We have been without internet for two weeks now so sorry it's taken so long for an update. This may be a long post. Sorry if you get bored.
I went to work like normal on Thursday, Decemeber 31st. I was scheduled to work from 6am-6pm. I was contracting all day but nothing too painful. Around 2pm I really started feeling them but I still didn't think I was in labor. At 3pm I had a nurse friend check me and I was dilated to 4cm and 80% effaced. She went ahead and put me on the monitor so we could see the contractions and see how Grant's heartrate was doing. Turns out I was contracting every 2-4 minutes and they were getting more intense. (Sean was still at work this whole time.) Grant had a few questionable dips in his heartrate which made me a little nervous. My doctor happened to be there helping another patient so he came in the room to see me. He said that my cervix was very favorable and my contraction pattern was great. He said he could break my water and help the process along or I could go home and probably come back that night in hard labor. I voted for getting the show on the road. I called Sean and had him meet me at the hospital. (That was a little anticlimactic compared to the stories you hear of driving to the hospital.)
Sean arrived. I got my IV placed. The doctor broke my water which was a very weird sensation. After that contractions got really intense. 20 minutes later I got an epidural which was amazing. It was the perfect epidural in my opinion. I could move, lift, and feel my legs but I wasn't hurting at all. I could feel the pressure of every contraction but still no pain. Wonderful!!
At 5pm I was dilated to 5cm. At 10pm I was 10 cm. That's ironic huh? I pushed for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Sean was an amazing pushing coach as was my nurse (and good friend) Kellie. I got pretty nauseous during pushing but nothing worth complaining about. Our beautiful son Grant was born at 12:03am on January 1st. That was completely natural timing and we didn't rig anything. (I didn't even rest and descend for you nurses reading this.) Our baby just knew when he wanted to come. The hospital gave us free diapers, wipes, flowers, a target gift card, and other little baby accessories in honor of being the first baby of the year.
What an amazing experience the delivery was. I have seen it so many times but now it was me as the patient and not the nurse. It was very surreal. It all went smoothly and for that we are so grateful. The following week was a little more difficult.
Three days after delivery Grant had to be re-admitted to the hospital for critically high billirubin levels. He stayed for 2 days and I stayed with him. With intensive phototherapy, IV hydration, and constant monitoring he did improve. I now understand how hard it is to see your child in pain. I really wished I could have taken the 14 needle sticks upon myself so he wouldn't have to feel it. That was extremely hard to see my new baby hurting. Sean and I love him so much and are so grateful that we are all home and doing better.
Right after delivery they cleaned Grant off then gave him back to me to do "skin-to-skin". (He's hiding under the gown if you can't find him. =)
Back in the hospital, here is Grant handling the whole situation quite well.
Daddy and Grant. Look at that head of hair.
After his first bath at home. (He actually seemed to like it.)
(This is what we call the "baby bird face" with the mouth wide open looking for the mommy bird to give him a worm.) =)
We had some professional pictures taken last week so I'll post a couple when I get them. 
Right after delivery they cleaned Grant off then gave him back to me to do "skin-to-skin". (He's hiding under the gown if you can't find him. =)
Back in the hospital, here is Grant handling the whole situation quite well.
Daddy and Grant. Look at that head of hair.
After his first bath at home. (He actually seemed to like it.)
Here's our first family picture taken about 30 minutes after delivery.
Here is baby Grant. He loves to sleep with his mouth wide open just like his mom.
Last weekend was fun because my mom and Steve flew into town for one day. It was great to see them and hang out in our little apartment. Mom will be back when our son arrives and I'm looking forward to that.
Our sweet friends the Hamptons invited us over to make gingerbread houses. They went all out and made real gingerbread for everyone. It works so much better than graham crackers and looks great too. I think I ate more candy than I actually put on my house but oh well. It was fun.
Here's the whole group: Brooke, Mike, Kenley, Erin, Sean, and me.
This is my 37 week picture. I'm 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. They say baby's head is well engaged. I've been having contractions irregularly but nothing too painful. I feel quite large and I wonder how he can grow any bigger without making me pop. =) I was so excited because yesterday, for the first time in my whole pregnancy, I got to take advantage of a parking space at a busy strip mall that said, "Expectant mother's parking only". It was great. It was right next to the handicap spots. It made me smile.
Merry Christmas everyone!!! Find J.O.Y. in this special season. J is for Jesus. O is for others. and Y is for you (in that order). 
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun at Sean's aunt and uncle's home. The food was amazing!! I'm kind of sad my stomach is squished up into my ribs because I wanted to eat more than I could possibly fit in there. =) After thanksgiving dinner we played some DDR. Here is Sean's adorable grandmother playing DDR. How cool is that?
We did end up going to the BYU vs. Utah game and it was a blast. What a great game!! Byu pulled it off in over time and it was exciting. At least the weather wasn't snowing but it was quite cold out there that night. Here we are in our BYU gear with our cute christmas tree.
I love having Christmas decorations up, listening to Christmas music, and going Christmas shopping. This is a fun time of year. I've tried to be a little innovative and make a few crafts lately. This is a Christmas card holder. I looked in the stores and they were all over $15 bucks. I decided to make my own. It's super easy if anyone wants to try. Just get a yard stick, clothespins, and ribbon. Decorate it however you want. Hot glue it all together. Then display your lovely cards on it. Now that it's finished I just need some people to send me Christmas cards. =)
Here is the wreath I made. This was fun and very inexpensive. I just bought the plain green wreath at the craft store with a 50% off coupon. Then at the same store I went to the pre-made wreath isle where all the beautiful $40 wreaths are. I picked up all the broken-off, plastic, red berries from the floor and asked if I could take them for free. They said "sure, I guess we'll just throw them away anyway." Then I collected pine cones that had fallen to the ground around the neighborhood. Then I bought a spool of wire ribbon and a 5-pack of ornaments from the dollar store. I glued it all on and tada!! Here is the result.
For the first time in his life Sean got glasses. I tried to take a picture of him but he wouldn't smile for real. My husband hates having his picture taken and rarely cooperates. =) Any suggestions? 
