Lots of pictures!!!

Here he is, He is such a cuddle bug baby. He loves to be held! (I know, we are in trouble!)
Just home from the hospital. He seems so small in his car seat.

Ready to go home! Got his new outfit from Nana to go home in.

HIs bear from Papa, Nana, Katie and Wyatt. I love that they are almost the same size!

My boys.

So sleepy!

Jared is a little bit attached. He can't get enough of his little man. But neither can I!

He has beena very wide awake newborn so far. He stays awake for long periods of time.

He is a binky baby! He loves the bink, and almost prefers that over eating.

Our stay in the hospital was a very uneventful one. It was actually really good. It was great after having such a crazy experience trying to get him into this world.

Jack passed his hearing test with flying colors and his biliruben was low as well. He shouldn't develop any jaundice and he was overall a very healthy baby!

We couldn't be happier!

That's always news you want to hear. Especially about your own baby. It was definitely a relief.

He got his circumcision and wasn't a very happy camper the night of that procedure. He wouldn't eat that night and later the nurse told me he lost 7.5% of his body weight since he was born.

The same night the nurse brought him back from the nursery because he wouldn't stop crying for them. They had tried everything. He was only in there for an hour and a half and was deterrmined that he wouldn't stay in there.

As soon as he heard my voice, he calmed right down and went to sleep. So i kept him for a while and just held him.

Poor baby.

Had a rough time with that, but all is well.

We had lots of visitors and family come see us in the hospital. It was really nice.

Jared got me a vase of lillies and we got a few other balloons and a plant from some other family.

We were SO happy to be able to go home! Jared stayed with me the entire time (which was so great of him!). It made it a lot easier for me to stay there for 3 days.

Now that we are home, we are just getting used to everything. Taking care of a newborn definitely has its work cut out for ya! I'm exhausted.

But I couldn't be happier to have him here.

The postpartum stuff really stinks, but I think it doesn't help that we woke up to snow this morning. Here we are April 28th, and we still have snow.

Depressing.

I will try and keep everything updated. It will be tough with a new baby, but hopefully I can at least post pictures or something.

Update... and our NEW ARRIVAL!

Well we haven't updated a whole lot, and a whole lot hasn't happened up until April 25, 2010. Our little bundle of joy made his entrance into this world 2 weeks early.

4:53 Am, 7 lbs 9 oz, 20 inches long. He is just PERFECT in our eyes. Of course we are a little biased. He has Jared's face and my nose.

Just born.

Only a few minutes old.
Family of 3 now.

Now for the crazy birth story.

