Thursday, December 27, 2007

Welcome to the World Lil Man


I just wanted to let everyone know that Samuel James had made it into the world. It was a long road, but he came without much issue, and into this crazy family. He was born on December 21, 2007 at 10:01 pm. He was 8 lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. The pushing was the easy part...here, I'll let you see for yourself.

It all started the week I was to be induced. I went in on Monday for my normal NST and the OB wanted to see me. She wanted to strip my membranes at that point in time, but I told her I had things to do, and I would not be having the baby until my induction date. She laughed at me, and she told me that I was one of the only people she knew that scheduled things until the very last second.

Tuesday rolled around. I went to my MOPS group. We wrapped gifts, and we had a great time. We ate cookies, and we just had fun visiting with each other. While I was there, I started to get a really bad back ache. I came home, and I got in a hot tub to soak. I figured it would feel good, and I could use the relaxing. I soaked in the tub, took some Tylenol, and laid in bed for a few hours. My mom called to let me know she was on her way to bring Genevieve home. I told her about my back ache, and she insisted I call the doctor. I called, and they said to come in because they wanted to put me on the monitor.

Sure enough, I was having some pretty strong contractions. I had no idea because it just felt like my back hurt. I was worried they may keep me, and I had an appointment the next day I needed to be at. They checked me, and there was no change. They sent me home.

On Wednesday I went to my appointment in Lawton. Everything went great. I had several contractions while down there and walking around. It wasn't anything big, and I knew I'd be able to hold off.

Thursday rolls around, and it's induction day. I got a call about noon that they were going to cancel my induction. They wouldn't be able to get to me until Dec 28. I let them know that I was taking NSTs, and I hadn't scheduled any. They told me I should come in that day. I did, and I was really upset. I was hormonal darnit :p Anyway, the OB said for me to come see her after the NST. I got up there, and she explained that the hospital was really full. They couldn't take anyone on unless they were in labor. At that time she stripped my membranes, and gave me some tips on how to get things going.

I went out right after and I walked for about 3 hours. My contractions were 3 to 5 mins apart and about a min long. I called the hospital, and they told me to take some Tylenol PM, and if my water breaks, come in. I took their advice, but by 4 am, I couldn't keep anything down. I was having irregular contractions...nothing real promising. I still was having a lot of back pain though. We called the office, and they wanted me to come in...if for nothing else to get an IV because I couldn't keep anything down.

After all morning in the exam room, they finally decided that I could stay and have the baby. They had to clear out rooms, but I was going to get the next open room. I gave my hubby a call, and then everyone else I could think of. I moved to the other room at 2 pm.

They started my Pit right away. At 5:30, they broke my water and gave me the epidural. By 9:30 I was ready to push. We waited for the doctor to get out of surgery, and then they got me ready. I push a whole 2 contractions. At 10:01, our little man was born. I told my husband that we couldn't have anymore because I pushed Genevieve out in 3 contractions, Samuel in 2, and I didn't think I could do it in 1.

With how big he was, I am so thankful I didn't have to wait to have him. I couldn't imagine if I would have had to wait another week and a half. That would have made for one big baby! Anyway, I'm just going to post a couple more pictures :)

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Going on 10 Days...

Tomorrow will be 10 days since Genevieve left to stay with my mom. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I had so many hopes and plans for the time alone, and not many of them got accomplished. Go Figure.

The list wasn't a long one. I wanted to really clean and organize the house, get the new baby's room set up, get things planned for when we are at the hospital, and get some rest. I can honestly say the only things that got done were the setting up the baby's room, and me getting some rest. I guess the rest was the whole reason for her to go visit mom in the first place.

I remember talking to my sister the first day she was gone. I told her I hadn't got off the sofa all day, and that I was still wearing my PJs. She started in with how it was good for me, and that I needed to rest. I always hated when people told me that when I was pregnant with Genevieve. I mean I'm pregnant, not broken. Yes I waddle...but I can still get up and do things.

