Fun Fall Pictures

Reid - 1 Month Old

Reid is 1 month old!!

I'm not going to sugar-coat and say that it's all been wonderful this past month. In some ways, it has gone by very fast and in others, it hasn't. Overall, I'd say it's been a pretty tough month! Just being real, folks. The upside is that Reid seems to be regulating and evening out a bit (aside from the screaming bloody murder for over an hour last night...ugh!). He has cried less and been less fussy this past week than he had been for the 3 weeks prior.

Shaun has been asking me to get all of this down in writing so that we "remember" for the future. It has occurred to me this past week that I would usually tell my new mom friends and family that the first 6 weeks is the hardest. Even though I seemed to have suppressed those memories, I'm sure that was true with Pierce and Reid has not been different. The good news is that we're more than half-way there!!

Pierce is a great big brother and has adjusted really well. He wants to watch me with every diaper change...even gets teary if I do it without telling him. He sweetly doles out hugs and kisses regularly and is not affected by the crying. The hardest thing for me is my patience with Pierce during the day when I'm going on little sleep. He wants my attention and so much of the time I am nursing or holding a fussy baby. I know that Reid will continue to get easier and we will strike a balance. Sleep deprivation has been the hardest thing for me. I can endure intense labor without pain relief, but going days on end with so little sleep has taken its toll on me. Thankfully, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel!


At Reid's appointment this past Tuesday (4 weeks), he weighed in at 9lbs, 15 oz. He's gained over 2 pounds in a month! He's a great eater and wants to nurse every 2-3 hours. He has suffered from a lot of gas the past few weeks, which I know is a big contributor to his fussiness. I'd say he's an average spitter, about the same as Pierce was.

Right now, we're just going with the flow as far as his sleep goes. Some nights are really good with 3-4 hour stretches of sleep, and others, we're up for 2 hours because he's fussy/gassy after he eats. He's been in his crib at night since our first day home from the hospital (we did this with Pierce as well) and I am trying to get him napping in the crib more during the day (as opposed to the swing, which he loves!). I have also started putting him down drowsy, but awake and he is learning to put himself to sleep. I know this will be key when we really get down to strict sleep training.



I forgot how much there is to teach a new baby, like sleeping on their backs in a big, cold crib. They just don't like it! He'd much rather be sleeping on/next to me or in my arms and will often wake up from a deep sleep as soon as I put him down. And his little body is so new and just trying to get used to everything. We have had some really sweet moments when he's awake and content. Those have been happening more lately and I think he's on the verge of smiling, which I'm really looking forward to!

We are so very thankful for this precious gift from God and rely on Him for grace as we all get used to this new normal!!

Family Weekend

We were in Richmond this past weekend visiting family. It's a whole new adventure packing for another whole person, especially a baby who goes through A LOT of clothes, diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc., but we really enjoyed our time away.

On Saturday, we were with Shaun's family and had all planned to go to the Frog Level Parade and Fall Festival (a local fundraiser for the volunteer fire dept. of which Shaun was once a part). Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative and Reid and I had to stay back. Pierce really enjoyed the firetrucks, horses, candy and time with his grandparents and uncle. We only got a couple of pictures.




On Saturday evening, we headed over to my parents' house to spend time with my family. We chose, once again, to forgo dressing Pierce up and doing the trick-or-treating thing. Each year, I am more and more confident about our decision in this regard. Pierce got plenty of treats and Halloween is just not a "holiday" that we want to make a big deal about (I've blogged about this before). We helped pass out candy at Mimi & Papa's house and there were plenty of scary costumes -- one of my very least favorite things about this cultural tradition -- that even had Pierce mostly choosing to be inside.


Aunt Karen and Sierra picked out pumpkins for S & P and he had a blast painting it...very pensive!


On Sunday, my nephew, Jacob, was baptized and then, we spent the rainy afternoon resting, watching football and enjoying Mimi's Sunday spaghetti. We were all pretty beat by the time we got home!

On our own

We were blessed with my grandmother's (Nana) company and help for three weeks following Reid's birth. She headed back home yesterday and were sad to see her go. She was an amazing help while she was with us and we miss her already!!

