Amy Scott's Thoughts

Owen’s 1st visit to the church!

Today was a day of firsts. Sadly, we had another doctor appointment, but the upside is we stopped by the church so we could show Owen off around the office. It was great to see our co-workers and the community we have Bethel. This was also a good baby step for me. Taking Owen to the office is a small step towards actually taking him the church when it’s filled with people. I’m still trying to decide if I want to brave this Sunday. I would feel more confident if I was going in with Jeremy by my side, but because church is our job, he will have to work that morning. I’m not sure I’m ready to face the crowds alone. However, I will have to do it at some point, so I’m thinking it might be best to get on with it. But anyway, I digress.  The stop by the church was a lot of fun. Not only do Nana & Papa work there, but so many of the people that mean the most to me. It was great to share moments with them and see them dote on Owen. I am a proud mama and I have very sweet friends.

Owen’s 1st walk!

As we were driving home in that afternoon in the lovely October sunshine, Jeremy mentioned that it might be fun to take the dog on a walk. We’ve been trying really hard to make Toby feel special as we make this lifestyle change. Toby has been great with Owen. I am thankful that Owen seems unphased by any barking Toby might make. So far they seem to like each other and get along! These sunny fall days are perfect for walks and I’m glad we went for it. It was a bit of an adventure. As soon we got Owen into the stroller, he promptly pooped and peed in his diaper. Then while changing the diaper, he peed again and ruined his outfit. The dog knew that we were leaving for a walk and was less than pleased that we put off our departure time. I felt bad that we were doing this walk for the dog and then it looked like we’re teasing him by getting all ready to go and stopping. We were finally able to get our walk in while there was still daylight, but not as early as we had hoped for. It was a lot of walking as a family and it felt good to be up and on my feet. I’m looking forward to maybe a few more walks like this before the winter rains really set in.

On a side note, I’ve wrestled with what to blog about on a general scheme. Originally, I thought it would be a good place for me to share my thoughts on being a ministry family. However, it quickly become an “anything” blog. I write about my baking, my friends, my family, my travels, my baby, etc. It’s pretty much whatever is going on in my head and in my life. I don’t want Owen take over my blog, but at the same time, he is a pretty big deal! Being a new mom, this little life is taking up a lot of my thoughts and energy. I want to share my journey because writing helps me process my world. So, I apologize if this turns into more of a baby/family blog. There will still be posts of all kinds, but I have a feeling a lot of posts will center around this new season life. Plus, Owen is just too sweet not to write about!

First Family Photo

On Tuesday, October 8th, we welcomed Owen Richard into the Scott family. Monday night, Jeremy and I checked into the hospital. The thought was that they would give me some Cytotec to help get my body ready for labor and on Tuesday morning they would induce me. Well, that plan didn’t really pan out… When I arrived at the hospital I was already having regular contractions. They debated if I even needed a dose of the medication, but they still decided to go forward with the plan. However, my water broke around 12:30am and the contractions started coming on strong after that. By 3:30am, I was having an epidural. The pain came on quicker than I expected – thanks to the meds. After the few hours of labor I experienced, I’m not sure how women can do all natural for hours on end. By before 7:00am, my contractions were so intense that our little guy wasn’t doing well with them. Each contraction was cutting off his oxygen supply and his heart rate would drop considerably during each one. At this point, they gave me a shot to stop my labor. The doctor on-call came in and told me because I was only half way dilated, she recommended a c-section. I was nervous and scared, but I knew that this was a possibility from the beginning. My doctor got into the office a little after 8:00am and took over for the on call doctor. My doctor wasn’t as interested in the c-section option. They monitored the baby’s heart rate and once things looked good, they gave me Pitocin.  Once the Pitocin was in my system, I dilated quickly. 45 minutes of pushing was all it took for Owen Richard Scott to enter the world at 12:22pm. He weighed in at 7lbs. 5oz. and was 19 inches long.

Falling in love with this little face!

I don’t want to be one of those people who go into all the gory details of their labor. The labor process was totally different than I expected and I’m still amazed that my body could push out a little human. It’s amazing and strange. Life definitely changed the moment they put our little baby on my chest. It wasn’t an overly emotional experience for me. I think the emotions have settled in over time. One night this week, Jeremy and I were showing each other pictures on our phones and cameras. We were laughing and commenting on how cute Owen is. I felt like a parent. Here we were looking at our baby’s pictures like he was the greatest thing on Earth. I felt the tears coming. Another insistence of emotions sneaking up would be when I was texting my sister. I was commenting on how good things were despite the ups and downs. She responded by saying that God is good and again, I felt the tears. God is so good. We are so blessed.

