Sunday, December 21, 2008

Picture Tag

I was tagged by Michelle, which means I had to:

1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

This picture was taken on a backpacking trip to Lake Texoma in Feb 2006. We bought these packs when I got my first real pay check after I graduated, but only got to use them a few times before we had kids. The morning we were supposed to leave for this trip, I decided to take a pregnancy test while Daniel was out running an errand. When he got home, I surprised him with a positive test! That meant that Reece was on her way! It was a fun trip because we got to think about an talk about having our first child. And, I got to sleep on the little blow-up mattress (we only have one) since I was the pregnant one! :)

This was fun!
Now I tag Amanda, Shanna, Lindsee and Sally

Saturday, December 20, 2008

SMILES!!









I tried to turn these pics, but I couldn't figure it out...oh well. They're still CUTE!
Joe's surgery is January 6. Please pray for him!!





Friday, December 12, 2008

Snow Day and Bath Time times 2

It SNOWED in Houston!! I know it's not much, but think you can see it a little bit on my jacket, Reece wasn't too impressed. She wanted to go in and finish watching Veggie Tales. I think she was just really cold! We aren't used to that frigid weather!
Thanks to story time last Tuesday, Reece learned about snow and how to catch a snowflake on her tongue. That's the first thing she did when we went outside to check out the snow.

Bath time fun! I can't wait until they're splashing each other! After we took Joseph out, Daniel was standing in the tub with his pant legs rolled up splashing with Reece and singing "ring around the rosies" and then letting Reece fall down as he held her arms. It was the funniest sight, but I didn't want to post pictures of it since Reece was naked! :)

Update on Joe's surgery: We meet with the surgeon on Monday to see what the plan is, so I'll let you all know after our appointment. He's not in pain right now, but he does still have the holes in his muscles that need to be repaired. The intestine can still go in and out of the hole in the abdominal muscle, but they shouldn't get stuck again like they did last time. If they do, we'll be able to tell right away now since we know what it looks like and we'll just rush back down to the hospital and get the surgery done then. I don't want that to happen again, of course, since it caused Joseph so much pain, but I'm kinda glad we got to wait a little while for the surgery since he's still SO young!
Thanks for praying for him!!

Monday, December 1, 2008

One Month Update

Joseph's one month picture was taken today instead of on Joe's official one month birthday, which was Saturday. We had to take Joseph to the Texas Children's emergency room at 4am on Saturday morning because he had a inguinal hernia. Part of his intestine was stuck through the abdominal muscle. It was SO painful for him. He was screaming and screeching about every 30 minutes from 8pm until we finally noticed the swelling when I changed his diaper at 3am. He also hadn't nursed for over 12 hours during this whole ordeal. We called our pediatrician and she told us to take him straight to TCH ER because they were probably going to have to do surgery. We took him there, and they did an ultrasound to rule out some other issues he could have been having, and finally at about 10am we saw one of the surgeons and he "reduced" the hernia. This is basically where the doctor pushes the hernia back in, which was very painful for Joe. But, after he did that, Joseph was much happier! They had to start an IV with fluids since he wasn't eating, but after the hernia was reduced, Joseph was back to his old self of wanting to eat a lot! :)

We are going to have to get the surgery done in the next few weeks. The surgeon wanted to postpone the surgery a little bit because Joseph was still very swollen. We'll keep you updated on the surgery date.

One month picture-- not quite a smile yet.


Cuddle time with Daddy

All wrapped up with Mommy. This is how I get out with two kids. Joe in the Maya wrap and Reece holding my hand or in the shopping cart :)


Joe at Reece's 2nd birthday party

Joseph's first trip to the park! Reece was excited to show him. This is an amazing jogging stroller that Daniel surprised me with. Joseph doesn't much like it yet because it's not really made for a newborn. I mostly push Reece in it and put Joe in the baby carrier on me.

Joseph isn't doing much exciting. No smiles yet, but he is having more awake time where he lies on the floor and kicks his legs. This only lasts about 10 minutes at a time, and then he wants to be picked up again. He will sleep for about 4 hours at a time at night, but usually wakes to eat and then I put him right back in his cradle. But, he has his moments of fussiness!


