I love my Husband.  He is so caring, understanding, supportive, Christian, such a handyman, loving, self-less, great Dad, hilarious, hard worker, sexy, hot, cute, HANDSOME, strong, muscular, great with anything he does, super smart, great with his body parts and tongue (if you know what I mean...ha ha).....I can go on and on.  There just aren't enough words for how amazing he is.  I am such a lucky girl to have him all to myself!  God has really blessed me.  Thank you Lord for such an amazing Husband!  I could have not asked for a better one in all my wishes!

~Love, Jess

Owen Update...3 Months old today!!

Hello!

I wanted to write a little about my little 3 month old prince.

Owen has been doing so good!  He has became such a happy baby boy!  Smiling all the time!!  

I am so happy!  He's making things easier on Greg and I too!  Owen has been sleeping almost the whole night!  Sometimes with one feeding in the middle.  Although some nights it's really bad timing.  Most nights Owen falls asleep anywhere from 8:30 - 9:30.  We start his bath around 8:00 or 8:30 and then he eats, then bed time.  He will sleep most nights until around 2am, eat, then go back to bed until around 6am.  For the last couple days, I've been trying to ween him off the middle of the night time feeding and he will end up wide awake around 4am - 5am.  I do not mind the 4am feeding but the 5 am is such bad timing.  Then I have to bring a hungry baby to the babysitters, which is not nice and I hate doing it.  I, however, don't want to be that person who is doing the middle of the night feedings when he is 6 months.  I think I will keep trying to ween him off of it.  The other thing is pumping goes into play.  So when Owen eats around 8:30 - 9:00, I pump because we feed him formula before bed, as it gives me a chance to build up my milk supply for the next day.  Then if Owen does not wake up to eat until 4am, that's a LONG time for me to go without emptying.  So, when do I pump?  Because if Owen wakes up around 2am for a feeding, like he did last night, then I would have to feed him the breastmilk out of a bottle, and I would prefer to feed him "straight from the tap" if you know what I mean...ha ha.  So many difficult decisions!  I think I'm going to start pumping around midnight and that way when he wakes up, hopefully in enough time for me to produce enough milk for him, he will have food "from the tap".

Owen is growing up so fast!  Owen since birth has been holding his head up straight and strong...but he has recently been lifting himself up really tall during tummy time!  According to the "What to Expect: 1st Year" book, he is advanced!  He's such a strong little boy!  He is trying to sit up by himself and is doing really well!  I can not wait until he is able to sit on his own!  That will be so cool to see!  Although, I will miss him being dependent on my legs when he sits looking at me on my lap!

So exciting that he is 3 months old now!  My little man is growing up so much!  I LOVE YOU OWEN!!!

~Jess

Do you remember those commercials about how when you don't work out you feel like a lamb and when you do, you feel like a lion?  That is TOTALLY TRUE!

Ok, one week down of working out, only during lunch though.  Feeling pretty good about it.  I have been depressed that I have not dropped my weight like crazy (although can't really complain because I have dropped a lot since I had Owen) but nevertheless, still have weight to loose and tone up!  I've been eatting better and starting to work out now!  YAY!  I'm excited to get back into working out!  I love it and it makes me feel so much better!  I just hope that nothing affects my breast milk production!

So, I just got Zumba for Wii this weekend. 

I'm excited to start it!  I've heard how much fun Zumba is and that you can drop weight so I'm going to try it!  I will report back in a week or so to say how it is!  Hopefully it will kick my butt into shape!

I can not wait to post before and after pics of myself when I lose the weight!  I think I will take them by 15 day increments.  That way I can hopefully see good news results!  We will see.

I am apparently super out of shape!  I tried to run the other day and I only got 2 minutes under and my lungs felt like they were on FIRE!  Not good.  Well I've never really been much of a runner, except during soccer, but then you are chasing a ball.  That is something to keep my mind busy.  Running, I just get SO bored of!  I still want to run a 5k by the end of the year.  I think that's all my mind would be busy with.  Oh well, that's at least something, right?

Well, that's it for now!  Here's a quick picture of my cute little boy and a picture of my Husband and our doggie!  

~Jess

So I have begun to work out now.  I did here and there before but I'm going to really try to work out hard now!  I want my body back!!  I have lost a bunch of the baby weight but I'm at the point where I will either start gaining again or stay stagnant at the weight I am if I don't do something more. 