She was the most helpful with playing with Pierce...reading, doing puzzles and building train tracks inside as well as lots of fun play outside (when the weather allowed). She was also a great help with things around the house such as folding laundry (I've never been so on top of my laundry! :), cooking delicious meals and allowing me to get a shower! I didn't get too many pictures, mostly because I was tending to Reid (usually nursing!) a lot of the time that she was busy playing with Pierce.

Oh, and she definitely has the touch with calming a screaming, uncomfortable baby. Her arms were a GREAT help so that I could do things like bathe Pierce, change diapers, put him down for naps, etc. (Shaun continues to work many hours making for long days away from home).

And she even did some gardening for me! :)

I was a bit anxious about not having the help once she left because I haven't really been on my own since Reid was born. So far, so good, though! Yesterday, we hosted playgroup and had a great day. This morning, I was able to get us all out the door for Reid's 1-month check-up (and a flu shot for Pierce).

I think that Nana was here at the most perfect time because in the last few days, Reid's temperament has gotten better. He's less fussy and has pleasant, contented awake periods (of which we did not see much in his first few weeks ... when he was awake, he was usually crying!!). I really needed her help precisely when she was here and thank God for it. I just wish she didn't live 500 miles away!!

I am still quite sleep deprived (probably got about 5 hours of broken sleep last night...kind of a rough night) and trying to catch a nap in the afternoon if both kiddos are sleeping at the same time. But, I do hope to get to some other blog posts this week and especially a one-month post for Reid in order to share his stats from today. He's doing great!!!

All Aboard!

This past Saturday we took the boys on a train ride. I have been wanting to do this with Pierce for some time and was too late back in the spring. So, when I saw the flyer for this fall train ride, we decided to go for it. We bought our tickets way back during the summer and picked the very last date they were offering...wanting to make sure that the baby was as old as possible. At the time, I thought that he was going to come earlier and would have been older than just shy of 3 weeks, but I was wrong!

We had to be up and at 'em early in order to make the 45 minute drive and be there 45 minutes before departure (9:30) to get decent seats. Even getting there that early, we stood in a long line and didn't get the *best* seats, but we made do. Unfortunately, we had seats that were back-to-back, but I had 2 seats to myself and the baby (even though we hadn't paid for that extra seat). That made nursing easier and I had enough room for our stuff and the baby carrier.

Boy, do I look tired!

Snug as a bug in a rug. Reid slept for about the first hour and did very well overall.

The scenery was beautiful!

I feel like I was pretty useless on the trip as I didn't move from my seat at all and just tended to Reid. Back when we booked the trip, we talked about just Shaun and Pierce going, but Shaun felt like he wanted us all to go. It went well and I'm glad that we got to do this as a family. And the kids and I took great naps on Saturday afternoon! :)

Reid's Birth Story

Here are a couple of pictures that I had planned to share just before Reid's arrival. They were taken on my due date (the 1st) with my dear friend, Amy, who was due a week after me. Please pray for Amy as she is still pregnant and is 42 weeks today. She is hopeful to have a VBAC and is waiting on the Lord's timing and will.

It was really fun to be pregnant together and I look forward to our babies growing up together!

This is the final belly shot taken the weekend before Reid arrived.

I'm excited to record and document the happenings on sweet Reid's Birth Day. As I shared in this post, I was scheduled to have a non-stress test and ultrasound done on the morning of Tuesday, the 6th. Well, the night before, I didn't sleep great. No real contractions, but I was restless and had to move down to the couch around 3am. I was in and out of sleep for the rest of the early morning hours.

I started getting myself ready early, knowing that I had to get Pierce to my friend's house as Shaun was planning to join me for the appointment. Due to having sick kids, my dear friend had to call last minute to say that it probably wasn't the best idea for Pierce to be there. Usually, I wouldn't mind the sickness, but with all the flu stuff going around and the likelihood of a new baby joining us very soon, I didn't want to chance it. I called Kirsten (early enough to wake her up!) and asked if we could bring Pierce there. By this time, I was having what I thought were early labor contractions. They started around 7:00 and were mostly in my back. I was able to go about getting myself ready, making Shaun's lunch, packing up things for Pierce, all the while taking mini-breaks when the a contraction would hit. They weren't lasting more than 30 seconds and were coming every 8-10 minutes.

