The Birth Story

Alright, I feel like due to recent events I need to temporarily abandon the love story and tell the story of my little baby, Dalton River Standage.

For the last two and a half weeks I had been having pre-term labor issues. I had been to labor and delivery 4 times to have contractions stopped. I was on bedrest and taking a medication called terbutaline every single day. I was still having contractions almost every day and I basically couldn't do anything. It sucked. But what sucked even more was that I had no idea how long this would last. I knew I had to keep him baking, so that I wouldn't have a preemie. It was scary and frustrating and painful. It was like basically being in real labor for 2 and a half weeks. Not fun.

My doctor had told me that if I went into labor again after I hit 36 weeks that they would just let me have the baby. Finally an end in sight. I only had to make it until Thursday the 24th. Then I could have my Dalton.

Well Tuesday morning I woke up having contractions every 7 minutes and they were pretty strong. I took a terb and that helped for most of the day. Only 1 or 2 fairly painless contractions came through. Ted had to go to work that night, so he dropped me off at my mom's. He didn't want me to be home alone and go into labor. At 4:38 I got a very very painful contraction. by 5:15 I had a couple more, but they weren't consistent. They sure did hurt however. So I took another terb.

Well that terb did NOTHING. By 8 pm they were coming every 4-5 minutes and were last 1-2 minutes and they were practically reducing me to tears every time. I finally caved and called Ted and told him to come home, that we needed to go to the hospital.

Now, this was obviously not the first time we had been to the hospital for the exact same thing. Every time I would go in they would hook my up to the monitors, see how baby was doing and measure my contractions. Then they would check to see how far along I was. Prior to this I was 3 cm dilated and about 80% effaced, but I had been this way for a week. Then they normally shoot me full of terb and send me home on bedrest. I fully expected them to do this again.

Well they checked me and I was 6 cm dilated, 100% effaced and apparently he was at a zero station. Turns out they don't send you home at that point lol. The nurse told me that I would be having the baby tonight.

I was in complete and total shock. I wasn't ready. I still was supposed to have a month left. The apartment was a mess and I had nothing set up for this little man. I was excited and scared and nervous and a million other emotions all at the same time.

Well because I had yet to get the Group Strep B test done I had to get an IV of penicillin. They wanted me to make it a full 4 hours on the IV before my water broke, so that there wouldn't be a risk of infection for the baby. That was at about 11 PM. I also had to wait until some blood work got back before they would give me my epidural.

We finally got into the delivery room, and I finally got my epidural at about 11:30 PM. After that it was really a waiting game. Contractions started to slow down and after 4 hours I had only progressed to an 8. They came in and broke my water at 3, in an attempt to get labor going again. Finally at 4:50 I was dilated to a 10 and it was time to push.

The next 15 minutes seemed to both fly by and take forever. He was face up so they had to use a vacuum.

At 5:05 am on June 23rd, 2010 Dalton River Standage entered the world. He was perfect. He is perfect

So I basically suck at this blogging thing. I haven't updated in way longer than I have any good excuse for. But I'm updating now, so that has to count for something right?

So...back to the story of how Ted and I feel in love.......

The very next day (which puts us at Friday the 27th of March) Ted and I decided that since he had never seen "Super Troopers" that we would watch it. He was going to pick me up later that evening, after he got off work, to go watch the movie at his place. I was very excited.

Later that day he texted me to see if I wanted to go over to one of his friends houses to play games before we watched the movie. I was alright with this. Happy to be spending time with him but a little nervous. I'm not exactly a shy person...but I don't really like going places where I don't know hardly anyone. I was a little intimidated.

To be completely honest, I don't remember the games part of the night very well. What I do remember is that it ended up with everyone out side throwing oranges at each other. It was hilarious. I ended up behind a wall, pulling oranges off the tree, and handing them at Ted to throw at others. I also got hit so hard in the hand that I started bleeding. That was funny, and a little embarrassing.

I still couldn't get a reading on Ted. I mean, what guy spends three nights with the same girl and isn't interested? But at the same time he wasn't doing anything to show that he was interested. Just spending time with me. After the "orange war" we all went inside and ended up watching some silly cartoon about Ben Franklin. During the movie I decided that I would be a little bold, put myself out there a bit. So I text him, "I think I may have a crush."

He then asked if I wanted to leave to go watch our movie...

When we got to his place I was nervous and excited and anxious and a million other things. We put the movie in and watched about the first 15 minutes of the movie. Now, here's where Ted and I disagree on what happened. He already had his arm around my shoulder. My story: he just went in for the kiss. His story: I took a deep, seductive (lol) breath in and arched my back, then he went in for the kiss. I honestly did not do this...but he swears it happened. It goes with out saying that Ted still to this day has not seen that movie all the way through.

The date ended much the same as our other dates. Except this time I got a kiss goodnight :). And we still ended up texting til the wee small hours of the morning. I was smitten. I still am.

I promise it'll take less then two months to update...I would like to be up to date on this tale of love by the time I have this baby!

How We Fell in Love....Continued

The next day, Thursday the 26th, I spent all day looking forward to playing volleyball. To those of you who know me know how odd it is that I was excited to play volleyball. I'm not athletic. I'm not coordinated. I'm really no good at sports :). And to be honest, it wasn't the game I was excited for, it was the boy. Ted. I was excited to see him. We had just had the best first date in the world and I got to spend another evening with him. Again, I stressed over what to wear. A date I can handle, but going to play volleyball? How do I look cute and chic, yet appropriate for that?



