don't sleep. He tosses and turns like crazy. I'm so happy that for the most part he loves his crib :)
- Not a very good eater. I usually have to force feed him food. He of course has his favorites and it isn't always a chore but most of the time he doesn't eat very well. He loves yogurt, applesauce, toast, granola bars, and most baby food. I mostly have a problem giving him "big people" food. He hates meat and has a very sensitive gag reflex. Is it strange to still be feeding my almost 15 month baby food? Keep in mind he only has 2 teeth on bottom and his top two teeth are only about 1/2 through. I hate buying baby food but at least he is getting some vegetables and fruit in his diet.
- Like I said above - has 2 teeth on bottom and his top two have come halfway down. I think he is going to have a gap between his front teeth. Just like his mom did when she was young :)
- Loves electronics. Phones, remote control, xbox controller, computer mouse, etc. He has even thrown my nice wireless apple mouse in the toilet and the blu ray remote in the toilet. Our fault! Need to keep that lid down!
- His favorite drawer is still the spatula, spoon, measuring cup drawer and I am constantly finding them strewn through the house. It drives Adam crazy but I don't mind. Whatever keeps him entertained :)
- Has learned how to climb onto the couches recently. If we are on the couch - he needs to be too.
- Loves animals. For awhile we had horses behind our house and if we would say to him "Do you want to go see the horseys?" He would respond with a big grin- "Eeeeeeee." (It is hard to spell out baby sounds, ha ha). He loves petting (hitting) the horses and has even gone on a couple rides with grandpa.

-Loves playing xbox with dad and even sometimes yells at the TV just like him!! HA HA

- Plays peek-a-boo, blows kisses, gives kisses, clicks his tongue, and blows raspberries.
-Gives the best slobbery kisses ever.

That is all for now!