I wanted to call the doctor's office to see if I still needed to come in, if in fact, I was actually in labor, but they don't open until 8:30 -- that's about the time I'd need to leave my house to make it to my appt. on time. Shaun left around 8:00 to take Pierce to Kirsten's and I got a hold of the doctor's office right around 8:30. They told me that I still needed to come in to be checked by the doctor. I was quite annoyed by this as I really didn't want to drive myself there...but would not have made it in time if I had waited for Shaun to get back to our house. We just decided to meet each other there. I drove to the doc's office...in labor. I was watching the car clock and my contractions were coming every 5-6 minutes. I feel like I was still able to drive safely, just breathing through the pain.

The doctor checked me around 9:30 and I was already 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced. He confirmed that I was indeed in labor and that he would let the hospital know I was coming. He gave us permission to return home to get our things and take care of what we needed, but warned us not to waste too much time at home. We left a car in town and Shaun drove me home. Again, I was irritated that I had to spend so much of my labor going back and forth in the car, but at least I knew for sure that this was it! We spent some time at home getting our things together and that is when I blogged and updated facebook. I also grabbed something to eat. Even though it was only 10:30 or so, I was craving the chicken salad sandwich that I had made Shaun for lunch, and ate that along with some peanut butter crackers. All the while my contractions were coming on stronger and stronger and I had to take more and more breaks from what I was doing. Shaun was massaging my back and helping me get through them as he packed the car and took care of other things around the house.

I was in full, active labor by the time we arrived at the hospital and remember a lady in the waiting area watching me and telling me good luck! I had to be wheeled up to the fourth floor and it is all kind of blurry. The pain was intense. Our nurse, Meredith, was a perfect match and asked us right away if we planned to do it naturally. I was required to lay in the bed for just 5 minutes with the monitor on so that they could get a good strip of the baby. After that, I was free to labor how I wanted. The doctor checked me shortly after our arrival, right around noon, and I was 8 cm. That was fast!!

I spent the next 2 hours in and out of the tub and laboring over the birth ball on the bed. Shaun did an incredible job (again!) of massaging and encouraging me. I will not lie. It was extremely painful and I cried a lot. Shaun says this was the hardest part for him. My labor with Pierce was so drawn out, that it almost wasn't as intense and the pain didn't come on as strong. This time was very different. Very fast and very painful. At 1:50pm, my water broke as I labored over the ball on the bed. I got back in the tub for only about 15 minutes and then was checked and was fully dilated. I spent the next 20 minutes pushing (hardest thing (x2) I've ever done!) and Reid was born at 2:32pm!!

He cried on my chest for about 5 minutes straight while they cleaned him (and me) up.

I delivered Pierce at a different hospital and while I had a very positive experience there, it was different. This time around, it was a lot less medical. I did not require an IV (whereas with Pierce, they put an IV as soon as I got to the hospital), nor did I have to have a monitor on the whole time (had the monitor on the entire time that I labored with Pierce). Everything was so natural and there was never any pressure to do it any other way -- there also wasn't very much time!

As I've said before, I am so very thankful that everything happened spontaneously and I was able to have another natural, non-medicated birth. I do not overlook the Lord's hand in it all. He made Himself so evident in so many ways and we praise Him!!

Reflections

Reid was awake from 1:30 until almost 5ish this morning and that means I really should be using this downtime when both boys are sleeping to sleep myself, but I am feeling behind and blogging has been one of the things I've been wanting to do, so here goes.

We're two weeks into having baby #2 and I've had several thoughts and reflections that I wanted to jot down for future reference (can you believe that I am already thinking I would do this again?!). This is mostly for me to remember certain things, so I'm going to just do a bullet list.

