One month update

Our boy is one month old! I can't believe how fast time flies, but we've been enjoying every second of our new life with Banks.

He smiles a couple times a day, especially if you give him lots of kisses.
He's now 10.8 lbs - one BIG boy! and wearing size 1 diapers and most of his newborn clothes are snug or too small.
He holds his head up really well and has his eyes wide open when he's awake.
He's a lot more interested in his toys and enjoys the swing a little more now.
He's an awesome cuddler. He loves to sleep on the couch with his mama!
He loves TV (opps!) and any sort of ceiling fan or light.
Car rides go quite well for the most part. He almost always falls asleep once we start driving.
He's a great eater!
His schedule at this point varies a little bit, but for the most part he falls asleep at 11pm-12am an sleeps til 3 or 4, eats, and then sleeps til about 6, eats and sleeps til about 9. He is usually awake from 9am to 1pm and then falls asleep from 1 to 5 and then stays awake most evenings and watches basketball games with mommy and daddy!
His hair hasn't fallen out and has become a little lighter/auburn colored. His eyes are a dark blue color and so handsome.

To sum things up, Banks is awesome.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Last weekend we celebrated the best Christmas yet. As Christmas has always been a special time of the year because of the birth of Christ, family functions and tradition, this year was even more special as we were able to spend it with Garrett and I's early Christmas gift from God, Mr. Banks Nolan Redding :)

Holidays, family time and just life have taken on a whole new meaning since his arrival. He is our world.

Dennan came to town and stayed with us for a good 8 days and Banks was so happy to spend quality time with his Uncle Dennan, as was I. My mom and dad also stayed with us for 4 days and we traveled to McPherson for Christmas Eve with my family's uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins! On Christmas morning we opened gifts at our house with my mom and dad and brother after a perfect morning breakfast complete with cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole and ham sliders topped off with mimosas - which I can now drink! Yay for that! :)

Later that afternoon we all traveled to Clearwater to have Christmas with Garrett's dad, Kathy and his siblings. We had a great time. More food, games, laughter, gift opening and just good family time.

Banks, of course, was spoiled by all. He has a closet to die for - way too many clothes! He now is the proud owner of 6 pairs of shoes - craziness - and yes, he got some Jordan basketball shoes from his Uncle Dennan, a basketball and basketball goal from his Grandma Julie and Grandpa Wayne - so he is now ready to become a baller :) We are already needing to expand his room as he has a toy store to put away.

My dad took on my grandpa's tradition and dressed as Santa. If you know my dad, this was a quite impressive move for him. His quiet self, took on the Santa role perfectly. He entered the house with a loud HO! HO! HO! dressed in his Santa outfit from head to toe carrying a bag full of toys for the kids. Seeing Banks sit on Santa's lap was extra special this year, as Santa was his own Grandpa... but, SHHH! We won't tell Banks that until he is much, much older :)

I'm so in love with my family. They are all great and we are so, so blessed to add a perfect little child, Banks to our holiday season. I hope you enjoy his newest, Christmas pictures! Oh, and Happy 4 weeks baby Banks!!

Santa giving Reese her present.

Santa/Grandpa and Banks!

Daddy and Banks!

Mommy and Banks!

Dennan feeding Banks.

Uncle Dennan

Grandpa Wayne and his favorite lil' man.

I take baths and don't cry! 

Our holiday decor for the year!

Hadley opening his stocking!

Banks watching us open gifts, his gifts :)

Dennan making Banks smile! 

Our family!

Baller gear.

Our lil' candy-cane.

Grandpa Steve and Banks.

Daddy loves you Banks!

spoiled mama.

I woke up this morning on the couch with a precious little baby laying beside me - yes, i know this is bad, but I can't help but pick him up, feed him and cuddle on him once he cries in the middle of the night. I'll work on it.

So I woke up. To a quiet house. No husband. My car is gone. WHAT??! For a minute I was worried that maybe the whole parenthood thing got to him and he bailed. Yikes! I freaked out, called him and he said he was on his way home.

