Saturday, August 31, 2013

Things I’ve Learned in August

I’ve seen several posts over the past couple of days of people linking up at Chatting at the Sky of things they’ve learned this month. Seeing as how life around here is revolving around a cute little boy, I figured I could jump on the bandwagon, so I would actually have something to blog about.

To be honest, I have several things to blog about, but I can’t seem to muster up the time or energy to apply towards doing it. Maybe this week will be better in the blogging business!

So, here’s five things I’ve learned in August…

{one}

Childbirth is not as bad as it seems {but I wouldn’t want to do it without an epidural}.

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{two}

I love staying at home with my baby. I’m wondering how in the world I’m going to go back to work in three weeks. We’ve just established a new normal, and in three weeks we’ll be starting over again. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m sure going back to work will be good for me {maybe}.

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{three}

DeAnna Lambeth is an excellent photographer. She took all of the photos that I’m putting in this post…because I know that’s all you want to see. Right? Oh, you want to see house projects and crafts, too? Maybe soon. I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve.

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{four}

Being at home makes me see five gazillion things that I want to do around here. After browsing Pinterest and actually having time to read some other blogs, I could reno my whole house. Pinterest could make me go broke.

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{five}

Baby eczema stinks big time! This mama is doing all she can to get it under control and can’t wait until we go to the doctor next week. Any suggestions that maybe I’m not doing to help with it?

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Baby Goodness

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I saw an idea on Pinterest that led to this collage to remember all of those precious little parts.

I love the way it turned out!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Back to School…but not for me!

This week was the first official week of school for students. Instead of running around like a crazy lady and juggling tons of paperwork, I’ve been cuddling Landry for all it’s worth. He’s such a good baby, and he makes my job super easy. Seriously though? Who could resist those sweet baby sugars? I certainly can’t.

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I hate that I’m not getting to meet my students and learn all about them from the start of the year, but I wouldn’t trade this time with my little man for nothing in this world. It’s hard to believe that he’s already two weeks old! I told Colby the other night that I enjoy him being so little and getting to cuddle him and all of his baby goodness, but I do look forward to the day when he can tell me he loves me. My heart will melt. No worries though! I’m not trying to speed up time. I’m soaking in all of his littleness, cuddles, and just pure sweetness.

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Since nothing is really going on around here other than eating baby sugars, I’m sharing some random things that are floating around in my head lately…

  • Landry had his two week checkup on Monday, and he’s back up to his birth weight. He’s getting to be such a big boy and is taking 3 oz. at every feeding. They had to stick his heel, which wasn’t fun for either of us, and we will find out the results from that in two weeks.

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  • I had my two week checkup yesterday, and I’m happy to say that I’m 3 pounds away from my goal weight. Woohoo!!! Ive already lost over 20 pounds! ’That definitely made me feel better and put a smile on my face. Little bit got all kinds of compliments on his complete head of hair. He came out needing a hair cut! Haha! His hair is over his ears. It’s crazy!

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  • I’m so excited about fall coming that I can hardly contain myself. I enjoy the time that is the end of summer and beginning of fall. Cooler evenings scream my name! Have you seen some fall inspiration on Pinterest lately? I have!

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  • Alabama football starts in less than two weeks! Can’t wait! I think I need to get a onesie appliqued for Landry to wear on game days. I saw one the other day that I thought was so stinking cute!

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  • I’m in desperate need of some new clothes! Otherwise, I’ll have nothing for when I do have to go back to work next month. It’s so hard to buy clothes though for these in between months.
  • We go to get his newborn pictures made on Saturday. I’ve been collecting tons of ideas and will be gathering some things from around the house to take with us to make the pictures more personal to us. These are a few of the inspiration photos I’m bringing with us. Does anyone have an old mailbox like the one you see below? If you do and would let us borrow it, let me know!

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  • I saw this on Pinterest, and it sums up how I feel about my home.

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I hope you all are having a terrific week! Teacher friends, I’ve been thinking of you and will be seeing you all soon enough.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Landry’s Birth Story: Part III

We were so proud of our new little boy, and we couldn’t wait for the family to meet him and finally reveal his name.

I made a banner that I was originally just going to hang on the mantle in our house, but it ended up doing double duty. Our sweet nurse, Jeana, helped Colby string it up behind my hospital bed. IMG_5406

That would be one of those Pinterest projects that was on my list.

There was so much going on during that time that I decided to just compile everything into a video for everyone to see. I hope you enjoy it!

I love this little boy more than he will ever know, and I’m dreading having to leave him to go back to work. I’m soaking up every moment I have with him over the next six weeks. Can you blame me? He’s such a good, sweet baby, and he’s made my job pretty easy. He loves his mama for sure.

I’m blowing up Instagram with videos and pictures of him. Forgive me. My goal is to make one of those mini books from Instagram photos.

