Ups and Downs

Well we have just about completed two full days of being at home. The last 24 hours have been a little difficult with JC. He is having terrible gas problems. We actually went to Wal-Mart this morning and bought some new bottles that are designed to keep so much air from getting to the baby as they are feeding. He did excellent with the new bottle the first time we used it. Actually Elizabeth gave him the first feeding in the new bottle. Now Jim and I have tried 3 times since then and had a terrible time with him. He just fights us no matter what and is obviously in pain with his stomach. He is drawing his legs up and just making his body go rigid on us. So we are struggling at this point to get 1oz in him at a time. He is not wanting to eat it seems due to all the pain he is in. So tonight Jim went to Wal-Mart to buy a small can of the Gentlease formula to try out and see if this will help any. That is what we had to give to Drew. It has less lactose in it. So we will see. I am praying that this will do the trick. It is very difficult to have him getting so upset all the time. Please pray that we will be able to work through these issues soon and have him more comfortable.

On a more up note, tonight we went to church for a potluck fellowship for the Worship Choir. It was nice to get out for a short amount of time and be with friends from church. Now tomorrow is going to be a very special and busy day. My cousin, Jamie, is getting married tomorrow. JC and I will be staying home from church in the morning in order to save our energy for the big event tomorrow night. Jim and Drew will go to Sunday School and church in the morning. The wedding is tomorrow evening at 5pm. Drew and I were talking about the wedding as I was getting him ready for bed tonight. He wanted to know all the details. I explained to him that Jamie and Ben would be married just like mommy and daddy are. He of course had to ask why. I told him that when you grow up you find someone to marry that you love. He then told me that he wanted to grow up and marry me. I just melted at that!! I told him that I was already married to daddy and he said "but I want to marry you." I did not try to explain it any further from there, I just told him that was very sweet and I love him and tucked him on into bed. I just love my boys!

First 24 hours at home

It is so nice to be at home with my little family. We are all settling in nicely I think. The first night went really well. We fed him 2 times, he is having to eat about every 3 hours right now but he eats a full 2oz at each feeding and takes his bottle in about 20 minutes. I don't think every 3 hours is so bad if you don't have to work with them for a full hour to take it! So we were up 2 times to feed him and then several other times just due to him crying out or the noises he makes. He is a bit squeaky at times. I am sure after a few nights we will learn what sounds are just sounds and what sounds mean he needs something. He has been going No. 2 quite frequently and now has a little red bottom. So we had to break out the diaper rash ointment at the last diaper change. This is a bit different than with Drew, with him we often had to use suppositories to get him to go! So for the first 24 hours we are all doing good! I will post more another time, right now I am getting a bit tired and am going to take advantage of the fact that JC is napping and take a short nap myself!

JC Day 1 & 2

There are really no words to describe the past 48 hours. I am so blessed. We are preparing to go home some time this morning. I am looking forward to getting back into my own house and bed! There will be more post to come about our new little one and the family in general as we all adjust to a new way of life!

JC is here!

JC came into this world at 9:13am weighing 8lb 7oz and 21in long! He is perfect. I am feeling good and sitting up in bed and obviously working on the computer now. This will be a quick update for now. He just arrived in the room a few moments ago so I am updating while I let Jim and Memaw hold him. Here are a few pics of him so far, more to come!

Today is the day!!!

The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your Faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I have hope in Him!" Lamentations 3:22-24
In just under 3 hours I should be wheeling into the operating room where they will deliver our 2nd precious child! I am so excited, nervous, anxious, etc, etc, etc!!! Next post we will be a family of four and there will be pictures of our new little one for all of you to enjoy. Please pray for us this morning as we finish one journey and begin another!

4 More Wake Ups!

That is Drew's countdown method, here is mine 3 Days, 19 hours, and 49 minutes!

We are READY!!!! I am finishing up my last official day of work. I will be working for just a couple of hours on Monday morning to prepare the deposit for the week. As of yesterday's doctor visit he is weighing about 8lb 1oz, not too terribly big I think. We will see what he actually comes out at. He is still very active and has plenty of fluid around him to get through the next several days. It is hard to believe it is really almost here and a bit scary! As I laid in bed last night trying to dose off the thought occurred to me that in a week I would no longer be waking up to run to the bathroom and jump back in bed but actually getting up to feed an infant! I am excited about even those more unpleasant parts of being mom to a newborn. I just cannot wait to hold him in my arms!!

We have many activities planned for the weekend which include, 1 graduation, 2 birthday parties, and a picnic/fishing outing in the park! So you can see we are trying to make the most of our last days before the new arrival and hopefully the busyness will pass the time quickly. I will probably make a post of the pics from all the weekend activities and check in for one final update before the delivery. We will have the computer with us at the hospital so we will hopefully have post of pictures by Tuesday evening, just keep checking!

