Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Brookelynn Faith








Well, as most of us know by now, she's here.

And she's beautiful. And she is just as precious as she is pretty.

She joined us on a Friday the 13th.

We weren't too sure about that date. But it was perfect!...A perfect 7 pound, 8 ounce miracle.

This is her birth story. :)

Friday the 13th...the second best day of our lives yet!
We went in to the hospital the morning of January 13th, 2012. I was so nervous the night before that I found myself cleaning the bathtub at 11 p.m. because it was dirty and I knew we'd be having company soon...I couldn't sleep anyway. Why not clean? But thankfully, Justin made me go to bed after my crazy cleaning spree, and I was able to get some decent sleep before the big day. Throughout the pregnancy, because we had planned a C section (I had already had one before so I knew that would be the route we'd take), I had been nervous that I wouldn't get any sleep the night before in anticipation. I was also scared about the date...I mean, who plans a major surgery on a Friday the 13th?

But it couldn't have gone better. We left at 5:30 a.m. that morning for the hospital, and arrived early for the 6 a.m. time they wanted us there. Family members were already there to celebrate our daughter with us - Oma, Justin's mom, Auntie Shelly, and Nana, my mom. I got dressed for the occasion in the beautiful hospital attire and the nurses came in and prepped me. One was on one arm taking blood and the other was on the other arm setting my IV. Talk about double torture! But...I didn't care...I was so excited!

They asked about allergies to meds, and had us fill out the beginning of a an almost seemingly endless amount of paperwork that still continues to this day. :)

Then, just like that, after a bit of eager anticipation (and a few butterflies!) in waiting, I was wheeled back on a hospital bed through the corridors to meet our daughter! After the anesthesia was given, I was laid back and ready, and Justin was allowed in. It was FINALLY time!! The butterflies increased as we waited in excited expectation for her face. A bit of tugging, a bunch of pressure, and a lightheaded few moments later, Brookelynn came into our world...The doctors held her up for me to see over the blue sheet, and she was already beautiful. I cried, of course, as I listened to her sweet cry. After they prepped her for us, Justin held her close to my face for me to give her her first kiss. She was so perfect!!

After some recovery time, I was wheeled back to be with her and family. The days following were full of visitors to love on her, including our Sunday School class, my aunt and uncle and cousin Katie, and a lot of family, including brother Kaleb, who wasn't quite sure about the whole thing, but is beginning to warm up to a new sissy.

We left the hospital three days after we'd been there. And the time has flown by since we've been home. I cannot believe that it's been over two weeks since we left. Every day is an adventure, but really, not as hard as I'd anticipated with two children under the age of 2.

Sweet baby girl
Brookelynn is doing awesome. She is a great baby so far. She sleeps most of the time, and really doesn't cry a lot. Feeding is going well, and she is gaining good weight. Her first doc check up was this last week, and she is already 7 pounds, 11 ounces. In the hospital she lost a bit of weight, but she has gained back her birth weight plus some! She is also 21 inches long.

Cuddling is something I love doing these days. I can just sit with her after feeding and cuddle for hours. It's a great way to pass time, of course. :) So warm and sweet!


Adjustments
And, like I said, Kaleb is adjusting to life with a sister. When she cries, he will go up to her and pat her. This hasn't been the case the whole two weeks, but he is getting much better. At first, he was scared of momma (and all the tubes coming out of my nose and everything in the hospital) but he is doing fine now. He continues to be a joy to all of us. He is really a smart boy, and I think he understands more than we think right now about all of this. :) Daddy and him are becoming good buddies now. While Daddy's been off, he's been going to the park a lot, and getting to play with the remote control boat on the water. He gives him a bath at night, and tucks him into bed at night, because momma can't lift him up right now. That is probably the hard part for me. It saddens me that I can't be his "buddy" as much as I could before. He sees Momma with the new baby all the time. But...when Miss Brookelynn goes down for her nap, I spend time with Kaleb so he knows how much I still want to hang with him. I think that has been the biggest part of the transition. We are really trying to make sure that K knows how special he still is. He is at the age where he can sort of understand what's going on, but not completely. :)

But we are doing good, and the transition has been good for the most part. That is the only part of it that I can ask for prayer for - is for Kaleb to feel "included". And that I will be able to carry him/pick him up soon. :) Momma misses her boy! Even though we still get to spend time together, it's not the same. We knew it wouldn't be, but it's still a bit hard.

Excited for the next few months. Life with two children is VERY busy, but...it's amazing how God just doubles your love. I have a different love for Kaleb than I do for Brookelynn, but it's still just as much as ever. Last night I was tearing up thinking about how blessed we are! And how thankful I am to the Lord for all He has done mine and Justin's lives just the short time we've known each other.

We are so blessed and thankful.







Monday, January 9, 2012

As I sit here anticipating our daughter's arrival and knowing it will be this week, I want to take note of things this pregnancy. I don't think I will ever be pregnant again. We don't plan to, anyway. That kind of makes me sad in some ways, but at the same time, relieved. Pregnancy is a hard journey! We are happy with two children, and very happy with having a boy and a girl.

