Macie's Birth Story

Better late than never to write Macie's birth story, right? It's "only" been 8 and a half months since Macie was born and I realized I've never written her birth story down anywhere. I hope I remember it as good as I would have the day after. . . Unlikely!

I was due September 23rd and I went into the doctors for an appointment on the 21st. My doctor checked me and I hadn't progressed any AT ALL. I thought he was going to tell me we could set an induction date for that week and I thought I was going to come out of that appointment knowing when I was going to have Macie. Instead, he told me to come back Friday- two whole days after my due date. And if you've ever been pregnant you know how crappy that news is. I held it together but when I got to the car I broke down. Caden tried to tell me how good it was and that Macie needed to cook as long as she wanted to be in there. But I wanted to see my beautiful baby girl. I did not want to come back in 4 days later hoping to get good news, only to be told I needed to keep waiting longer. 

September 24th rolled around and I remember sitting in a chair and having a hard time taking deep breaths because Mace was taking up so much room. It hurt, I couldn't sleep because of heartburn, and I was so swollen. Caden and I spent the day in IF getting some things done and got home around 9 or 10. We laid in bed talking about how our lives were going to change and how at my appointment the next day I was going to "lay down the law" and demand he induce me! I'm sure people thought I was crazy but I told everyone that was what was going to happen! Soon enough Caden was fast asleep when I started to get some pretty intense pains in my belly. I had been having tons of braxton hicks throughout my whole pregnancy so instead of getting my hopes up I tried to get some sleep too. 

But they kept coming and coming, so I started timing them. I had an app that helped me count the length of each contraction and the time in between. After a certain amount of contractions it will either tell you to go to the hospital or if its safe to stay home. Mine said "Get to the hospital now! Have someone take you or call an ambulance." This kind of cracked me up. I think the apps lean on the side of cautious because I didn't need to hurry even though my contractions were consistent!

I sat there for a while and tried to really concentrate if they were bad enough to go to the hospital or not. I had a couple scares, once when I was in labor at 34 weeks and they had to give me a shot to stop the contractions because it was too early and the other time when I couldn't feel Macie move for a while but that time everything was fine. I was a little paranoid because of this and now, being 2 days over and being really ready to see my baby, I didn't want to go in and have them send me home! 

At this point I did what sounded like the best idea. I said a prayer that if it was time to go to the hospital, I needed some sort of sign. And right after I ended my prayer I got the worst contraction I had had all night! That was my sign. I woke Caden up and he said to lay there with him for an hour and if they kept being intense that we would go to the hospital. An hour passed and we both knew it was time to go in.

When I got to the hospital I was dilated to a 3, which was big progress to me from being stuck at a 1 for three weeks. The nurse told me my contractions were consistent and that she was going to call the doctor. She came back and told me he wanted me to stay. I was so excited and then definitely nervous because it finally hit me I was going to be having my baby! Dr. Oldroyd came in around 8:30, checked me, and a little bit later broke my water. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist was in a c-section and I had to wait another 2 hours to get an epidural. Those contractions after them breaking my water were intense, painful, and made me sick to my stomach. So trust me when I say that I didn't care if the epidural hurt or how scared I was for it, I did not want to feel anything else! 

Just a few hours after having the epidural, the nurse checked me and told me I was dilated to a 9 and that it was almost time! They wanted me to sit for another hour so the baby could progress as much as possible so that I wouldn't have to push as long. I believe I began pushing at around 2:00 p.m. After 36 short minutes, little Macie was placed on my chest and into my arms at 2:36 p.m. Her cry was loud and I cried right along with her. She looked kinda chunky and I thought I maybe had an 8 or 8 and a half pound baby. They placed her on the scale and it said 9 pounds 4 ounces! I couldn't believe it! I loved her more than I ever imagined I would and every moment after that was just as amazing as the time I first got to see her beautiful face.

There really is no relationship like that between a mother and her child. I have loved having miss Macie as my daughter. Not only is she the most adorable baby ever (I might be a little biased) but she never fails to make me laugh. Even though she's only 8 and a half months old, I can tell she has a light about her- maybe its because she's always smiling. I know she is going to give me a run for my money but I feel so blessed to be able to call her my daughter. 

It's been a while since I wrote on my blog and with my crazy busy life I sort of forgot I even had one! So I think its about time that I write a new post. I thought the funnest thing to share would be about my pregnancy so far and just share what has been going on and how fun the adventure has been these past 25 weeks!

I can't believe it, but I am 5 and a half months along and I'm so excited that in just 3 and a half short months I will be holding my beautiful daughter in my arms. To begin, I couldn't even believe it when I got that positive pregnancy test and after trying for almost a year to get a little one here, I felt very blessed when I saw the word "pregnant" on the test. All I wanted was to get into the doctor and see our baby on an ultrasound because I knew it would feel a lot more real at that point. 2 weeks later we got to see our very little baby (looking like just a white dot) and although there wasn't much to see, I couldn't believe she was really in there! Caden had no idea what was what and thought the black circle was the baby, which really confused him until I explained that our baby was the little white dot inside the black. He was pretty disappointed because he didn't realize just how small she was! He was very excited though to know that there was visual evidence that I was pregnant. Below is the first ultrasound we had (done at about 6 weeks), where you can see the tiny white in the lower right of the black.

