Forget Lullabies...

So this week has been a rather rough one, life with a newborn has its ups and downs and this has definitely been a downer!! We still love our sweet Jacob more than anything, but he has been giving us a harder time than usual. He goes from smiling and cooing to instantly crying so hard he can't breathe... literally going from 0-100 in 1 second flat!! Monday night this occurred while Vaka was gone to class, and I spent an hour and a half rocking, walking, talking, and singing primary songs, without much success. I was obviously tired by the time daddy walked in the door and passed Jacob right off. I went downstairs and not more than a minute later, the crying had completely stopped. I could hear Vaka singing to him (as he often does), but couldn't make out what he was singing this time. Curious, I went back upstairs, and what did I discover? He was singing the Hokey Pokey!! Now why didn't I think of that?

One Month Old!

I can't believe my little boy has already been with us for a month now. I think the horrendous last few weeks of pregnancy make the first few weeks of motherhood go by in fast forward. Other times, it seems like we have always had him and can hardly remember what life was like without him here. He is growing so fast, and it makes me sad! Everyone that sees him comments on how "advanced" he is. He can already hold his head up, sit up for a few seconds on his own, and he has amazing strength in his arms and legs, loving to stand and just look around.

I went back to work yesterday, only for 4 hours, but it was the longest I've been away from him since he was born. Thank goodness I only have to go back part-time, but it was still hard! It's comforting to know he is with my mom, and we all know she is much more capable of caring for him than I, but I still wanted to be with him myself to make sure my sweet baby was safe. I know it will be good for both of us, and who knows, maybe Vaka and I will actually venture out on a date in the near future!

In other news... gas is under $3.00 a gallon. WAHOO!! Really awesome for us since we both commute... (yes, this was the only other exciting news I could think of that is not related to Jacob. What can I say, he is our life these days, and that's not a bad thing!)

Family Pictures

Last week I had my old friend Ken from my high school days come take pictures of our baby boy before he grows too fast!! Not only was it good to see him again after over 7 years, he did an amazing job. Here's a sneak peak at a few of the shots, if you want to see more or check out more of his work, go here. More to come when we get the CD of proofs!!

And so it begins...

A lifetime of Jacob having his mommy taking a bunch of pictures he'd rather not have taken... :)

Doesn't he look thrilled?

Rebekah had school off Thurs & Fri so she and my mom came up Wednesday night to spend the weekend with us and hit up the shopping venues in SLC. Friday we went to Gardner Village to window shop and see their witches display, and we couldn't resist taking some halloween pictures of my cute baby boy.


Between work, school and his calling as Elders Quorum President, we definitely don't see Vaka much these days. So it sure was nice having an extra set of hands around here again. It had been a week and a half since my mom had gone back home, and while I'm finally feeling comfortable with my routine and can get around easier now, I gladly welcomed the help!! It was nice to be able to get out and about and enjoy what little of the fall weather we have left. Thanks for the fun weekend!

SO very worth it!!

We're all a little tired these days....

But it is so rewarding, especially when our little guy gives us one of these!!

Surprise!!

Jacob is one special baby, his Aunty Annetta and Uncle Pate flew over 2,000 miles to meet him!!

Thursday night was a long night without much sleep thanks to our baby boy. I've quickly learned to take advantage of any time he sleeps to sleep myself, so since he finally decided to fall asleep for a good few hours around 8 am, I didn't get up until around 11:00 yesterday morning. Soon after, Vaka's cousin Tae called to say she was coming over. Tae showed up at the door, and then Annetta appeared behind her. I really thought I was seeing things, and with lack of sleep, anything is possible. :) But it was true, Annetta and Pate had made a last minute trip out here for General Conference, and of course, to meet the newest member of the Tu'ifua fam. We're waiting on the rest of you now!!

More Jacob

Sorry for the delayed updates... life with a newborn is definitely an adjustment!! Recovering from a c-section and coming down with the stomach flu at the same time didn't help... but luckily I think we're finally recovering and getting the hang of things around here!!

So here's what you've all been waiting for... more pictures of our adorable little guy. He definitely has his daddy's Tongan nose, and we're hoping he keeps my blue eyes!!

How we got him here...

For those of you who've been wanting the details...

We went to the hospital around 9:00 a.m. Monday morning (the 22nd) and I slowly but surely dilated about a centimeter every two hours. Around 1:00 the doctor broke my water, at which point the contractions definitely started coming on stronger. By 3:00 I was ready for the epidural, thank goodness for modern medicine. :) Unfortunately, the side effect of the epidural was nausea... not fun, but luckily I was only on liquids!! At 11:30, after over 14 hours of labor, I was finally completely dilated and fully effaced and we were ready to bring this baby here!! Unfortunately, Jacob was posterior and the doctor was unable to get him turned. He could have been delivered this way, but then as I continued pushing, his heart rate started dropping with each contraction. After 2 hours of pushing and not much progress, the doctor advised our little boy was under too much stress and that a c-section was probably the best option. We decided to try pushing for another half hour, and he only seemed to get worse, so after lots of tears, we decided we needed to do the c-section.

My amazing support, all suited up for the c-section

The c-section was definitely an interesting experience... something I would never wish on anyone!! The hardest part was being unable to have that first experience I always pictured having with my brand new baby. Vaka was able to be with him immediately while they cleaned him up, weighed him, etc. but it was 15 minutes before I was even able to get a glimpse of my little boy. Even then, my arms were strapped down and I had an oxygen mask on, so when they brought him over for me to see him, I wasn't able to have any physical contact. Emotionally, that wasn't easy!!

First few moments of life

Vaka went with Jacob when they took him down to the nursery, but I was in the operating room another 30 minutes by myself. My family had come to the hospital about the time I started pushing, so luckily my mom was able to be with me once they took me to recovery for another hour while Vaka was with Jacob. I don't think I would have made it without her there!! For some reason, due to either a lapse in communication or preparation, after the c-section the anesthesiologist stopped the epidural before the morphine had been prepared. So basically, I had just had my abdomen cut open and was left without pain medication for an hour until it was ready. AWESOME. After that kind of pain, I think a normal, vaginal delivery without an epidural would have been a piece of cake.

They wouldn't move me down to my room until my pain was under control, and I couldn't see my baby until I was out of labor and delivery and down in my room. 2 hours after my baby boy was born, I was finally able to be moved to where I could hold him and love him... and then he wasn't there. I immediately demanded that Vaka go and get him because they had had more than enough time to take care of him in the nursery. Vaka thinks I was drugged and loopy, I think I would have been just as demanding if I hadn't been, and I'm sure any other mom can relate!!

Our little family finally together

It was so amazing to finally be able to hold my little baby after it was such a long, hard day to get him here!! Obviously, there just aren't words to explain it. It took us the whole 41 weeks to decide on a name, but once he finally arrived, we knew Jacob Cory Tauelangi was the perfect fit. Jacob means "to hold", Cory (after my dad) means "God's peace" and Tauelangi (after Vaka's great grandpa) means "reach the heavens". We sure do love him and are so blessed to have him in our family!!