It hasn’t been an easy journey. In the hospital, we were told that Owen was jaundice. He’s foot was poked each day, but they released him and told us to make a doctor’s appointment for the following day. This lead to a long process of daily doctor’s appointments and blood draws. It’s been hard to see him struggle and honestly, it’s been hard being out of the house every day. Today is the first day since Owen’s arrival that we’ve been home all day and that Owen didn’t have to have his foot pricked. We do have another appointment tomorrow, but I’m hoping that it will be last for a while. Because of the jaundice, Owen also struggled with being too sleepy to eat. His lack of interest in food led to him losing 10% of body weight which is the line for intervention when it comes weight. We’ve had to supplement with formula, but I’m happy to announce that Owen’s weight was up at his last appointment and his appetite has perked up. I’m really hoping for good news tomorrow when they weigh him.

There are so many milestone moments I could continue to blog about – that feeling when we loaded him the car and took him home or seeing Jeremy become a dad. I could write an endless blog about how amazing my husband is. He has been by my side through this whole process. We are truly a team! When Owen wouldn’t stay awake to eat, Jeremy would help me coax him awake. Jeremy has taken countless diaper changes and has snuggled and love on his son in the most adorable ways. Jeremy is a great daddy.

I’ve been so blessed! Jeremy is an amazing father. Our family has been so supportive of us. We’ve been brought meals from friends and our MOPS group every day. It’s been so great to not have to worry about dinner each night. It’s so 1950’s to bring a meal to a family with a new baby and makes me grateful for our community. Even though the hospital experience wasn’t “fun”, I had wonderful nurses and a doctor that made me feel like I could do anything. Overall, I can do nothing but sing praises! God is so good. I look into the face of my son and I don’t know what I did to deserve such an honor. I continue to be blown away by this new season of life and the little life we get to share it with!

Well, this is it! The last post I will make as a family of two with a little dog. At our doctor’s appointment this morning, my blood pressure was high and I’m accepting this as standard. No big shock. Because of my blood pressure, my doctor would like to induce next week. Monday night, I will check into the hospital so they can give me drugs that will help my body get ready for labor. Early on Tuesday morning they will induce me. At this point that is the plan.

It’s weird having a plan… It’s odd knowing that this weekend is our final weekend before parenthood takes on a whole new meaning. It just feels strange. I knew our little guy had to come at some point and honestly, I wasn’t too hung up on the “when”. It’s just crazy to think that our lives are about to change. It’s like standing on the cliff about to jump… As ready as I am, I’m not sure I’m really ready for this, but it’s a little too late for that now! There is only forward. The whole bringing a little human into the world is mind boggling!

I now have a free weekend ahead of me. I’m still on bed rest, so I’m not going to travel the countryside or do anything too zany I’m hoping to get a lot of rest and just enjoy the down time while I can. As strange as it sounds, I’m looking forward to having some time with my Toby Dog and loving on him while he is my only “baby”. I want to rest as much as possible so I can be as ready as possible for the upcoming labor process. I know that you can’t “hoard” rest, but I want to make the most out these last few down days. As a result, I will put my blogging aside after this post.  I will, of course, post something once our little guy is here and make the grand announcement.

I look forward to writing in the future about this whole new aspect of my life. I love to be honest on my blog about the challenges and struggles I face as well as the good times and the people I get to share life with. I know that being a mom will add more color to my world and give me new experiences to blog about. I know it will effect my home life and my ministry. Things will never be the same. I look forward to walking this new journey out with you along for the ride. So please, stay tuned! Exciting times are ahead!

Hospital Trips & Bed Rest Entertainment

Seems like things are getting exciting as the end of this pregnancy draws near! The last couple of weeks, my blood pressure has been high.  A week ago on Wednesday, I had been seeing some flashing lights and had a headache, so I was given my first experience with a non-stress test. I didn’t know that was how it was going to go down at the time. Since it was after hours, I had to go to the hospital that is attached to our doctor’s office. I thought they would slip me into an exam room and just take my blood pressure, but no. I was hooked all to all the monitors and supervised for a while. My blood pressure was fine while I was in the hospital and I was eventually released. On Friday, at my regular doctor’s appointment, my blood pressure was still high so my doctor decided she wanted to see me back sooner than my next scheduled appointment. She said that if my blood pressure didn’t go down we would maybe talking about inducing. She’s hesitant to go that route because she really does want our little guy to come on his own.

