Fresh Start, New Beginning

At this time in my life, I realize that friends come and go but your family will always be there for you. After Kevin and I went on an extended weekend visit to New York we enjoyed being around family and the things we could do with their support. Even though we have no immediate plans to move we will be up for transfer in 2 years. With Kevin's sister getting married this fall and the expectation that she will start a family over the next 5 years we wonder if it would be an appropriate time to relocate in the NJ/NY area. Christian will be school age by then and we'd love for our children to go up together. Definitely something we are thinking and praying about.

In addition to our future plans, when we got home we felt a sense of newness with our lives. We have grown so much over the last year as a family, as individuals, and as a couple. We have started to outgrow some friends and (maybe) our current neighborhood. It's time for a change. Not sure the full extend of our new beginning but in it we will leave behind some things and people while in search for new things and people to help continue our journey along side our Lord and Savior.

You never know where life will take you but when you get there you realize you could have left a few things behind... That's where we find ourselves, alittle overpacked. Time to empty our bags and repack what is necessary. :-)

Library Fun

So on Tuesday I took Christian to the Wakefield library. Everyone had been telling us for months to get out and get to the library. I was actually really surprised at how cool and fun it was! The entire lower level is the children's library. There is a huge train table for the kids to play at, there are story-times most days for different age groups. Until April 13 story time for Christian is Thursday and Fridays 9:30am and 11am. So we may go tomorrow, depending on how we're feeling. I can't wait to take Kevin and show him how nice it is. The library is so big that if we all go together, we can take turns picking out books for ourselves while the other just watches Christian play at the train table. It is so child-friendly.

We have been trying to come up with a list of things and places we can do and see while Kevin is home this season. Now that the weather is warming up we want to get out and enjoy the most of our time here. For only God knows where the wind will blow us next. Until next time... XOXO

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Rediscovering My Blog

Not sure what is was exactly that sparked my desire to restart my blog. It has been left alone for over a year, which is crazy because SO much has happened. In May 2011 we packed up and moved from our cute little apartment in Texas to a nice big house (gov't housing) in Massachusetts. We found a church, made lots of new friends. I joined a bible study group and Christian and I get social time every week. We have already been here 8 months and although we would probably prefer to be back in the warm Texas weather, we have found more friends and connections here as a family than we have any where else in the world (excluding family). Now that is something wild crazy awesome! :-)
We have experienced so many firsts over the past year and we are looking forward to the future and the glorious events that will take place here, there, everywhere. I'll be honest, I'd like to post on this blog everyday, but I know myself very well so that is why I put it was an [occasional] blog. You know the good stuff will get posted here and on Facebook. Enjoy!!! :-)

Settling in my New Role

Becoming a mother is an instant thing, but being a mommy is something you must learn. When we got home from the hospital I was a mother but gaining mommy status took some time. Learning the best way to change a diaper to exactly what that little cry means versus the big scream. Teaching your child to speak, crawl, walk, etc is crucial - which is why its not an immediate thing. It takes time. I love being a mom. It's awesome, not to mention that my wifey skills have improved. Funny how when you have more on your plate you are able to accomplish alot more than before. I think Kevin is really surprised. Lol Everything is going great and just as Kevin and I are rounding the 25-30 year corner, things couldn't be better. :-)

Life as a Mommy

Well I finally had Christian. One can not stay pregnant forever, although it sure felt like I would be. Christian was born October 5th at 8:30am. He weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. Today he is 5wks and 1 day. Crazy how time flies by. Being a mommy is definitely an experience of its own. Your entire life changes. From your role to your new family and your daily duties. You are needed 24/7 for something. And sleep... forget about it! I've been sleeping on the couch for comfort and convenience. It's been so long since I slept in the bed I forgot what it was like. Although lately in the mornings (between 4am-6am) I sneak into the bed with Kevin before he gets up for work. This usually lasts until Christian starts to cry for me again. But hey even 5min of snuggling with my husband is wonderful. I forgot what that was like too. Lol Luckily everyday is progress. Whether it be Christian cooing, sleeping in the swing, the amount of milk I'm able to pump, or how many meals I can eat without him in my arms. Every day is different. And even on the not so good days, there are good things. I mean look I'm able to get on here and actually write something worth reading... He's in the car seat looking around. I had to switch him from the swing to the car seat because he was getting sweaty from swinging back and forth. When things are peaceful in the house it feels like angels are singing. Although that could also be the Baby Einstein CD that I have playing in his room constantly throughout the day... Kevin has a late day today, so I'm fending for myself tonight. Looks like a mac-n-cheese with hotdogs night. Plus we are still trying to get the house clean and our bags packed before we leave next Saturday for our trip to MO. Can't wait!!! I'm So excited!!! Well that's all for now.