Reece Update:

She is really adjusting to Joe well. When he cries, she thinks he needs either a toy or a blanket, so she's always "helping" me.
She has been sleeping in her big girl bed now for about 3 weeks and is loving it!


She fell out a few times at first, but now is doing really well (I don't know why this picture is upside down!)

Reece also had her 2nd birthday on November 12. She got a shiny new tricycle! She loved it, and the helmet which is still too big!



We went to the zoo on her birthday. Joe was only 2 weeks old, but he slept the entire time. We all really enjoyed our trip to the zoo.




She had a small party about a week later where she got many fun toys, including an easel. She loves to paint on it and use the dry/erase and magnetic board.


We got their Christmas pictures done which I will put up later. They are SO cute!!







Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Hard Day

Pray for baby Joe... he had his circumcision today and is hurting!! I think it's better to do it on day one or two instead of day13. OUCH!! It was very traumatic for us all.

I don't do well with sick/hurting children. I get all worried and weepy. I can't wait until he's all healed!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Birth Story


My last day of work was supposed to be October 29, but on the tuesday before that, I had a bad cold/sinus infection so all my co-workers felt pity for me and said I could come in late on the 29th. I was supposed to come in at 1:30 for my last few days at Dr. Ramsey's office. My first contraction woke me up at 5:30am on the 29th. It was the painful kind, and I knew immediately that I was in labor. I tried to go back to sleep, but my contractions were about 10 to 15 minutes apart, and I was too uncomfortable and excited to sleep. So, I got up and ate breakfast and waited for Daniel to get home (he was already up and at the gym...so dedicated!) When he walked in the door, I said, "So, do you want to have a baby today??" As our due date wasn't until a week later, he was very surprised and excited.

When Reece woke up, we headed off to do some shopping at Wal-Mart to distract ourselves. When I was in labor with Reece, Daniel and I went to Target. I was too distracted with contractions to notice that he bought a new camera while I was in labor! But, this time I made sure he didn't slip any extras into our basket. My contractions felt like they were getting more intense and closer together, so we headed home to rest.

As I was lying on my big yellow ball, I was timing my contractions, which seemed like they were getting farther apart, which was not the direction I wanted to go! So I started doing random things around the house and before long I found myself pacing and unable to be still with contractions about 4-5 minutes apart. I called my midwife to let her know what was going on. It was then 3pm, and the birthing center is about 45 minutes away down I-45, so she told me to head on down.

When we got to the birthing center (Nativiti), Katherine, my midwife, checked me. I was 4 cm dilated with contractions still about 4-5 min apart. She had been at the clinic all day, so she went home to change and eat, and I went to my brothers house (about 10 minutes away) to hang out until my contractions were about 3 min apart. That didn't take long, and I got to the "I can't do it" phase, so Daniel called Katherine and were were on our way back to Nativiti. The 10 minute car ride felt like forever with my intense contractions. I just tried to breath through them and focus on distractions on the road. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I got out of the car and started puking on the sidewalk. Just the, Katherine drove up and we all rushed in.

I didn't necessarily plan on getting into the tub, but Katherine got it all ready for me. She checked me and said I was almost at 9cm, and she told me to get right in the tub. I got in and kneeled down hanging over the side. Daniel did NOT get in (I don't know how people do that...it just wouldn't have worked for me!). He did lean over the other side and I held his hands a he rubbed my head and hair. Katherine was on the other side and she was lightly rubbing my back. The lights were dim and believe it or not, I almost felt like I could fall asleep between contractions. During contractions was a different story!! He was coming SO fast and he was SO big that I really felt like I needed to push, but I still had one cm to go, so I had to try and breath through a couple more. Finally, my water broke and there was no stopping him.

This is were the story gets a little graphic in case you want to quit reading. The midwives don't do routine episiotomies (only for emergencies) and since I had one for Reece, I was really worried about tearing (and I didn't even know he was going to be almost 10 pounds!) So, my midwife was really good about helping me breathe through the contractions instead of pushing so that he would stretch me out before coming all the way out. In the hospital, they just cut you and then tell you to push as hard as you can, but the midwives tell you to breathe through the contractions so you'll get stretched and not tear. He came SO fast and it was SO hard to just not push, but with every ones' help, I was able to wait as long as I could. I could feel his head come out, and then usually everything else would follow right after, but I could feel his chest still in me and I had to push that part out. That was a strange feeling, and since his chest was 1/2 inch bigger than his head, I did tear just a little bit getting the rest of him out. But, I didn't even tear where my old episiotomy was, and after I had him, the midwife even debated about stitching the tear because it was so small, but she did end up putting in a stitch or two.