So the husband prances in the door with bacon, eggs, donuts, fruit and two QT coffees. He said, "I didn't know what you would want for breakfast, or if you were on that diet yet, so I just got you a little of everything!"

What a guy!!! Nice work, hubs.

No, I'm not on that diet... yet. The fruit is in the fridge and the donuts are gone :)

just lovin' life.

Today marks Banks' 2 week birthday! Everyone was right. Time flies after you have kids. I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since our lives forever changed! We're blessed to have great friends and family who have been stopping by to meet/visit Banks, bring us food and feed us! It's been amazing. Much of this credit goes to my mom. She's AWESOME. She was at the hospital - even before I was! - and stayed through this past Sunday (12 days!). I don't know what Garrett and I would do without her. She helped us so much and fed us the best of foods :) That part I am half-way thankful for, as it wasn't helping me with losing baby weight! Ha! In the past day, Garrett and I both have said, "I really wish Grandma Julie was still here." But, we are managing to get by, although I think Banks misses her, too! The dishes are now compiling, along with laundry and her magic way of getting Banks dressed without crying is absent. Garrett is now home until after the first of the year! YES!!!! It's so fun watching him with Banks. We are learning everything as a family, which makes it all the more special. We even managed to give Banks a bath without any crying! YES! He's been sleeping well, but when he's up all he wants to do is eat! He can eat for hours without stopping. Seriously. We've weighed him at home, and he's well over 9 lbs now... and looking chubbier than ever :) His umbilical cord fell off after 9 days and we have a handsome nakey baby on our hands. He grins every now and then and is making more and more noises. His hair has lightened up a little bit, and I like to think it might have a 'reddish' tint. That could be hopeful wishing. Banks has made trips to Barnes and Noble, Baby Gap, Kohl's, Hobby Lobby, Babies R Us, The Donut Shop, Carter's, the Dr's office, Wal Mart, Dairy Queen, Chilis, to Lyons to visit Garrett's Nana and Papa and to Koch Arena. The boy is busy! I'm happy to say that he has slept or cooperated throughout all of the trips - he loves to shop like his mama! I'd say he's been out on the town for a 2-week old :) We're so thankful he loves his car seat and manages to fall asleep every time we get in the car! Yipee! We're looking forward to seeing more friends this week and for my family to come down this weekend, especially Uncle Dennan :) Today's task: clip fingernails without awakening baby Banks. Wish us luck!

I'm a poser.

My "B" outfit that Sheena made me! LOVE IT!

So peaceful.

My belly button!

BEST. DAY. EVER.

HE is finally here! Garrett and I welcomed baby Banks Nolan Redding Konen into the world on 11.29.11 at 9:02pm. He weighed 8lbs 11.5oz and was 20 inches long. They re-measured him the day after he was born and we learned he is actually 21 inches long. So, we have one chunky monkey on our hands! We could not be any happier. You hear people talk about how great being a mom/parent is, but you really have no idea until your lil' baby is actually born. I feel like a whole new person. Everything in life has its special meaning now. I know what LOVE is all about. I know why Garrett is my husband. He is patient, he is loving and he is one awesome daddy. He has been GREAT. He helps with everything willingly and is such a great support system. He loves his lil' man so much. He also did a phenomenal job while I was in labor...I can't imagine watching him in pain, as he did with me. So, here's how our story began....

THE LIFE of BANKS.

Monday - 11.28.11

I stayed home from work since I had finished up everything for maternity leave, just in case I would have Baby Banks before our due date. I slept almost all day and felt energized by the time Garrett got home from work. I had thought our baby would be born on Thanksgiving or the day after (the week before) since I had been having a TONS of braxton hicks contractions regularly... even timeable. But, no. Anyways, so Garrett got home and I asked if we could go out to eat. We had plenty of food at the house, but I just really wanted go leave and get something tasty. :) So, we went to Olive Garden and I had a carb-loaded meal. It was delish. This to me is ironic, since before any big athletic event I would have pasta to make sure I was energy-fueled. God knew what was about to happen.

