A Birth Story

It has been two weeks and four days since the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Azra. Today marks the day of my first week at home alone with the baby. Chris and I really enjoyed two weeks at home together to spend some quality time with Azra, and each other. Now that I'm on my own, I can finally get to sharing all the of the details of her birth!

After 39 weeks of patiently awaiting our baby's arrival, I was beginning to get particularly antsy. Not only did I have to endure the constant emails/calls/texts from my caring friends and family asking if she had arrived yet, but I had to carry around all the extra weight which was really starting to hurt my legs and back. Once I hit the due date, I had permission from my midwife to begin trying everything I could to speed up the process a bit. On Monday the 14th, I started trying oils, teas, and I even turned to acupuncture!

On Wednesday I went to bed only to feel too restless to stay there, so I went downstairs and watched TV for awhile. Around midnight I started feeling contractions that were strong enough to interrupt me from watching "The Rachel Zoe Project." I didn't really believe that it was true labor, but I decided to start timing them for lack of anything better to do. After an hour of contractions, I was beginning to get a little lonely. Still not believing that I was in labor, but hoping that I was, I went upstairs to wake up Chris so he could keep me company. I don't think he believed it either because he seemed a little annoyed to have been waken up at one in the morning.

At this point, I completely lost track of time. I remember the contractions being much more intense than I ever could have anticipated. I rotated between the exercise ball, the bath tub and the bed. I don't really recall ever telling Chris to do anything to help, but he was always there doing just the right thing nonetheless. From rubbing my back during contractions, continuously bringing me water to drink, to even turning off the lights and lighting candles in the while I was in the bath tub, everything he did was just perfect. I didn't really have much time to think about what was going on as I was trying to sleep for one or two minutes in between the contractions. However, I imagine he was beginning to get a little nervous (especially given my frequent shrieks of pain!).

After my water broke (luckily, while I was in the tub), Chris knew that it was time to go. I was able to make my way back to the great room while Chris packed the car and put our dog in the kennel. By this time, I was in too much pain to get up and walk to the car. During a very short break in between contractions, he helped walk me to the car. It must have been right before 8 by this time because I remember looking ahead to the road and seeing all of the cars of rush hour. Luckily we live only five minutes from the hospital, so I was in my hospital room in no time.

By the time I got to the room, I was already 8 centimeters and feeling the urge to push. Pushing was super difficult, but less painful than the contractions. I felt like she would never arrive, but Chris was right there for me, cheering me on, and reassuring me that I really could do it. After 1.5 hours of pushing, Chris proudly announced that we had a beautiful daughter. The midwife laid her on my chest and she looked up at Chris and I like she knew exactly who we were.

Azra Mae Brock

8 lbs 2 oz

9.17.09 - 9:14 AM

The Oasis

My birthday present from Chris was about 3-4 days of hard labor. When we moved into our house, we somehow neglected to notice just how hideous part of the backyard was. The area behind the garage was gravel instead of grass, and not having much space in the backyard to begin with, I knew that I wanted to expand the green space to the hidden area. It was a lot more work than I thought that it would be.

Here you see the gravel, the overhanging tree from the neighbor, and the half of the tree trunks (the ones that Chris couldn't lift on his own) that the previous owners so graciously left us:


We began by piling up all of the gravel into the corner so we could prepare the area for grass and plants. The rest was put off for a few weeks, so then we had to deal with some nasty weeds that started growing all over the place.


We tried to recycle as much as we could. We kept about half of the gravel to use as the base for the furniture area and the rest was hauled away by a Craigslist-er. We also had quite a bit of mulch left from when we had three tree stumps removed from the yard, so we used that for the plants. Lastly, the odd square concrete piece in the picture above was transformed into the base of our Young House Love inspired firepit. A clearance furniture set, a few battery operated lights (there's no electricity back there), trimming of the tree branches, and more than a few trips to Lowe's left us with one of my favorite places at our whole house:


It's quickly becoming one of Lola's favorite spots too, as she always brings her toys over to that area instead of on the patio like before. I love the extra green, the warm fire, as well the country-like feeling you get when you're sitting back there at night and shut off from the rest of the world. Plus, how can you beat S'mores on your birthday? Best gift ever? I think so!

