March/April (huge) Photo-dump!

Well, how about that for time lapse??  Since Matt spoiled me and surprised me with my first tablet for Valentines, I have become terrible about getting on our desktop downstairs - which means the blog is getting neglected.  Whoops!

Some of March....

Matt's construction company, Cynergy Construction, bought two lots and prepped to start building !  

 My parent's German Shepherd had her puppies (accidental litter w/the neighbors lab) - they are ADORABLE and have been really fun to have around (they'll all be to their new homes in the next week or so).

This kid potty trained... and is mostly doing well :)

We took a weekend jaunt to Memphis and saw the Peabody ducks, ate some AMAZING fried chicken, had a crazy night in the hotel (hello, Lincoln, please learn how to sleep when you're overtired), and had a super fun day at their really great zoo.

Easter!  We had a great Easter w/family and WAY too much candy.  And this crazy belated-birthday cake for my Mom:

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This cute picture happened (Matt's Mom's Dad):

Some of April's happenings:

I had a birthday :) No picture... in part because I also caught a wretched cold the same week (and 4 days before that, had a stomach virus from you- know -where).  Ah well!

I discovered the joy of pressure washing (yes, it warrants being mentioned :)  :

The house building started!:

This guy turned 3 months!!  (more on him in the next post...)

Played outside, went to the zoo, etc etc etc - loving some warm weather!

This guy started Tball! What fun!  He loves it.

We flew kites on the-windiest-day-EVER.



And I started playing with my friends' DSLR camera she loaned me for a few weeks:

Cooper: 2 Months Old!

It is hard to believe our sweet boy is already 2 months old!  He is growing and changing so quickly, it is so fun to see him develop into 'him'!  He has been working hard on skills like making coos/sounds (this morning he was going to town 'talking' to me! he gets such a look of determination/joy when working on this skill! ), using his arms/hands purposefully, playing with his tongue, lifting/steadying his head, laughing! (this is still rare, but happens sometimes!  it's adorable!), and is now following movements and focusing better w/his eyes - which means he is really enjoying checking out the world around him.  He smiles and smiles when talked to/smiled at - melt my heart!  So far he is the easiest of my three babies - which I am sure is part because of experience we now have and also part personality.  He really likes sleeping in his crib, but in the late afternoon when he doesn't nap well he will also take a schnooze in my baby carrier, which is handy!  The boys absolutely ADORE him still and it is so, so sweet!  They kiss him, eskimo kiss him (which often means they just gently rub their nose on his head... haha), and give him gentle hugs all the time.  When he fusses they get concerned and do their best to cheer him up.  So cute.

Coop had his 2 month check up yesterday and weighed in at 12.8 lbs (50%) and 24 1/4 inches (90%!).  Long boy!  Explains why some of his 0-3 clothes are getting snug!  He handled his shots like a champ, but currently has sore legs and a low-grade fever - poor fella.  We've been snuggling and dosing tylenol  :)

We love our Coop-man!  

February recap

February consisted of...

Getting back to attending all three hours of church (and in spite of our efforts to avoid nursery/primary for a time to stay healthy, we still managed to catch colds :-/ )...  We also blessed Cooper!  Unfortunately, third child syndrome has struck and we didn't take ANY pictures of him in his outfit or us as a family... yeesh!  Sorry Coop!  It was a perfect day and a beautiful blessing. We are so blessed to have Cooper in our family!

Celebrating Valentines!  Decorating the house, making treats, playing games, pink pancakes w/Vday sprinkles, and a fancy dinner at home....

Catching first smiles on camera!  (he started spontaneously smiling early at like 2-3 weeks, but a couple weeks later he started smiling in response to your voice and I finally caught it on camera )

And trying to entertain ourselves in spite of the fact that it was COLD !


Where did the month go??

Things you knew but you didn't know: "D-MER"

I knew...
...that breastfeeding is the 'best'.
....that 'they' said breastfeeding gives you warm fuzzies and releases all sorts of great hormones that make you feel good and help you bond.

But I also knew....
...that when I nurse I feel an empty pit in my stomach.  A feeling of yuck,- a depressive, homesick kind of feeling.

But I also knew I've had it with all three kids, it's a fleeting feeling, and that at some point it stops happening.  It only lasts a few minutes and then it's over until next feeding.  I could tell it was hormonal (bc it just felt that way, does that make sense? I knew it wasn't a logical feeling, wasn't something I could control mentally, so it had to be physiological ) .  So, I've never worried about it and never talked about it - just dealt with it and moved on!

Well, wouldn't you know, while looking for info on something completely unrelated, I ran upon this article -
Depression or other negative emotions upon milk let-down (D-MER).  I thought "negative emotions and breastfeeding?"  I had never seen such an article!  Needless to say, this is me to a T - and I was totally surprised to find out what I felt was something that had a name and that I wasn't the only one who felt it.

