3 Months

This month has been so much fun! We are getting lots of smiles, laughs and more personality. Our sweet little girl is growing so big and it’s been wonderful getting to see her achieve new milestones and discover new things. At the same time though it’s a little heartbreaking to realize how quickly she moves from one baby stage to the next. She went for her 9 week checkup and got 3 shots which was horrible to endure for this momma. She is in the 90^th percentile for weight and 60^th for height … guess that means she is taking after her mom, poor thing. I feel like we are in such a wonderful phase right now because she is happy pretty much all of the time, she takes wonderful naps and is sleeping through the night. She will go to sleep somewhere between 8:30 – 10 and wakes up around 5:30, dream feeds and then will usually sleep until somewhere around 8:30. I know I should count my blessings on this one!

Peyton is getting such good head/neck control and we have been able to do more activities. She loves sitting up now and we’ve tried using the bumbo a few times. She really likes to sit in it but can’t stay for very long because she gets tired. She still hates tummy time … oh well. She also has discovered her feet and it is hilarious to watch her watch her feet. She gets so tickled when she realizes they belong to her and she can move them herself. I painted her toenails so that there is a little bit more of a visual interest for her, which was no easy task. I’m sure there is some women’s right group out there that would like to chop my head off for doing that but she digs it. Her favorite toy right now is her mobile, she gets sooo tickled when she can kick it and it makes different noises for her. She still is a huge fan of bath time but unfortunately has out grown the sink. I still really wanted to use her flower in the bathtub so I decided to get a laundry basket and put it in there, this has worked out wonderfully and she is loving all of the leg room to kick around.

Surprise surprise we made another trip back to Kentucky this month for two whole weeks which as always was wonderful. Peyton and I were able to attend Chase’s t-ball game and Jack’s soccer game, both were rock stars. One of the most difficult things for me when we moved was not getting to be as involved in my nieces and nephews activities, so it was very nice to have the time to watch some of their events. Peyton and I have started taking lots of walks which she is usually a huge fan of. I’ve recovered enough to be able to be pretty active and not be sore the next day which has been absolutely wonderful, I finally feel like myself again.

I’ve also gone back to work which consists of working 2 days a week and Peyton goes with me. The owner and his family have been absolutely wonderful to me and it is such a blessing to be able to get out of the house a bit but not have to leave my sweet girl. Everyone has been asking me how cloth diapering has been going. Honestly I love it! It’s not difficult to do at all and is so much more comfortable for her. It has especially been nice since it has gotten warmer because then I can dry all the diapers outside.

Jordan was in a wedding this month so Peyton got to hang out with her Nonna (my mom) and her Cookie (Shapell) while we were at the rehearsal dinner. I was a little bit worried about leaving her because she has not been very good about taking a bottle. I was so relieved when I got a text saying that she took a bottle like a champ though. Now that I know she is willing to take a bottle I see more dates for Jordan and I and also some daddy daughter dates in the future.

Before having Peyton I had an idea of how I wanted things to go and everyone always says never say never when it comes to raising your children. I should have listened when I got this advice because I said we would never co-sleep. Somewhere along the way Peyton and I ended up sharing our bed one night and she slept great. Since then it has somewhat became a habit, especially early in the morning and naps. Sometimes in the evening she’ll fall asleep with us snuggling in bed and then I’ll transition her to her own bed when she is good and asleep. I guess in the future I just need to keep an open mind and see what works best for us as a family regardless of the preconceived notions I had.

On to the next month to see what adventures await us!

Hanging out in the bumbo.

On our way to Chase's T-ball game

Checking out her feet

Before church

 

 

Finally taking a Paci

 

 Matching Toes!

2 Months

It has been so much fun to be able to see more and more of Peyton’s personality come out this month. For the most part she is a very content baby and really doesn’t cry very much unless she needs/wants something. She loves new things/people and she will just sit and watch and study whatever it is. I think she is going to be a little social butterfly because she loves when we go places and new people come and talk to her. I’ve kind of given up on a schedule with her because she sleeps so well at night. I let her let me know when she’s sleepy/hungry and for the most part let her sleep as long as she would like. She is getting a little bit better about sleeping on her own and in her own space. I have to make sure she is really asleep before I try to lay her down otherwise she will wake up. She will sleep for 4-6 hours at night and I feel totally refreshed after that many consecutive hours of sleep. The only difficult thing is when she wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse she will not go straight back to sleep so we could be up for a few hours. I try to make this time as positive as possible so when were up I make it my priority to pray for her and her alone.