Working out sounds great to me but here is what people don't tell you.  Finding time to do something for yourself is HARD when you have a newborn!  That is why I have not worked out so far!  I am a very workout-ey person.  I HAVE to work out.  It makes me feel good!  Even if it's just a walk.  Plus with my body type, just the slightest look at anything fatty or sweet, I see it on my body!  BLAH!  It is also hard because I can not really diet while breastfeeding either.  My body is pretty much Owen's until we are done with breastfeeding.  Both the no time for working out and the can't really hard diet, makes it difficult to loose weight!

But that is no excuse!!  Greg and I have discussed this and we are starting to eat better, not just easy stuff anymore.  That will really help both of us!  Plus he has been making sure I get out and am able to work out at least outside for now.  That's all I really need.  I find it hard to walk or run on the treadmill because I get SO BORED!  At least outside I have my route and it keeps my eyes and mind busy.  

I started walking during my lunch time, which is only a half an hour but oh well, it's at least something!  I can get a good 15 minute walk in!  I'm happy with that for just the lunch time.  Then I will do a longer one after work.  Hopefully that will get my butt back into shape!!  :o)

~Jess

My little baby has a cold still!  Poor little man.  He has had 2 colds and one stomach virus since he has been born!  I feel so bad for him!  Greg and I planned for a summer baby so that our baby would not get sick and now I'm thinking this is just as bad as if he was born during flu season!  Poor little man!  2 months old and he has already had his 1st emergency room visit (back on July 23rd)!  :o(  He just kept throwing up and the doctor's sent us to St. Anthony's Infant Emergency room.  Although the whole time Owen was in such a great mood!  Smiling, not crying...SO cute!

SO cute!!  It was so sad but he was such a great little boy and such a trooper!  He ended up getting an x-ray to see if anything was blocking his throat and making him throw up.  Nothing was, all good there.  Just a virus.

Here is Owen with the cutest little blood pressure cuff!!  :o)

 I'm so glad he was ok!  

~Jess

Owen is baptised in Christ!

Owen just got baptised this Sunday, 5/15/12!  

Owen being baptised in Christ!

Such a cutie pie!!

 
  I'm so proud of my little man!  It's crazy to think that his baptism is already done!  WOW!  Everything is going by SO fast!  He is growing up so quickly!  His face has changed SO much from when we first had him too!  He just keeps getting cuter and cuter!!  He's getting so much character!

I actually made his baptism outfit!  I used one of Greg's old ties as Owen's tie and part of my wedding dress for his vest!  I love it!!

Here's some other pics from the Baptism!  Were so thankful for everyone that showed up!

Uncle Brendan Ochs (God Father)

Aunt Lisa Raterman (God Mother)

Grandma Strautmann

Grandpa Ochs and Sherry

Grandma Brown

Uncle Paul (Aunt Janelle was in Paris)

Uncle Matt, Cousin Evan and Cousin Alora

Uncle Josh and Aunt Beth

Aunt Amanda

Aunt Angela

Uncle Michael

Proud Parents!

Owen's Godparents!

Owen's cake!  (cupcake cake...chocolate cherry and almond, cherry, vanilla cupcakes)

It was so much fun!  Congrats Owen on your baptism!!

Love, Jess

OWEN IS BORN!!!

I FINALLY found my email address for my blog!!!  And finally have time to write again!  ha ha.  Now I can finally update that OWEN WAS BORN!!!  :o)

On, 05/23/12, at 3:34am, my little 7lb 14oz son was born into this world!  He is such a sweetie!!  I want to go over the details of my experience in the Labor and Delivery!

Ok, as you know from my last post, we went into the hospital early to find out we were not going into labor yet...well....We were scheduled for a routine checkup on the liquids and stress of Owen on 05/22/12.  This was because it was my 1 week over my due date week (41 weeks) and we had a scheduled induction for 05/24/12.  Sooooo....here's what happened!!

I had been placed on "no work" from my doctor because I was having such horrible pain in my lower stomach that when it hurt, I could not sit, stand, walk....all that made it feel better was to lay down.  This was since 05/07/12.  So, she wrote me off work so I can relax and rest for the rest of my pregnancy.  This really helped because I was able to relax and lay around a lot because of the pain, which helped it go away.  Plus my ankles, legs and feet were VERY swollen!!


Ok,....morning on 05/22/12.  Again, we had a 9:30am appointment at St. Johns for the tests.  Greg went to work, I was at home.  Greg drove himself to work but since his work was on the way to St. Johns, I said I would pick him up and we could drive to the hospital together.