Yesterday, we drove up to our appointment where again my blood pressure was high and after four readings they finally got a result they liked. At that point, I was told to be on modified bed rest. I can get up and do stuff around the house, but the main point is to be chill, relax and don’t stress (good luck with that). Our doctor also wanted another ultrasound to measure the baby. She said that I was measuring small, but because the baby has dropped so much it’s hard for her to get an accurate reading. The ultrasound appointment was made for today.

I will admit that I was bummed when they put me on bed rest. I was planning on teaching my class and volunteering at Bethel as long as I could. In fact, Tuesday before our appointment, I was getting stuff ready for my class and attending MOPS. I decided I was going to live my life as normal as possible until I was told otherwise.  And yesterday, I was told “otherwise”. Jeremy was very sweet and took me out to lunch after the bed rest news. It was my last meal “out” before the baby comes. I splurged at Red Robin and got a chocolate milkshake and a cheeseburger. Jeremy also stopped to pick up my all-time favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, which was just released on Blu-Ray. He is taking good care of me.

Now on to today… The ultrasound went well. Baby is measuring just fine and is weighing in a guesstimated weight of 7lbs. 3oz. When I heard the weight, I definitely thought that inducing sooner rather than later doesn’t sound so bad. That’s a good weight! What should have been an in and out appointment today got derailed by more flashing lights and another headache. We asked if a nurse could take my blood pressure before we left the office and…. OF COURSE… it was high! The nurse had me lay down and she took the reading again and it was lower. However, my doctor sent me over to the hospital for another non-stress test and some blood work.  It’s the craziest thing, once I was over at the hospital, my blood pressure went down a LOT – like the lowest readings I’ve ever had in my life. No clue why, but I’m very good at the up and down readings. After waiting what felt like an eternity for the lap results, we were released. It seems my Wednesdays are now spent doing test at the hospital. Not a trend that I am enjoying.

I debated even writing this blog because I can be so private about medical stuff, but at the same time, word is eventually going to get around that I’m on bed rest and people will ask why and explanations will need to be given. So, I’ve reached a “who cares” kind of attitude. Plus, when my blog is all about the things bouncing around in my head, this is one of those things… Kind of a big thing. I’m curious if Friday’s appointment will add a new chapter to the drama or if I’ll just be sent back to bed. Who knows! I’ll keep you posted!

I found myself daydreaming yesterday as I laid down for my afternoon nap. I really haven’t given too much thought to what our little guy might look like. If I was perfectly honest, I think most newborns look funny. The only ones that I’ve gushed over being super cute are the ones that I have a personal connection to. For example, my niece and nephew were some of the cutest newborns I’ve ever seen. For the most part, though, newborns just look a little weird. I’m not a huge fan of the newborn phase anyway because I’m worried I’m going to break them. But… I will soon have a newborn around this house and I wonder who will he favor in appearance. Will he look like me? Will he look like Jeremy? Will he look like an alien until he grows into his features? I really hope for his sake that he looks like Jeremy because Jeremy was an adorable little guy. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see! Until then, I thought I would post some pictures of Jeremy and I from our little days and give you some visuals of what genes our little guy has to work with!

Little Amy

Little Jeremy

I’m trying to not make all posts on here about the baby, but with only three weeks left until my due date, it’s one of the main things on my mind at the moment. It’s hard to believe that our little guy is full term and could come at anytime. I didn’t give the baby “arriving” a whole lot of thought until the last week or so. Now it seems so real. Any time. Crazy! Early or late?!?!?! It’s a giant mystery and I’m waiting on the edge of my seat to see what happens next. I’m really trying to just take each day as it comes and enjoy it for what it’s worth. As much I as I would love this little guy to meet the outside world, I’m making the most of each pre-baby day. It’s a season of my life that I will never get back. Time with friends and Jeremy one-on-one seems sweeter knowing that change is around the corner.

Installed Car Seat!

This last week, Jeremy and I both had baby related projects around the house. Since Jeremy is heading out of town for a few days this week, he wanted to make sure he had the car seat installed in case I needed to take a trip to the hospital while he was away. The actual installing of the car seat wasn’t too difficult, but the directions in the manual were confusing. At one point the book said the best spot for the baby was in the middle seat of the back seat, but every picture showed the car seat behind the passengers seat. We took a poll and did some research and found that which seat doesn’t matter too much. We started with the car seat in the middle, but it rocked a bit there, so we moved it behind the passengers seat where it seemed more secure. The next day I went to load a plate of cookies in the car and I realized just how inconvenient loading around a car seat can be. I was flustered and Jeremy just laughed at me. This will be our new normal, so might as well get used to it now. I’m rethinking how I load the car from here on out! It does seem strange driving around with a car seat in the back, but I think it’s preparing me in advance and I like being prepared. As prepared as I can be.