We’ve started to get some smiles out of her which brings my heart so much joy. It is such a good feeling to be able to interact with her and get a positive reaction back. It makes me look forward to when she starts laughing too. We have been traveling A LOT since she was born and I’m so lucky she likes to be in the car. We made a trip to Mayfield, KY to visit Jordan’s grandparents and it was fun to be able to get to introduce everyone to Peyton. We also made another trip back to Lexington for a few weeks while Jordan was traveling again. Easter was spent in Huntsville so we could get back into a routine and spend some time as a family. We were able to go to church and spent time with our Mt. Zion family and then had lunch with the lovely Karen who works with Jordan. I was reflecting about our time in Huntsville and what a different life we have now since last Easter. We have been blessed enough to have a wonderful daughter in our life now and a truly fantastic church family. I'm looking forward to what changes we experience between now and next Easter.

 It has finally started to warm up enough to be able to go outside a little bit. I was getting a little stir crazy being inside all of the time. Peyton seems to enjoy the outdoors and the dogs like it when we come to visit them on their turf. We’ve taken a few walks but my recovery (or lack thereof) doesn’t allow us to go for long or far. I’m still having a difficult time lifting things and using my abdominal muscles for anything. At my 6 week follow up appointment my doctor said everything was healing nicely and I should expect my full recovery to take 9 - 12 months ... wowzers.

I’m about a month late posting this and I’m hoping I remember all of the details from this specific month and don’t mix up anything that occurred during month 3.

Strolling Outside

This ridiculous looking flower has been such a life saver while traveling because it holds her head up when she falls asleep ... best $8 we've spent.

Precious Smile

Dad of the year taking Peyton and Sofie on a walk.

Happy Easter!

1 Month

I feel like our sweet girl has changed so much in the first month of her life, there is something new about her almost daily. I love watching her discover something new and being able to figure her out better. Jordan and I both feel like Peyton has been pretty hefty from the start and it never really seemed like she was super small or fragile. We got to hang out with Miss Harper who is eight months old and compared to her she did seem very small. We have already outgrown most of her newborn clothes and there were lots of super cute outfits we didn’t even get to wear. These subtle changes remind me just how quickly these precious moments go by.

When Peyton was 2 ½ weeks old Jordan had to go out of town for seven days which was so so difficult for the three of us. Luckily during this time Peyton and I got to go back to Kentucky and hang out with our friends and family. We are very very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family who came to visit us and help take care of us while my awesome hubby was out of town. During the 7 days that Jordan was gone she changed so much and I was very sad he missed out on these fleeting moments. She started having more awake time where she was happy, before it seemed like when she was awake she was unhappy. The first few weeks seemed like we were just trying to get to know our little girl and what she liked and what she needed to be happy. Now that we know she likes to be bounced a lot and look at lights and snuggle we all are much happier. She has started to coo, make noises and smile, especially in the morning when she is most happy. Peyton does not like to be swaddled what so ever and if her arms or hands are restricted in any way she is not a happy camper.

We have not been on any particular schedule since she was born and we have kind of let her run the show, she sleeps and eats when she wants to. Starting this week we are changing this and trying to get on more of a regular schedule. She is still only sleeping for about 3 to 3 ½ hours at night. It has been quite the challenge to get her to sleep anywhere besides on me. If I want to get anything done during the day I usually have to put her in my Baby K’tan sling and then she is quite content. She really likes to sleep on her side or stomach on her boppy but I only let her do this when I’m awake to watch her and make sure she doesn’t slide down and can’t breathe. I would like her to sleep in her crib sometime soon so hopefully we can get this sleep thing figured out and get her in her own room. I introduced a pacifier very early because breastfeeding was going so well I wasn’t worried about it and our little girl always wants to suck. Unfortunately she doesn’t much care for the pacifier but I’m pretty sure she is going to be a thumb sucker. She already puts her fist to her mouth and it’s only a matter of time until she finds that thumb. 

This week we started using her cloth diapers, we had to wait until she bulked up a little bit so they would fit. They are a little bulky on her but I am so glad we are able to use these now. It’s amazing how many diapers baby’s go through in a single day. She was also getting a really bad diaper rash despite constantly changing her diapers and treating it with medicine. Since changing to cloth it immediately went away.

My recovery has gone fairly well so far although I still feel like we have a ways to go. It is somewhat uncomfortable to engage my abdominal muscles and one of the things I miss the most is to just be able to laugh as hard as I would like. I can definitely tell when I’ve overdone it for the day because I will be very sore and feel like I can’t stand up all the way. I am really looking forward to being able to exercise but I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be able to do that.

This first month has been so wonderful and I can’t wait to see what will change by month 2.

 

Happy Valentine's Day



This girl loves her bath time

 

Having fun on her play mat

 

Snuggle time with dad

Birth Photos

These are just some of the photos that our birth photographer took. She was so amazing and I am so thankful that she did this for us. She also made a video which is stunning but I'm not able to share it on here. I highly recommend getting a birth photographer and if you are in the Huntsville area check out Lagniappe Newborn Portraits.