So, I'm posting this not for attention, but to possibly validate someone else out there who feels the way I do. And didn't know it had a name!  I wasn't looking for validation about it, but it felt really great to be validated anyway!  And if you don't have this... well, consider yourself informed!  :)

Coming home, meeting family, and feet : the first 3 weeks

 

 I am realizing I have not been nearly as good a photographer this time around (3rd child syndrome?), so I apologize that I am missing a lot of pictures of grandparents holding Cooper!  I am hoping they have some on their own cameras and I can get them sometime.  Anyyyyywayyy, Cooper had lots of family and friends come to meet him in the hospital and once we were home and it has been so fun sharing our miracle with everyone! Babies are so amazing.  As you can see from the pictures, his two big brothers absolutely ADORE him.  Adore.  They are always seeking to kiss, eskimo kiss, hug, and hold him.

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Cooper is growing like a weed!  At his 2 week appointment he was 9 lb 4 oz and 22 inches.  Big boy!  The doctor said "well, this isn't your first rodeo... he looks great, just keep doing whatever you're doing!" It is nice having a vote of confidence from your pediatrician :) 

He is such a sweet baby and sleeping well, minus the first night when my milk came in and caused him tummy issues.  He is by far the best napping baby I've had (wahoo!) and his nights are pretty good too (he is doing a 4-5 hour stretch currently).  He really, really likes his crib and does NOT like the swing we have (aaaaahhhh).  I just borrowed a swing from a friend to see if its just our swing or swings in general.  Luckily, since he is a great napper, the lack of a swing option isn't too bad.  He tolerates the car seat pretty well - you just have to keep driving.  He is a great nurser and eats every 3 hours during the day.  He has a fussy period in the evenings, but he is asleep for the night sometime around 9.  We've discovered gripe water is a great tool during his 'witching hour' - when he starts to fuss we put just a drop on his tongue and it distracts/calms him/helps him grab his pacifier to soothe.  I am so glad I've got a sweet hubby who comes home and teams up with me in the evenings!  Newborns are sweet but very tiring :)

Cooper also finally had his first bath after his umbilical cord stump fell off... he disliked the washing of his neck/ears, enjoyed the water, and disliked being taken out of it :)  He tolerates the washing now but still hates when I get him out!

Feet... some may remember my post about discovering Cooper would have a birth defect of his right foot.  Two ultrasounds seemed to confirm a clubfoot and I read everrrrrrything about clubfeet, researched our nearest pediatric orthopedists that would be the ones to treat him, and even talked to a specialist in Memphis about it.  The doctor in Memphis, Dr. Kelly, was the nicest man.  I called and asked his secretary for a referral for a doctor in Nashville and she went and asked him... then goes, "wait a second, he wants to talk to you!"  I was completely surprised that this pediatric orthopedist was taking a moment out of his day to talk to a perfect stranger 2.5 hours away from him.  He was so kind and encouraging.  At the end of our conversation he said, "and I have to tell you... just because two ultrasounds showed it, there is still about a 20% chance his foot will be fine".  Well,.. lets just say I didn't hang any hope on that.  Matt, on the other hand, was always reminding me "maybe his foot will be fine, you dont know!"  (yeah, right, ok honey... :) ).  Well, you can guess where this is going... Cooper was born and we look at his feet and... look at his feet... and... they look fine??  I got an "I told you so" from Matt.  hehe  I probably asked every attending nurse in the room that night for their personal opinion (his right foot - the one in question- looked perfect, his left looked a little smooshed - which, turns out was just from how he was crammed in my right ribs) and then obviously made sure the pediatrician who checked him out int he morning knew our story and could professional confirm what we already knew: his feet were just fine.  I'm not sure if I have words to explain how this whole experience has made me feel... but suffice it to say, I've been humbled in more ways than one.  Lots of humility, gratitude, and even a little guilt.  Never before have I been so aware of sweet little feet!   I love to touch them, rub them, kiss on them :)  What a journey and what a miracle.

I finally made my first trip to the store (Walmart) with all three children in tow: all three boys behaved perfectly and it was a great first experience!  Whew!  Besides the doc, two trips to a store, and trips to grandparents' homes, we've been major homebodies so far.  This is mostly because I am avoiding sickness... bah!  At his 2 wk checkup I asked the doctor, "my previous ped recommended keeping them home from crowds until 6 wks, is that what you recommend?" to which he replied, "uh, can I tell you to stay home until April?? (hahahah)"  It is a really sick year and RSV is on the rise currently, so we're trying to be really cautious.  Although 6 weeks seems like forever, we're already at 3 and coasting along, so I'm sure we'll make it through our cabin fever stage!  In the meanwhile, I'll be taking us out in small doses to keep sane - followed by hand washing, sanitizer, and maybe even clothes changing (what my pediatrician told me to do!).

So, how am I feeling?  So good.  Tired at times, yes... busy, you betcha... but my moments of gratitude and abundant joy overwhelmingly outnumber the moments of feeling overwhelmed.
I think this picture sums it up - and the best caption I could think for how it makes me feel is, "my cup runneth over!"  Life is so good.

Introducing... Cooper !

