He's Here!

For those of you who haven't heard, we welcomed our newest son (Brayden) to the family December 5th @ 11:02 p.m. It came as a pretty big surprise since he wasn't due until December 17th! I've been trying for a very long time to write out Brayden's birth story, but it's just not flowing the way it should... (I blame sleep deprivation!) Anyway, here is what I have managed to put together. Forgive me if it seems choppy. :-)

I woke up Monday morning and noticed things seemed a little different with my body. I didn't think much of it though and continued to go about the morning as usual. Around Noon, I realized it was possible my water had broken. I decided to wait it out a couple more hours to see if there was any change before I called the doctor. I wasn't...leaking...a little while later, but around 2 pm (I think) I just felt like I needed to call his office anyway. I spoke with the nurse and explained the situation, and after consulting with the doctor, she told me I should come in to get checked out. (Did I mention Ross was 3 1/2 hrs away at this point?!)

I got a babysitter for the kids, sent Ross a text letting him know what was going on, and I arrived at the doctor's office around 3:30 p.m. After checking me, testing the fluid, and looking at it under the microscope, my doctor called me the "mystery patient" of the day. (Apparently the pH balance indicated it was amniotic fluid, but he wasn't able to see the crystals that are normally visible in the fluid.) We talked about what I had been experiencing up until that point, and after looking at all the evidence (for lack of a better term), the doc told me he strongly believed I had a high leak, and even though he wasn't going to be able to deliver me (he wasn't on-call until 7 a.m. the next day), he wanted to do a Pitocin induction ASAP.

Well great...my husband was still hours from home, my own doctor wasn't going to be at the birth, I hadn't washed baby clothes or packed my hospital bag (both things I was planning on doing that night), and I simply just wasn't ready emotionally. Not to mention I had been planning on doing a natural birth this time around but had been told Pitocin makes that nearly impossible because of the strength of the contractions. I had been feeling like the baby would come early, but I hadn't expected him to come almost 2 weeks before his due date...while Ross was out of town.

I hurried home and threw a couple of essentials in a bad and headed off to the hospital. I think it was around 6 or 6:30 pm when I was finally checked in and situated in my room, and Ross showed up--with a delicious sandwich he made himself--not too long after that. I was started on Pitocin and decided to continue with my plan for a pain-med free birth.

It was really weird to be able to walk around, sit in the jetted tub, etc. during labor. With my last two births, my water broke before I even started feeling contractions, so the hospital wouldn't let me sit in the tub. (They said it increased my risk of infection.) Additionally, I'd requested the epidurals pretty early on both times, so I was stuck in bed for the majority of my labor. Anyway, Ross was by my side the whole time, and he and I both made sure to stock up on plenty of pudding and graham crackers while we were waiting. Yay for a doctor who allows eating up until active labor!

A few hours later, I finally got to the point where I felt I couldn't take the pain anymore, so the nurse checked me one last time. Thankfully, I was fully dilated and ready to go! Luckily the on-call doctor was nearby because it was taking everything I had not to push that baby out! (It's pretty amazing how the body naturally begins pushing when it's time.) She set up as quickly as she could, and after a whole 2 min of pushing, Brayden Nicholas was born.

I honestly didn't even notice the pain very much while I was actually pushing. It definitely hurt, but the pain took a backseat to my desire to be done with the whole process. After Brayden was out, I felt a great sense of physical relief, but I could still tell I wasn't quite done. It took a few minutes for the placenta to be ready, but once I delivered that as well, I felt even better. I was exhausted, but other than that, I didn't really even feel like I'd gone through childbirth. (Brayden was a different story though. He cried off and on for HOURS after he was born.)



It was really cool because the hospital has a policy where the nurses are required to leave the baby with Mom for the first hour after birth. I was able to feed my new baby as soon as I was ready (and he latched on perfectly), and we were able to spend some time bonding as a family right in the beginning. Once the hour was up, he was taken to be weighed, bathed, etc., but ALL of that was done in our room as well. Pretty awesome!

**As a side note, the on-call doctor said it was strange because my placenta had already begun to calcify (a sign it was getting old), but there were also signs it was an early birth. (I don't remember what they were now.)

This birth had not gone as expected, but my new baby was (and is) healthy and whole, and we love him to death!

Right after he was born

The next morning

We all have a nerdy side, right? :-)

My Boys

I am so grateful for my 2 (soon to be 3) boys. Motherhood is definitely no walk in the park, but I am reminded several times every day how blessed I am to have this opportunity. Here are a few things I love about my kids:

Logan

-So happy by nature. He definitely has his moments (and they can be BIG moments), but overall, he's just one happy kid.
-How his eyes light up when he smiles
-One of the most responsible kids his age. He is SO helpful around the house and with Keadon. He even tries to take care of himself in the middle of the night when he wakes up because he doesn't want to bother Mom and Dad.
-His patience with me. If I'm not quite able to pull myself out of bed on the rare occasion he wakes up before Keadon, he'll climb under the covers and just wait patiently until I'm ready to get up.
-His love for music
-How talkative his is to anyone who will listen. I love hearing all the different things that run through his mind.
-How well he treats kids younger than him. Logan will occasionally pull the "I'm older, so I'm the boss," but he is generally so sweet.
-His enthusiastic personality
-His love for learning
-How important it is to him to make Mom, Dad, and his Heavenly Father happy
-How great he is at sharing
-The way he treats Keadon. He's protective over him, usually tries his best to make him happy, etc. (For example, Keadon was really sad the other night because he wanted a dinosaur Logan had even though it was Logan's turn. Without being asked, Logan sweetly handed over the animal.)
-The way he chooses salad or other vegetables over french fries