Hanging out on the birthing ball during contractions.

 

Still hanging out on the birthing ball.

 

I have no idea how I managed to smile for this picture, I was so nervous!

 

Look at those long fingers.

 

Love at first sight.

 

Finally able to hold my sweet girl! Super chapped lips.

 

She was ready to eat.

 

Having some chest to chest time with dad while I was still in surgery.

Proud Nonna and Papa.

 

Sweet tears.

 

Together as a very happy family.

Peyton's Birth Story!

On February 5, 2013 at 41W 1D at 8pm we went to the hospital to start the induction process with a dose of cytotec.  Starting at 7 AM that morning I started to feel some cramping but thought it may just be a fluke. Well they continued on for the remainder of the day consistently being 30 seconds long and about 7 minutes apart. I was happy to find out that these were in fact real contractions once we got to the hospital because they were pretty uncomfortable and if they weren’t I was concerned about actually  being able to carry out my natural birth plan. So we started the cytotec soon after we got there and settled in for the night, thankfully we were able to watch the UK game! For some reason I thought these meds wouldn't do much to me and I was fully expecting to get a full nights rest ... Wrong! Pretty early on in the night I was contracting regularly and frequently, having somewhere around 3 contractions within 5 mins each lasting a min long. Needless to say I didn't get a wink of sleep and had to start using some of my coping techniques. They ended up not giving me the second dose of meds because I was already progressing fairly well.

At 4AM I was very uncomfortable and ended up vomiting. I decided to get a bit of pain meds in my IV before we started the pitocin. But before that my nurse checked me and I was 4cm dilated. During my check she accidentally broke my water, this is probably the most disgusting feeling in the world! At 4:30ish AM we started the pitocin and these contractions were so much easier to handle than the previous ones. I was able to labor on the birthing ball which was amazing, laboring in bed is probably the most excruciating thing ever! Within a few hours I was already to seven centimeters. This was all going so quickly that everyone thought we would have a baby by lunch ... Not so!

 I stalled out at 7 cms for about 3 hours. I was also continuing to vomit multiple times with nothing really left in my stomach. To paint a beautiful image of this blissful birth, imagine me on my birthing ball, being very loud during contractions, vomiting and leaking a ton of fluid. Pretty awesome huh? At this point I just couldn't take the pain anymore or the discomfort of it all especially since I wasn't making any progress. We decided it was time for some drugs! This ended up being such a great decision. Getting the epidural was NO FUN! They were able to insert the cath in between contractions but ended up administering the medication during a contraction. It felt like I was being shocked all over my left leg while also having a horrific contraction. I'm pretty sure that was the loudest I screamed all day ... Jordan could hear me all the way down the hallway. Even with the pain it was still the best decision ever!

 I was feeling great for about 30 minutes but then started to feel contractions again. The nurse administered some more meds but I still didn't feel a difference so I asked her if there was a kink or anything and she told me it just takes time. I gave it a few more minutes but the pain was just too much especially because they had me in a very odd position to help move her down. The nurse called the anesthesiologist and he found that they hadn't connected the meds to the cath in my back. Jordan was furious when he found this out and I wasn't too pleased either but once we were connected all was well again. Very soon after the epidural was placed I was 100% effaced and 9 cms. I continued to labor with the epidural in various positions to get her to move down more and to finally dilate that one more centimeter to be complete! At this point I was certain we were going to have a baby by 1:30. Well 1:30 rolls around and I'm still stuck at 9. My doctor came to check on me when he was done with patients for the day which was somewhere around 4. At this point I was still at 9. He pushed on the top of my stomach and felt to see what was going on with her head. He was explaining that she wasn't able to move down any farther because her head was too big and my pelvis was too small. As soon as he started explaining this I broke down because I knew exactly what was coming next. He recommended getting a c-section for the best result for everybody. Of course I agreed but was pretty devastated that after all the research and hard work I had done to get the birth I wanted, it was all for not. I was pretty terrified during the whole process because I hadn't educated myself on this process at all. Jordan was so amazing during this whole process. He was calm, comforting and so so supportive! I’m sure he was grossed out by everything going on but he never let on.

After the decision was made everything moved so quickly. In no time at all we were going down the hallway towards the OR. There were so many people there and it was sooo cold. Everything got started and before I really even realized it our sweet girl was born and boy was she loud. There was no doubt her lungs were fully developed. Jordan went and got her after she was cleaned up a bit and brought her over to me. She was already totally calm and happy to be with her dad. I was able to touch her and kiss her sweet face before they left for the nursery. They started putting me back together and in about 30 minutes I was in our recovery room. Jordan brought Peyton in very soon after and I was able to hold our sweet little girl. She nursed immediately and has been a champ ever since. I found out later that while Jordan was in the nursery with her they were having some skin to skin time and she tried to nurse him as well!

