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I was so nervous on the way to the hospital. I was scared they would tell me to go back home and wait it out. Thankfully, John kept me calm. We took a tour of the hospital about a month earlier so we knew where to go and walked right into the admitting office. The lady looked up my information in the system, I answered some questions, and John and I got our hospital ID bracelets. Then she walked me upstairs to the labor and delivery floor. My contractions were starting to hurt more but weren't getting any closer together. John and I waited for a nurse to take me back and hook me up to a monitor, etc. After what seemed like forever they called me back. The nurse checked my vitals... blood pressure was still pretty high, and got me situated to monitor my contractions and Chance's heart rate. I won't get into detail but I was showing some progression. They called Dr. Mansour to update him and he said it was fine for me to stay. I was so glad!!
So, John and I were moved to a labor and delivery room. I had the sweetest nurse... she had been working in labor and delivery for around 20 years and took such good care of us! Once we got settled we called our parents and siblings. By this time it was around 3:00 (i think!) and they were all ecstatic! We tried to watch a movie but I was getting pretty uncomfortable from the contractions. My nurse suggested I try taking a shower. I took an extremely long, hot shower and this really helped ease the pain of the contractions. After this, I had about all I could take.
John was so good the whole time... he was there to talk me through the rough contractions, hold my hand, pretty much whatever I asked for, he was right there! My nurse got the IVs, etc. ready for my epidural. Around 6:00 a.m. the anesthesiologist (my new best friend!) came and within about 20 minutes I felt so much better!! John and I decided we would try to get some sleep. Did not work! So around 8:00, I knew John had to be getting hungry. I couldn't eat since I had the epidural, so I told him to go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast. The hospital is connected to Children's so one of his co-workers met him to eat.
My doctor came in about 10 minutes later to check on me and asked where my husband was because it was time to push! I could not believe it. Everything I read told me that first labors could be long, so I was prepared to be laid up in the bed with my epidural for many hours. My nurse looked at me and said she thought we would have a baby pretty shortly. I immediately called John (who had barely sat down to eat) and told him to HURRY back to the room! He made it back in about 60 seconds :). Once he was back and everything got started, Chance made his arrival in about 20 minutes.
At 9:03 a.m. I held my precious 7 pound, 18 1/2 inch baby boy and it was the most incredible moment of my life. John was right there by my side and it was absolutely amazing.
I had prayed about the delivery for so long and it could not have gone any better. In the days leading up to it I was so nervous/anxious about the whole process... the pain, would Chance be okay, would the delivery go smoothly... all kinds of things were going through my head. God was definitely watching over us and I couldn't be more thankful. My family and friends were so excited and supportive, I was healthy, and Chance was healthy.
John was absolutely incredible... this was true pretty much my whole pregnancy. He put up with my ill moods, extremely early bedtimes, extra large appetite, crazy pregnancy emotions, etc. I was so thankful for his nursing degree because he was able to reassure me over and over that everything was going to be okay. Little did we know how much we would instantly love this sweet baby boy and how he would change our lives in so many ways.
Chance Richards Kueven
9:03 a.m.
7 pounds, 18.5 inches
"I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14
Chance's due date was Wednesday, August 16. As the date got closer and closer, I was showing no sign of going into labor. John and I talked with my doctor and he recomended inducing me on my due date if Chance didn't make his appearance earlier.
So at my 39 week appointment (8/11), everything seemed like I would be checking into the hospital bright and early on Wednesday the 17th to be induced. Mom and Dad had arranged their flights to arrive on Tuesday so they would have a day to get settled in and would just hang out at the hospital on Wednesday to wait it out with us. My last day of work was Friday, August 12. It was such a weird feeling preparing my voicemail and email for maternity leave and knowing that the next time I saw my co-workers I would have a baby!!
I had one last doctor's visit scheduled for Monday 8/15. I got up, walked to the doctor's office, and waited for my mid-morning appointment. Everything looked fine with Chance, but my blood pressure was high. This made me a little worried since this was the first time in my entire pregnancy for it to be high. Dr. Mansour wasn't overly concerned, which did make me feel better. He had me go to the ultrasound clinic for one last look at Chance. He looked great and they estimated he would weigh around 7 pounds...which made me happy! I was so worried I would have a 10 pounder!! So after my ultrasound I went back to my doctor. He looked it over, checked my blood pressure one last time and gave me orders to go rest for the next two days until I arrived at the hospital for my induction.