He was born in the tub. The midwife delivered him and then put him directly into my arms. We turned him onto his back so we could see if he was a boy or girl and we were SO surprise to find little BOY parts!! I think I said to him, "That was SO hard but I don't even care because you're here and you're a BOY!! :)" The midwife checked him over while I held him. The "afterbirth" was a lot harder this time to deliver. Maybe b/c he was such a big boy and needed a big placenta. I was got to the birthing center at 6:30pm and he was born at 7:24pm. FAST!!

Another thing I must mention was the amazing "hand" of the birth assistant. When I was already in the tub having intense contractions, when I saw this hand offering me things that I didn't know I really wanted until she was there with them. A cup of cold water that she put to my lips for me to drink and a cold wash cloth that she would hold on my head. She helped me with a bath after the birth, she rubbed me and massaged my hands and arms during the stitching, she made sure I ate afterwards, she held up a cold juice box to my lips right after delivery while I was holding Joesph, she made sure someone was taking pictures and she helped me with breast feeding and did tons of teaching with me (which I actually remembered this time since I wasn't all drugged up!!)

After I got out of the tub, I went to the bed and got to breast feed right away. Joesph was happy to cooperate and nursed for almost an hour while family came into visit. Then, we took a bath together (not Daniel..me and Joesph). Then, they stitched me up and then the midwife did her exam on Joseph right next to me on the bed. This is the part they usually to right away in the hospital that makes your baby scream and cry. I ate while she did this. Then, after lots of teaching and looking over materials that we took home (in case we forgot all the teaching) we were ready to go (3 1/2 hrs after having him).

We slept SO good that night, just waking every 3 hours to feed Joseph. It was nice not having people in and out of our room all night long and getting to sleep in our own bed. They called to check on us the next day, and the day after that, a nurse came to our house to check on Joseph and I. We also had to go see the pediatrician 48 hours after his birth so he could be check out.

Some people wondered how I did at home without anyone to help me. The answer is that I didn't need any help because I felt SO great!! I did rest a lot and I didn't pick Reece up or make any meals or clean anything for about a week. Today (Day 8) I made breakfast, did the dishes, and walked to the park with both the kids. Now my mom is here, so it's nice to have the afternoon help!

I would encourage every women to at least consider going with a midwife on their next pregnancy. I would never go back to a doctor (of course, in case I had complications or needed surgery...midwifes aren't for everyone, I totally understand that.) Or AT LEAST ask your doctor to let you try not to have an episiotomy. I had Reece, who was only 7 pounds one ounce with an episiotomy, which I surely didn't need, and then I had Joesph, who was 2 pounds heavier and 2 1/2 inches longer than her without one! The labor was harder, but the recovery was a world of difference.

Okay, to people who think midwives are a little crazy, I think their great, but some things they did were a little strange to me:
1. they always asked Daniel if he was SURE that he didn't want to "catch" the baby. "No, I don't think so," Said Daniel every time! :)
2. If you have a compliant during your pregnancy, you'll probably get the answer "You need to eat more vegetables."
3. I was asked if I wanted to keep the placenta. Umm... no, thanks...
4. Joseph and I took an "Herbal bath" together after delivery. It didn't do much for me, and I think he swallowed some water, which is why he screamed the whole time.
5. I was given a tiny little pill that I was instructed to not touch but place under my tongue and let dissolve. It was some kind of herb for healing "down there" but I'm not exactly sure what it was... Maybe that's why I felt so good. :)

So, that's pretty much the whole LONG story. :) I want to put some pictures in so people can see that it wasn't as weird as it sounds, but they're a little graphic, too. Oh well, here they are.
During the contractions. The women in the blue is Katherine, and the other women is the birth assistant.


I love this picture. This is when he first came out and she gave him right to me.



Then we turned him around to see if he was a boy or girl!




