Finn Turns 1!

It is so crazy to me that my little guy is 1! It does not feel like it has been a whole year since that special Valentine's Day when he decided to make his big debut! For those who do not know the story, I was due on February 16th. So, I made Friday, February 13th my last day at work. I was feeling VERY uncomfortable that whole week and had thought about going on maternity leave a little early. But, I decided to just stick with it and endure til the end.

Then, on Valentine's Day, I was feeling really bad most of the day. I just felt like he was so HEAVY and moving a lot, which now that I think about it, were probably minor contractions. So, that night Blake and I went to Clint and Andrea's house to watch a movie and have dinner together. Clint and Blake left to go pick us up some Quizno's. Andrea was on the webcam with her mom (little Bailey-Boo was about 3 months at the time). All of a sudden, Finn just made one BIG move. It just felt like he did a weird somersault thing and my stomach felt so tight (again, it must have been a contraction and I just didn't realize it at the time). Then, it felt like a rubber band snap and swoosh...my water broke. I was in such denial. I was thinking...there's no way I'm in labor already. I was so sure I would go late and that I would have some time at home to myself before he was born. I waddled very quickly to the bathroom and tried to convince myself that I had just wet my pants. But, nope, my water had definitely broken. All I could think was...Where was Blake? I want to eat my dinner before we leave. My hospital bag is at home. I just want to sleep and rest before this big event. During all of this, I was hyperventilating in the bathroom (again, probably all a part of the labor process...still in denial).

Meanwhile, Andrea is realizing...hmmm...Liz has been in there for a while. Then, Blake and Clint show up with our dinner and I make the announcement. I was leaning over their kitchen counter in pain while I tried to stuff my face with my Quizno's as quickly as possible. I called the doctor and said we'd be on our way. We ran home, got my bag, said bye to our little Molly, and began a very exciting journey!

The whole labor process was indescribable. When we got to the hospital around 9-ish, I was already at a 4. After that, there are so many things that I remember very vividly and some things that I don't really remember happening. All I know is epidurals are great and I really enjoyed watching "The Cosby Show" while munching on ice chips. I worked really hard to get that guy out of me. I started to push around 2 am and at around 4:15, I was still pushing and very exhausted. They kept making me roll from side to side because he was posterior, then push on my knees (which was difficult considering that I could not feel my legs due to the epidural). Finally, they decided that this little guy was NOT going to budge and it was time for a c-section. I was devastated, exhausted, and terrified. But, I knew we had done all we could. Then, in about 20 minutes, this sweet little boy with a big head was finally here! He was so bruised and banged up from being stuck for so long! It was so sad. But, we were so happy to finally have him and hold him!

Ever since then, we have been immensely happy. He is such a sweet, funny guy. He makes me laugh all the time. He has the cutest little dimple on his left cheek. All of the nurses noticed that right away and thought it was just so cute! He's already a little charmer and flirt!

He just went in for his 1 year check-up. Weight: 24 lbs, 11 oz (95th%), Height: 32.25 inches (over 95th%).

So, back to the original reason for this post...Finn is 1! We had a pirate-themed birthday party for him at the park in our neighborhood. We had lots of family and friends come to it and we had such a blast seeing everyone. Thank you to everyone who came all the way out to Arizona from California and Utah! Here are some pics from his party:

Blake's masterpiece: a skull birthday cake for the Pirate-themed party! And, I'm not joking...this was all Blake's artistic work!

Little Finn is testing it out.

He was in heaven! I don't think he really believed that he was supposed to just be digging in!

Mmmmm....good stuff!!!

The frosting looked like a beard, so we thought we'd give him an eye patch to complete the pirate look.

Bath time with Drake and Rylan after the birthday cake mess.

This was a really cool gift from Uncle Gerald. It fills up with water and I'm sure it will provide LOTS of fun all summer for our little stinker. He already loves making a mess and splashing around with all of the toys.

And, I had to include this picture of Gerald. Good morning!