Announcing Matthew Richard Burch!

Jeff and I have a new addition to our family! Matthew Richard Burch was born yesterday October 24, 2008 at 7:05PM. He weighed in at a nice 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 20 1/2 inches in length. He is the perfect baby!

Thursday at 4:00 AM I started having contractions. I called the doctor, but he said it was very normal to have contractions that come and go as a woman approaches her due date. So...I carried on as normal. I even went to school! That evening my conractions got more intense, but still had no regular pattern. After a sleepless night, Jeff and I decided to go to the hospital. I suspected that my water may have broke, but couldn't really tell. We were fully prepared to be sent home. To our surprise, my water had broke and we were going to be staying to have our son...a week early! Yay!

I planned on seeing how my contractions were going before deciding whether or not to be medicated. After having contractions for 24 hours +, I decided it was time for an intervention...the epidural. My epidural was painless and getting it was the best decision I have ever made. Instantly, my contractions disappeared, and I was in a state of total and complete relaxation. The remainder of my labor I was in heaven. It is the most relaxed and comfortable that I have ever felt...no lie. I was able to nap, watch General Hospital, and prepare for the birth of my son in a very serene way. Yes, I just used "serene" to describe my labor.

Delivery went extremely well too! After one short hour, Matthew was born. I have never felt such joy in my life. As soon as I held him, my heart felt like it was going to burst!

Little Matthew has been very good to his mother. My pregnancy was a breeze, he came a week early, and labor/delivery was a piece of cake! Now, the journey begins.

In gear...

With all of the last minute changes to our plans, Jeff and I are adapting well. We are in gear for this baby and ready to rock. Baby clothes are washed, supplies are stocked, hospital bag is packed, and our eyes are on the prize...a happy, healthy baby boy.

My last day of work is today. I am hoping in the next few months to generate enough accounting projects to work strictly on a contract basis, allowing me to stay home with the baby. I have pooled my resources, put out ads on Craigslist, am working on some different ideas to generate business, and actively marketing my skill set to different small businesses in the area. I hope my action plan comes together on such short notice!

Call for Prayer

Jeff received a phone call last week that the opportunity that was offered to him in Grand Rapids was being put on hold for the time being. Just two weeks before my due date, we are forced to re-examine everything...where we are going to live, daycare, our careers...everything.

We are saying our prayers that SOMETHING will give for us. The past 9 1/2 months for me have been filled with 15 hour work/school days Monday - Friday...I can't imagine returning to that schedule with a three month old...

Projects

Jeff and I have begun to fix up the house. We are re-doing trim, painting, installing new doors, getting new carpet, re-doing bathrooms...the works! I say "we," because for being 37 weeks pregnant, I have done quite a bit to help! (Jeff can vouch for me). Last weekend, I tore out the majority of the trim in the upstairs bedrooms. I think I really enjoy demo work. It is fun and a great way to relieve stress.

This weekend's task was to tear down wallpaper in the kitchen. I thought I had the job near complete...then my mom came over to help and discovered another layer of glue. I will never ever put wallpaper up in any house that I live in. It is just too much of a pain when you want to change it!

All in all, Jeff and I are very pleased with the progress so far. We want to finish the upstairs before we move in. We are taking a long weekend October 17th to put another dent in the "to-do" list. I will have to post before/after photos as we complete the different rooms. Our goal is to be done with everything but the kitchen by New Year's. Wish us luck!

The Secret Weapon

For all of you out there who, like me, worry about losing the weight after baby, I am going to share with you the secret weapon I plan to use...The Ultimate New York Body Plan.

David Kirsch is the trainer who whipped Heidi Klum back into shape in time for the Victoria's Secret fashion show after she had her baby. I know I am not a super model, but I have experienced the results this plan can bring pre-baby...we will see if David's "Core" DVD can bring me the same results post-baby.

I also plan to work with my trainer Leo to be sure that I am working as efficiently as possible. Leo helped kick my butt into shape before my wedding, and I hope he can work his magic on my body once again. It is going to be a lot of hard work, but I am bound and determined to regain the muscle tone I had 9 months ago!

I realize that my planning and ambitions may be a little premature (I haven't even had the baby yet), but I am just excited to be able to work out again! I don't think it is ever too early to start planning or setting goals. Wish me luck!

Getting ready for baby...

With four weeks left to go, Jeff and I have been VERY busy preparing for our new arrival. My last 36 weeks have been filled with work from 7:00AM - 4:30PM, school 5:00PM - 10:00PM, side accounting projects, and sleep! Not much time to prepare for the baby and NO time for pampering!

However, I have managed to wash all of the baby's clothes and put them on color coordinated hangers...white 0-3 months, blue 3-6 months, and green 6-9 months.

Now, it's time to clean out the cars, install the carseat and put all of my hospital goodies neatly in a bag. Why doesn't Jeff do this you might be wondering? Well, Jeff has also been busy outside of work fixing up our future home and crafting our baby's crib.

Yes, he is building the crib! And I must say it looks fabulous. He is modeling it after a crib I fell in love with at Restoration Hardware (pictured above). I am VERY impressed. Jeff has worked diligently over the past two weeks, visiting a woodworking shop in Royal Oak to pick up some parts, and doing tons of research on safety. His hard work has paid off. Our baby will be sleeping in a one-of-a-kind, custom-made crib - built by his daddy. GO JEFF!