Two Babies....

Life has been in a constant state of change lately. We've been trying to figure out just how to work our lives with not one but two babies. I'm not quite sure how mothers of multiples survive! Our babies are both wonderful too, which should make things easier, right? But it's still quite the hassle to get two babies dressed/fed/changed/bathed/etc. Thank goodness my mom is here to help right now! I came across a blog post that was on a facebook group that I am in and it really helped put things into perspective. I need to realize that God gave me these two beautiful babies and that He will never give you more than you can handle! Now it's up to me to pray, realign my life (not in a bad way!), and truly thank God every day for our wonderful blessings. I'm posting the link so you can enjoy too! Even if you don't have multiple kids (and I know that two babies is NOTHING compared to what some women handle!), this is still a good read! 

http://ourfamilyforhisglory.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-do-you-do-it-all-30-practical-tips.html

Reagan's Birth Story

Our baby girl, Reagan Elizabeth, entered this world on April 18th at 1:54pm. She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 19 inches long at birth. Just an ounce heavier than her brother, but a whole half an inch shorter! My mom claims she knew she'd be shorter and fatter, haha! I however was predicting a smaller baby! Oh well! As you know, my body once again decided that it was not ready to have a baby - even though my contractions had really been progressing me along throughout my final week. At my 40 week checkup I was already almost dilated to a 4. Since I tested positive for the Group B virus this time around (I was negative with Clayton), my doctor wanted a different plan of attack. Instead of letting me go ahead and wait it out he wanted me to come in as soon as possible to be induced. Living 30 minutes from town and already being so dilated was working against me, so we set the date for Wednesday!

The night before we went into the hospital we said goodbye to our baby... who would no longer technically be our baby when we returned. It was so hard to leave Clayton. I nearly cried knowing that I wouldn't get to see him for at least a day. The longest that we had ever been apart from him was less than 15 hours. Around 6am the alarm clock went off and up we were - leaving for the hospital to meet our second blessing from God! We arrived at around 7am and were up in labor and delivery by 7:15. They had me fill out all of the required paperwork and then I was in bed ready for penicillin and pitocin at 7:30. Walking in to the hospital I was already dilated to almost a 5! I thought for sure that it would be the quickest labor ever! Welll......

Being positive for Group B meant that I needed to have two doses of penicillin through me before Reagan was born. They had to be given at least 4 hours apart. Bummer #1. The pitocin that they gave me had to be regulated based on how fast I was progressing because of this. Instead of filling me up and letting me labor quickly it was a bit drawn out! Darren, my mom, and my mom-in-law were all excellent labor coaches. Darren rubbed my back through contractions and my mom made me focus on objects and breathe through the contractions. At first contractions were nothing like they were when being induced with Clayton. They were controllable, predictable, and had breaks in between for me to rest. I was positive that I could make it all the way without an epidural! Well...... ;-)

Around noon the anesthesiologist came in to just discuss my options with me. I hadn't requested anything by this point. I was dilated to a 7 and really didn't think I had that much longer to go. However, the time that he was in the room I quickly began to have really strong contractions. So strong that I was beginning to lose all of my strength that I needed for labor. I was tired and getting weak, so Darren and I decided that it wasn't worth it and that I should just get the epidural. About 12:45 he came back in to give me the epidural. I was more than ready at this point to have some relief! Welll...... (are you seeing a pattern?!)

The epidural did not go as planned. The poor guy had a hard time getting it positioned correctly in my back. I now have 5 injection scabs on the right side of my back to prove it. Though it all I began to enter transition, so contractions were close and super strong. He would have to stop what he was doing to let me labor through the contraction and then try to hurry to get something done before the next one started. Leaning over the bed the entire time did not help anything, as that only helped gravity work and Reagan progress faster! The entire time I was bawling... I don't know if I have ever really cried that hard. Ok, I'm sure I have, but I don't remember! Everything he was doing with the epidural needle hurt like hell. Every numbing shot he gave hurt like hell. The contractions hurt like hell. My mom and Andrea were outside the room waiting for me to me to finish getting the epidural. My mom couldn't take listening to me cry anymore so she barged in the room! My labor nurse and Darren had been amazing and had been trying to comfort me. Having my mom there definitely helped things as well. Finally the doc said he thought he had it in well. I did not feel any pain in my leg when he injected the medicine so I thought maybe he did get it in. Welll.....