The first couple of months were kind of stressful because I didn't know what to expect and any pain or ache I had always seemed to bring lots of concern and worst-case-scenarios. I just didn't know what my body should be going through, but obviously everything was normal and fine! I had plenty of morning sickness and thankfully that seemed to subside soon after I reached the second trimester. We got another ultrasound at about 8 weeks and again Caden didn't know what to expect and was disappointed because he thought that our baby would then really look like a baby! This is what he saw:

I learned at this point I should probably tell him what to expect at each appointment!.. Ooops!

But finally, 5 weeks later he got exactly what he wanted to see- something that finally looked like a baby:

 We loved this ultrasound! It felt so real at this point and we were so excited to hear that everything was developing as it should and seeing the little heartbeat was the most adorable thing ever! As the next few weeks passed before we found out what we were having, my belly started to grow a little bit each week and I got to feel her little kicks for the first time at about 18 weeks. Caden could feel her about a week later! She is a total wiggle worm and constantly moving. It is our nightly routine to watch my belly go crazy as she moves all over the place. 

Anyways, our next appointment would be to find out the gender and after she finally decided to quit moving so much we heard the words we had pretty much totally expected - "Looks like you are having a little girl!" We had suspected this and we just looked at each other and high-fived! Caden is already so in love with his little girl and so am I! It has been so exciting (and addicting) to shop for her and I'm pretty sure by the time she is here, she is going to have more clothes than me! We can't wait to meet her and feel beyond blessed to become parents to our sweet little girl!:) Here are some more fun pictures: 

Her sucking her thumb at the gender appointment: 

Me at 21 weeks pregnant (I haven't gotten around to an updated baby bump pic) 

And her cute little legs: 

                                              

Well here I am, jumping on the blog bandwagon! This is going to be a long one so if you aren't in the mood for reading, you will probably stop half way through.. sorry!

I'm sure most of you know who I am but let me begin by just saying 

a little bit about myself and my family! Obviously, my name is Kaitlin Fuhriman

...Hoping you knew that one.. 

and I live in the "fabulous" city of Rexburg, Idaho where I am attending Brigham Young

University-Idaho studying healthcare administration. Yes I have switched my major a thousand times, but this one is here to stay. I LOVE it! It is the perfect combination of health and business. 

I am married and love every second of it. In September of 2009 I met my sweet husband, Caden. I believe we sort of knew right away that there was something special about each other and that it wasn't just going to be another fling. We went on our first date on October 31, 2009 and did probably two of my least favorite things (scary movie and haunted house... I HATE getting scared more than anything) but we had a blast. In March of 2010 we "officially" started dating and just three short months after turning 18 and graduating high school, I became a Fuhriman on August 11, 2012! Caden makes me laugh on a daily basis and he is the hardest working person I know. Plus he can NEVER just sit, he always has to be doing something, which is perfect because it gets me doing something! 

I am the youngest of 4 siblings by a whopping 3 minutes!! My sister probably knocked me out for a second or two while she made her entrance into the world first...

My oldest sibling is my amazing brother, Robert. He was born January 12, 1988. He is hard-working, stubborn, smart, handsome, a hero, and the role model of the family. I look up to my brother more than anyone and although he has gone through some of the roughest trials in life, he always has a positive attitude and a chuckle that could make any person's day. Robert got a degree in computer science and loves buying the newest technology that comes out whether it is the newest flat screen TV or the newest Iphone.

On May 5, 1990 my older sister, Amanda, entered the world and oh wow do I envy the hair she had then and the hair she has now!! She is also stubborn (ask anyone in our family) but she is smart, ambitious, goal-oriented, and not to mention GORGEOUS! She is the one you don't want to mess with and gives a "rib-breaking" hug. Amanda attended the University of Utah and is now at Idaho State University getting her Masters in school counseling. She is one smart cookie if I do say so myself. She married her husband in June of 2011 to probably one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He can sound like anyone and does the best accents I have ever heard! 

Then there is my twin sister who I am lucky enough to share a birthday with. I wouldn't want it any other way. That little bugger beat me out and we were born around 2 o'clock in the afternoon on May 12, 1994. Kendra is smart, funny, kind, hard working, and also got the intelligence that Robert and Amanda have! She too has hair that I would die for. She is also my very best friend. Kendra is attending Idaho State University and has only about 3 semesters left. She will be getting her bachelors in psychology. She loves talking about the things she learns and I love to listen. She knows SO much! 

And the two people responsible for these wonder sibling I have are my fabulous parents, Steve and Darcie! Steve-o and D as Caden likes to call them. I seriously couldn't have asked for better parents. My mom is the kindest and most selfless person you will ever meet! She is the sweetest of the family. If you have been over to my house I am sure you have experienced her amazing hospitality. I have always loved that about her and I don't think I can count how many times people have left my house saying, "Your mom is SOOO nice!" My mom also works very hard as an Industrial Engineer and she is the most honest person, whether at work or at home.

My dad is also an engineer! He has done great in his career, just as my mom has, and has a great influence on the desire that all of the kids have to get careers. He was always a stickler about getting good grades, especially in high school. He has the best humor and always says things to make you laugh. He can do any job around the house and LOVES cars. He and my brother are restoring one of the coolest trucks I have ever seen.

Well I am sure that was enough reading to do but now you know a little bit about me and my family. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving week everyone!!!