I went home and pretty much sat in the chair and watched TV until John got home. He brought us dinner and we sat around and took it easy that night. Around 8:00 my back started hurting and I told John I felt a little weird. Neither one of us thought much of it as I tend to be somewhat of a hypochondriac. After my long day at doctor's appointments and the news of high blood pressure, I just thought I was creating symptoms in my head! I did start watching the clock as I felt the pains in my lower back and noticed that about every 15 minutes I would feel them. Once they became 10 minutes apart I told John I thought I was having contractions. We both knew this didn't necesarily mean Chance was on his way but we did slowly start making some preparations just in case. We both updated the playlists on our phones and charged the cameras. I made sure I had everything together in my hospital bag and John threw a few things together for his. I also downloaded a "contraction timer" on my iphone. Anytime I felt one coming on I would click the timer and it kept up with how long they were and how far apart. My contractions were slowly getting closer together.... 8 minutes, 7 minutes.... but they were somewhat irregular. One would last a minute then the next would be 20-30 seconds. I started to not feel well, so I took a long hot shower which really helped. After this, John went to get our car (our car is parked about a mile from our apartment) so we could leave for the hospital whenever and didn't have to rely on a taxi!
I called my doctor once my contractions were consistenly 5 minutes apart. He said he thought I should go in to the hospital and that they would page him if I was admitted. So, around 1:30 a.m. we grabbed our bags and headed to Brigham and Women's Hospital.
After a little over a year break from blogging, I have decided to jump back in. A lot has gone on since my last post, most importantly the birth of our son... Chance Richards Kueven. While I didn't get very far in blogging about our life in Boston, my posts were about concerts, road trips, hockey games, etc. Let's just say our life has taken quite a turn. We've traded those things for strolls around the neighborhood, late night feedings, all of Chance's milestones... and we couldn't be happier!
So my new intention for blogging is so John and I can look back one day and remember our life as a family of three (well four including Toby!). I am not going to attempt to go back and fill in the past year. The only back post I am going to write is Chance's birth story, which hopefully I will start writing sometime later today.... depending on how long the little guy will be entertained in his jumpy seat!
Even though I started my job only a week earlier, I still was able to take off Thanksgiving and the day after. I was very thankful for this! We decided to sleep in on Friday instead of braving the stores for the Black Friday deals. That afternoon we went to the Boston Bruins game. This was the first professional hockey game I have been to and we had a blast!
Saturday we met up with Margaret and Adam. We went down to Charles Street to walk around some local shops and we ate brunch at Paramount. Then we loaded up in the car and drove to Newport, Rhode Island.
When we got into the city, we checked into our hotel. They were working on a giant gingerbread house... So cool!
Our first stop was the Cliff Walk. This is a tour of million dollar homes along the coast of Newport. Here are a few of the houses we saw:
We walked around some of the shops around town then found a place to eat dinner. There was one major thing we were looking for this night.... somewhere to watch the Egg Bowl!! Of course we were the only ones in the place interested in the game. Adam and Margaret were for Ole Miss and John and I were cheering for State. We had a great dinner!
Sunday we got up and found a place to eat breakfast. We walked around a little more then decided to head back to Boston. Newport is a beautiful harbor town and we had a great trip!
I realize that it is January and I am just now writing about Thanksgiving. Let's just say I am not the best blogger.... but I am hoping to get caught up!
This was our first holiday spent away from our families. Usually for Thanksgiving we spend several days in Meridian splitting time between both of our families. So, I was a little sad about spending this holiday apart. Thankfully John and I had friends to celebrate with here and we ended up having a very busy weekend.