My labor nurse came back to test to see if the epidural worked and we soon found out that it did not. I still had full sensation in my legs, and could feel my contractions entirely except for one spot on the left side. So basically, the epidural worked.... for the smallest portion of my left side. This is where time all runs together for me because I was in so much pain! My doctor came in around 1:20 or so to break my water. About 20 minutes later I was all the way dilated and it was time to push! I don't remember exactly when I started pushing but I know it was only 4 times! ;-) Yahoo! The worst part was waiting in between contractions and, excuse the TMI, but giving myself time to stretch and prevent tearing. That hurt like hell! Whoa! I am glad that I did not have to experience that with Clayton, seeing as he was my first baby! I was definitely more prepared down there! It was pretty funny though because as soon as she started crowning we could see her full head of hair! Baby girl has so much hair!!! haha!

Shortly after Reagan was born I was able to nurse her. I did not get to experience this with Clayton and it was truly wonderful. She latched on immediately and began to nurse! What a feeling! Everyone kept commenting on her hair! And that she looked like her big brother! =) Not a bad thing... that kid is cute! haha! I only had a small tear on the lateral side and two stitches later I was good to go!

Recovery this go-around has been so easy. I only used one ice pack and used the dermaplast spray about three times. That is amazing compared to how I was with Clayton. Darren had to help me to the bathroom, help dress/dermaplast me, etc... this time I walked to postpartum, and immediately was able to get around the room on my own. So much better! However, this time, my back was so incredibly sore from all of the epidural injections. I wish that I hadn't even tried to get one. I basically went completely natural but had all of the added pain from the doctor trying to administer the epidural. Ouchies....

Our time in the hospital was also completely different than with Clayton. I had an appetite and so ate and drank well. We were smart this go-around and sent Reagan off to the nursery at night so that we could get some sleep between feedings. With Clayton I thought sending him to the nursery meant that I was a failure.... but shoot, you NEED that sleep after delivering a baby! Even though it was only a few hours at a time it was glorious! Plus then the nurses are able to take care of the baby and run all of their tests without bothering you!

We were able to come home on Friday afternoon. Clayton has been such a wonderful and sweet big brother already. He already knows who "sister" is. We're not sure what we'll call her. For now she is either sister or baby. I'll write all about their interaction sometime soon! Here's a few pictures to tide you over until then! ;-) We are truly truly blessed. We have two wonderful babies. Two beautiful blessings from God. Life is good! (But crazy... don't get me wrong... another post! haha!)

Induction Time.... Again!

Well, dear readers... apparently I either make stubborn children, or my body is just really dumb and does not like to have babies on my own! ;-) We are off to the hospital bright and early (or well, dark and early) in the morning to be induced. Have to be there at 7am and the doctor seems to think I'll have her by lunch! Here's hoping! ;-) I will only have to have pitocin this time and since I'm already dilated to a 4 I do not have much further to go until the pushing begins! I asked to wait as long as we could before inducing but my doctor was concerned about me laboring too quickly. I tested positive for the strep b virus this go around (was negative with Clayton) and so they need to be able to get enough rounds of antibiotics through my system before Reagan is born. That is why we're inducing now as opposed to a week from now, or letting me go into labor on my own. If for some reason I do go into labor tonight then I have strict instructions to get my butt up to the hospital as fast as I can! I am still hoping for a natural birth (no meds!), but we will just see how it goes! My contractions were really strong and painful today, but were way more easy to tolerate then the ones that were brought on by my induction with Clayton.

I'm sad that once again I will miss out on the true going in to labor experience. No timing contractions or rushing to the hospital on our own time. But, this is the way it has to be! And, I'd much rather have my baby girl be healthy then risk something bad happening to her. They (Dr. Google) say that if the mother has had antibiotics that there is only a 1 in 4000 chance that anything will happen to the baby. However, without antibiotics there is a 1 in 20 chance. So, it's much better to go ahead and get the antibiotics! They can't give them to you before you start labor either which is a total pain in the rear... otherwise I'd say put me on them now!