A detailed account for my record keeping... :)

4:30 AM January 9th
...I woke up to Mason calling me, "Mommy!  My door is open? Sammy opened my door!"  Yes, our cat likes to harass us randomly and open the boys' bedroom door in the night... we usually lock their door because of this , but apparently we had forgotten.  I felt 'crampy' when I got up to head to Mason, but I was generally uncomfortable so I didn't initially think anything of it.  Well, after tucking Mason back in bed and closing (locking!) his door, I knew this cramping wasn't just discomfort... it was labor.  I started timing  and they were about 7-8 minutes apart and so after 40 mins, I woke Matt just to let him know I was in labor and that he shouldn't bother getting up and ready for work.  We both attempted to go back to sleep at this point... but after 30 minutes, he quietly said, "I can't sleep" to which I replied "I can't either!".  So, we ended up watching an episode of Lie to Me (thanks, Netflix!) in bed until it was time for the boys to be up.  We called Matt's parents a little after 7 to ask them to come get them so we would be free to leave for the hospital as necessary.  I called my doctor's office when they opened to cancel my ultrasound scheduled for that morning, informing them I was in labor and would see them later that day (hooray!).

12:30ish, January 9th
... We had spent our morning readying ourselves - we gave the boys baths, each of us took a shower, ate breakfast, did laundry, packed our bags for the hospital, etc.  The boys left with Matt's Dad and Step Mom and Matt and I finished chores and tried to keep ourselves occupied. My contractions got stronger and became about 5-6 minutes apart, but were still not bad- I was still up and about and able to talk through them.  My nurse called at this point and said, "Jordyn... where ARE you?"  I explained what was going on and she said "uh yeah, I think you should come in".  I was really really surprised they were calling me and concerned!  Although I wasn't feeling ready to go in, I wasn't about to ignore their pretty specific request for me to come in so we got our things together and left.  We (Matt and my Mom and myself) got to the hospital and they told me I was at a 2 (haha!  I had been at a 1.5 at my last appointment) and after the hour of observation, I went to a 2.5.  Womp womp!  Since you aren't considered in "active labor" until you're at a 4 and dilating a cm an hour the doctor on call told me I was welcome to stay and rest, stay and walk, or leave.  At the rate I was going, I did NOT want to be at the hospital all day, so we left.  A waffle sounded good, so we ended up at Waffle House (haha!), then went to Walmart to walk and try to make some progress.  By this point it was about 5 PM and I was EXHAUSTED.  My contractions were all over the place, they had slowed to 8-9 mins at the hospital, went back to 5-6 mins at Walmart, and then when I got back in the car they went to 10 mins apart.  So, we headed back to our house so I could try to rest and give my body some more time.  Since they were spaced out to 10 mins, I was able to nod off between them, but they were getting pretty intense to where I couldn't talk at all in the middle of one.  Around 7 Matt decided we should go back to the hospital because he didn't want to have a baby born at home :) , even if my contractions were doing strange things.

7:30-8, January 9th
.... We got back to the hospital and they took me in an observation room where they told me I was finally at a 4.  They got me set up in a real room and we hunkered down for the duration.  I was able to listen to hypnobirthing "affirmations" on our ipod and it was GREAT!  During Lincoln's labor I attempted to do this as well, but my ipod battery died within 30 mins and I was stuck on my own.  The affirmations really helped me this time to focus and relax and I found myself dozing between (hard) contractions up until transition. Amazing!  During contractions I would use the affirmations to feel calm, relax to my best ability, and view the entire process in a positive light.  I also tried to consider them feeling like "a big hug" (a remark some woman made on a blog I read once) which also helped.  Transition finally came... which is where I think I just go into survival mode. Forget trying to relax!  I was mumbling/kind of talking (deliriously, probably, haha) between contractions at this point and Matt tried to make a joke just as I was going back into a contraction and got a sharp, unkind response of "shut. up." from me.  :)  The doctor laughed.  FINALLY pushing time came - in my mind I literally said, "GO TIME!" - I knew what needed to be done and how to do it and I was reaaaady to be done!  I was able to birth on my side again and I gave one long push through one contraction (about a min of pushing) and........


12:47 AM, January 10th

Cooper Michael decided to finally make his debut!!  8 lb 15 oz, 21 inches long and scoring a 9 on his Apgar.  I was so anxious to hold him but was delayed a second as the entire room kept saying "look at his cord!" which was apparently wrapped around his legs multiple times in multiple ways.  I had one stitch internally and have had a great recovery so far (besides the initial exhaustion! Over 20 hours of labor... good grief!). He nursed like a champ within an hour of being born and we spent about 2.5 days (blah) in the hospital due to my positive group b strep.  We did, however, enjoy visits from friends and family and I tried to soak up the one-on-one time I had with him there alone.   

He is so, so precious.  So sweet and perfect.

We are SO happy and blessed to have him in our family!!

Any time baby....

This morning I raked (for the umpteenth time) our backyard, burned the huge pile of leaves, washed my van (twice actually... when it started to dry I realized it needed more elbow grease), and started redecorating our bathroom... I think this babe can come any time now.



Do you hear that baby?  Any. time.  :)


Here is a glamorous bathroom mirror picture of my belly, 40 wks to the day....