He's here!

Okay, time to play some catch up. Eleven months of catch up to be exact. It was brought to my attention a few months ago that I never announced on this blog that our son is here! Of course, I had realized this before, but (surprise, surprise) having a baby leads to little time for oneself. Sure, I had all summer after the birth, but any time he slept, I tried to sleep (or clean or take a shower or give the dogs attention). Once school started for me in August, my time shrank even further. Due to the pictures I post almost daily on Facebook, I assumed people had figured out I had a baby, but still, it's nice to bring my pregnancy full circle.

Asher

So, without further ado... Asher Kavinion Powell! He was born May 28, 2012 at 8:18 A.M., 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long! He arrived nine days before his due date, which turned out to be a good thing because it meant I had that extra time with him during the summer!

Already wrapped around his finger

The poor little guy didn't actually have a name for about a day and a half. We deliberated and deliberated, and now, as expected, I can't imagine him as anything other than Asher. As far as Kavinion goes, I had a dream one night that that was his name. I saw it spelled out just like that and everything. Craig loved it, but I didn't feel so great about making it a first name, so we compromised and made it his middle name. Most people assume it's a family name, and when I explain that the name came from a dream, I think people start to question my sanity. Oh well. I asked our nephew Charlie what he thinks the name means (since it's not in any baby books), and he said "fire." Craig wants it to mean "badass." Asher means "happiness," so his full name either means Happy Fire or Happy Badass. I like both options.

I think he looked like a little turtle at first

As far as Asher's arrival goes, I was fortunate in that it was a pretty easy delivery, at least compared to others' stories. I mean, it was still incredibly painful (it's labor, after all), but I think I got off easy.

Don't be fooled by my smile. I was in pain.

The day before Asher was born, I went about my business as usual. Craig was working a full-day 12-hour shift, so I spent some time shopping with my mom (I remember walking across Menards felt so arduous at that point) and walking around the dog park with the dogs. That night, there was a thunderstorm, so I stayed in and watched T.V. I started to have contractions around eight, but I'd had them the night before, too, so I didn't think much of them at first. Eventually, I called the on-call midwife, and she recommended taking some Benadryl and trying to sleep. I decided to just try taking a hot bath to relax (I'm so glad I didn't take Benadryl!), but the contractions continued to be regular and painful. Whenever I start to get annoyed with Teddy or Darla, I remind myself of Darla being so concerned about me that night that she actually jumped into the tub to give me kisses! Anyway, eventually Craig got home from work, and after about another hour or two, we called the midwife again, and she said to head up to Sioux Falls. By this time, it was about 2:30 in the morning, which turned out to be a blessing since there was no traffic, and we were able to go through all the traffic lights in Sioux Falls.

One month old

When we got to the hospital, the emergency room staff laughed when we told them I was in labor. They explained that I was the thirteenth woman to arrive at the hospital that night--they thought it had something to do with the thunderstorm. We were checked in by about 4:30 in the morning, and after looking me over, they assured me that this was the real deal. I got to my delivery room around 5:00 or 5:30. By about 7:30 A.M. my water still hadn't broken, so they went ahead and did it for me (other than that, all systems were go by that time). The contractions came on a lot quicker after that, and Asher was born about forty-five minutes later! I was so exhausted by the time they broke my water (I hadn't gotten any sleep that night) that I actually fell asleep between contractions! When he was finally born, I was disappointed that the pain of labor didn't instantly dissipate. Still, I was distracted by the beautiful, perfect little person in my arms. As I'd hoped, I was able to go through the entire labor without any drugs, and Asher and I were immediately able to have skin-to-skin contact. Soon after he was born, someone brought me a breakfast menu from which I ordered just about everything available. Craig was great and supportive during the entire experience. I only wanted to kill him during the drive up to hospital, and I may or may not have told him that at least a dozen times during the hour and fifteen minute drive to the hospital (okay, and maybe a few times in the delivery room, too). I also had my mom there, which was really nice. She's had six kids, so I trusted her every time she reassured me that I was doing a great job. I'm also thankful for the midwife and various nurses who helped me through it all. Immediately after Asher was born, I couldn't imagine ever being able to do it again, but now that I've had almost a year to forget about the pain, the idea of having another baby doesn't seem quite so crazy.

About the time I went back to work. It was so hard to leave this boy.