It has been good for the most part! But for one, there have been some really hard days this time around, more than I remember with Kaleb. I think that's because we are having a girl. With girl hormones comes more sickness. Some days were tough in that department, in that anyone who knows me well knows how much I like nausea. Lol. But thank the Lord, I never actually threw up. That is a praise!

I also had some scares with bleeding at the beginning of this pregnancy. I bled from about the 7th week onto the 15th, which really scared me, and it led me to my knees. But...thankfully through it, it sort of helped mold my prayer life. I have begun to really pray more since, and...I thank this little girl for that. She has already helped me get closer to the Lord! It was at that time I really felt the Lord reassure me that good things were in store. :)

We moved during that time too, which really worried me. I was bleeding and moving at the same time, and, I must admit, I didn't rest as much as I should have. I just couldn't. Kaleb still needed my arms, and I couldn't not be his mommy. He was also pretty sick at the time, with a very high fever, and so was I.

Then, we had our first sono. Our tech told us we were probably going to have a boy, but he couldn't tell! :) We were happy, of course, with whoever the Lord gave us, but really still curious.

Justin had an easier time with it though, than I did. Waiting for that next sono was hard! Actually, we had decided not to get another one done after that one. We just didn't have the money to do three. We hadn't with Kaleb. But...I really, really wanted to know! I am such a planner! So after discussing it, we decided to go to Stork Vision. They are cheaper because they don't do the regular sono - it's strictly just to find out the sex. I had SUCH a hard time waiting for it! But October came, and...finally, we found out we were having our girl. The tech said she was 100 percent sure it was a girl.

I cried.

I was so, so happy! So directly following that sono we headed to the consignment store in Abilene and bought some girl clothes. We just were so thrilled!

Then, soon after I found out I was having a girl, my sweet friend Sarah found out she was having a girl too! I was so ecstatic, because she has had a pretty hard time recently, and what a blessing for her! And...we are going to have girls together...so, so fun.

We have had some plumbing issues and some other things happen recently that have really been annoying, to say the least, since I've been pregnant - just things a pregnant woman does not want!

But...the last month has been good. I have been more excited than ever to have this sweet girl. I wasn't sure if we'd get a shower, but we are now, thanks to some sweet friends who offered! Actually, it's a "sip and see," meaning we are setting up a day for people to come and see her and give us gifts. Pretty good idea if you ask me! :)

Her tutu is coming this week. I am so, so excited. I know, that's funny - but I wanted it for her pictures! Every girl needs one. ;) She actually has two coming. :) She also has more shoes than I ever thought possible for someone who is not even born yet! Lol. Thanks to some sweet friends who have given them to us, she will have some pretty darn cute shoes. My poor Kaleb has three pair right now - and I think one of the pair doesn't even fit him. I guess they are right when they say a girl can never have enough shoes! It's after seeing my daughter's wardrobe who has not even made her appearance into this world yet that I realize I need to update my sons who has been here for 16 months! Poor baby!

It has been a very good pregnancy though for the most part. I am so happy that we are to this point, though. I am very excited to meet our daughter!

Justin woke up this morning and said, "We have four days before you're due!" That is how we are feeling right now - just very excited in anticipation!

I want to end this with a letter to Kaleb. I want him to know how special he has been to us, and how special he continues to be. He is such a precious part of our lives - and a delight to all who know him. None of that will change when his sister comes. Life is just going to get better!

Kaleb,

Our sweet, sweet boy. You are the apple of our eyes.

Every day you do new things.

Every day you make us smile in so many ways.

You are so easygoing and laid back. You fill your days with laughter in your eyes and joy in your voice.

You don't walk these days, anymore. Instead, you run, and you run everywhere.

You call your paci your "da" and you say so many words. You say "M-Oma," for "Oma," you say "Nana," perfectly when you hear her on the phone, you say "cracker," and "cookie," and "cheese" is "ch-ssss". And boy do you say "ch-ssss" ALL the time, because it is by far your Favorite.Food.Ever.

You are full of energy. You love to go from toy to toy, and when people come to see you, you already like to show them all of them. You point to different ones, telling a story that only you understand but we smile at.

Sometimes you crab-crawl just to be funny. That is too cute!

You love to do funny things to make us laugh. You put your "da" in backwards and just laugh! And you love to play peek-a-boo, and momma and daddy chase you all over the house with you just giggling up a storm.

Your high chair is your favorite place to be. You LOVE eating. It is pretty much your favorite thing to do. You will eat all day if momma lets you!

Blocks are your favorite toys. Nana and Grandpa bought you some mega blocks for Christmas that you carry around the house with you everywhere, and you even take them places with us. You love to stack them and you smile really big at yourself after you accomplish your goal.

You also love riding on your toy cars. You have a four wheeler already that Daddy bought you, and "Tow Mater" from the movie "Cars". You love these! We took you out to the park the other day and you roamed all over the place and had a great time in your four wheeler. You also threw sand everywhere, just laughing!

You are the joy in our lives, little man. Cannot wait to see where life takes you. You are so, so special to us, and we love you more than words can say.

We thank Jesus for your life!

Love, Momma and Daddy