Keadon


-Such a prankster! Even as a baby we could tell he was going to be someone who LOVED to play jokes.
-The way he admires his big brother and tries so hard to be like him
-His recent decision to say he's "too little" anytime he doesn't want to do what is asked of him
-How he loves to cuddle! (Now, I'm not saying he'll snuggle anytime I want, but he is definitely more of a cuddler than Logan ever was.)
-How focused he becomes when he's really interested in something.
-His imagination and level of creativity! He comes up with some of the most interesting scenarios during his pretend play.
-How good he is at kneeling and folding his arms during prayer
-How he also loves music
-His sensitivity to others' emotions

-How much he looks forward to going to church (especially nursery) every week. He had to stay home a couple weeks ago because he was sick, and that made him SO mad.
-How happy it makes him to "steal" food--especially salad--off our plates.
-The kid is PERSISTENT
-His love for animals. Keadon is a rough and tumble boy much of the time (which I also love), but he is so sweet when it comes to "doggies" and "kitty cats"

Trip to the Aquarium

While Ross was off last week, we decided to take a trip to an aquarium near our home. Ross was able to get us free tickets through someone at work, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity! Keadon liked it somewhat, but Logan absolutely loved it!

 Logan insisted I take a picture of him on EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL (see below). It was pretty cute!

Halloween

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but we're finally back. :-) Ross had a week off from work and then the kids were sick all last week, so it's been hard to find the time (or motivation) to post.

Anyway...

We decided to get together with our great friends the Wolfley's for Halloween. We all ate dinner together and then headed out trick-or-treating. Brooke and I only went to a few houses with the kids so we could hand out candy, but the dads and kids went all around the neighborhood loading up on the good stuff. Here are a few pics of the fun night! (Forgive all the red eyes...)

Pumpkins and a Party Too!

We were finally able to carve the pumpkins we picked out last Saturday, and it was quite the experience! There were a few tears involved (see below), but luckily those didn't last too long. :-)

Our ward also held its annual Halloween party this weekend. There were games, dinner, and trunk-or-treating (walking around to the trunks of vehicles for candy). It was a little chilly outside, but the kids had a blast!

A Day on the Farm

Some friends invited us to go to a farm today, and it was a lot of fun! FREE horse cart rides, FREE apple cobbler, FREE apple cider, and each of the kids were able to take home a kid-sized pumpkin...for FREE. :-) It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

 We also picked about 80 lbs of apples during our visit. Making applesauce while being 32 weeks pregnant probably isn't the best idea, but it will be worth it!

Freestyle

Today was Logan's last day (for this 4 weeks session) of hip hop, so the teacher had the kids put on a little performance. I've posted a video of Logan's freestyle below. I had to record with my phone, and since I have no idea how to edit the video, you'll need to FF to about 2 min 24 sec to see him. Gotta love that kid! :-)

Keadon

Keadon's vocabulary and ability to speak in longer sentences has increased quite a bit recently. It's amazing to watch my "baby" turn more into a toddler every day. While not really examples of the long sentences, here are some of the cute things he's said lately:

Keadon: "Color dis?"  (What color is this?)
Me: "Blue"
Keadon: "Good boy!"

Me: "Keadon!" (calling for him)
Keadon: "What hunny?"

Keadon: "Okay bud?" (While Logan is crying after getting hurt)

Ross: "Keadon, you can't have that right now."
Keadon: "Dad, no! Time out!"

Keadon: "Stinky Dad! Take shower!"

Me: "Keadon, where are your pants?"
Keadon: "I no no!" (I don't know)

Me: "Keadon, what are you doing?"
Keadon: "Nothin!" (usually said while doing something he knows could get him in trouble)

Thankful

I hit my 30 week mark this past Saturday, which seems CRAZY! I can't believe Baby will be here in less than 10 weeks! Our lives have been so richly blessed, and it's really incredible to think the Lord is entrusting us with another spirit to watch over and help guide through life. There are so many difficult moments that go along with parenting, but in the long run, raising children is much more fulfilling than any other "job." I am grateful I've been blessed with the ability to bring little ones into this world, and I am even more grateful I have a wonderful companion to stand by my side through all the ups and downs.

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings. This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good....We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude." -- Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Brothers

The other night, we checked on the boys only to find Logan lying on the floor next to Keadon. He has always loved sleeping on the ground, but I think it's really cute he wanted to be next to his brother. They are such good buds, and it's fun to watch them grow closer as they get older. They definitely have their "brotherly" moments, but they get along so well overall. It makes me even more excited to be adding another one to this cute little team!

Catching Up - Part 2

Ross turned 30....in August. :-) We didn't do much since having a baby is just a bit expensive, but I think it was still a nice day overall. It was fun having his sister and her family (as well as some good friends) celebrate with us.

Keadon and Sage

Sage, Logan, Kenna, and Keadon (I have no idea what's going on with his suit, btw.)

 

Our friend Brooke made an awesome ice cream cake for the old man. He was pretty excited!