4K Graduation Program

Well he is officially graduated from preschool! It was a bittersweet night. I am so very proud of him and yet I cannot believe that we have actually come to this point in his life already. He is very ready to start kindergarten and I am sure that day will be a VERY emotional day for mom! Enjoy the videos of him singing and receiving his diploma!
Drew with Mom and Dad

Drew with Ms. Amy

Drew with Ms. Katrina

Processional

Performing Song

Receiving Diploma

11days, 20 hours, 5 minutes

Well that is the official countdown time! I had my dr visit today. All was good. He was very active for all his test today. He passed them all with flying colors. He is cramped but still has plenty of fluid around him. My cervix had not changed any since last Friday. So we are just waiting. Waiting to see if he decides to arrive earlier and waiting for our scheduled day. Either way he will be here very soon! Now I am starting to try to get all the last minute things done around the house and at work. I have decided to have a thrown together yard sale this Saturday, we don't have a lot of stuff but mainly some larger pieces of furniture which should be no problem to unload pretty quick. So tomorrow when Jim gets home from work we will work on getting that ready. Tonight is Drew's Pre-K graduation program. We are very excited about that. He will be wearing a cap and gown and everything. I cannot wait to see him in it, very glad that JC did not make his debut today and prevent me from being there. So we have lots going on to keep up busy and occupied for the next week and a half! One more dr visit next Thursday. I will post about graduation and then again about the dr next week unless there is news to share before then. Bye for now!

2 Weeks....or maybe less!

Well we are down to 2 weeks, that is just 14 days, I do not have the hours computed yet but maybe by next week! I am really hoping for less but either way it will be here soon. Contractions are still a everyday occurrence, pressure and general discomfort too. I have had a major return of constant heartburn, doesn't matter what I eat or drink at this point. I am not sleeping too much at night. Most nights I am up at least once around 1:30-2:30 and then wake again around 4am. After the 4am time I do not usually settle back into any real sleep, just dose off and on until the alarm starts going off. All of that is to be expected at this point though.

We had a fun night last night. The band boosters gave us a shower and for this one Drew got to be with us. He was so excited and opened all the gifts. He was absolutely wild by the end of it and then he ate cake! Needless to say he had a hard time settling down last night for bed and an even harder time getting up for school this morning. He only has to the end of the week and he is done with Preschool. His program is on Thursday night. I am not really sure what all the will consist of. I know he has learned some songs because he keeps trying to sing them for me but he gets confused on the words. He is quite anxious for the baby to arrive.

So that is our update for today. I will see the dr on Thursday so look for an update that afternoon.

2nd Annual Fishing Rodeo

Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Lyon Fishing Rodeo hosted by Nana and Poppy. It was a rather rainy day so it ended up not being the best day for it but with so many scheduling conflicts it was not really possible to postpone it. There was no rain during the time of the rodeo but apparently the rain had scared all the fish away from biting. All of the fish caught with the exception of one were between 1-3oz. They were all brim. Only one catfish was caught and he was only 1 1/2lb. Drew caught only a couple of the brim. He did have fun though. We had a wonderful lunch waiting for us when the fishing was over. It was a fun day of hanging out and visiting with family. Due to the weather it had cooled the temps off a bit so it was very comfortable.

A Rather Frustrating Morning

Well if you read the last post you know I spent the morning contracting. We did end up at the hospital at about 5:45am. I contracted all morning. My cervix had progressed since yesterday but because it did not change anymore in the time that we were at the hospital the dr on call for my practice would not go ahead and admit me and deliver JC. This of course was not what we wanted to hear. We tried to talk to the nurse about the fact that Drew was born at almost the exact same gestation as JC is right now, but of course she had no control. The dr never came to see me, only communicated through the nurse. I do not know this dr and have never seen her and my dr is in Italy for 2 weeks. So apparently regardless of what I was told yesterday at the office this particular dr decided she would not handle my situation today. So they gave us a shot to stop the contractions. This did work although I have been contracting now all afternoon. At this point I will have to be in excruciating pain or my water broke before I will return to the hospital. It is hard for me to explain how I am feeling right now. I am tired and frustrated obviously. I have been very content with the fact that this will definitely be over in just over 2 weeks now, but having to go through all of the emotions of thinking today was the day and then being sent back home is tough. I apologize to anyone who has tried to call me today. I have not been talking on the phone, I just have not been in the emotional state of mind to carry on much conversation. I have only talked to my family today. Please pray for us and for me. I don't really know how to ask you to pray, just pray for God to be present and to give us peace.

Update on Dr Visit

Well as you can see from the posting time on this it is about 4am. As I am typing I am sitting in bed counting contractions!!! I am trying not to get my hopes too high, although the dr confirmed yesterday that if we go in now they will not stop labor but deliver him.

Here are the specifics from yesterdays. He weighs approx 7lb 1oz, so he is a pretty big boy, already bigger than Drew was at birth. I had dilated about a finger tip, so we have had some progress in the last week, although I realize some women are 1-2cm dilated for weeks. So all was good. I am good with it happening any time now or in 18 days on May 26.

So tomorrow I will either be posting a birth announcement or letting you all know that we are still hanging in there!