Ted picked me up that evening and we drove to the park to meet his friends. I knew a few of these guys because of the one year I went to high school. The volleyball game was just like any other volleyball game. If every other volleyball game includes throwing dirt clods at the boy you like, and flirting with him as if there was no tomorrow. I don't remember if our team did well, all I remember was laughing and laughing with Ted.

After the games were over we all went to Applebees. I came fully prepared to pay for myself. We hadn't called this a date either. He paid for me the night before, but I wasn't sure if the same would happen this time. It didn't (not that I minded). I only ordered a brownie.

What I did mind was that I couldn't read Ted at all. One night he pays for my dinner and invites me to watch a movie and then doesn't even put his arm around me? Texts me into the middle of the night to tell me how great a time he had with me, flirts with me all night at volleyball, then doesn't pay? Did he like me or not? Was he interested in me as more than a friend?

I felt like I was getting way ahead of myself. I liked him, that was a sure thing. But I couldn't gage his feelings at all. But didn't I just break things off with someone I was very serious with? Wasn't I single for the first time in about 4 years? Why was I already getting in over my head with him? Was I even ready for this? I had no idea, but every time I saw him my heart started to beat faster and my stomach did flip flops.

After Applebees we went over to TJ's house (just the three of us) and played clue. More flirting happened here as well. They each won a game....I did not. My mind was too busy trying to figure him out. I couldn't concentrate on this board game. After the game Ted drove me home. The evening ended much like the one before had. He walked me to my door, hugged me, and on the way home he and I texted each other.

He obviously was interested in me on some level...but what that level was I had no idea.

Starting Our Blog

So a few months ago, before Ted and I got married, I made this blog. A few months ago, I meant to write something on this blog. About a day after I made it however, I got caught up with wedding planning, and forgot all about this blog. Currently I work 3 days a week and Ted works all 7, and goes to school full time, and has his intersnship. I'm home all the time, and he's not. After cooking and cleaning and doing laundry, I still have a lot of free time. So this is going to be my new hobby.

Now, most of the people who are going to be looking at this blog already know me. They already know Ted. They already know that we will be expecting our first son in a few short months. They already know that we are planning on moving to Denver at the end of the summer so that Ted can go to law school. They might not know how we fell in love. And that is what I plan to share on this post, and the few to follow.

In December of 2008 I flew from Denver to AZ to see my sister graduate from college and to visit my family around Christmas time. I was unhappy with my life in Wyoming, and needed a change. I made up my mind on that trip that I was going to move to AZ as soon as I could. Back in Wyoming later that month I was met with resentment from my then boyfriend and friends. No one seemed to want me to move, yet I knew it was my only choice. I wanted out of the relationship and out of the way my life was headed. I couldn't change enough staying where I was. My bags were packed. I was leaving.

One March 21st, 2009, around 6:30 that evening, I pulled into my mom's driveway. I was in Gilbert, AZ. I had no job, not a lot of money saved, and a u-haul full of random things I had collected since high school. My original plan was work for a few months, save money, and eventually go to cosmotology school. I would stay with my mom through school. I was single, 21, and in a brand new city. It was just the fresh start I needed.

I had stayed in touch with a few friends I had from the one year I attended MHS. One of these friends was Ted. To be honest, we weren't even close when I lived there. We had however, kept in touch through Facebook. A few days before I moved down to Arizona he had his status posted as "my phone broke, anyone have an old one I could buy?". I happened to have and old verizon phone that I hadn't used for years. It was possibly fate that I saved it. He was online at this time and our IM conversation went something like this.

"Hey, what network do you have? I have an old verizon phone and I'm moving down soon. You can have it if you want."
"I have verizon too. How much do you want for the phone?"
"You don't have to pay for it. I'll be down on Saturday."
"Well I would feel bad just taking the phone from you, how about I take you to dinner for the phone?"

Sneaky and smooth. I was single, why not? I agreed, and we exchanges phone numbers. (his phone could still receive and place calls).

The Sunday after I moved down I was at my grandparents eating dinner. After eating, I sent a text to Ted. I told him I was officially moved down and that I had the phone if he still wanted it. He texted me back saying that he had already gotten a phone from someone else, but that he would still love to go to dinner. We agreed that he would pick me up at 8 that Wednesday, the 25th (a day that will forever be in my heart).

At about 4 that Wednesday I showered and started to prepare for our first date. Or was it a date? We had never actually said that it was a date. Was it just two high school friends catching up? Was he just being nice because I had just moved back? I had no idea, but I still spent a few hours trying on different outfits and hairstyles and such. At about 8, Ted arrived ay my mother's home, looking just as handsome as I remembered him being in high school.

We ate at Applebees. I ordered the tilapia (I had looked over the menu online, not wanting my nerves to make it impossible for me to decide) and he had steak. And we had the best conversation. There were no awkward pauses, no lulls, nothing except laughter and two people meshing in all the right ways. After both our plates were gone, he paid the check and we left. As we were driving back to my place he asked if I wanted to come watch a movie at his. Neither one of us was ready for this date to end. We watch Hot Rod (the most romantic movie ever...didn't you know?) and he was a complete gentleman. Didn't make one move at all.

After the movie he drove me home. We made plans for him to pick me up the next evening to go play volleyball with some of his friends. He walked me to my door and we hugged. I walked in the house, completely smitten. He texted me a few minutes later to tell me that he had a great time. We ended up texting into the wee hours of the morning. It was wonderful. It was perfect. It was the start of the most amazing romance.

Ok, enough blogging for today. Don't worry...I'll continue this story. Just not yet. But soon.