That morning, as I was getting ready for the doctors, I was making the bed and went to bend over to get the decorative pillows off the floor to put on the bed and I felt a huge movement downward in my stomach.  I knew that that was Owen dropping!!  Then I started feeling pains.  I used the app on my phone to keep tract of them.  They were happening quite often but not severe yet and not routine.  They were all over the place right now as far as time wise.  I was thinking they may be contractions..but not sure.  I called Greg and said "Babe, we may be going into labor today!!"  He said "Awesome!  Good thing were going to the hospital this morning!"


I went and picked him up and we arrived at St. Johns.  Just in case, I brought the "Hospital bags"...  :o)  Wishing and hoping I was going into labor because I wanted Owen to come at his time, not induced!
My Handsome Greg with our hospital bags.  He looked so cute carrying them all, I had to take a picture!!

We went to the floor that had the testing area.  We signed in at the front desk and waited to be called.  We gave our insurance info and were told where the testing area was.  On our way, I had to go to the bathroom.  I went and had the "Bloody show/plug come out"!!  I was SO excited!!!  WERE HAVING THIS BABY NOW!!!!!  :o)


I came out of the bathroom and told Greg, WERE GOING INTO LABOR!!!  :o)  We were SOO excited!  We decided to go to the testing area anyway and see if they still needed to do the testing or if we can just get checked out up on the Labor and Delivery Floor.  She said if we think were starting labor, to go ahead and go to the Labor and Delivery.  If we are not, come back down for testing. 

Last prego pic!!  My stomach is HUGE!

We went up to the Labor and Delivery floor and they checked me out.  I was dilated 4cm!!  YAY!!  My contractions were still sparatic though.  They needed them more consistant.  They gave me an IV to monitor me.  The nurse destroyed my vein in my arm by sticking the needle clear through it so I was sporting a huge bruise for a couple weeks.  She then had to put it through my hand vein, which did not feel good but oh well.  Worth it!  (Side note: I told the nurse I can not watch it and when she put it in there, she said, "Oh yeah, don't look, it's a blood bath over here!"  I was thinking..NOT COOL!  Why would you say that to me!?!)

I HATE NEEDLES IN MY VEINS!!

 They came back and said, Well you definitely are in the early stages of labor!  You can do one of two things...you can stay here and not eat and wait for labor OR you can go home, have a good last meal and come back when the contractions get worse.  We chose the eating route!!  :o)  Greg and I left the hospital knowing we would be back that evening.  We had McDonald's on the way home (because I was STARVING!!)  We watched some TV and when the contractions got worse, we headed in!


It was around 5:30pm when we arrived at St. Johns, on 05/22/12.  I did not want to miss my epidural period so we made sure to get in when my contractions were getting worse.  We got checked into a labor room while my contractions were getting worse.


I really wanted to make it to 5cm before I got my epidural so I tried walking the halls, bouncing on the ball, meditating...thinking about bringing on labor, etc.  (One note I want to point out, the nurse said I can walk around with my saline bag in my hand instead of on the rolly stand but that is not the case...so don't do it!  I walked around with it and a nurse we knew (Greg's cousin) saw us and was talking and asked me why I had the bag in my hand.  I told her a nurse said we can.  She said no, that has to be held high in the air so that it does not stop.  And sure enough, it had stopped. They had to do a "flush" which hurt like hell!  That is where they take a needle into the cord from the bag to my hand and rush a huge gush of water really quick though your veins.  IT HURTS!!!!!!!


Anyhoo....my contractions were getting so close together and so PAINFUL!  The nurses kept coming into my room saying "Have you really not called for your epidural yet?  Most ladies have had it hours ago!" but I kept pushing on. Finally it got unbearable.  Greg was so sad and worried watching me in pain....  (Below is my contraction pic...)

In pain....contraction....

I could not take it anymore, and I still had not dilated past 4cm but the contractions were HORRIBLE so I decided to get the epidural.  Man was that nice!!!  The guy who did it was amazing!  I did not feel a thing!  Thumbs up!!  Greg's Mom said she could tell when I got the epidural because I began texting people again!  ha ha.

Thumbs up for the epidural!!