Bump Watch: 36 Weeks

I wanted a low-key birthday, so Chris and I went out to the Des Moines Rose Gardens and then ended up stumbling upon Greenwood Park. We'd never been and I've always wanted to go, but I've had problems convincing Chris that it'd be a good time. The gardens were beautiful and there were still some roses in bloom, but I can only imagine what it'd look like in the middle of summer with all of them in full bloom. Next year I'll go to find out! Does anyone know when roses bloom??

After walking around the gardens for a bit, we stopped to get a few photos of my growing belly. Here I am at 36 weeks:

After the photo op, we made our way over to a bench for a little rest. We noticed a little water peeking behind some trees and went to investigate. As we kept walking, we stumbled across a secluded lake in the middle of the city! It was super peaceful and relaxing just sitting there, feeling like we were miles outside of the city.

(Photo courtesy of PictureDesMoines.com)

One of my favorite things about Des Moines is that there are so many hidden oases right inside the city. Next up, I'll show you my very own oasis - right in my own backyard!

San Diego - FINALLY!

So, it only took me five months to get this posted - what is wrong with me?! You'd think that we must not have had a very good time if it took me this long, but quite the contrary - we had an AMAZING time! Let's start off with a recap:

Chris celebrated his 30th birthday this February. I wanted to do something big and unexpected, and we happened to have a few thousand flight points lying around and a good friend out in San Diego who we hadn't been out to visit. What's better than a free birthday gift, right?! Chris was driving me nuts about theXBox he thought he was receiving, so imagine his surprise when my brother (in town to take care of Lola while we were gone) and I picked him up from work the Friday before his birthday! Adam drove us to the airport while Chris started to figure it out. I wasn't going to let him see the tickets beforehand, but I caved and showed him where we were going. He was super excited, and I was even more excited because I love giving gifts!

We were there for 3.5 days, and I must say that we loved every single minute of it. Matt had a great apartment just outside of Little Italy downtown. We were walking distance from great little shops and restaurants, the ocean, and the famous San Diego Zoo. Being the early bird that I am, I got up and walked around downtown until I stumbled upon a coffee shop and just sat outside enjoying the beautiful city and weather. We just loved the city and the people. Everyone was so laid back and friendly. They all seemed to be walking their dogs, and some even took them to work with them likeMochaccino here:


Saturday morning was spent on a much anticipated whale watching cruise. Chris and I really wanted to go while in Iceland, but we didn't get it done, so we were super excited to see some up close in the prime of their migration.

We saw a ton of dolphins, which was really neat...

...but, unfortunately, the only whales we saw during our vacation were these:Bummer.

Next up: Tijuana. I had been to Cancun before, but never had I experienced anything like the Mexican border town of Tijuana. It was so odd that I don't even have the words for it.

Here's Chris looking a little apprehensive about his entry into the foreign land...

...and he still looks a little scared on our way back to the U.S....
I think just about everyone in Tijuana wanted out of there. Check out the wait back into the border:It's a good thing we walked across so we didn't have to wait in line!

We also visited something on the very top of my list: the world-famous San Diego Zoo. I absolutely love zoos, so I was super excited to see something that blows even the Omaha Zoo out of the water. Chris took some fantastic photos of many of the animals there which we've hung in the babies room, so you'll have to wait until the big reveal of the nursery to see those. For fun, I'll tease you with this awesome shot of me:
The rest of the time was spent by Matt showing us around pretty much every single part of San Diego (or so it seemed), so I'll leave you with a few more pictures:

La Jolla

Ocean Beach

San Diego Skyline

And no birthday would be complete without a shot of tequila from an unmarked bottle purchased from a creepy dude in Tijuana. Good thing I had the excuse of being pregnant so I could sit this one out!