On Wednesday, April 21, I started getting contractions every 20 minutes. We could time them to the 'T'. I was thinking that it was really odd only being 37 weeks and 2 days. Well I kept having contractions every 20 minutes, they were starting to become more painful by Thursday night, so we headed to labor and delivery to get checked out.
We got to labor and delivery and I was only dilated to a 1 and not effaced at all. The nurse said we were probably just in pre-labor and we got sent home with a morphine shot.
No big deal.
We went to my doctors appointment Friday afternoon, with my NST testing beforehand. I was having quite a few contractions on the monitor but nothing timeable. Heartbeat was great and baby's fluid was good.
I saw my doctor and talked to her about going to labor and delivery and how I kept having contractions about every 20 minutes. She checked me and said I was only still dilated to a 1 and a half about 70% effaced. She said I most likely was in pre-labor or my body was just getting ready to go into labor. It could be another couple of weeks or as early as this weekend. I was pretty happy with that. I was thinking at least another week. There was no way I could be having a baby this weekend! I was not prepared.
Jared and I went and got a massage, walked around the mall, had a good meal, and just had a relaxing day.
We went out to dinner with Jared's family that night as well and just tried to settle down that night. I woke up at 1:00 AM in the morning with contractions that were horrbile! We timed them until 5:00 AM and there were every 3 to 5 minutes apart. So we got a few things and left for labor and delivery for the 2nd time at 7:00 AM.
We got to labor and delivery and I was sort of a wreck. I just had a feeling I was going to be sent home. I felt like the nurses at the hospital really didn't care and really just didn't want to deal with anybody.
I was right!
Boy, was I right.
Worst experience of my life.
We got checked in, went into the triage room to do the checking to see if I would be admitted. I was still contracting every few minutes and in a lot of pain.
I was only dilated to 2 and only about 80% effaced. So, I made a little bit of progress from the day before. But not much.
I was basically getting ready to go home.
Well, I was determined that I was in labor and that I didn't want to be sent home. My mom came down from Ogden to be with Jared and I, and so I knew what the heck to do. Since all this was new to me.
The nurse said, since i wasn't very far along in labor that they would keep me for an hour and see if I had progressed any further.
We walked the halls for a good hour and half.
The nurse checked me after all the walking and I was dilated to a 3 and my cervix was facing more anterior! We made progress! I was so happy. I wasn't being sent home.
Thank goodness!
She also gave me a shot of morphine to help with the pain, and supposedly it would help things progress with labor.
The nurse moved us to the labor and delivery suite and we got settled in. The on call doctor said we could go ahead and break my water and get the epidural and move things along. We called Jared's parents and also called the rest of my family to let them know we were probably having a baby tonight.
I was pretty esctatic! I was SO ready to have this baby. With all the contractions and pain, I was done being pregnant.
A different nurse came in, got my vitals, and asked if i was ready for the epidural. I let her know that I wanted to progress a little further before I got the epidural so that everything could go a little faster.
So we went on another walk, up and down the halls. I was so determined to get this baby out!
A few hours went past. I was SO sleepy from the morphine and wanted to lie down for a bit. I was still have contractions every 3 to 5 minutes. I noticed that the nurse put the monitors on a little funny and the monitor wasn't picking up my contractions. Or the baby's heartbeat.
I didn't think to much of it, as I knew i was still contracting and I knew the baby was ok.
The nurse came back in and said there was a resident that would be coming to break my water any moment.
We waited an hour.
The nurse came back in and said that she was going to call the on call doctor and have her come break my water so we can start progressing further. That way, I can get the epidural as soon as they broke my water and we would be on our way to having this baby. She checked me so that she could let the on call doctor know how much further I had progressed. I was at a 3 and a half and about 90% effaced.
The nurse came back a moment later and said she was sending us home.
WHAT?!?!?!?!
Thats all that came out. And maybe a few other words.
I knew the morphine had slowed down my labor.
I knew I shouldn't have taken the morphine shot. I knew it.
I was SO upset.
The nurse was not helping the situation either. She began to tell me that I was not having contractions (which i was), that i didn't know what a contraction was (which i did), and that I was not the first person she has pissed off and sent home. She also told me that because I was not progressing quickly that obviously I was not in labor.
I was hysterical.
I don't think I have ever cried so much!
Well since I wasn't in labor I let the nurse give me another morphine shot so when I got home at least maybe I could sleep through the pain or something.
I HATE morphine.
That's all I have to say.
All it did was make me very sleepy.
Since my mom was there at the hospital with us, Jared and I decided to go home to Ogden with her since apparently I wasn't in labor.
We got home, I tried to sleep.
I kept having contractions one right after the other. I couldn't sleep.
I was SO exhausted.
About 7:00 PM that night my dad and Kim Tingey gave me a blessing.
I couldn't have asked for a better blessing!
It was very much needed.
I got into my mom's jetted tub to try and relax with all the contractions I was having. They were SO painful. I couldn't breathe, talk, walk, or even move!
Finally about 11 PM that night my mom insisted we go back to the hospital.
I started bawling.
Harder than I was with the contractions.
I did not want to be sent home again. I was in to much pain to want to deal with the crappy nurses we kept getting.
We left and went to Mckay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.
We got right in to the triage and the nurse checked me.
Dilated to a 6 and fully effaced!
I was in shock!
I cried with excitment, as I knew they would keep me and this baby would be here soon.
They got me right over to a labor and delivery suite and they got the anesthesiologist to give me my epidural.
Can I just say, that the epidural was the BEST cocktail any pregnant, contracting women could get?
I was so relieved. I was in no pain and just ready for this little man to enter into the world.
We called Jared's family and they all came up to the hospital. My family did as well.
I got checked an hour later and was dilated to an 8.
He was going to be coming soon.

As we were sitting there, my water broke on its own. It was a small little twinge and it sounded like a cup of water spilled over is what Jared said.

I couldn't believe it!

It actually was kind of cool!

(in a weird sort of way!)
2 hours later I was dilated to a 10 and getting ready to push.
It seemed so surreal. It was going by SO fast!
I knew the blessing had helped me.
They called the doctor and he was on his way to deliver me. The nurse started to have me push cause he was coming, and coming fast!
They had me wait till he got there till he came out, but it only took to contractions and 6 pushes and he was out!
Ahhh, what a relief!
They put him on my chest right after he came out and I was so shocked he was here. It didn't seem real at all. I was shaking from the excitement and some small tears from the joy of having him here. FINALLY!
He had such a small, innocent cry. Jared lost it at that point and I saw him start to cry.
4:53 AM, April 25th 2010, Jack Isaac Rackham was born.

It was the most amazing feeling ever! I was in complete shock that he was out.
We couldn't be happier!
No tearing, no pitocin, and first time delivery.

They didn't even have to break my water.
The nurses were very impressed at how fast things progressed and so was I.
The happiest moment was holding him right after he came out and the love of my life on my left side holding on to me and Jack.
I will always cherish that moment.
I love my little family and couldn't be happier with the person I married.
He means the world to me and now we have a little guy to take care of and love to pieces.
I am so thankful for my family and Jared's family for all their love and support. It made this whole messy and crazy process so worth it.
We love you guys!


Now for other updates....
Jared will be starting school on May 3rd (in just 4 short days!) and he is going to Weber State University into the Radiology program. He is very excited and nervous at the same time!
We are now living in my parents house and couldn't ask for a better blessing in our time of need. We are hoping to be out of here in 6 months or so and into our own place again.

That is pretty much the only exciting news. I will add more pictures later.
We have plenty of those!!