Smiles

He is just like his mom. He smiles and smiles until the camera turns on. Please ignore the annoying woman speaking baby talk. Man, she drives me nuts!

Ode to Glen

A lot of women say, "I have the best husband ever!" but you know deep down they don't really believe it or they just happened to have a really good day that day. I truly do have the best husband ever. Even when I am upset about something, I know it is my fault and recognize that I still have the best husband ever. He cooks and cleans. He makes sure I always have what I need. Anytime he walks by me sitting on the couch, he asks if there is anything he can get me. Every night I wake up to feed the baby and he does his best to stay awake the whole time. Then, after I feed George, I hand him off to Glen to put him to sleep and I go right back into dreamland. He's talented and cultured. He doesn't do those things that normal husbands do that bug their wives such as: pass gas, leave the toilet seat up, watch sports, have a "guys night", raise his voice, etc. He is perfectly content to spend time with his family. We have the most fun when we are together. He lets me watch my shows even though he hates them. I almost always have control of the remote. He takes care of the dog I forced him to accept upon marrying me. This is especially important since his care has taken a backseat for me since George came to be. He does dishes and changes diapers whenever asked. When I was pregnant, and still today, anytime I said I wanted something (ex. ice cream, bananas, chips, etc) he grabbed the car keys and said he'd be right back. I always stop him because I don't want to spend the money on things like ice cream, but he is still always willing to fulfill any request. Glen was an amazing coach during labor and delivery. He held my hand and breathed with me. He encouraged me. He stayed strong. (until I got the epidural and he had to leave the room for a bit) He is wonderful with George. I love to see the way he looks at his little boy. I can't wait to see their relationship grow and develop.

Glen has truly never yelled at me. I am a mess most of the time and say and do some ridiculous things but Glen doesn't get after me. He just apologizes for whatever it is I think he did. He is a righteous priesthood holder. He has never said a swear word and puts up with my occasional slip. He is extremely passionate about his interests. He spends hours developing his talents. He is good at whatever he pursues. He doesn't just learn to do something or learn about something he masters it. In a time when jobs are scarce, he received a full-time job offer before even graduating. He likes my family most of the time and puts up with their idiosyncrasies. Best of all, my family likes him. Even my opinionated father that rarely admits to liking any of the decisions his children make, has openly admitted his acceptance of Glen. And not only does he accept Glen but he LIKES him.

Also, Glen is cute (I would say sexy but he would just blush), tall and lets me cuddle him whenever I want. Oh, and he smells good. All the time. It's a good life and I don't deserve it. Thank you Glen for all you do! You are the best husband ever! I love you more everyday!

Fatty

We went to the doctor again today. My little one is now 8 lbs 15 oz. Not quite where he was when he was born but he's pretty close. We decided he has changed a lot in these first weeks. He looks older and wiser. Well, not so much wiser, but older. And stronger. Just look at how high he gets his head!:

He is growing so fast! Here is a picture from when he was just born:

All 9 lbs and 2 oz of him. Pretty cute! But he just keeps getting cuter. Dr. Allen has decided George will marry his daughter who will be born this weekend. But I'd like to see her first before making any rash decisions.

2 Weeks!

George is two weeks old already! He is doing great! He has developed a little cradle cap which I believe is pretty common but it makes me sad to see it. He went to his second doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He is now up to 8 lbs 8 oz. He has slept every night at least 5.5 hours before waking up the first time to eat. And he only wakes up that once before I have to get up for work. He is the best baby ever! When he is trying to poop, his eyes cross and he makes an "O" with his lips. I tried to capture it on camera but I didn't do it justice. His lips had already changed and his eyes had almost gone back to normal. I love him so! We bought his blessing outfit online last night. I can't wait to see it on him! His blessing is set for May 2, which is the day after Glen's graduation. It's a banner year for the Hicks Family!

Back to Work

I am so blessed to work at home and be able to look at this face all day!

1 Week!

George's favorite part of the day!