• Reid is doing great health-wise. All his blood work came back normal. Praise the Lord! He had his 2-week check-up on Tuesday and he weighed in at 8lbs, 6oz. Last week, he was 7 lbs., 11oz, so he is eating and growing very well. He is a great nurser, much better than Pierce...and I find myself comparing everything to how Pierce was. I guess that is normal.
• Speaking of nursing, it is so much easier the second time around. Not any less painful for me (I still had blisters, bleeding, etc.), but I feel like I have been way more confident this time around, which has probably helped with Reid's eating. I never felt comfortable nursing in public with Pierce, but have already done so with Reid, with a nursing cover, of course.
• I definitely still feel like I spend a lot of time nursing throughout the day and night, but I'm not as apt to solve every cry with the breast, like I feel like I did with Pierce. Yes, I still resort to feeding on demand much of the time, but have also learned that not every cry means hunger.
• Reid is much more alert and awake than I remember Pierce being at this age. We've had some decent 4-5 hour stretches between feedings both during the day and night, but Reid also remains awake for long periods as well. I know from my sleep training knowledge that this is not necessarily great, but we're going with the flow right now. I feel like I'm already using sleep training techniques, which is earlier than I did with Pierce. Of course, we're still soothing to sleep and won't let him cry it out for another few weeks, but I'm just more aware this time of the little tricks that will hopefully make sleep training easier.
• Pierce has done magnificently well with all of this! I can't believe how big and "old" he seems to me now. It has made me nostalgic for his baby days...but it's amazing how independent and mature he is. I feel like he grew up so much in the short time I was in the hospital! The crying doesn't seem to bother him too much and he asks about his "baby brother" as in where he is and can he go places with him (to church, etc.). It's really cute.
• My body is slowly getting back to normal. The swelling has gone down significantly in my feet and ankles, although I still can't fit into most of my shoes. I'm really hoping that my feet have not grown permanently as I have quite a bit of money invested in my shoes! :) I am not able to get my wedding rings back on, yet either. I am having serious night sweats, which I know is helping me shed this excess fluid. The healing and recovery has been ten times easier the second time around as well. I can't believe how good I feel physically (aside from the exhaustion) despite having birthed a baby just a little over 2 weeks ago. The body really is amazing.
• My baby blues lasted about a week-10 days. I am feeling much better emotionally and less tearful over the past few days. My biggest "worries" in the first days mostly revolved around Pierce and how things were going to change for him, and how I would miss our one-on-one time. Fortunately, I've been able to enjoy bathtimes and storytimes with him many days and catch kisses and cuddles when I can. It has really helped that he has had a lot of attention from Nana and other family visiting.
• We have been spending a lot of time at home these days, which is a change for Pierce and I. Thanks to Nana and the beautiful weather this week, she and Pierce have been able to spend a lot of time both inside and out playing. This has been a HUGE help to me. Probably one of my biggest anxieties comes from wondering how I will ever get all three of us out the door and to anything that starts before noon. Ha! I'm hoping to get us back to our Thursday Bible study in a couple of weeks, which means leaving the house by 8:45. I'm sure it's laughable to those of you working, but I know it will be a lot to get all of us ready and out the door on time (especially with an unpredictable sleep and nursing schedule). I trust that we'll get into a groove soon enough.
• In our 7+ years of marriage, nothing has made me feel closer to and more in love with my husband as going through this birthing/parenting experience together, now two times over. From the labor/delivery/hospital experience to helping me in the middle of the night, Shaun has more than pulled his weight, despite his demanding work schedule of mandatory overtime right now. He is one of the greatest blessings in my life.
• I can't believe I have TWO boys! As most of you know, this was my leaning most of my pregnancy, but towards the end, I started believing that maybe it was a girl (and others were doing a good job of convincing me of such!). I was a bit surprised when Shaun announced to me that it was another boy. I do desire to have more kids and the experience of raising a daughter. For now, I am really excited to have two boys back-to-back and look forward to the wonderful relationship they are sure to share.
• We have had meals cooked for us every day since last Tuesday and it has been so fabulous! We've got several more coming in the next couple of weeks, too. The support and love from our friends and family has been out of this world.

I think that's most everything for now. Sorry no pictures in this post. I'm hoping to get to Reid's birth story soon, so stay tuned for that!