My sleepy Husband

 So from here, we kept letting the contractions do their thing.  I was not in pain anymore and the contractions were getting REALLY BIG per the monitor!  :o)  The epidural helped my body relax.  My water still had not broke yet though.  They actually had to go in and break my water.  I got potosin to help the labor get on it's way.  After the potosin, within an hour, I was dilated to 7cm!!  They came in and broke my water which got me the rest of the way to 10cm!  It did not hurt!  The doctor was awesome!  (it did feel weird though having that water come out like that!)  We did get one piece of information about Owen after he broke the water...the doctor said HE HAS HAIR!!!  Dark Hair and lots of it!  :o)  It was so cool and made this whole thing more real to hear that about our sweet little boy!!  We were on our way to having our baby!! 


Just like I did when I was born, Owen's heartbeat kept dropping with each contraction I had.  They kept monitoring that so that he was ok with a screwed monitor in his head.  (Weird, I did not know they could do that!) 

Last picture of us before we become parents!!  :o) 

Quickly I began feeling so much pressure down there.  I felt like he was going to pop right out!  I kept telling the nurse he is coming out!  Check me!  She kept saying, no he is still far up there in you, wait a couple more minutes and I will check you.  Couple minutes went by and I looked over at Greg and said "Baby, I really feel so much pressure down there!  It feels like I'm opening up so big!  I think he is almost crowning!"  So we called the nurse in and she said "No, he would still be far up there, I'll check in another half an hour".  Meanwhile, I guess she was just guessing he was still far up in me because she was not checking.  Again I looked over to Greg and said "We need to get her in here now!  I seriously feel like his head is coming out!"  We got the nurse in and begged her to check.  She checked and said "OH!  He is coming out!  Want to try a practice push to see how you do?"  I said "YES!"  We pulled my legs up to my shoulders and she said push!  I pushed and she said "WOH! WOH! WOH!!  You can really push!  Lets stop right now, I have to get my other things to proceed."  She got the rest of the room ready and the medical stuff they will need.  She gave me oxygen and had me lay on my side to hold Owen off from coming out so quickly!

 
It was 3:00am at this point when she came back and said "Ready?!"  I said "YES!!  :o)"  I pushed from 3:00am - 3:15am.  The nurse had me stop because she said he is almost coming out and I need my Dr. here to finish.  It took Dr. Kodner 15 minutes to arrive.  She arrived at 3:30am.  I assumed the position again (with my legs up to my ears...ha ha) and began to push.  Dr. Kodner said "Greg, do you want to see his head?"  Greg looked and smiled so big!  I pushed from 3:30 - 3:34 and out came Owen!!  :o) I guess I was not looking at my area down there when he was coming out because Dr. Kodner said "Jessica...Jessica...JESSICA!! LOOK!!" and as I looked down there, I felt Owen squish out and she handed him right to me!  What an amazing feeling!!!  Greg cut the embillico cord!  Owen was crying so loud, which is the BEST SOUND EVER!!  Then I knew everything was ok with him!!  The nurse used the asporator to clean out his lungs, put drops in his eyes and when she was done, he was still crying loud!  With large tears in my eyes I looked at Owen and said "Owen, it's your Mommy!"  Owen immediatly stopped crying and looked at me.  :o)  THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FEELINGS I HAVE EVER HAD!!!  He knew my voice!!  (as I'm typing, I'm reliving and crying....it was amazing!)  He is so beautiful!  

 
They continued to clean him off as he was laying on my chest.  I recommend to everyone to do the "skin to skin"!!  That is when they take your baby right out of you and place him on your chest right away!  It is simply the best thing ever!  They tagged him, stamped his feet and had to take him away from me to weigh him.  7lbs 14oz!!  What a perfect size!  (and it's another 7 in our lives!)

This is the point where Greg got to hold him!  :o)  I don't think I have ever seen Greg this truly happy and excited (except for on our wedding day)!!

Everyone then left the room to give Greg and I some time alone with our new little bundle of joy!  :o)  It was an amazing experience!!

Mommy and Daddy happy with our new little man!

1st time holding Mommy's finger!

Looking at Mommy!

Proud Daddy!!

Owen's footprint on Daddy!

Daddy with his son's footprint!

 This was one of the GREATEST events of my life!!  Owen is our little miracle!  


By the way, I'm going against what the nurses and my doctor told me because they said not to tell anyone this is how my labor went because mine was rare!  I had such a great one and it went so quickly, they don't want anyone expecting the same!  ha ha.


I thank God every day for our little Owen and my amazing little family!  We are so blessed and happy!  :o)

The Strautmann Family

Owen Gregory Strautmann

Daddy with his son!

Mommy and her son!

Our cute little man!

Mommy loves you Owen!

I am SO truely happy!
Love, Jess