We just left Clayton off at Darren's grandma's house for the night and tomorrow. My mom is spending the night there with them and will leave for the hospital when we do. That way Clayton has her there, since he's used to her, and we don't have to wake him up and transport him early in the morning. It was so hard to leave him though. I don't know if they'll allow him to come visit us in the hospital but I sure hope they do! I don't know how long I can go without my little boy! This will be the longest we've ever been apart from him! We, Darren and I both, have only spent one night apart from him his whole life, and that was for about 15 hours while Andrea & Scotty took him to the lake before we met them up there. So, this will be difficult to say the least. Say some prayers I make it through! ;-)

I hope to update a little sooner than I did with Clayton's birth - hehe.... I struggled with the baby blues after Clayton was born, so blogging and uploading pictures was not at the top of my priorities list. Hopefully things go a lot smoother with baby girl! =) Can't believe the next time I update I will be a mother of TWO! WOW! So much has changed in the past year! Crazy!

Prayers are much appreciated! Thanks in advance! Love to you all!

Twelve Months!

Happy Twelve Month Birthday, Clayton Scott!

You are a whole year old now! Oh my goodness! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were welcoming you into this world and holding you in our arms for the first time? Mommy sure does remember it like it was just the other day! What a wonderful and joyous day that was!

You are quite the little toddler now. Gone are the days where you were immobile! You walk everywhere, and even try to run sometimes! You will still crawl if it is just between toys or if you are really trying to get somewhere fast! You do not need our assistance to walk anywhere, but sometimes you will let us hold your hand! You even navigate over thresholds and uneven surfaces pretty well! We love to watch you toddle around the house! It's pretty cute! You still hate shoes though so it's a struggle when you want to walk outside but we make you wear shoes! ;-) Your socks can't always be brown! haha! Mobility wise you can also bend down to pick things up and stand back up straight without touching the ground.

You have learned so many words and are so smart! This month you started to say "hello" and "tractor". Although they don't come out perfectly they are pretty good! You also always say "vroom-vroom" when you are driving things... anything with wheels makes that noise! ;-) Even though you don't say many words you know so many words! You know "bottle", "outside", "voom-voom", "potchi-potchi", "bath". All of these words must be spelled if it is not time for them or else we are in trouble! You have also learned to identify so many things. You can tell us where our eyes, ears, nose, mouth are, what the baby is in a picture, what the dog is in a picture, and who pop, gia, mama, dada, and nana are! Pop was pretty proud of himself because he taught you to pat him when he asked where Pop was! It's cute!

You have learned that your paci is only for naptime and you will THROW it when you wake up from your nap and we pick you up. However, if you see the paci laying around somewhere, like on the coffee table, you will still grab it and shove it in your mouth! Another fun "trick" you have is that you can blow your nose and wipe your mouth..... ok, you only halfway do it, but it's funny to watch you! We can hand you a tissue and you make a blowing noise with your mouth. And when we ask you to wipe your mouth you mostly dab it and then try to eat the napkin. hehe...

You finally learned how to clap this month, right before your 12 month birthday. Now you always clap and are proud of yourself. If we say "yay" you will immediately smile and start clapping! This month you also started to really show us when you were excited about things. You make the cutest giggling noise when you are super excited. For instance, when Pop asks you if you want to go ride on the "voom-voom" you giggle and go crazy! If we are at work then you know where the voom-voom is kept and will walk outside to it! Mommy asked you if you wanted to take a bath one day and you did the same thing - giggled and walked all the way into Mommy & Daddy's bathroom! You're so smart! No one lead you into there!

Your favorite toys are anything with wheels, especially tractors, anything with buttons, and anything that plays music. For your first birthday you received so many wonderful toys, almost all of which made noise! haha! You love playing with all things with wheels, and you know that the car will not roll if it is not on it's wheels. You will turn a car over until it is the right way and then push it along! One of your favorite buttons to push though was the computer power button at work! Oops! We had to keep you from turning our computers off and on, which made you quite mad!

You LOVE to be outside and cry if anyone opens the door and doesn't take you with them. Sometimes it makes life for Mommy & Daddy a little difficult because we can't always take you with us, and it's not always a nice day out! Spring in West Texas means that the weather changes nearly every day and it is almost always windy out. You don't mind the wind though!