The little guy is coming to life again, so I’m off to be mommy!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Landry’s Birth Story: Part II

This is a continuation of Landry’s Birth Story that you can find here.

I was so glad to hear that I could finally have that epidural, but was completely shocked that it was happening so fast. I don’t think anyone expected things to move that quickly for me, especially since he was my first baby.

Y’all, the epidural is the way to go! It was not bad at all {especially compared to what was in my head}. Colby stood in front of me while it was all being done, along with my nurses. It was almost immediate relief. You know it’s good when the nurses tell you that you’re having a contraction, you have no idea, and tell them that you feel great! I couldn’t feel a thing!

The family arrived shortly after and began filing in. Before long, it was time to be checked again, and they politely waited in the waiting room. The mothers came back in, but it wasn’t long before it was time to be checked again, and everyone wasn’t allowed back in until the whole thing was over. That was because it was time to deliver a baby! The bed was broken down, things were situated where they needed to be, and we were having a baby….like then!

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Around 11:45, I started pushing. This is especially where those terrific nurses come in! I wasn’t scared the whole time. They were the best coaches you could ask for! I seriously can’t believe it was an hour and a half later when I delivered because it seemed like time was flying by.

A funny moment was when I first started pushing. Colby was in charge of holding one of my legs and helping count as I pushed. When the first contraction was over, Colby let go of my leg not knowing that I didn’t have any control over it. Luckily, I couldn’t feel a thing! Needless to say, he held on to it and set it down carefully from that point on.

We finally got to a point where Dr. Lee was called in to deliver our baby! After being mauled by the paparazzi {aka the family} in the hall, he made it to me, and things got serious.

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I pushed so hard that it started to make me gag {if you know me well, you know I have terrible gag reflexes}. Apparently, that was a good thing because I was encouraged to continue…..and I did!

After having my eyes closed through the entire thing, I heard the doctor telling Colby to look at that. I wasn’t even sure I had had him until I heard that cry. That was just the sweetest sound I had ever heard! My sweet baby was finally here!

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The doctor put him up on top of me and let Colby cut the umbilical cord. When it was time to deliver the placenta, Colby got a short lesson on how to do so….the life of a firefighter.

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I had a healthy baby boy at 1:14 p.m. on August 5, 2013 that was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 19 3/4” long.

Right after I delivered, I got the shakes so bad. Luckily, it didn’t last very long, and I was able to hold my baby.

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Then, it was time to let the family back.…and to reveal his name to them!

Part III Coming Soon! And I’m working on a video compiling all of the photos made during this time! Keep a look out!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Landry’s Birth Story: Part I

Hello, everyone! We’re still here! We’ve been very busy though since we’ve gotten home, so there hasn’t been much time for blogging. However, I’m going to try my best to make time today and tomorrow before I forget all of these sweet moments that I already feel are flying by way too quickly. Seriously….he’s going to be a week old tomorrow. Has anyone found a way to rewind time yet? All I want to do is hold him and soak up all of the sweetness in that little body of his.

I’m going to try to break this up into parts since a) I have limited time slots to blog in b) this may take a while to work on c) I want to remember as much of this as I can and share it with you even though it is mostly for my sake.

So, here it goes…

As most of you know from my post that Sunday, I was beyond nervous about being induced. It seemed that time was slowly dragging by that day. The unknown about delivering and being induced scared the daylights out of me. I worked on those last minute things that entire day, and I was in no hurry to do any of them. I just wanted the time to finally be here!

I cleaned the last few things in the house. I went to the grocery store and got some things to eat that I thought would be easy on the stomach. I talked very little to anyone for the fear of breaking down into a million pieces. That night I began to get the last few things together that had to go with us to the hospital, take a bath, and get ready for a long night ahead. I was already exhausted {emotionally and physically} before we even got there. I melted down right before getting myself ready. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. Then, I gathered myself and we headed out for the hospital around 10:45 p.m.

We didn’t have to be there until 11:45, but we took the drive slow and steady….soaking up those last few moments as a family of two. After a stop at the gas station for Colby a quick power snack, we arrived at the hospital right on time. We checked in, got all of the paperwork in order, and were given our instructions on where to go…..up to the 3rd floor in the Labor & Delivery Hall.

After being directed in the right direction and being led to our room, the nurse handed me a gown, paperwork, and of course a cup for a urine sample {they can never have enough of those, right?}. Colby went down to gather our bags that looked like we had loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly. Then, things started to get real.

They hooked me up to a ton of machines, “checked me”, inserted a Cyotec, and wished me a good night’s sleep….as if! At this point, I was a 1 and 75% effaced. Geez, Louise! At this point, I figured I was probably going to be in labor a while. The contractions were definitely there and were back to back, but weren’t terribly strong.