Okay, well that's the birth story! Sorry it got a little long, but, well, it's our story, and I wanted to tell it. Now on to the little man himself. I know it's cliche, but he is honestly the best thing that's happened to me personally and to Craig and me as a couple. I mean, that's a given, right? He fills me with awe every single day, and I'm so thankful that I get to be his mom. My emotional spectrum has gone off the charts since he was born. One thing I didn't expect was the fear I suddenly felt upon his arrival. The world seemed so dangerous and scary, and I wanted to protect this little person with every ounce of my being.  For a while, I even rode in the backseat next to his carseat just so that he wouldn't "feel lonely." Yes, I was that mom. The love I felt (still feel, obviously) was stronger and different than any I'd felt before. This tiny little baby relied on Craig and me for protection, food, love, and comfort. It's an enormous responsibility and one we both take very seriously. Don't worry, we're not those crazy overprotective parents. We're both just so excited about the fact that at this point in Asher's life, we're the most important people in his world. There are so many things we want to show him, do with him, teach him. In ten and a half months, we've already had a chance to do so much, and we're just trying to savor every single day and every little milestone. When he was a sleepy little newborn, it felt like he'd be that way forever, but now he's already a crawling, jabbering little boy! Time is flying by, and I love every single day with Asher. Craig and I have been together for a very long time, but it's still strange to look back and recall a time when Asher wasn't in our lives. It feels like he's always been here.

He was a dinosaur for his first Halloween

That all said, it did take some adjusting when Asher first came home. We were ready (or as ready as first-time parents can be) for a baby to come home, but it was still a major upheaval. The smallest things, like going to the store for groceries, changed. Everything took more planning. Within the first few days, I kept reminding myself that eventually life with a baby would feel like the norm, and sure enough, it didn't take long to reach that point.

Silly boy

Asher is now already ten and a half months old, but he's already experienced so much. He's been to two weddings, one of which involved driving to Rapid City (his first vacation!). He had his first plane ride in January when we went to visit everyone in New York. Just this past week, he had his first swimming lesson, which he loved! This summer we're taking a family trip to San Francisco just for fun. We figured we want to take advantage of flying with him while he can travel for free, and that city seemed like a baby-friendly destination.

First Christmas

There are a number of other things Asher loves, and that's one of the things that amazes us as parents. He's not even a year old, but he has opinions. For example, he loves just about any food put in front of him. We like to joke that he's a more adventurous eater than most adults. The only two foods (so far) that he doesn't like are green curry and Cadbury eggs. He literally screamed when I gave him a taste of the latter. He also loves people of all ages, but he especially loves other kids. At his daycare, they don't normally move the babies up from the infant room until they start crawling. Asher was moved up when he was five months old (about two and a half months before he was crawling on his hands and knees) because he loved watching the older kids play. He'd get too bored and would cry when he was in the room with the other babies. He loves playing games with both Craig and me. He honestly thinks Craig is the funniest person in the world. Craig's always jumping out and surprising him. One morning last week, Asher actually kept peaking into the living room as though he expected Craig to jump out and scare him (Craig was actually in bed still sleeping). Asher seemed convinced that Craig was there, though, and kept giggling in anticipation. When it comes to time with his mommy, we can play up a storm, too, but I'm also his biggest comforter, which I love. Sometimes when he's crying, the only thing that will comfort him is to be fed and held by me. This can get frustrating at times when I need sleep or Craig wants a chance to hold Ash, but overall, I cherish those cuddly moments with my boy.

First plane ride

Speaking of sleep, that was our only difficulty. We co-slept until January, and kicking him out of our bed ended up being the best thing for everyone. It turns out Asher is a light sleeper like me, so when he was in our bed, we'd both just keep waking each other up...all. night. long. I'm not exaggerating. I was sleep-deprived for the first six or seven months of Asher's life. Now that he's in his crib in his own room, he wakes up once or twice a night, has a bite to eat, and then goes right back to bed.

Looking up to his dad

I'll end with one more thing (well, actually it's two) that Asher loves: his puppies. He seriously loves Teddy and Darla, and the feeling is mutual, at least from Darla. Teddy tolerates Asher, but he's always enjoyed his alone time, which Asher has trouble respecting. Teddy only puts himself near Asher when the latter is eating in his high chair--both dogs have quickly realized that a baby means there's a lot of dropped food. Darla, on the other hand, can't get enough of Asher. She's always been kiss-crazy, but now she directs that almost solely toward Asher...and he loves her puppy kisses! Craig and I often have to step in and tell Darla to cut it out, but we love the fact that they get along so well. His love for kisses isn't limited to just Darla. He's also begun grabbing my face or hair to pull my mouth to his and give me big, drool-filled kisses. It melts me heart every time he does it.

Darla kisses

Well, I'm at least somewhat caught up. I know this post was a long one, but this was ten and a half months in the making. I love being a mom, I love seeing Craig as a dad, and I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with my son.

My happy boy

Our family now