Our sweet, sweet boy

Our little guy is growing up too fast! It's making me really sad. We are loving being parents to this amazingly sweet boy. At his 2 week check-up, he was already 9 pounds, 6 ounces so he is getting big. He is such a strong guy. He likes to hold his head up and when he is laying on your shoulder (his favorite position), he will pick his head up and turn it to the other side. He sleeps so well at night, at least 4 hours and the other night he made it six hours before I woke him up to eat.

When McKay was born, his bilirubin level was high and I had to take him back to McKay-Dee to have his heel pricked 5 additional times after he came home. His levels were always a bit high but not enough to need Bili lights. This is normal for breast-fed babies but it was hard seeing our little guy poked so many times. As a nurse, I always got bugged at mom's when they would freak out because their baby needed an IV or a lab drawn but now I can sympathize. Big time!

Gary and I love being parents to McKay though. Honestly the greatest blessing ever! McKay is getting bigger every day and as sad as it makes me, it's fun to see him developing. McKay smiled his first non-gas smile on 7/21. Yes, it's true. He looks you in the eye and when you get close and talk to him, he will smile. My sister witnessed this. He is only just over 2 weeks old! He loves to eat and is such a noisy eater because he chugs his milk...like he thinks I'm going to take it away from him. Let's just say, I am VERY SORE!

McKay looks so much like his dad. We don't know where the blonde hair came from but he is his dad through and through. I see no resemblance to me but since I have such a handsome husband, I'm okay with that. He is a loved little guy, that's for sure!!

Having a morning chat with mom

Getting dressed for the day. I love this outfit but it is a newborn outfit and he probably doesn't have many more days to wear it

Letting momma take his picture

Um, of COURSE my baby would have BYU clothes. This is just a start...

His daily nap with momma. I love when he takes naps like this with me. I try to get one in a day

First bath. He LOVES his baths but hates getting out.

Cousin Jeneveve giving McKay his bottle

Sleeping on dad's pillow.

Getting ready for his bath

McKay loves being wrapped up but with his arms by his face. They were like that in every ultrasound I got.

Grandma doing the famous tummy hold. Precious!

Screaming because he had just gotten out of the bath

Jeneveve and her famous "CHEESE!" smile

I don't know why this picture is turned but I love this little guy!

Our little one has arrived!!

Monday night I got a phone call from McKay-Dee Hospital setting up my induction time for the next day at 7:30am. I was pretty sad at that point because I had wanted to go into labor by myself. But it didn't look like it was meant to be. Gary's mom got into town Monday night so that was nice. My dad had made the comment that the little guy sure had been accommodating to people's schedules. He waited for us to get into our house and for Gary's mom to come.

That night, Gary and my dad gave me a priesthood blessing. I was pretty anxious and nervous. I knew our whole life was going to change in a few hours. Gary and I went to bed knowing that would be the last time, kid free. I soon woke up around 2:30 am to go to the bathroom and noticed bright red blood in the toilet. It scared me so I actually texted my friend who is a resident at McKay-Dee Hospital and happened to be there that night. She reassured me that that was a normal stage of labor but if I got worried, I could come in early since I would be going in in a few hours anyway. I went back to bed and tried to sleep. I did a little bit but not very much.

We got to the hospital at 7:30am and everything started at once. I got my IV, Pitocin was started and my doctor came in to break my water. Once hooked up to the baby monitor, my nurse, Jeri, who was FABULOUS, told me I was contracting every 2-3 minutes and they were lasting 1 minute. I couldn't believe it because I wasn't hurting at all. I was also dilated to a 3. Well, as me, Gary, his mom and my dad sat there, the Pitocin started kicking in really fast and my contractions started up. I guess it was exactly what I thought a contraction would feel like...a really bad menstrual cramp. I had told my nurse when I first got there that I was going to try to go natural. Never did she tell me I shouldn't try or talked me out of it. She just said if I ever changed my mind to let her know. By 11:30am, the contractions were coming so fast and lasting long enough that I wasn't getting much of a break in between. She checked me and I was still only dilated to a 3. I wanted to cry. Pretty much I was. Gary asked me if I wanted an epidural and I finally gave in and said yes. If I was hurting that badly and was still only a 3, I knew I would be there for awhile. I had tried walking around, leaning over, using a bouncy ball...ya, nothing took the pain away. Once I told my nurse, the anesthesiologist was in there in about 5 minutes hooking things up. And yes, the epidural hurt so badly, I actually did cry.

Once the medicine kicked in, I was able to relax and take a short nap. The nurse came in around 1:30pm to check me and I was at a 9! And I wasn't feeling any of it. Fabulous! But, it seemed like as birth time got closer, the baby was really kicking my ribs and he was taking my breath away. Plus I was starting to feel the pressure again. At 2:45pm, my doctor had been called and my nurse was having me start to push. I had no feeling below my waist though so I didn't feel like I was doing ANYTHING. Just holding my breathe, pretending to bare down and feeling like I'm going to pass out from lack of oxygen. My nurse brought in a mirror so I could see what I was doing and that I was making progress because the nurse and Gary saw the top of the head appear. My doctor rushed in the door at 3:00pm and I pushed till 3:23pm when McKay Joseph Hallman was born. He was 8 lbs, 13 ounces, 21 inches long and I was told the doctor had to give me an episiotomy or else I would have torn inside and out from the baby's size.

They handed me my baby and let me do skin to skin with him while they were drying him off. I couldn't believe our baby was finally here. It was a true miracle and I was instantly in love with my little guy. Gary cut the cord (by the way, he did great with the birth. I thought the blood and guts would bother him but he was down by the doctor the whole time watching!) and the baby started screaming. The best sound in the world!! He came out with quite the bump on his head but who wouldn't coming through a birth canal?

They took McKay from me because he wasn't breathing that well. They had to give him oxygen and suck him out many times. His color went from blue to purple to very pale. He was breathing in the 70's. I'm an infant nurse so I know about a lot of this stuff but it is so different when it's your baby. After a few minutes, he settled down enough to let me try breast feeding him. Such a weird and different sensation but I felt so bonded with my son. Family came in to visit then we were moved to a different room. Everything happened so fast but it was all just simply amazing. I can't believe I have a baby! Besides being married in the temple to someone I love so much, I have not wanted anything in life as much as I did to have a baby and be a mom. I don't know how I got so lucky but I did. I love my husband for being by my side every step of the way, for being so excited with me and for loving me, even as a big, swollen laboring woman! What a true man!

Here are a few pictures. Of course there will be many more to come!!

Gary cutting the cord

My first contact with my baby! I was so amazed at this point

Given McKay some extra oxygen and suctioning his lungs out

Our happy family of 3

Looking at my baby, still wondering how I got so lucky

Big yawn and frog legs.

Labor was the hardest thing I have EVER done in life. But I would do it all over again to have you in our life. I love you little man, always and forever!!! Thank you to my Mom, Dad and Gary's mom for being there to support us. We love you guys!!!