Shortly after they had me hooked up to the monitors, I could tell that the heart beat wasn’t exactly what it was when they first had hooked me up. Then, I started to worry when I saw numbers in the 70s on the machine. His heartbeat was dropping, so the nurses came in to see what the issue was. The little guy was alright. It just meant mom had to lay on her side for the rest of the night. Not such an easy thing to do when you’re hooked up to all of those machines!

At some point, they came back around later, “checked me” {I was about 80% effaced}, and gave me another Cyotec. Now, it was waiting time until 6 a.m. That’s when the doctor was coming. During this time, my contractions had really picked up.

Dr. Lee came in a few minutes after six, “checked me” again {I was between a 1 and 2}, and broke my water. Talk about weird feeling! I felt like a dog laying there in all of that wetness with all of those pads to soak it up. On top of that, it was time for a shift swap in nurses. Little did I know that I would be blessed with the best nurses a girl could ask for!

Jeana and Jeanette were the lovely ladies that would coach me through the rest of the day, keep me comfortable, and make me feel like everything was under control. I’ve probably told Colby 1000 times how much I appreciated them and how wonderful they were to me.

After my water was broken, the contractions picked up quickly, and I quickly asked for the meds that would take the edge off until it was time for an epidural. At this point, I felt like I was going to tear the bed rail off and was praying to the good Lord that an epidural was in my near future. The Lord answered my prayer, and I was ready to have that epidural when she checked me the next time before my next dose.

Progress was being made! The families were getting their calls to be on their way.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

The Nursery

Well, I’m not anxiously waiting until time to leave to go to the hospital. I probably should be getting a nap, but I’m just not feeling it. I’ve got to get the toiletries {last minute ones} together, but I figured I’d get one last shower here before time to leave and go in.

I promised a nursery post, and I tried to get some pictures today. We still haven’t hung the frames over his crib, but it is still on the to-do list for tonight. When you see the crib, just imagine three white matted frames hung straight across above it.

So here it goes….

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The Nursery

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I’ll try to give some details later about where things are from and such. If you have any questions about something particular though, just ask. I’d be glad to pass the info along.

Everyone include us in your prayers tonight. I’m hoping everything goes smoothly and fairly quickly, but you never know. Thank you all for support throughout this whole pregnancy! I can’t wait to introduce you to the new occupant of this room made especially for him.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

33 Hours Until Go Time

That’s right! We’ll be in the hospital at midnight tomorrow night to have this baby! I’ve been doing some last minute things that are my typical end of the week/end of the month things, but GEEZ!!!! It is so much harder when you’re carrying around all of this extra weight in the middle of your body.

My feet have even started to swell a little bit this week for the first time, and being on my feet all week have not helped matters. It could be much worse though. I can still wear my wedding rings {except at night} though, which I think is a great accomplishment.

I went to the doctor Thursday {during a tropical storm, apparently}. Seriously….sideways rain is kind of scary in the middle of Pensacola. It was all in the name of 50% off knobs from Hobby Lobby, so I could put them on the armoire. I got soaking wet, but I have knobs in hand and attached.

The doctor’s visit was pretty quick. I went in, got “checked”, and was then given instructions to be induced. I’m seriously ready to get this show on the road. I know having a baby will be tiring, but so is being 39 weeks pregnant. I just want to be able to turn without hurting when looking both ways before turning when driving, and to be able to pick things up, and to be able to sleep on my stomach again…..even if I do have to wake up to feed a baby. I’m clearly not one of those people who just love being pregnant, and I’ve had a pretty easy pregnancy.

I can’t remember exactly how much weight I have gained. I was just ready to get in and out of my last appointment. I think it was along the lines of 26 pounds, which is kind of funny since that is what I dreamed about a while back {except in my dream I gained 26 pounds in two weeks}.

39 Weeks

I was still only 1 cm and was about 60% effaced. The kid apparently likes it in there. You’d think it would be the opposite since he has so little room.

The nursery is done minus Colby hanging three picture frames on the wall for me {it’s one of those things that is a two person job}, his changing pad cover coming in, and installing the subway art I made the other day with his birth information on it. Other than that…..done! I still want a rug, but that’s just not going to happen this month.

Pray for me today though! Giving birth makes me kind of nervous {particularly the afterwards part}. I’m excited about meeting our sweet boy though, and I can’t wait to see what he looks like and can finally hold him in my arms. And while I feel pretty confident that I can raise a kid, that’s a pretty big task to fill that I want to do a good job at, even though I know I will never be super mom no matter how bad I want to.

And pray for Colby, too! He’s just as much a part of this as I am, and I’m grateful to have such a terrific guy by my side. He works hard to provide for me {and now this kid}. While others might not notice it, I sure do and feel blessed to have such a caring man to be married to. He’ll be an amazing dad.

Once Colby helps hang the frames, I’ll have a nursery post! I know….I know. You’re beginning to wonder if there even is a nursery! I promise there is! I just want it to be as close to done as it can be. Hang in there! I will post eventually!