Uriah Nathaniel. A birth story.

Uriah Nathaniel

Here is your birth story.

Early (0500) Sunday morning on July 26th I woke up to use the restroom. I noticed that something was unusual. I woke up your dad and told him I thought my water had broken. I got up and called labor and delivery and they told me to wash up and see if I kept leaking fluid and watch for contractions. (My midwife had already told me to come in if they were 5 minutes apart and didn’t go away after 2 tylenol, water, and laying down.) 

So, I showered, dried my hair, and laid down. Immediately when I laid down the contractions started. That was 0530. I began timing them. They were already 3 minutes apart and slowly getting stronger. So...we got up called mom, called Dawna to come stay with your brother, and got ready to go. 

We got checked in to the hospital at 0730 and settled into a room. They weighed me, hooked me up to monitors, and checked me. I was 50% effaced and dilated to a 1. They were just going to keep an eye on me until 0930. They checked again at 0930 and I was dilated to about a 2. They then said they would check again at 1130. At 1130 they checked the fluid I had been leaking all morning. It was amniotic fluid. So, they were for sure my water had broken so I had to be admitted for sure. 

They got me moved over to labor room 4. I wasn’t allowed out of bed again until you were born. I was checked again and was about a 3. Slow progress. They allowed me to labor a while. Anna and Victor came to visit after morning worship and then Chad, Lindsey and the kids came by to visit. Your dad went to the house to put Jensen down for a nap so that he had a little bit of his usual routine. 

My blood pressure had started rising a little so they wanted to check my urine for proteins but wouldn’t let me out of bed. So, they did a straight catheter. 

Finally about 1730 I decided to go ahead and get an epidural just in case I had to have a c-section. I didn’t want them to have to completely put me to sleep. The epidural was so painful. I met Dr. Wiggins who was on call for the weekend. She said she would allow me to labor a little longer. I was about a 5 and 80% effaced...but, you were NOT dropping down at all. But, they let me continue to labor on. When she checked me she had to lay me flat and I had a contraction at the same time. It was so painful and the epidural medicine was so strong that I got very flushed and nauseous. I began throwing up in a bag while I was laying flat. I had vomit all in my right ear. Luckily all I had eaten was 2-3 popsicles. 

Finally about 1030 Dr. Wiggins came in a and checked me again and I hadn’t made any more progress. So, we had to resort to another c-section. They placed a catheter and got me ready. I did discuss with her that I wanted my photographer in the OR and wanted to see my child born because it may be my last. She agreed to drop the drape. 

Even though I had an epidural I was so uncomfortable, I was tired, and I missed Jensen. It seemed like it took them forever to get me prepped for surgery. Then they brought Josh and Kayla in. It seemed like another eternity waiting on them to cut through all the layers to get to you. Finally it was time to meet you. At 2323 they dropped the drape and the nurse anesthetist and your daddy help up my shoulders as they pulled you out and showed you to me. I cried and smiled and just stared at you until they had to take you to weigh you. They immediately brought you back to me and put you on my chest. I held you for about 5 minutes while they sewed me up. Then I just relaxed while everyone left and they finished. 

They took me back to my labor and delivery room and I got to hold you and try to nurse you. I remember the shaking being pretty bad with Jensen...but, I thought it would never stop. My jaws were hurting so bad from being clenched with the shivering. You are perfect and beautiful. You look just like  your father. Your fingers and toes are so long. You have dark hair and dusky eyes. You were 6 pounds and 13 ounces. You were 19 inches long. We apent the night crying and staring at you. Your daddy cried and told me how strong he thought I was and how proud he was. 

Monday morning you got to meet your brother. He was so proud!!! He crawled up in the bed with me and we let him hold and kiss you. You are 8 days old today and he hasn’t stopped. He loves you so much! I was able to go home Tuesday morning. 

Thursday I kept getting flushed and took my blood pressure and it was pretty high. Kellie wanted me to come see her Friday morning. Then Thursday night I woke up with a pain in my left calf. I figured I had a cramp and went back to sleep. Friday I got up to go see Kellie and my leg was still sore. She put me on blood pressure medicine and sent me home to rest. My calf pain kept getting stronger and then my toes went numb about 1800. Josh was in Arlington at a ballgame for his birthday so I called Ginger to take me to the ER while mom stayed with the boys until Josh got back. I had 2 blood clots in my leg. They started me on lovenox and I stayed 2 more nights in the hospital. It took having you to spend my first night away from Jensen...but you were only 5 days old when I had to spend the first night away from you. They let you come stay with me Saturday -Sunday though. 

So, now I am lovenox shots twice a day for a few months and blood pressure medicine for a few weeks...At this point out family is complete :) 

2 under 2 can make for a disastrous view!

