Konen and Company: 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.