Tuesday - 11.29.11

At exactly 4:38am I was awakened by a REAL contraction. It woke me up and I sat up in bed... praying, hoping... but not getting my hopes up too much. Then another one.... about 10 minutes later. Hopes went up a little more. Could this be the real thing? Then again. For the next two hours I had contractions, yes painful, every 8-10 minutes. Garrett was still sleeping and I knew he would be getting up at 6:30 for work. I just waited for him to get up in case he was going to need his sleep. I told him as soon as he awoke that I thought I was in labor. The kid was hilarious! He was so excited. He immediately asked me what to wear and where the camera charger was. LOVE HIM. For the next two hours the contractions were about 7-8 minutes apart and I was no longer sitting through them. I had to walk. From 8:30- noon the contractions were 3-6 minutes apart and we had calculated that we should go to the hospital when they were about 4-5 minutes apart..so we called my parents (who had to drive 2 hours to get to the hospital and the rest of the family to tell them we were HAVING A BABY!) We got to the Birthcare Center around 12:30pm and they checked me. I was dilated at 4.5cm - a BIG disappointment to someone who had a chart saying we would be about 7cm dilated if we followed out contraction timing plan.. well, whatever. I was so excited to hear that I was having a baby! I now had to convince myself to stay strong and tough as we were about to experience a natural labor delivery. We tried every position known to man to make things more comfortable, but nothing worked. I stood in the shower, when it was filled so I could lay down. I stood as soon as I hit the birth ball with my bottom. My legs shook like I never thought they could and around 5pm I was in the WORST PAIN EVER. I couldn't talk, walk or breathe. There were many times I wanted to give up, but I knew I had the support behind me.. I couldn't let myself or Garrett down. The doctor was called around 8:30 and arrived 15 minutes later. I began to push (on my side) and 17 minutes later we learned we were going to be raising our first born SON! Banks came out looking a little dark/purple as the cord had been wrapped around his neck 3 times! I'm so glad I stood for the 17 hour labor process as I'm assuming that helped keep the pressure off of him. They broke my water at 10cm right before delivering him, which I also think helped take the direct pressure off of him. God just has a way for everything to work out. I'm so glad that we chose to do a natural birth with no medications - it was a great, life-changing experience. 

We stayed in the hospital the next two nights, since I wanted to go home in daylight and we weren't going to be able to leave til 11pm the next day - so we just stayed another night and left Thursday morning. The past 6 days have been everything I imagined and more. We just LOVE our lil' guy SOO much. 

Everyone keeps asking about the name, so I thought I would explain. His name is Banks. The two middle names Nolan (meaning Champion) and Redding (meaning from a red-headed father) are just names we liked the sound and meaning of. 

So far Banks is a GREAT sleeper, sleeping 3-6 hours at a time and eats like a champ! :)  He is very alert and strong! We've gone out to eat, shopping and to Banks' first basketball game! I think he was the good luck charm, because the Shockers played awesome, beating #18 ranked UNLV. Today we are going to put up the Christmas tree. Garrett goes back to work Wednesday - Friday, and then will have off until after January 1. AWESOME. I love our time at home together. My mom is staying through this week and has been such a BIG help! She's a great cook, awesome mom/ mother-in-law and the best grandma to Banks!

Here are a few pictures for now. I'm obsessed with capturing every moment, so don't worry...there will be lots of pictures to come!

That's all for now. Happy Birthday Banks! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know. You have made our life perfect.

Aunt Stacey and Banks at the WSU game.

Coach Grandpa and Banks.

Happy Birthday Banks!

Mommy Loves you!

Our chunky monkey!

First family photo

Seeing Banks for the first time.

Grandma Julie and Grandpa Wayne... we call Banks lil' Wayne as he looks just like my dad!

Grandpa Steve

Banks. Just chillin'

Dr. Kauffman - he was amazing!