Doctor Allen

On Monday, George had his first appointment with Doctor Allen. We love him! He is a family practitioner so he delivered George and now he is the pediatrician. Anywho, Dr. Allen says George's color is great. He now weighs 8 lbs 4 oz. I wish I had lost 10% of my weight, too. Last night my sweet baby slept from 10:30-4:00 am. It was awesome! I'm sure it was just for last night but it sure was nice to get that sleep. We are loving having this cute little baby in our home. We love him so much!

The Birth Story

Monday afternoon we had our 40 week appointment with Doctor Allen. He told me he wanted to induce me on Wednesday. I didn't want him to and I made a fuss but he said he was going out of town for Easter and he didn't want me to go to 41 weeks. I wasn't sure why but I trusted him. We scheduled the induction for Wednesday at 3 am. That morning we went to Denny's since I wouldn't be able to eat again until he was out. Glen and my parents were there with me. As soon as I got there I was hooked to an IV and the antibiotics were started (This is when my dad left. He doesn't do needles). I had to get another dose of antibiotics ever four hours.They started me by giving me a cervadil pill in my mouth. It was supposed to dissolve in four hours and then they would give me another one. I kind of started to feel contractions. Oh, by the way, I was at a 1+ when I got there. After four hours, I was at a 2. They gave my another pill and four hours later I was at a 2+. Then another pill and I think I got all the way to a 3.... weeee. So, then they started me on pitocin. I so did not want them to. And now I know why. The contractions were almost unbearable. I was walking the halls and using my breathing techniques but it was too much. I asked for something to take the edge off. It did... for about 15 minutes. I was using the birthing ball and trying not to cry. They couldn't give me another dose until an hour after the first. For those wondering if kidney stones are worse than labor, I would have to say not induced labor. Induced labor is the worst pain ever. Anyway, I asked for another dose. They checked me again and I was at a 4. I had been walking the halls and bouncing on a ball and dying in pain for an hour and all I got was one centimeter. They gave me another dose of the pain meds and I was good for another 15 minutes. Then another 45 minutes of breathing in the bed. I couldn't move. I didn't want any noise. My mom was massaging my feet and Glen was at the head of the bed holding my hand and helping me with my breathing. They were both having a really hard time watching me be in so much pain. After another hour, I asked for another dose of the pain meds and they checked me again. I was a 4.5. After 13 hours of labor, I had only progressed to a 4.5. I knew there was no way I was going to make it another 13 hours to finish without more powerful drugs. I caved and asked for the epidural. I cried the whole time they were doing it. Because of the pain and because I felt like nothing was going the way I wanted it to. But as soon as the epidural was administered, I knew it was the best decision for me. I was tired. We all were able to sleep. They upped the pitocin every 2 hours.

At about 11 pm, they checked me and realized my cervix had gone from 100% effaced to 80% and I hadn't progressed from an 9+. The nurses thought for sure I would need a c-section since I was swelling and going backwards. I decided I would have to be okay with that. They called the doctor. He told them I would be fine and to give me a bigger dose of pitocin. Luckily I had control of the epidural and could give myself more anytime I wanted. I could feel the tightness of the contractions but no pain. And my legs felt like they were asleep. By 12:30 am, I was complete. The doctor came and I started to push. I pushed forever and for the last hour, no matter how many times I pushed the magical epidural button, I felt every contraction. I was now crying through each contraction as I pushed (I was also telling jokes so the drugs were working partly). The doctor said I had inherited my mom's small pelvis (mom had 5 c-sections). I kept thinking that if I had to have a c-section after 24.5 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing, I would be really sad. But, he finally slipped out at 5:59 am.

No one could believe how huge he was. They kept asking if I had had gestational diabetes. Nope, I just make 'em big I guess. We were home by 10 am the next morning. I am so glad I listened to my doctor and let him induce me. I'm positive I would have needed a c-section had I waited any longer. We love our Georgie. He is beautiful! Everyone has been great with phone calls, texts, and dinners. He sleeps a lot. He eats about every four hours but has gone eight. His first appointment with the doctor is tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures!The morning of!Walking the halls with my support

He's here! Look at those handsMy boys!

George McKean Hicks

Born April 1, 2010 5:59 am. 9 lbs, 2 oz, 21 inches.