One Month Old!

I've got to get back into the swing of things! I really do miss blogging but life with 2 kiddos is still very new!! Not to mention the crazy stuff that has gone on(more on that later).

Eli is one month old today! Time just flies by! His little belly button 'stub' finally fell off Friday! He and Luke both wanted to keep theirs longer than normal. We had to take him in on Thursday to get them to cauterize it and we had to do the same thing with Luke. Eli is growing so fast! He has already started smiling! He first smiled at me at 3 weeks and 2 days which seems really early but it was a for real smile! Luke smiled at 5 weeks so Eli beat him by 2 weeks! He's not super smiley all the time though just rare moments (like early in the morning at 5 am!). He's still practicing! I'm not sure how much he weighs but at 2 weeks and 5 days he was 9 lbs and 21 inches long! And he is definitely a Mommy's boy!

Luke had a tough weekend (as did we all.. well, except Eli! He had no clue what was going on!). At the Dr's office on Thurs Luke fell asleep sitting in the Hubs lap. He was really sleepy all day long and that night I took his temp and it was 102. He had no other symptoms but was just kind of cranky! Friday he ran a low grade fever and was cranky and didn't nap well at all. He woke up 45 minutes after being put down and was really hard to console when he got up! I knew that he was in pain but wasn't really sure where. We noticed a little spot on his lip that night but I though it was just where he had bumped it. Well, Friday night he slept horribly! He was up on and off all night long. The Hubs did a great job at doing what he could to help the little guy but he was really just beside himself. Saturday we called the on call nurse and she suggested we watch him the rest of the day and assess the situation in the am. Well, that was a bad idea! By Sat night we both knew he needed to see a Dr. We realized that the little bump (which now had another one by it) was more like a fever blister of some sorts. Luke wasn't eating and was just not acting himself. He was crying constantly and was certainly in pain. So, the Hubs took him to an after hours clinic around 6pm and thankfully my mom met him there. Well, it seems that Luke has/had some kind of viral infection that causes blisters inside the mouth and throat. And it is very painful. The only thing you can do for it is give pain relievers.. although the Dr did give him some cough medicine to help dry up the blisters (which I think really helped.. plus helped him sleep!). My mom decided to stay the night with us (a huge blessing!). I mean I kind of have my hands full with a 4 week old so the Hubs needed some reinforcement. I think Luke may have slept 3 broken hours Saturday night. It was horrible. I think we all cried at some point (with Luke doing the most of it). I couldn't stand not being able to help him. He refused to take any kind of medicine at all. We finally called my dad and he came around 5:30am. Luke finally calmed down some with my dad and we actually got him to take some tylenol and then his meds after the Hubs went to pick them up. We had a rough day yesterday though. By the afternoon Luke was exhausted. At one point he fell asleep sitting up on the couch! He wouldn't eat hardly anything and wouldn't swallow (which led to massive amounts of slobber). He hardly talked much either. He just hurt so bad in his mouth and throat! So, once we started pumping him with tylenol and getting that cough medicine in him he really started to feel better. He slept yesterday evening from about 3:30-7pm and then from midnight to 7am. He's napping right now and has eaten pretty good today. I can tell the little blisters on his mouth look a lot better. Oh and I didn't mention that both of his ears were red too so he got a shot and antibiotics! My poor little guy has had it rough.. but it looks like we're on the mend! Here is a link to what I think he had. I wasn't at the visit so I'm not sure what the Dr called it! And here is a little picture of my man passed out on the inflatable bed yesterday evening:

And here he is last night. I got up around 1:30am to find him like this. Later around 4:30am he had made it to the inflatable bed. The hubs stayed with him last night while Eli and I stayed in our bedroom.

Aren't they pitiful?? Well, time to get supper ready before both of my guys wake up!

It's a boy!

(This was written yesterday!)

Well, I'm not pregnant anymore! The Hubs told me last night that I needed to update my blog because I was still pregnant on it! I said, sure as soon as I have some time!!! Hahahaha!! And actually at this moment I am feeding my child, which I do very, very often! So, here is a short version of how Eli came into this world:





All day Thursday (8/28) I had contractions, although they weren't what you would consider "normal', or at least I didn't think so!! Thurs evening the Hubs and I went for a walk with Luke. Later around 11pm we decided to get some sleep. I had a feeling we'd be up sooner than later! Well, I couldn't sleep at all! The contractions were coming stronger and stronger and quicker and quicker! I got up around 12:30am and started timing them and they were right at 5-7 min apart. So, I started praying that God would let me know when it was time to leave. Well, 15 minutes later Luke woke up! And he NEVER wakes up in the middle of the night. I knew he was my sign! So, he laid in the bed with the Hubs while I showered and then he wanted to get up and watch Blue's Clues (I think he thought it was morning!). So, we let him watch a DVR'd episode while we got ready. The contractions started coming every 3-5 minutes but still weren't hurting me too much (I could still talk through most of them). Well, we decided to head to the hospital anyways because we live 45 minutes away. We called my mom and dad so they could pick up Luke and we got to the hospital around 1:50am. I was hooked up and checked and was dilated to a 6!!!!! I was sooo surprised. All of the nurses commended me at how well I was handling it. I went ahead and ordered the Epi since I was already so far along. By the time the dr got there (before the epi) I was dilated to an 8 & he broke my water.. this was around 3:30am. After the epi, everything slowed down slightly but I was complete by 5:45am. The Dr thought I had a really good chance at delivering and I was hopeful. But when I started pushing Eli's heart rate did the exact same thing that Luke's did. It dipped with the very first push and wouldn't recover without my complete rest plus oxygen. And even with rest/oxygen it didn't go up as high as they would like. They only allowed me to push with 3 contractions and then we decided that a c/s was best for him. I was upset for about a minute but then got over it! I was about to see my baby boy! So, we went to the OR and Elijah Chandler was born at 6:30am (on his due date!)! He weighed 7lbs and 12 oz and was 20 inches long! I am so glad though that I got to experience the other side of labor! I was amazed at what my body did, even though I didn't actually deliver him 'normally'. With Luke I never went through all of that because my water broke before any contractions and I had to be put on pitocin. This time I had no induction meds at all and labor was really fast! I'm glad that we left when we did! I really was thinking that when they checked me they'd tell me I was about a 3 or 4. We are both doing really well. Eli is nursing really well (and pooping and peeing lots) and I'm praying that bf'ing goes much better this time. It already is! It has been really hard but better than with Luke (which only lasted 3 weeks/I was already supplementing some though in the first week, but that's another story!)! Eli weighed 7lb, 2 oz when we discharged an was already up to 8 lbs & 3 oz yesterday! Luke is doing really great with having a new person in the house! He even called him his baby brother once which just melted my heart! And he loves to give him kisses on his forehead! I'm loving being a mommy to 2 little boys! I'm nervous about the Hubs going back to work next week but I am so thankful that he is close by! Having to hold Eli almost constantly, not being able to pick up Luke because of the c/s, and just having a toddler and a newborn at the same time scares me but I know we'll settle into a routine soon. I'm just praying that God will help me out. And speaking of helping out I must say how wonderful my hubby has been! I am beyond blessed to have him! He has been fantastic with Luke so that I can focus on nursing this little one. Words can't express how much I appreciate him!





Well, that's a short version of the birthing events & a little update! And here's a little peek at the new guy:

Fresh out of the oven:

Just 2 days old:


1 week old:

He's 2 weeks today so I need to get my camera out!! Well, duty calls! :)

Forgive me if this seems written hastily... it was!

Pregnancy Update

So, I am still pregnant!! My due date is actually tomorrow 8/29/08. I have made some progression though. My contractions are very irregular and not what you would consider normal real labor contractions. They are uncomfortable but not painful.

I had a Dr's appointment Tuesday and everything looks good. I did have to schedule a repeat c-section but I knew that was coming. I scheduled it for Wednesday, 9/3. I prayed and prayed about that situation and when I left I just felt a peace about it. I know that God is in control. And after I made the c/s decision, I knew that if I was going to go into labor on my own it was because God wanted me to. I've known that all along but after Tuesday's appointment God just gave me clear assurance and peace that it was all in His hands. It's one thing to know that.. and it's another to feel it. And I'm so thankful for His answering my prayers!

So, the crazy thing was that Wednesday morning I woke up with some obvious progression! I was quite surprised because it's something that I've never experienced. With Luke my water broke 3 days before his due date with no warning. I never felt the first contraction until I got to the hospital and was hooked up on induction meds. So, this is all very new to me even though I've given birth before. And now it's just a waiting game! I'm thankful that my body seems to be working on it's own to do what it's suppose to do. That has been one of my prayers...

And I am still fully aware that I could continue to progress, get to the hospital and still end up with a c-section. I'm just thankful that it looks like I'm going to be able to try for my VBAC. I've been praying Scripture for several days now. Here are a few that I've been praying:

Phil. 4:6-7 ~ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 56:3 ~ Whenever I am afraid; I will trust in You.

Psalm 34:4 ~ I sought the Lord and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Isaiah 12:2a ~ Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid.

Phil 4:13 ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

1 Peter 5:6-7 ~ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

And these will be going with me to the hospital! Whatever day I end up going! :)

Cookie Memories... and something exciting (no I'm not in labor!!)

I made these today. And they were soo good. I had 5 of them.. no more for me today though. I am maxed out for today on chocolate and sugar! I seriously have been having chocolate cravings... and evidently oatmeal too! I made some chocolate oatmeal cookies last week as well! My mom mentioned these this weekend though and I've been thinking about them ever since. We use to make them a lot growing up and I can't tell you the last time I've had one! These turned out perfect too.. not too gooey or runny... and they set up perfectly. I took a recommendation to boil the mixture for two minutes instead of one. Someone commented that this would help them set up better. Who knows if it works all the time but it did today! I love making things that remind me of the past. And I might as well enjoy it now because I know in a few weeks I'm going to be attempting to avoid sweets so that I can get this weight off. Nothing helps the impatient pregnant lady more than a batch of cookies (or brownies, or a bowl of ice cream)... :)

One more exciting thing to share is that I won my first bloggy give-a-way! I have entered many before but never won! Today I got an email from Stacy, who also participates in Menu Plan Monday, letting me know I won! She had a giveaway last week for a cookbook and a 10$ Starbucks gift card.. and lucky me won it! I am so excited! I love cookbooks of any kind and the Hubs will be THRILLED for the gift card!

Yay me!

BTW, I have a Dr's apt in the morning at 8:15am. If anyone happens to read this before then please say a prayer for me! I'm really anxious about everything because I know I will probably have to make a decision about a repeat csection. And although I'm still very much aware that God is in control, I also know that my Dr has some limitations. I can't just pop in at any time to have a baby by C/S if it does come down to that! Thanks so much!