The other day I went to the store to pick up a couple of things. My whole trip got me 1 bag of groceries and one 12 pack of Mt Dew. The lady who bagged them asked if I needed help out. I lifted the bag, and it really wasn't heavy at all. I told her thank you but that I could get it. On my way out the door, another worker looked at me and asked if I wanted help out. I told her that I was fine but thank you. She looked at me like I was nuts. What is so wrong with a pregnant woman taking out 1 bag?!

Anyway, this weekend my husband and I got the baby's room done. It's not like we are doing a lot. We don't have a nursery theme, or really even a room. The room is our office. We are moving the first part of March, so really, there isn't a need for a "room." We did some laundry, folded little baby clothes, put diapers up, and put up the Pack 'n Play. We also finally managed to pack our bags for the hospital. On Wednesday I had a mini freak out because I realized that if I needed to call him and have him meet me with stuff, he'd have no idea what to get. I'd probably end up with 50 pairs of socks and no toothbrush. Needless to say, we are now packed except those small things you have to grab at the very last.

There is a song on a show Genevieve watches. It goes... It's fun fun fun, to run run run...It's fun fun fun, to run run run. Run in a circle now, run in a circle now. Needless to say, I feel like that is what I've been doing. I feel as though I've been running around. I need to get the oil changed in the van, but I just haven't had the time. When am I planning on doing this? Well, I figure between my Mom, Dad, and husband, someone can take it over after the baby is born, and pick it up when it's done. I hope anyway. I was to bake something homemade for our cookie exchange tomorrow at MOPS. What did I bake? A few boxes of Lemon Bars. We are suppose to bring the recipe. I will just let them know they can find it on the cake isle at the store :p

Anyway, tomorrow Genevieve is coming home. It will have been 10 days since she left. Mom told me she loves her, but she is glad to be bringing her home. I guess it is true that no one loves your child like you do. Not even your parents :) I know she's a handful, and I have missed her. I am going to miss sleeping in though. I won't get to tomorrow or Wednesday because of my MOPS group and an overseas screening we have on Wednesday. Maybe with the other grandparents arriving on Wednesday, they will take over for at least a couple of hours so I can get a nap. We can hope right!?

Sunday, December 16, 2007

A Movie!?

So, my husband and I haven't been to a real movie at the movie theater in almost 2 years. We don't have anyone to really just take Genevieve and watch her, and we won't take her with us. We have tried movies at home, and she may be interested for about 2 seconds, and then doesn't want anything to do with it. I'm not spending money to have to leave because she didn't want to sit still.

Anyway, my husband and I for this reason have not been to the movie theater for almost 2 years because of this reason. This is how we justify having a big screen TV and a sound system. We can't go to the movies, so we like to watch movies like we are in a theater. It actually works out pretty nice. We can sit on our sofa and not the chairs they have. We can pause to use the bathroom (which I seem to need to do frequently), the snacks we eat don't cost us 20 dollars, and a movie rental is less than the cost of one ticket. We pretty much win every way you look at it...except not seeing movies until they are out on DVD.

Yesterday, I had 2 appointments at the hospital (regular OB and NSTs), and my hubby was off for the day. We decided we'd take the day together and do the appointments, do some holiday shopping for ourselves, and maybe take in a movie.

The OB appointment went well. I don't have to go back in at all unless my NST next Monday shows something that is out of the normal. They just told me to do the NST and show up on Thursday night for my induction. Sounds good to me :) The baby is doing good and has finally dropped some. I am dilated to 1 cm, but still not looking like I'm going to do much. I have a full week next week, so I'm not planning for this baby to come until Thursday. I haven't gained any weight in 12 weeks...which is awesome! I'm not a small girl anyway, so I don't need to gain weight for just cause. The baby is growing well, and I do eat ... all the time :)

We then headed out to a few stores to do some shopping. I needed a few things at WalMart, and my husband wanted a few things too. We got that done, ate some lunch and headed to my NST. That went well too, and everything was hooked up, tested, and done in 45 mins.