I noticed I hadn't posted since the end of my first trimester, so I vowed to do better. I have my birth story for Uriah written and will post it next.

This have been chaos around here to say the least. When Uriah was about 5 weeks old Jensen started his regression of sorts. He decided he needed to be rocked to sleep again at night. But, thankfully that only lasted a week or two and we are back to normal. He loves his baby brother very much. We have to keep him off of him often.

So, I mainly wanted to post this blog so I could look back and laugh about the chaos of this week! So, Jensen has started saying "MOM" repeatedly! Like incessantly! And when I say "What" or "Yes, Jensen?" He looks at me or grins. Seldom will he actually tell me something. He is driving me batty!

Disaster Day 1-
Sunday. We are sitting in worship and during the lesson Jensen sits in a little booster seat. Well, he is so cute in his new birthday clothes. He has had more sugar than usual (it is his birthday party weekend after all). All of a sudden we hear an awful juicy poot...That is such an understatement. Everyone on the pew looked down at us (thinking it was Uriah) and started giggling. I, however, was NOT giggling because I knew that I was about to have to clean one of the nastiest things ever made by a 2 year old! About the time I pick up the diaper bag Jensen is telling me "poop" in a pitiful sad voice. So, we went to the back and conquered the worst blow out ever seen! BUT, because that wasn't enough...we went to linch with Kellie, Nate, and Victor at Texas Roadhouse. Jensen child on a roll and decided to throw up while standing in the booth between Kellie and Victor. Poor Victor had toddler puke all over his freshly dry cleaned suit. Natural birth control guys!

Disaster Day 2-
Thankfully I had a few days in between with only small sporadic disasters. Then there was Friday. I decided to take a shower while Uriah was sleeping on Josh and Jensen was occupied playing. When I got out of the shower I called for Jensen so he could come brush his teeth. He came in the bathroom with a tube of diaper rash cream that he had rubbed on his arms and was telling me "Yotion, Mom". No son that thick paste that I will have to chisel off of you is NOT lotion. I took him to Josh and asked how much he was going to let him use? Josh said "He didn't get any out" REALLY? What's this? "Oh, well maybe he got a little out" Josh said. Then I went into the kitchen to discover banana peels an part of a loaf of bread on the kitchen floor. So...we went to the bathtub to wash off the "motion" and Jensen then decides he really needs to poop... AGH!!! So, I get him out, dried, and clothed. Then, clean the tub. Then about 20 minuted later I am in the recliner feeding Uriah and can't see Jensen but I know he is sitting right next to the recliner in the floor. When I look there are 4 MORE BANANAS peeled and laying in the floor! Josh had left the bunch beside the chair. I thought he had taken them back into the kitchen!

Today is going well. Just as I type this Jensen walks in the living room with a piece of bread. The loaf was on the counter... I'm not even going in there! I am a little scared because I know that this has only just begun!

One down!…2 to go.

In light of the situation that just past (the beginning of pregnancy)…I will take a minute to reflect.
I am officially out of my 1st trimester today and am finally beginning to get some energy and spunk back. But, sadly I have traded that in for alligator skin and a few other not so pleasant symptoms.

My mom was here for a week at the beginning of January and we had a blast. I didn't do one load of laundry and I don't think I cooked anything. You don't have to tell me…I know I have the best mom ever. But, then we had to get back to real life. So...

Last week while rocking J to sleep one night I began to reflect on a few things. Sometimes you realize that there really aren't that many things to get all bent out of shape about and if you look hard enough you can find greater meanings. Let me show you…

1. Having a sticky floor sometimes is ok…it helps sock footed messy faced toddlers have traction while running through the kitchen!

2. Messy faces…which is almost 24/7…that's ok too. That means there was food to eat and if it gets bad enough…maybe a bath. Score for toddler!

3. If you house is like mine then sometimes you can't see the floor for legos, blocks, socks, balls, and other random toys. Contrary to many in older generations…this is ok. It helps your children (and you on occasion) improve upon your balance and coordination! (just be extra careful with the legos…it is possible to end up in the ER…)

4. Occasionally, you may find your child eating something…that you didn't give them…from the trash can. (This has only happened 2 days) After sweeping his mouth and inspecting, I concluded it wasn't anything that would have hurt him. So…it just builds his immune system…big plus!

5. Lastly, I realized (and have been told 1,000 times) that sometimes you just do what you can to get by. I don't let my child have caffeine…but, this week I did give him a drink of my sunkist so my husband and I could eat in peace! He had been drinking his water all day…but, he proceeded to scream because mommy had a cool cup with a straw and it was so much better that his stinking sippy cup! The silver lining…Jensen got to brush his teeth an extra time (which he LOVES) and got a new sippy cup with a straw!