Every month you take more of an interest in Pearl, your puppy. This month you really started to pet her when she was laying on the floor, and you'll even go up to her and snuggle her. It's so sweet! Plus, now you share with her! Oh, lucky us! You will share your food with her! She's a good puppy though and will take the food from your hands so gently. She also lets you pull up on her, pull her hair, whatever you want to do! We're glad that she is such a good dog and will be there to watch you grow!

We're still struggling with your food. You are so picky! You now love sweet things though, especially fruit loops! Mimi kept you over her Spring Break and gave you fruit loops in the mornings. You thought they were delicious! We can usually always get you to eat peas, grapes, chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Sometimes you will eat pears, and you even eat asparagus. But for the rest of things.... nah!!!! You have a habit of putting things in your mouth then taking them back out, looking at it, and then shoving it back in! Guess you want to see what you're eating! One good thing is that you really like water and drink from a sippy cup with a straw really well. So, we're able to get water down ya! You still just prefer your bottle, which we have to start weaning you from now! Oh no!

You have 4 teeth on bottom and 3 teeth on top. Right before your 1 year birthday you began to get your 12 month molars. This made for some rough nights for Mommy & Daddy. Thankfully Nana came and was able to help us! Stinkin' teeth! Growth wise you weighed 21 pounds at the doctor's office and were 27 1/2" long. You were just under the 50th percentile growth curve for both height and weight. You still have a pretty tiny head though and are on the 25th percentile for that! You wear a size 12 month in all of your clothes now. It's convenient for Mommy that you are always the perfect size! =)

Your baby sister will be here soon and we can't wait to see if she is anything like you! We seriously doubt she can be, because you are just a special boy! You are so good and you have been such a huge blessing in our lives. We love you more than you'll ever know! You are our sweet baby boy!

Happy Birthday to our now toddler. We love you!

Love,
Mommy

Your Children Want You

One of my friends posted a link to this article, "Your Children Want YOU!", on her facebook page this morning. It is an article I was definitely needing to read, and wish I could have read right around Clayton's birthday party when I was having my mini-melt down for not having everything as perfect as I had planned. I was sitting there last night, totally wiped out, hugely pregnant, and cursing myself for not having done Clayton's 12 month birthday post yet. I can't wait to write down all of his milestones........ and yet, then I realize... He won't care if it is done March 31st or April whatever.... he will, hopefully, later in life, treasure the fact that I wrote them to begin with. I realize that, as the article says, social media and the internet can put such a strain onto mothers to be perfect and to be just as "motherly" and awesome as all other moms... when in fact it's quite the opposite! Clayton will not care that I bought his Easter basket at Walmart instead of making a monogrammed one myself..... as long as I am a good mother to him and his sister (and future siblings!) then that is all that will matter.

Time to stop and realize what is really important in life..... Enjoy the day, for this is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! =) (One of my favorite songs btw!)

Update on babies!

So, I figured I'd write a quick update as I work on Clayton's 12 month post because some of you might be wondering how things are going! I'm 38 weeks and 2 days and I feel better than I did last week. Not so much cold wise - still have a horrible sinus infection - but I have more energy (thanks to my mom being here and taking care of chores/Clayton), and I have not had as many braxton hicks. I do still get them when I do too much - i.e. walking long distances, lifting Clayton multiple times, etc.. My doc appt went great but they won't check my cervix again until 39 weeks. They said if I had been having any regular contractions that they would, but since I obviously wasn't then not much has changed probably. Time to bust out the spicy food, walking, and, well... you know! ;-) Jk... sort of! Those things did NOTHING with Clayton, so I'm not convinced they'd help much with getting Reagan here, haha!

Clayton is doing so much better. We determined that he was getting his 12 month molars - so thank you, Jill for pointing that out! We gave him motrin in his night time bottle for two nights and that helped him get out of his funk. Then, since my mom is here, she has been taking him at night instead of us bringing him down to our room. I think that has helped a TON. Now if he wakes up (which he did not last night - hooray!!!) then she just rubs his back, still in his crib, and he goes back to sleep. So much better! And, now, we're getting to sleep more which is so needed! I only woke up once last night and it was not until 6am - had to pee!

I'll have his 12 month post up soon! Stay tuned! He has changed so much! I love my little toddler!!!!! He's precious beyond words!

Thanks again for all of your help and prayers if you sent them up, hehe! Everything was very appreciated and very helpful! Yall are the best!