This is Daniel getting Joesph all ready to go home.


This is Kathrine, our midwife, doint her exam on Joe. I think she's about to give him a shot in this picutre!




Very Proud Grandparents!



Monday, November 3, 2008

A Mouse and a Pumpkin

We all had fun dressing Reece and Joseph up! Reece LOVES her Minnie Mouse costume and Joseph had on his pumpkin shirt and pants. I wanted Reece to hold Joesph for this picture, but she didn't want to. She'll talk to him and kiss him, but that's all for now. She's still not too sure about him.


Ready for some CANDY!!!

Since Daddy took Reece trick-or-treating, he felt the need to dress up, too.Sampling her candy after the trick-or-treating.



Grandmama and Joseph in their pumpkin shirts.


Mommy and Joe! (I didn't dress up... :)


Big boy yawn

Showing off his muscles


Hmmm.... the ponderings of a 3 day old.

We went to the fall festival at our church two weekends ago, and Reece loved the bouncy things. Daddy took her on this slide over and over again and also on another one that was like a tunnel. Dad was the biggest kid out there!



This was the BIG slide that our brave little girl loved!


Daniel and Reece are bonding so much during his time off. Reece was throwing up all night two nights ago, and Daniel stayed up with her, wiped her throw-up, changed her clothes and slept in her room since I was with Joesph. He's such a wonderful Dad!




Reece playing by herself like a big girl. She LOVES her animals!


Friends with LOTS of babies!!

Our little man went in the the doctor for a weight check today (which has gone up, so that's good) but he ended up getting a heel stick to check his bilirubin level since he has been looking so jaundice. It was high, but thankfully we don't have to do any photothearpy yet. We will try to feed him a lot tonight and re-check his levels in the morning and hopefully it's going down.


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Joseph Mitchel is HERE!


Joseph was born a week early yesterday at 7:24pm. He was a BIG boy weighing in at 9 lbs 11oz and 21 1/2 inches long!! We had him at Nativiti birth center, which was an amazing experience. I really want to share the whole story, but I don't think I'm up to it now. We were able to come home a few hours after the delivery, which ended up being such a blessing. We had a great first night. We went to bed late, but slept great and Joseph just woke up to nurse (actually, I woke him up!) We had some family over today to help and just hang out. Joseph is a good baby and Reece is a great big sister. She has been helping me change diapers and talking up a storm to Joseph. I know she will probably get jealous, but so far she's having a lot of fun with it. It probably helps that both Grandmas have been around a lot, which she loves!


Here's a few pics:








Tuesday, October 21, 2008

"Punkin" Patch

Reece LOVES "punkins." She has punkin shoes, a punkin shirt, two pumpkin toys, a punkin necklace AND we got 5 small and one big punkin at the punkin patch the other day. Oh, and she's always asking, "Where did punkins go?"




So, Friday, we finally got to go where all the punkins live. Reece was amazed!



There were some mom's taking pictures of their little babies in the pumpkins and I thought it was so cute and EASY because their children didn't move like mine does now! I never knew how hard it was to get a good picture of a almost two year old! She was way too distracted by re-arranging all the pumpkins.




This is Reece moving all the pumpkins around. Hopefully she can get a job there next year :)

I only put this one in so you could see my huge belly!! Only two more weeks to go! (If I'm on time, but I'll probably be late like last time! :) This baby is definitely taking over my body. Bending over to get stuff off the floor is no longer and option. (Good thing I have Reece around to help me!) I'm up every 2-3 hours at night drinking or peeing or making half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or rearranging pillows or getting Daniel to help me with leg cramps. Not that I'm complaining. I think it's more funny than anything. Being pregnant is SO amazing and I'm very thankful for the gift of being able to carry a child. I'm excited about having a baby soon, but I know I'll miss being pregnant. It's such a special time! :)

Reece helping Daddy water the yard (and this was just after Grandmama gave her the punkin shoes, which I now can't get her to wear anything else. I'm not ever sure how I feel about Halloween yet, but I can't deny her of the punkins now...she loves them! )

Mmmmm... making brownies!

Reece having a tea party with all her little punkins. So creative!

A Glimpse into the lives of a family on a journey to serve God through aviation in Indonesia!