On the same night that Jeremy tackled the car seat, I started to pack the hospital bag. I’ve had everything for baby ready to go for a while, but I hadn’t started packing for myself yet. I had read that by 8 months you want your bag packed because you never know when you’re going to need to use it. The only problem is I have a limited wardrobe and some of the stuff they wanted me to pack I will need to use in the next month. I can’t just tuck it all away and forget about it. My compromise was packing everything that I could now. I packed a bag full of snacks (non-perishable), I packed movies and a deck of cards. I packed all the toiletry items I could as well. I had purchased travel sized shampoo and stuff like that the week before so I wouldn’t have lug my own stuff around. I now have a list posted on the closet wall with all the items that still need to be packed into the bag and where they can be located. I have a section in my closet of clothes are separate from the rest. These are the clothes I still plan on wearing for the next month, but if need be they can be thrown into the bag fairly easily.  Since I’ve never done this before it sure has been an interesting process trying to figure out what I’ll want and need. There are lists out there of what to pack and I followed them as closely as possible.

Forever Friends

Our doctor’s appointments are usually on Fridays so we spent our morning yesterday up visiting our doctor. Things are looking good. It’s weird to go now on a weekly basis. Jeremy was a sweetheart and drove me up to Seattle to have a lunch date with my forever friend, Maggie, after our appointment. While I ate lunch and gabbed with Maggie, Jeremy did research on the possibility of buying a new camera. My current camera puts a line on our photos and I have no idea why. Anyway, we’ve been talking about upgrading and I guess now is the time. After my lunch date, Jeremy showed me what he had been looking at and we continued to compare and contrast. There are a lot of details we’re still debating on. No camera has been purchased as of yet, but it was just fun to spend the day together. It was very kind of Jeremy to drive me up north. Normally on these lunch dates I’m on my own for the drive up and down. It was nice to have him around to chat with. Especially since we’ll be a part for a few days this next week. With hunting season and this short trip, I’m making the most of any time I get to spend with just him in September.

Well, this update has gotten long! There is a lot going on in our lives and things are never dull. Even though time is flying by, I am enjoying the mix of activity and quiet that has become my new schedule. I know that an even “newer” schedule will soon emerge with the arrival of our little guy, but until then I am thankful and content with where things are at right now. God is in control and I’m learning that all my “what if” scenarios only make me mentally tired. Sometimes focusing on today is all I can do and that is good enough.

Yesterday was a very productive day for Jeremy and I! We started off the day with a Starbucks run. This is typical before most doctor’s appointments since they are usually in the morning. For some reason we were both off and got up and ready an hour earlier than we needed to. The plan for the day had been to do baby shopping and finish getting the things that were still on our list. Because of our early departure, we were able to hit Target before our appointment. Armed with gift cards and coupons, we made quick work at Target! Our doctor’s appointment went well. I’ll see our doctor every week now until the baby comes. That seems strange. It is still hard to believe that we are at this point. After our appointment, we took on Babies’R’Us. We were able to again to use coupons and gifts cards. The savings were great and we even got a free umbrella stroller out of the deal because we spent a certain amount of money.

Lunch was a treat at Olive Garden. The fun thing for me was just getting to spend one-on-one time with my hubby. Our time together lately has been with people and his free time is spent it the woods chasing deer and elk, so a day to just hang out and do things together was greatly appreciated. After a couple more errands, we headed home with a full car.  Now we’re good to go. We are as ready as possible when it comes to baby “stuff” anyway. I spent the rest of the afternoon washing things and tucking them them away carefully into their new homes in the nursery.  I am happy to say that the shopping list is complete and so is the nursery! I’ll actually be able to show you the finished product in pictures today! Hurray! On a random side note, we were able to get a free breast pump through our insurance and that arrived yesterday as well. Free is always something to get excited about! It seemed fitting since the day was dedicated to preparing for baby. I’m very happy with the diligence we’ve taken to get good deals and spend our money wisely. There are a lot of start-up costs when it comes to having a kid. It feels good to have this part of the preparations behind us. Now It’s just time to wait. I’ll be full term in a week, so really baby could come at anytime! We’re as ready as we’ll ever be!

View from the door

Dresser & Changing Table

Glider & Crib

Fun Faces

Ready to snuggle

Little clothes on little hangers