After my appointments, we headed into the city to buy a new camera. When Genevieve was born we wanted a camcorder so we could film stuff. We have a digital camera from when we first got married, and it really does take some nice pictures despite being old. However, when we found out that we were having another baby, I thought it might be a good idea to upgrade. Our camera is from the age when 2 mg pixel was awesome. Boy things change a lot :p

If you know my husband, you know he just doesn't "buy" something like that. He spends about a month looking online and finding out anything and everything he can about what he wants to buy. He has spent awhile looking at digital camera on his favorite website Cnet He printed out a lot of different cameras and we went to look at them. One of the salesmen said to us, "I can see you are sure taking a long time to pick something out." I could hear the voice in my husband's head saying, "No Kidding! It's a pretty big thing to just "buy."" He was pretty nice and said that he just wanted to make sure that he was getting what he wanted. I think about 6 other people came up after we did, picked a camera, and checked out, before we bought our camera. Needless to say, the great camera hunt is over, and we have a new one. We love playing around with the color accent, and I will post some pictures soon.

After the trip to Best Buy we decided to finally go to a movie. It was pretty weird being back in a theater. We went to see that new movie with Will Smith, I Am Legend. It was a pretty good movie. It was a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be. That is a good thing though because it meant that I didn't have to leave the movie for a bathroom break. The movie popcorn was good, and it was nice to finally see a "new" movie. However, I think I like seeing movies at home much better :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

What's on TV?

Today was my first day home alone. We sent Genevieve to stay with my mom and dad for the week. I am suppose to use the time to rest. I feel I need to use the time to clean and do things that aren't easy to do when chasing a toddler around. So today, the resting won.

It was one of those days. It has been icky out and very icy. My OB called this morning, and she said she didn't want me 9 months pregnant on the icy roads. I was very thankful they had called. It was pretty bad all day, and I really didn't like the idea of traveling over an hour (on the road in normal conditions) to get there. It was gray with not a lot of sun out. There were a few really big thunderstorms that came through with a lot of thunder. It made for one of those days that you just want to curl up and do nothing.

After getting up and eating some breakfast, I sat down and turned on the TV. All of a sudden I realized I didn't have a clue what was on. I'm so use to mornings full of Nick Jr and Noggin. Genevieve and I sing songs from Dora, Diego, Backyardagins, etc. So, this morning I was at a loss at what to turn the TV to. I finally settled for a mix of QVC and a channel that plays court shows all day long.

Just in case you are wondering, I did get a few things done today. It isn't anything to sneeze at though. I am hoping tomorrow that I will light a fire under my toosh and get a few extra things done. If you talk to me, ask me what I'm doing. :p See if I am getting anything done.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Let It Snow...or Ice

Talk about drastic changes in weather! This week has been just that. We were up in the 60s all week long. Today, not so much. I think it is maybe 20 something. We went to bed with a thunderstorm (complete with thunder and lightening) and woke up to a storm only with ice pellets.

Days like today are awesome if you have nothing to do. I have taken a hot shower (which I made sure was extra long since I'm childless at the moment), put on some warm pants, and sat on the sofa watching TV and surfing the net. There are some candles burning, and it smells like Christmas in the house. The only thing better would be if there were fresh baked cookies. However, I really just don't feel like it right now.

I guess today is one of those days where being childless is wonderful. I love Genevieve, but boy do I love not having to worry about anything. Days like these are few and far between, so you can bet I'm taking full advantage of it. So, I say...LET IT SNOW!

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Loss of a Friend

Life came to a halt last night when my husband called and said he had bad news. I asked him what, and he wouldn't tell me. My mind raced over all the things it could be. I was not prepared for what he had to tell me. One of the guys he served with at Ft Riley died this last month. His vehicle was hit on Nov 9th, and he held on in Germany until right before Thanksgiving. His wife and mom were able to be there with him. He left behind his wife and 3 children.