Transformations

I remember reading that a husband might gain "sympathy weight" during their wife's pregnancy. Having gained a good amount of weight already, I can understand why the sympathy weight gain would be helpful. I've been feeling a bit tubby and I'm sure that if Chris were to gain a few pounds along with me then I wouldn't feel quite so bad about my expanding stomach:

24 WEEKS
It's not quite so bad now that the baby is getting bigger so my stomach is more pregnant looking rather than just looking bloated. Plus, I still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans which I consider quite a feat. My favorite part is that my belly button is finally starting to pop out! I don't know why, but I just love pregnant lady belly buttons! The only slight problem is the hole from my navel piercing. I'm just waiting for that to either rip in half or sag like the earlobe of a punk rocker with their gauge removed. Either way I see belly button plastic surgery in my future - if it even exists. Note to future daughter: don't get a navel piercing.

So, back to the transformations. As I said, Chris has not gained any weight with me, but rather lost some! He recently finished a 10-week fitness program at Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping. I was very impressed with his results and highly recommend the program to anyone wanting to gain some muscle, lose some weight, and get fit! Farrell's plans on opening a location in Lincoln for anyone interested. Check out their website here. I'm so proud of him for completing such a hardcore program and experiencing such great results, so thanks to him for reluctantly allowing me to show him off!

That's One Loooooong Hiatus!

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since my last post! And with so much going on, I could've had material to post every day this month - had I had the time. I've been assigned another person's job duties after his departure from our company, and on top of mine, it's one heavy load! Whoever thought that salaried employees should be denied overtime pay was an idiot. It's just not right! Nonetheless, I've been hanging in there, bogged down with work, studying, baby stuff, more studying, and more work. It's a good thing that I had a vacation last month, otherwise I would've been mega stressed. "Vacation?," you say? There'd be no question had I wrote a lengthy (but entertaining) story about Chris' 30th birthday surprise extravaganza! This weekend, I promise!

Anyway, we've been scouring the internet and stores for the perfect baby gear - just looking, not buying. For those of you who are unaware, Chris is obsessed with Batman. Not in a creepy way, but I still think he'd name our child Batman if he had the opportunity. So today, I receive this photo from him:

That's right, it's a Batman onesie...for a GIRL. I don't think so! I'm almost praying to not have a girl now that I know what's coming! Please help!

My Brand New Ride

The harsh wind and crisp air of winter make me lazy, not unlike the warm air and gentle breezes of summer, come to think of it! In hopes of battling the winter 15, I surprised Chris with a gift for both of us. He has been wanting to have an indoor bike trainer for a very long time, but with the hefty price tag, I politely declined. However, after racking up some credit card rewards points from wedding spending, I was able to afford a super nice free one! Basically, it's just a fancy contraption to ride your bike in place. I spent a whole five minutes on it yesterday while watching Color Splash on HGTV. In my defense, I had worked out at the gym prior to the 5 minute ride, so I was a little sore! Nonetheless, I figure that if I can ride five minutes a day (okay, I'll try to last a whole show) during my half hour of tv, then I could be in pretty good shape come spring. I'll head out to the mall in a bra-top and cut-off shorts that'd make Britney (Spears) proud!

Spousal Arousal Syndrome (It's not what you think)

Remember the days when you could go to bed and sleep like a baby until eight? Well those days are no more. Who would have thought that sharing a bed could have lost it's luster after years of removing the screen from my bedroom window to sneak out and stay the night in someone else's bed? Okay okay, so maybe that wasn't me at all. I'm not that rebellious and definitely didn't have a guy in which to share said bed. However, I did have my share of sleepovers with Chris after I had moved out on my own. Maybe it's because it was something new, or because I didn't stay that often, or perhaps it was just my love for cuddling that made me not notice the lack of sleep after staying. Too much information? Visuals?? Okay, I digress.

