Picking a hospital - Part 2

Mike and I went to the Perinatal Tour at Saint Alphonsus Family Maternity Center this last week, and I must say I highly recommend that any newly expecting parents out there do this at your local hospital! It was fun to hear about all the different classes out there are, and all the options for pregnancy care there is. We were with couples from all different stages of the baby making process, and  kind of felt like a snobs with pen and pad taking pros and cons notes... We are not stuck with a hospital! We have time to make the best choice for us still! Not everybody gets that, because they wait until their last trimester to go to the tour, and their doctor only delivers at one hospital. 

So anyways we really did like St. Als, but Mike says that we have to see what St. Lukes is like now before deciding...especially seeing I am comparing 2013 St Als to my memories of having Jenna at St. Lukes in 2006.

Things Jacqui likes~

• Lots of education for all stages of pregnancy to post birth
• One room for triage, labor, and recovery
• They stress that the parents are in control
• The bed can change into lots of different positions so mom is not just laying on her back the whole time
• Large recovery rooms with a pull out couch for dad
• Lactation specialist available at all times

Things Mike likes~

• Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that is right above the maternity ward, and encourages families to be with baby (encourages nursing)
• That they do everything possible for the baby to never leave the room
• Celebration meal for the parents after birth
• That the whole maternity ward is locked going in and out with very few staff able to give the permission for people to come and go, so baby is safe
• Valet Parking! 

The Little Extras we think are cool~

• Mom gets a massage 
• They have 2 gardens to walk through just for the maternity ward for walking off labor and family to relax it
• They have a playground for siblings
• They play a lullaby through the whole center when a baby is born
• A professional photographer is available to come take cute picture of baby while you are still in the hospital 
• Really nice, inviting, and calm facility! 

Thank you

Last night I was standing at the back door sipping tea watching Jenna do every gymnastic trick she knows on our trampoline when Mike came up behind me and said, “I love our life so much babe"! Then he asked "don't you"?
At the moment I just took it in and smiled at him, but all day today I have been thinking about those words. As a busy American human I tend to forget to stop and think about what I have, especially when I have a goal in mind I forget about the blessings in front of me. But I am really am so happy that my husband is happy, that my daughter has parents who can afford to put her in 2- 2 hour classes a week just to learn to do flips on the trampoline, that Mike and I could take a 4 day weekend this weekend together just because we wanted quality time with our kids and each other. I am so thankful for this life, for my best friend, and our kids. I am thankful for our supportive parents and awesome siblings who all adore our kiddos. For having fun friends, a great church, and people who make us smile. We have nice things, a great home, life in a free country and Love from God who has blessed us so immensely!
Today I feel overwhelmed with gratitude, and want to thank everyone who reads this for your part in my life!




Yes, Michael I love our life too!

  

Picking a hospital - Part 1

My favorite part of this whole thing is that we get to do, and be excited for EVERY SINGLE STEP! With our older kids we didn't get that! Mike didn't have a say with Kade, and I was so young I just trusted my mom with a lot of the big decisions for Jenna, but this time it's all ours!

Once we decided to take this journey of becoming new parents I started the obvious take prenatal vitamins, replacing my morning coffee, and Mike and I put our Wine Tour on hold!

Now to start month 3 in a positive light we are looking into what hospital we want to have our baby at, and what kind of doctor we want to use.

I have had the same OB since I was 15 years old. However this last spring she became the main OBGYN on-call at St. Luke’s Boise, so she is no longer taking non-emergency clients. This means that I get to pick a new doctor... We decided to pick a hospital 1st, so that it narrows down who we pick.

That being said, we scheduled private appointments with all of the local hospitals and birthing clinics over the next weeks, so that we can decide where we want to spend our babies "Birthday"! I had Jenna at St. Luke’s, but haven't even seen what others have to offer, so I am ridiculously excited to weigh all our options!!

If anyone has any pros or cons I'd love to hear them, so comment or message me personally :)

I can't wait to tell this to my sweet baby one day!

Pep Talk From The Hubbs

Mike and I were cuddled up on the couch watching our most recent Netflix show. One of the main couples is trying to conceive (TTC), and another main couple gets pregnant at the worst time when they did not want another child at all... Me completely sympathizing with the 1st couple started to get mad that some people can just have babies on a whim while other couples are suffering with the pain of not conceiving.

Michael in all his wisdom looked me in the eyes, and told me "stop it"! He reminded me the best things in life come with work, and more importantly THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED! We have kids who we adore, us wanting this baby is not about us not having children. It is that we wanted a child that we planned, worked for, and enjoyed the journey together. This is the work part! Then he said, "Babe we wanted the journey together...that is what we are experiencing right now, and it is fun... have fun"!

How did I get so blessed that I get to have the fun having a baby with such a smart man?!?! So I think I will stop worrying so much about if it will happen, and just enjoy this journey :)

The week I became a real girl...

So based on the timelines (in my head) this weekend was supposed to be the weekend I found out I was pregnant...My brother and his wife are coming into town, and I had all these big ideas of how we could tell my family.
Last Monday I woke up sick to my stomach to the point Mike had to take Jenna to school for me. Then Tuesday this girl who gets teased for my inability to cry felt like crying about everything. Wednesday was the day... I was just making fun of my friend at work one minute, then went to the bathroom, and came back crying. Poor guy didn't know what to do with me.
Why was I crying? That's a good question, because I am still not sure what I thought it would accomplish.... But for the 1st time in my life I was a real girl! You see I got pregnant with my 1st child before ever having this problem, and then got an IUD 6 weeks after she was born.
My husband was great about it, and went shopping for all the things I would need... it's not like I could tell him what to get, because I had no idea! He took me to lunch to try to cheer me up, and helped me out the best he could to stay positive.

Well it definitely took a few days to come to terms with the fact that I am again not pregnant, but now I know that this will help so much with getting there in the future! I have a friend who tried for 8 months before getting pregnant with her perfect little boy, so she is my go to person when I have these days. She suggested that every time it's a "no" I do the things I couldn't do pregnant for a day as a consolation prize.
So Saturday when my hybrid 3 days as a real girl were over I had a pot of coffee (yep the whole pot), then Mike and I went shopping, had Sushi, and then to a Masquerade Party with some great friends.

I woke up Sunday extremely excited for the future! I downloaded an app (Kindara) that my friend from work and his wife use to keep track of when you are a real girl, and when it’s Go Time on the baby making front ;)
Here we go month 3!!