As I have been processing this, I realize how lucky we have been. In the time that the war has been going on, this is the first time when someone we knew personally has been killed. When I see that someone has been injured or killed I always think how horrible it must be for them. I always feel blessed that it wasn't me or anyone I knew. That almost sounds horrible because every one of those people are someone's son, daughter, mom, dad, brother, sister, etc. They are all special to someone. This time it was someone I knew though. It was someone I had been around, got to know, and have wonderful memories of. My cousin just blogged about perspective, and I thought about it, but this really just made me think about it more.

I have not been one to always complain about my life, and my husband's job. I have always felt like God has put us where we need to be at the time we need to be there. We were not too excited to find out we were headed to Ft Riley when he first went into the Army. It was only 1 1/2 hours away from where we were leaving. Then when we got there, we found out my husband would be deploying soon. He was sent over with a bunch of guys he didn't know. Then I got a call about a Sgt who was riding him hard and wouldn't let up. Later in the deployment this same Sgt became a friend. This friend is the man who was killed. After meeting all the men and women my husband served with, I knew God knew what he was doing when he put him with them. I wouldn't have wanted my husband to be with anyone else. These men and women were great soldiers, and great people.

After he got home, my husband was up for promotion board. This same Sgt who was so hard on him was the first to stand up in the board and say why my husband deserved to get pinned Sgt so early in his "career." We would go over to his home and hang out. We would all go to dinner on many occasions. We would all hear stories about what went on while they were gone, and what all they had done to have fun together.

When this Sgt left Ft Riley, we had a surprise dinner for him. He was surprised that the group cared enough to do something like that. We gave him a plaque for his wall, and he gave a wonderful speech about how he was a Marine first, and all he wanted to do in his new unit was to have a sense of brotherhood. He had done just that. They were all brothers and sisters and did anything for each other. We never saw him again after that night. He and his family moved on to their new duty station after that. It was shortly after this, my husband and I moved on to his new assignment, recruiting.

We weren't happy about it, and it has been hard. I don't complain much about it. Again, I think God puts us where we need to be when we need to be there. I realize that being here, my husband cannot go to Iraq. I know sometimes he wishes he could, and I do too. The hours are long, the satisfaction isn't really that great in the job, and you can go from hero to zero in no time at all. Because of this though, it has kept my husband out of harms way. My husband and I both believe that when it is your time to go, it will be no matter what you are doing (deployed or just walking down the street getting the mail). However, him being here as kept those feelings out of my head.

The world is a better place because this man put us before himself. Our family has been blessed just from knowing him and his family. I am going to put a link to an article about him. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers. They can use all of the prayers they can get. Link to article

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Holy Big Baby!

So, I had my second growth scan today. I have been in a lot of pain recently in my hips, back, and pelvis. I knew that those came with pregnancy, but wow. So, I went in today, and they spent a lot of time taking all the measurements. When he got done, he said, "So, the baby is about 7 lbs 2 oz at this point in time." I think I had a look on my face because he asked if everything was okay. Then he said, "This is give or take about a pound." I sure hope that he is right about it being off by a pound, and the baby is only 6 lbs right now. If not, with two weeks to go, I'm in for a BIG baby.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sixteen More Days....And Counting

At the start of my pregnancy I always said I only had so many days to go, but not counting. I can honestly say that I now have 16 days to go, and I AM counting! As some of you might realize, that it is more than 16 days until my due date. I believe it is more like 22 or 23. At my last appointment, my OB doctor must have really felt sorry for me. She set up an induction date. I will go in late on the 20th, and I will have the baby on the 21st sometime. Induction wasn't my first choice (seeing as I didn't care for it when I was induced with Genevieve), but I don't really care anymore.