Four days from now marks the day that I can etch the one year notch on the prison room wall that I call my bedroom. No, it's not because my husband is evil and I already want a divorce. It's because I suffer from Spousal Arousal Syndrome. Yes, it's real...see here. Upon first glance, this sounds like a term to describe someone who wants some "activity" 24/7. Quite the contrary (and I have a roommate who I don't think would appreciate that!).

Spousal Arousal Syndrome - being awakened by your partner's snoring, having your sleep disrupted many times throughout the night, and having your concentration at work being negatively affected by the resulting fatigue

I like it cold - Chris likes it hot.

I prefer an open window - Chris turns on the space heater and electric blanket on high.

I sleep with my arms by my side - Chris sleeps with his elbows in my face

(One false move and it's an elbow to my face and a black eye the next morning!)

I apparently grind my teeth at night, but that's quiet, right? - Chris snores.

All in all, this makes for a competition of who can disturb the other the most. So perhaps neither of us is a good partner to share a bed with, but I still can't help but dream about the days when I could sleep undisturbed. Perhaps one of these days we're going to go the ways of I Love Lucy and get a few twin beds. Every night would be a sleepover - the way they're meant to be!

Happy (?) New Year

Chris and I decided to do something out of the norm for New Year's Eve. What normally would have been spent by staying in, watching movies, and falling asleep before midnight, was instead spent partying it up at Embassy Suites on the River for their Rock the New Year bash. Our friend Lisa came up from St. Louis, and we joined eight other friends for a party at the hotel. We had a blast! There were two live bands, a DJ, and a mad game of Beer Pong going on in our hotel room. It was a lovely end to a great year.


The next morning started off with a bang. Our house has all hardwood floors on the first and second stories. For some reason, the silly previous owners decided to carpet the stairs going up to our bedroom. Chris was coming down the stairs wearing his slippers and fell down the stairs. He thought he broke his ankle, and try as I might, he couldn't be convinced that it was just a sprain. The Starostka in me wanted him to stay home and walk it off. If it were bad the next day, then he could go in. Instead we ended up here:


Mercy Medical Emergency Room. Lisa and I passed the time in the waiting room by attempting to solve a rather difficult crossword puzzle while Chris was wheeled back and forth between rooms. It took two hours of xrays, tests and more waiting for them to tell us that it was just a sprain. They proceeded to wrap his foot in an ace bandage and gel splint while I about fainted after seeing the $40 price tag for just those items alone. Not only did I have an ace bandage at home, but it also costs maybe $8 at WalMart had I not. After the $40, plus whatever ungodly amount it actually cost to go into the ER, I wasn't about to buy crutches from them either. But after not being able to borrow them from anyone, I finally had to splurge this morning and go spend yet another $40 so Chris didn't have to hop around.

Hopefully he got it all out of his system and the rest of 2009 is smooth sailing.

Thanksgiving and Divorce

Chris and I were lucky enough (lucky = not driving back to Lincoln) to have my family up for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed making the meal, save for the turkey which my mom made. I touched the bag that it went inside and that was enough for me - dead animals are not my thing. I even made a beautiful pecan pie that my dad claimed was "okay," which means "pretty good" in his language I think...I'll take it!
Here it is in all of its glory, held by Kelsey in her Martha Stewart pose:


Thankfully my lovely husband only got a small bite out of the pie before serving time. While I'm on the topic of husbands, I ran across an interesting article today about divorce risk. As an actuary, the word risk catches my eye, so of course I took a gander. The article even has a link to a Divorce Calculator which is concerning that there is even a need/desire for such a thing. Nonetheless, I tested it out and am proud to say that our chances of divorce are a mere 8% in the next five years. It's not very scientific, but it brings up interesting points about demographics.