Although this delivery did not go the way I had planned or imagined in the slightest it was still an amazing experience. For months prior to the due date Jordan and I diligently prayed that God would have His hand on mine and Peyton’s birth and delivery and I have no doubt He was with us. Jordan was completely amazing throughout the whole process and there was no way I would have done as well as I did without his support. So far recovery has been going great and I have easily been able to move around with very minimal pain. I have already lost half of my baby weight which I was not expecting at all, let’s hope the rest falls off just as easily.

We had our first doctor appointment today and everything was great, we have a sweet healthy baby on our hands! Thank you to everyone who prayed for our family during this time, took the time to come by or congratulate us, we are so so appreciative of your support. Also if you made it all the way through this post you’re a trooper. 

Right before we left for the hospital. 

Sofie loving up on her new little sister. 

Our Sweet Girl. 

Light at the end of the tunnel

At my 40 week appointment today we found out that I have FINALLY made some progress! I am one centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. Although this isn’t much I was encouraged to know that my body has started doing what it needs to in order to get my sweet Peyton here. We were really hoping that she would come today so she could share a birthday with her dad, although it’s not totally out of the question it’s not looking very likely. My doctor wanted to talk about our plan if I do not go into labor by Monday which is when I will be 41 weeks along. We decided to go ahead and schedule an induction starting Tuesday night with some meds to ripen my cervix and then start Pitocin Wednesday morning. I am certainly less than thrilled with this option and would much rather go into labor on my own. My doctor said he’s 90% sure I will go into labor before my induction but honestly I’m not really confident in his ability to predict this.

Despite the fact that I’m not super stoked about an induction I am over the moon thrilled to finally meet this little human I’ve been working hard on growing. Jordan has lovingly been referring to me as a selfish hoarder because I won’t share his daughter with him. Needless to say he is very ready to meet his little girl as well. I want to brag on Jordan a bit, not because it’s his birthday but because he has been truly awesome during this pregnancy. He has taken such good care of me and Peyton during this time and has been very patient and understanding with my sometimes less than stellar mood. He is the rock and leader of this family and thrives in this role! I seriously cannot wait to see him as a dad because I know he will truly be wonderful. Peyton is one lucky little girl, we both are!

 Prayers for a safe delivery and healthy baby would be much appreciated! As always we will keep everyone posted if anything should happen before Wednesday.

The Home Stretch

The last several weeks have gone by fairly uneventfully. At my 37 week appointment I still had not shown any progress. I decided to get checked at this appointment because Jordan was going to be gone over night the next week and thought it would be nice to know if there was anything going on. Luckily we made it through his trip and everything was just fine. I declined to be examined at my 38 week appointment but my blood pressure was slightly elevated at this appointment. Apparently it was also pretty high at the previous appointment but my doctor didn’t mention anything to me about it. I’ve checked it sporadically during my many trips to Kroger and it was still slightly elevated but not too high to be concerned about. I’m really hoping it doesn’t creep up any higher to the point that my doctor would want to start discussing an induction. I really would love to avoid that situation all together.

For the last few months now we have known that Jordan was going to have to travel at the end of February and would be gone for about 7 days. This is much sooner than he would prefer to be gone from us but unfortunately there isn’t much we can do about it.  Anyways it just occurred to me that the longer Miss Peyton decides to make her appearance, the shorter the time we are going to have to together and adjust before he is gone. So with that being said my plans of not being induced until I absolutely had to are definitely being reconsidered. If she doesn’t come by 41 weeks we will start to discuss our options because that will only leave us 3 weeks until the traveling begins. I’m trying really hard not to stress out too much about this because honestly there really isn’t much that can be done. I’m trusting in the fact that God already knows her birthdate and it will be perfect, His timing is far better than mine.
 
I had my 39 week appointment today and still have not made any progress. I decided to get checked because honestly the curiosity was killing me. So I imagine that we will not have a baby within the next week or so. Although there is a full moon this weekend so ya never know ;) We are sooo ready to meet our little girl which is the main reason I'm ready for this pregnancy to end. There are also a few other things I'm looking forward to post-pregnancy. Like ... sleeping on my stomach, beer, not having numb hands and feet, one more beer, not having to use tongs to get clothes out of the dryer because my baby bump gets in the way of me bending over enough to reach the clothes, not getting totally out of breathe when I'm doing extremely simple tasks like eating, my old clothes and of course one more beer. On a side note my lactation consultant recommended drinking a dark beer after night feedings to increase supply ... cheers.

So now I'm just trying to occupy myself until this baby gets here to make time go by more quickly. We'll keep everyone posted about any progress.