Banks ready to go home!

Proud Uncle Dennan

The Boys.

Me, Banks, My Grandma Mickey ( mom's mom) and my Mom.

Banks in his room.

Ready to cheer on the Shockers!

Watching KU!

Hadley and little brother Banks.

Banks Nolan Redding Konen

10,9,8,7,6 ....

6 days til' our due date. A countdown has never seemed so slow... but, I will say that it was nice having the weekend with my mom and G to prepare even more for baby K. The house is spotless, food is stored, our bags are packed, the gas tanks are full. I think we are as ready as we can get.

Last week's dr. appt went much better than the week before. Blood pressure is back on track, there's no protein in the urine and swelling is minimal. Thank the good Lord! I'm accrediting our Bradley Method instructor for much of this progress, as she suggested taking Epsom salt baths.. which made me 1. feel much better 2. kept the bp and swelling down. Yay! We're at 2cm and 60% effaced for the time being and just waiting for that 2 to turn to a 10 so we can get this baby out!

I'm so hoping that this is the last blog post without Baby K here! I can't wait to share all of our exciting news with everyone! We might just have a little Thanksgiving turkey on our hands :)

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I don't think it's ever been more apparent how blessed Garrett and I are. We have so much to be thankful for this year... life just keeps getting better!

just a lil' bump in the road.

37, and now 38 weeks pregnant. 12 days til' the due date. Too many numbers to keep track of. I despise the term 'due date', and would rather know a 'delivery date', but I guess that's part of the fun. Each day goes by, and each hour I'm on my toes wondering, 'is today THE day?'. No such luck yet, but I keep telling myself with each day that goes by Baby K is hopefully healthier and G and I are a little more prepared for our, what some my call, crazy/insane birth plan. 

Last week, at our 37 week appointment, Dr. Kauffman found protein in my urine sample and I also was charted for high blood pressure. This was the first time we had any 'bumps' along the way. My feet were also the most swollen they had been throughout the entire pregnancy. I'm guessing a lot of this had to do with the 12-hour workday, the day before, but you never know. Dr. told me that I should stop working and stay home and keep my feet up. So, for the past 5 days I've been at home... trying to rest. It's a bit tempting to bake, eat too much, and work on the house, but I think I've been doing a pretty good job at my 'do nothing' instructions. I had my blood pressure taken on Sunday and it was a lot better than what it had been the week before, so I'm hoping it stays that way. Let's just say the not working routine drives me crazy, and I'm going a bit insane and the days are draaaaggging. 

All of this time has me looking for more baby names - what am I thinking!!? -  and coming up with all different birth horror stories. I have way TOO much time on my hands.

So, I sit here and pray/hope/dream that Baby K decides to come soon! Maybe tonight's KU game against #2 Kentucky will get the baby excited for basketball season. I know this baby wants to watch some KU basketball.. come out!!!

Bode Lee Meier

Well it's official. My other half had her baby, so I'm officially the sole pregnant bff. Being pregnant with your best friend is awesome. We had so many things to talk about and stories to share and I'm sure those stories will continue to grow as we raise our kids. I could not be more proud to announce Stacey's delivery of Bode Lee Meier on 11/1/11 at 9:38am. Bode weighed 8lbs even and measured 20" long. He looks just like Big Brother Brooks and is the cutest lil' guy. One of the reasons I wanted so badly to have a family of my own was because of Big Brother Brooks. He is so fun and I just love being around him. I'm so excited that Baby K will have two bff boys to play with. I can't wait for our kiddos to grow up together! The Meier family is now a family of four and I couldn't be more happy for anyone! I love you all to pieces! Congratulations on your new addition! :)

Laying on mommy right after being born.

Big Brother Brooks meeting Little Brother Bode for the first time. "Hi Bode, I'm here!" 

Showing me his 'World's Greatest Brother' t-shirt! So cute.

Bode opened his eyes and looked up at me! Love him!

Proud Momma Stacey and baby Bode.

Bode Lee Meier