We ran in the "Freedom Trail 5k" on Thanksgiving morning. This was not your typical 5k. We met our friends Adam and Margaret, along with about 15 other people at the Boston Common that morning. We ran along the freedom trail which goes all through the city. Our guide stopped us along the way with bits of history, facts, etc. Among the things we saw were Paul Revere's home, where the Boston Massacre took place, the USS Constitution, the Old North Church, and several graves of famous Americans. Here are a few pics from our run:
After the run we had a relaxing afternoon and I started doing some cooking. John started the turkey the night before and it was looking perfect! I took a nap and then started on the dressing and squash casserole. Adam and Margaret came over for dinner and brought some side dishes and dessert. We had quite the feast for 4 people! Everything turned out delicious!! Here are pictures of our food and table:
We had a wonderful day and realized we have so much to be thankful for!
The second week I was in Boston, Laura Anne came for a visit. She got into town on Tuesday, November 9. This was a very busy day. I had my first interview at Children's Hospital, our couch was delivered from IKEA, Laura Anne came, and it was the first night of the Dave Matthews concert. As soon as Laura Anne's taxi arrived, I was out the door headed to Children's. The interview went well, but more about that later. John and I got home just in time to head out to the concert. We walked down the street to get on the "T". This has become our new "favorite" mode of transportation here in Boston.
We rode the T to TD Garden. Because we have never been to that area of town, we got there early enough to find somewhere to eat. We walked about a block from the venue and found a restaurant to grab a quick bite. John Butler Trio opened for DMB but we did not make it in time to see that. While John, Laura Anne, and I have been to our fair share of Dave shows, this concert had a few firsts.
1. This was our first show in a city we were currently living in.
2. This was our first show in an indoor arena.
3. This was the first two night show in the same city.
We found our seats and were ready to see DMB!
Another great show! We were all ready for Wednesday night.
John got up and went to work Wednesday morning while LA and I slept in. As we were getting ready, I recieved a call from Children's about coming in for a second interview. This changed mine and Laura Anne's plans but we were excited for my possible job opportunity. So, we hurried out the door to the hospital right around lunchtime. While I had my interview, John showed Laura Anne around the hospital. Afterwards, LA and I got lunch then began our sightseeing. We hopped in a taxi and went to Harvard Square. Neither one of us really knew where we were going but we had a blast wandering around. We walked all through campus, found a bookstore to buy some souveniers, and then found the Harvard law campus.
We then rode the T to Washington street where we did a little shopping. Due to our late start, we didn't have much time here. We got back to our apartment to meet up with John and change clothes for the second night of Dave.
We decided to go have a nicer meal and took Laura Anne to Burton's Grill. Yum!! After dinner, we headed back to TD garden (where the Celtics and Bruins play) to see the concert.
We had a great time, only heard a few of the same songs from the previous night, and it was John's 30th show!
Thursday was LA's last day in Boston. John got up for work but because it was Veteran's day, he got to meet up with us for lunch. Before lunch LA and I went to Newbury Street to walk around and do some more shopping. This is a beautiful street with lots of good stores. They range from little boutiques to more expensive places like Burberry, DVF, and other designer places. There are cute restaurants, coffee shops, etc. We walked around for a couple of hours then met John for lunch at Cheers.
As I'm sure many of you know, this became the inspiration for the TV show. We had a great lunch and enjoyed a beverage or two while we were there.
Sadly, it was time to get home so LA could get her stuff together and head to the airport. We had such a fun time and John and I are so glad that she came!!
While Mom was in Boston, we worked hard to make our apartment into home. Thankfully, while the Kuevens were in town to get John settled, they unpacked all the boxes, hung shelves, got our TV and computer working, etc. It was so nice to get here and have all of that finished. I am very appreciative of all the hard work they did in the few days they spent in Boston.
So since the unpacking was complete, Mom and I got to decorating. After a few Target runs we had a rug, couch pillows, cleaning supplies, kitchen gadgets, etc. We arranged the china cabinet, set out picture frames, organized our closet, the list goes on and on. Let's just say that we worked nonstop and Mom will have to make another trip up here to actually see the city! I had so much fun with her here!! Pictures of our finished apartment will come later. For now, here is a picture of our building. Ours is the 2nd from the top.
John and I had a date night on Friday to celebrate our first weekend in Boston together. We ate at Burton's Grill and it was delicious! There are so many good places to eat here. We spent Saturday running errands and were still trying to get settled. Sunday night we met our friend Adam and went to the House of Blues to see The Script. I only knew a couple of their songs but we had a great time.