I love how much my little boy is growing and learning. There are new things happening around her daily! J screams and laughs when I get home from work (thankfully only 3 days a week). We play and then as we rock to sleep he loves to drink his milk and turn to face me and jabber for 30 minutes and tell me all about his day (or whatever he is sassing about). It is happening so fast.

Anyway…
The messes are ok mommies. There are silver linings everywhere. Hold your blessings close. The messes can wait. One day you house will be clean and quiet and you will have plenty of time of your hands. It is then you will wish you had messy faces to clean, sticky floors to mop, and toys to pick up. If the fact that my house will never be spotless bothers you then I will see ya in public somewhere because I am busy in here enjoying my baby!

I am perfect...

I have many flaws. These will be easy to see as you get older. Many, I am sure I will be ashamed of…some I can't change. Everyone has them. Everyone has those things they constantly struggle to change and improve. That, I guess, is part of being human.

But, at this moment in time, to you, I am perfect. I have to say this is very humbling. It makes me realize that some things that I consider flaws are petty. To you I hung the moon. In your short year on this Earth I have been able to give you everything you need. I have failed and I have made mistakes…but, you don't know that.

As I rocked you to sleep tonight I cried. I cried because, for now, you won't accept anyone else putting you to sleep. I cried because you won't always need/want me to rock you to sleep. I cried because I am overwhelmed by the love that I am filled with for you. I cried because…I won't always be perfect to you…but, while I am, I will savor every moment. I will be there when you cry. I will try with every fiber in me to meet your every need.

So, even thought my flaws are very visible to almost everyone else, I am proud to be perfect…if only to you.

I love you Baby J.

How is it possible?

How is it possible that J is 9 months old and I am starting to think about his first birthday party. It seems  like just yesterday I was crying in my hospital bed, on Oct. 4th, because I didn't want my simple world to change. Now I would change it all over again and again and again. My how your little soul has changed things!

Maybe it is just because I am tired because he hasn't slept well the last few nights from cutting his second tooth…but, I am super emotional today (sorry Josh). I ran across this article today on Fb. It's like I told her the words to write. There haven't been many days that have passed that I didn't cry for J about something.

Jensen Carter- Some days I hold you and think I would love to have a thousand little yous running around. You bring me so much joy and happiness. I love watching you learn and grow…but, it hurts my heart. Most days though, I think that my heart can't take doing this again. I am so scared for you. I am scared of people hurting you and you feeling inadequate. I want to protect you from everything-always. She said it perfectly in her post when she said it feels a lot like a breaking heart. That is exactly how I would describe it. My heart swells, hurts, stretches, flutters, and aches for you EVERY DAY!

I pray…I pray so hard every day that you will never turn your back on God or your parents…because, sweet boy, we will never turn our backs on you. You have changed our lives in ways we couldn't even dream of. Watching you and your daddy play makes my eyes fill with tears…he loves you more than you will every know, Baby Boy. He is so proud of you and he thinks you are amazing.

I am learning to take one day at a time. I have to. If I don't then I let my emotions take over and I am paralyzed because I am so scared for you in the world. So, while you take a nap I will try to put on happy music and plan your first birthday party and not think too much about the future.

7 month goodies

So, it has been a few weeks. (busy few weeks) But, for my own future reference and other mommies I wanted to post about things we are loving right now.

1. We still LOVE the baby brezza! We took it with us on our trip to Alabama!

2. This may sound silly but J LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So, 1st thing in the morning while I get his breakfast stuff together he watches it on the Disney Junior app on my phone….which is what this point is about! love the app. Even if your provider isn't on the list you can still watch one episode of various shows and they change the episode every few weeks or so.

3. I like these spoons to feed him. Simply because they are easy to get the excess off his face. They were a gift. I haven't actually checked their prices. BUT, I am going to order some of these spoons for J to try self feeding.

4. Jensen can't seem to get enough of the Gerber yogurt melts.

5. OK…many moms haven't heard of these but they have been a lifesaver. Just follow the link and be amazed. they are so wonderful! LINK

6. Lastly, he seems to do best with these zippy cups.

We still use his angel care movement monitor most of the time to be sure he is breathing. We got the dual pads bc they cover the whole mattress for when they start moving. We still use receiving blankets constantly because he won't go to sleep unless his face is covered. We still like Huggies for at night and Pampers during the day. (I get Pampers CHEAP through work). I love the diaper rash cream that I make.

We are also trying a baltic amber necklace for all this slobber from teething. I will let ya know what I think!

Until next time

giveaways!

Y'all really need to go check out my FB page. there are TONS of awesome giveaways going on! BabyBrezza, Viva Veltoro, hayneedle, and thrifty nifty mommy! I could spend all night on here! Some of the things I mentioned in my new mommy blog recently are up for grabs! (Like the baby brezza formula pro!!!) GO GO GO!