As some of you have read, I have been measuring ahead of schedule for awhile now. It ranges from anywhere between 1 and 3 weeks. I am back to a week ahead of schedule. Between that, the two trips (at least) a week to the hospital for NSTs, and my thyroid, my OB said she wanted to go ahead and get my date scheduled.

At my appointment yesterday I was excited to see I haven't gained any weight in 3 weeks! I think the baby has taken up so much room in my belly, that there is no room for food. I just don't feel like eating much these days. Go figure :p I'm still pretty sick too, so I'm sure that doesn't help at all. The nurses are always surprised to see that I'm still taking my anti-nausea meds. They have been a life saver.

I was checked at my last appointment. I am a fingertip dilated, and I haven't effaced or the baby hasn't dropped yet. That is my guess as to why I am measuring ahead. I have a growth scan tomorrow, and they should be able to tell me how much the baby is weighing and if it is on track or not.

Everyone keeps telling me it could be any time now. I am here to tell you...I won't. My mom is taking Genevieve for a week (next week), and I want my time alone. I want to sleep in, and I have things to do. If I am wrong, then so be it, but I don't plan on it. I was right about Genevieve (that I would need to be induced), and I will be right with this one.

So, I am here to let you all know...I HAVE 16 MORE DAYS BEFORE THE BABY WILL BE BORN.

Gain Clean

Have you seen those commercials where the person washed their clothes in Gain? Then someone is always coming up to them and smelling their shirt. I think their slogan has something to do with Gain Clean. I don't remember at the moment.

I do know that it really does smell that good. I don't use the soap, but I do use the fabric softener. We have to use a special soap for my husband's uniforms, so I just use that soap for everything. There is no need to use 20 different soaps when I hate laundry as it is. Anyway, I started to use liquid fabric softener again about a year ago. At that time I really didn't care what brand or smell I got. However, being pregnant has made me crave smells.

Craving smells is very strange to me. I mean I like things that smell good anyway, but holy cow. I now only like to use certain soaps, cleaners, laundry items, air fresheners, etc. I can tell you that Cascade (the Lemon one) is awesome. I love the Lemon Clorox wipes, Clorox All Purpose Cleaner with bleach, Gain Fabric Softener, Soft Scrub, Lavender Bath Salts, and I could go on and on.

Seeing as I use to buy things on sale and save money, I will be very happy when this passes so I can go back to buying the cheap stuff. I still think that I will use Gain though :p

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Happy Birthday!

It was two years ago today that my little girl was born. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. I vividly remember my labor with her. I was induced on November 29. The labor was long. I was in active labor for about 16 hours. I begged for an epidural almost as soon as they broke my water. What can I say?! I'm a wimp!

On November 30, at about 12:15 pm, the nurse said I was complete and ready to push. She then said, you will get to meet your baby hopefully in about an hour. I looked at the clock and told her there was no way I was waiting that long. I would have my baby by 12:30. She looked at me real funny, and she told me she didn't think so, but we could try. At about 12:25 she told me to stop pushing or the doctor wouldn't make it in time. We waited for my OB to show up, and at 12:43 pm, Genevieve entered the world.

She was perfect in every way. We couldn't believe that this little one we had waited on for nine long months was finally here. She was a whooping 8 lbs. 4 oz. She was also 21 inches long. She cried for a bit, but seemed to settle down quickly. She hated her first "bath," and that was a trend that continued until just recently. Now that she can play in the tub and eat the bubbles, it's fun. :p

(The picture to the right is of my husband cutting the cord. My mom took this picture, and she loves it. It is by far the best picture she has ever taken.)

As I have looked back over the last two years, I think of all the things she has done. There have been so many firsts in those two years. Her first bath, first roll over, first time crawling, first step, first time eating solids, first words, first stitches, and many others. She has grown into quite the princess over the short time she's been in the world. God blessed us with a wonderful child named Genevieve. I just wanted to post this blog to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GENEVIEVE!!