Stubborn Child

So the last few days have been overly eventful... Last Wednesday I went to my doctor's appointment for my weekly checkup. My OB said I was still thick and closed, but my blood pressure had been high the last few times I'd been in there. She told me it would be a good idea to go across the street to the hospital and get checked out. We went over there and stayed the night. I was monitored and had my blood pressure checked often. I felt fine but had to stay a full 24 hours so they could check my urine. (They needed a 24 hour sample) After we got the results back the nurse brought me my discharge papers and said I could leave. But before I signed them she checked my blood pressure and it was the highest it had been. I didn't understand why I was leaving if my blood pressure was still high. We had been getting mixed responses on what # to worry about on the blood pressure so we were completely confused. They ended up keeping me another night and had the ultrasound specialist check me the next morning. My OB had issued a induction order and the specialist approved it. So I went on the induction waiting list and stayed in the Antepartum til they had a room for me. Saturday at 2:30AM they came and got me and took me down to Labor/Delivery. I was immediately prepped for the induction process. But for those of you who know 100+ people who have been induced need to know that Pitocin is given only after the cervix is soft and dilated. I was still hard and closed. Therefore they started me on this lovely cervix softening agent called the Cervidil. The Cervidil is this strip/string looking thing that is loaded with softening agents. They insert it so that is sits right behind the cervix. It needs to stay put for 6-12 hours and you must lay in bed for the first 2 hours after insertion. Now I may have made this sound so medically wonderful but the truth is... It was the most painful medical application I have ever experienced. next to the fact that I had to get stuck with an I.V. twice because the nurse ignored my request for a arm iv and ended up blowing out the vein in my hand...Luckily after that she took my advice and stuck it in my arm. Back to the Cervidil, after having it in my body for about 12 hours my nurse removed it, but she had to check my cervix to see if it did its job... This is where my rough experience maxed out... The Cervidil makes your cervix and uterus extremely tender. So this woman is literally digging her fingers inside of me trying to #1 find my cervix and #2 see if I started to dilate. The pain from this was so horrible I was literally screaming and crying, begging her to stop. She finally stopped and quickly cleaned up to leave the room while Kevin comforted me from my baby bawling moment of excruciating pain. When I calmed down and the nurse returned she told me that I was dilated alittle more than a dimple but again it was hard to tell because I was in so much pain. She had talked to the on-call OB and they decided to give my body a break. I was to bathe (in the jacuzzi tub), eat dinner, and then they would put me back on the monitor for a hour and then the OB would decide if we needed to repeat the Cervidil. Luckily the OB decided that she did not want to continue forcing labor on me if it wasn't coming on its own so I was told to relax and get my rest and we would reevaluate my contractions again in the morning. By Sunday morning the news was that my blood pressure was no longer a concern, I wasn't dilating the way I needed to for a safe induction (c-section was the most likely outcome if we continued with the Cervidil), and they were considering sending me home. I had to wait for the ultrasound specialist to come and give the final say in my discharge. When he got there he was extremely honest. He said I needed to go home, sleep in my own bed, relax, and "get busy" to speed things up. He was alittle more blunt about it but that is actually his personality-which is hilarious. So we packed up, I got back into my clothes and signed discharge papers. It was SO nice to get home and relax. We got take out and then I took a hot bath/shower and we both fell in the bed around 9pm. Before I left the hospital the on-call OB told me to call first thing in the morning and schedule an appointment with my OB. My appointment wasn't until Wednesday and she didn't feel comfortable with me waiting that long for a cervical checkup. So I set the alarm for 7am so I could call at 8am. But being pregnant makes you go to the bathroom alot so when I went to the bathroom this morning around 7am I was presented with my mucous plug. Since my OB told me if I ever lost my plug, broke my water, had my bloody show, or had regular contractions 3-5min apart to report to the hospital, I called the doctor office and called the emergency line to let my OB know I was headed back to the hospital. When I got back to hospital Labor/Delivery was full so they sent me up to Antepartum to be evaluated. We spent 2 hours there. I got back into a gown, put on the monitor, and the nurse checked my cervix. I was dilated a fingertip but my contractions were still not regular. The nurse called my OB and she said for me to go home and she'd see me at my appointment on Wednesday. So here I am back at home waiting for something else to happen that sends me back to the hospital...or for Christian to continue being so stubborn that we have to schedule an induction again, except hopefully now that I am starting to dilate we can skip the Cervidil and go straight to the Pitocin. Ideally, my water will just break and Christian will come out on his own in good reasonable time. Only God knows... :-)

Note to those who don't have children: If you aren't comfortable getting naked for doctors or having 100 people feel you up, either never have kids or get used to it quick because childbirth is full of all of those things...Not to mention the many needles they will stick into you just so you can comfortably expel your child from the womb.