Long overdue update

I can hardly believe it's been 3 months since our Payson was born. He is the most precious little guy and we thank God every day for what a miracle he is. Just over 3 months ago, at 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant, Brian and I had some very Spicy Thai food for dinner. Well, after that and eating the leftovers the next day, I guess little Payson decided he had enough and was ready to get out of my belly. I had a feeling on Sunday night that I would be going into labor. Brian needed to do his check ride the next night so I was nervous I would go into labor while he was out. Luckily, in the middle of the night I started feeling the real contractions and Brian's flight would have to wait. Payson had other plans for us. I tried to let Brian sleep as best as I could during early labor and I silently (or not so silently) endured the pain. I think I spent an hour in my bathtub with contractions about 7 minutes apart. We needed to get Kasey to the vet when they opened at 8:30 so I was hoping Payson would wait just a little longer. By the time we had breakfast ( which I would pay for later) and packed up, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. I remember filling out the paperwork for Payson while in excruciating pain. The ladies finally realized I would not be answering all their questions and took Kasey from me. Now that our first born, Kasey, was well cared for, it was time to head to the hospital. We finally agreed on the name and middle name on the way to the hospital. After the initial exam I was 2-3 cm dilated and my water broke. This cleared the way for us to get a private room. By 12:30 at 6cm, I had enough. I could barely breath and the pain was so intense. I could not get a break; the contractions were coming back to back. I asked for the epidural and in 10 minutes the anesthesiologist was putting it in and I felt the urge to push. Oh boy, in 10 minutes I was fully dilated. He wasn't able to give me much anesthesia so I would be able to push. That's ok, because at that point I was so excited to meet our little guy. After just thirty minutes of pushing, we heard the most beautiful sound of Payson crying. They laid him on my chest after Brian cut the cord, and we were in love. He was a healthy 8lb bundle of joy.

Now three months later, he is a 15 lb bundle of joy. He coos, giggles, and socially smiles. He still has a healthy set of lungs and lets us know when he wants something. One of his favorite things to do is the diaper change. I tickle his feet and he has an ear to ear grin. His smile melts our hearts and we find ourselves singing and dancing just to bring a smile on his face. More recently Payson has learned to mimic. When I stick out my tongue at him, he giggles and sticks his tongue right back out at me. Payson discovered his feet first by kicking at his toys on his activity mat. In the last couple of weeks, he has discovered his hands as well. He is able to pull on the rhino, hippo and monkey on his bouncer and make it play music. We are such proud parents. Prying his little fingers from my hair is also a task. My day revolves around this little guy and often I don't make it out of my pajamas. We can't wait till Daddy gets home and mommy can take a little break and if I'm lucky, a nice, hot bubble bath. We are so thankful that Payson is now a wonderful sleeper. He sleeps anywhere from 7-8 hrs in a row at night. I wish I could do the same, but I find myself a much lighter sleeper than before; waking up at every little sound he makes.

Payson took his first trip to Santa Fe over Thanksgiving break. He was a great little traveler. He didn't let us sleep that much, but most of the time he was a little trooper. He has already met my mom, Brian's mom and dad, Aunt Kara, and Uncle Sean. In January we look forward to introducing him to my dad, Krista, John, Laura, great grandparents, and the rest of the family. Payson will have his first plane ride from Albuquerque to Oakland. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we will have a great trip. It will be hard to be away from Kasey since this will be the first time he won't be able to come home with us. We know Gracie will do just fine by herself. She is pretty independent.

Christmas this year was very special. It happens to be Brian's birthday as well, so we had a lot to celebrate. Payson did not enjoy the morning like we hoped he would, but I have a feeling that may because of all the strange food I had eaten at Christmas parties the day before. We were able to Skype Brian's family and they got to see us open presents and we saw them as well. Guess we'll have to teach my family how to use the webcam for next year. As much as we missed being at home with family, it was very nice to just relax and have our first family Christmas together. We figure traveling with an infant might be a bit easier after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

We have made quite a few big purchases recently including a high definition video camera and a semi-automatic 9mm gun. Yes, I got a gun and already had my first lesson. Turns out I have quite an excellent shot. I was able to shoot out the bulls eye and close to it. Hopefully the only time I will use it will be for practice at the range. It does give me peace of mind knowing I will be able to protect my family when Brian has night flights or leaves for tdy's if I needed to.

The year 2009 treated us so well and we wish everyone a happy, healthy and blessed new year. Time is going by way too fast with our little guy and we try to cherish every moment. I know we will miss them, but we look forward to creating many beautiful memories.