Back Pain, Cramps, and more Contractions

Well that is the new trend that has set in. Basically I feel like poo. I am trying to have a positive attitude but for most of you who have been pregnant you can understand reaching that point of constant discomfort and an overwhelming desire for the journey to end. I am rather emotional right now too, just another added bonus. I feel that I could cry about the way I feel at any moment and I would give anything to be able to sit with a glass of milk and a big piece of chocolate, and of course that is something I cannot do right now either! So you should have an idea of how I feel now.

Last night was a very stormy night here in North MS. I was restless all night as the back pain and cramping feeling had begun yesterday afternoon. I woke when the great storms started and stayed awake off and on throughout all of that. During this time having the occasional contraction and feeling the other pains. So I got up this morning, feeling the lack of good sleep, and informed Jim that he needed to be prepared b/c I was not feeling very good. Of course I realize some women feel this way for weeks before delivering their babies, but I am hoping that will not be the case. Hopeful is exactly how I feel right now, hopeful that I can go to the hospital soon with enough labor going on that they will not send me home and just deliver this boy. I told Jim that what I feel right now is not enough to justify going and I will not go back unless my water breaks or the pain becomes unbearable b/c I do not want a repeat of 2 weeks ago. So we wait. I am desperately pleading with God to let me have it happen in the next few days. As of Friday we will be at the exact same gestation point we were at when my water broke with Drew. He was strong and healthy and had no problems and I truly believe this baby is ready too. Of course tomorrow is the dr appointment and we will have an ultrasound so we will see what all that brings. They will check me too, I would love for them to tell me that I am 4-5cm and that they are shipping me right on over to the hospital!!

Please pray for us, I want to ask you to pray it will be soon, but mostly just pray for God's will and that I will have patience and strength for whatever His plan is.

Baby Shower

The baby shower yesterday was wonderful. Jim and I are so humbled by the outpouring of love from our family and friends. We feel as though we are truly "ready" for JC's arrival. We are planning one last trip to the store this weekend to get the last of the items we think we need on hand before the arrival of our new baby boy. We did our big shopping on Friday. It was very tiring but we tried to stock up on a lot of things so I will not be sending Jim out to the store for a million different little things. We actually even did Drew's kindergarten supply shopping since after the tour we were able to get the supply list. It felt good to get that out of the way and not have that expense later on in the summer after the baby gets here. The only items we are lacking is a new back pack and 2 bottles of hand sanitizer which was completely out at Wal-Mart, I suppose due to the panic over the swine flu. It has been a wonderful weekend and this morning I had a great time in Sunday School with my kids. They really got into the lesson with me today. I am going to miss them as I take some time off this summer but I know I will need the time to adjust to our life with a new little one. I am thankful for my assistant teacher and his wife who will be filling in for me. It will be nice to be able to attend an adult class for a little while and just be fed. God is really talking to me about my prayer life right now. I have begun working through a workbook on prayer in my personal quiet time and I am very excited about what God wants to teach me through it. I hope that this time of great adjustment and change will be a good time for me to draw closer to the Lord and really lean on Him through all the ups and downs of having a new baby. I know that there is so much unknown in the days to come and that having a new baby and a 5 year old has challenges that I never faced with just Drew as an infant. I am to a point emotionally where I am excited, scared, anxious and overwhelmed all at once. I mean all that in a good way. I feel that there is a peace that has come over me as we enter the final 23 days. Thank you to all those who were with us for the shower yesterday, even in the unlovely weather, and for all the wonderful gifts that were given to us by those there and those that could not be. I am anxiously looking forward to each and everyone of you getting to meet JC for the first time! Please know that we love you all so much and have been truly moved and blessed by your generosity.

25 days to go! 35 week Dr visit!

Well we officially now are scheduled for a c-section delivery on Tuesday, May 26th at 7:30am! That was the time slot we were praying for, thank you God, You are so good!! We will have to arrive that day at 5:30am to begin the prep. I am sure the early morning will be no issue since I will likely not sleep much the night before! So we officially now have 25 days left! 3 1/2 weeks! I can hardly believe it. It truly feels like it is upon us now. I have a baby shower tomorrow. My best friend, Stephanie, and my sister, Elizabeth, have organized this one for me for all of my church family and other friends and family. I am excited about it. I always struggle with being the center of attention and receiving gifts but I know all these people love me and my family and this is how we show our love sometimes! I am looking forward to some fun games that are planned and just getting to visit with everyone.

Let me give you the run down of the dr visit. All was good. They did a NST test on me (non-stress test monitoring). This is the same thing that was done at the hospital on Saturday. It tracks his heart rate over a certain period of time and he did great. I did have one rather strong contractions during the test but there is no regularity to the contractions and therefore do not pose any hazard or concern at this time. They also checked me for dilation and I am still completely closed. That was good too and means that I have not restrictions on my duties, just do what I feel like doing. I have started to swell rather significantly in my legs and ankles but my blood pressure is excellent so this is just a pregnancy side effect. It does make it a bit hard to walk around, especially by the end of the day or after I have been sitting for some time, but we are almost done so we will just endure for another few weeks. He is still incredibly active and rather painful at times with his movements, he is down low!

So all is good here. I will have pics to post of tomorrow's festivities. Have a wonderful weekend and most of you that read this I will be seeing tomorrow!!