Home Sweet Home

We made the trip home from the hospital yesterday after Grady had his tongue clipped (just like big sis Layla!) and after Grady and I were all cleared by the doctors to head home.  Enjoy the pictures below.





The Birth Story

Grady's birth story was short and pretty darn sweet in terms of giving birth goes.  Here it is...from beginning to end, mostly written here in case it all becomes fuzzy in the near future. 

Last pregnant picture, taken right before leaving for the hospital

I made the decision to be induced at 39 weeks.  My doctor gave me the option and said with the amount my body was progressed, it would be a good idea given the 35 minute ride we had to endure to get to the hospital.  I scheduled the induction but in all honesty, I never thought I would make it that far.  Well, I did make it that far....and I was really regretting my decision on Sunday.  I was starting to worry about the pitocin and the pain and the fact that I knew exactly when the pitoicin and pain were going to hit....6 a.m., Monday morning. 

We arrived at the hospital bright and early and discovered that I would have the same labor and delivery nurse that I had with Layla.  I instantly felt relieved and in good hands. 

Anyway, upon arrival we discovered I was contracting about every 4-5 minutes on my own.   After the doctor came in and consulted with me, a light dose of pitocin was administered at 8:45 a.m. (And yes, the time was right so I did watch one of the last episodes of Oprah while I was in labor!  I told Ryan that Oprah makes pitocin a little more tolerable).  My body reacted really well and progress was happening fairly quickly.  The doctor came in and broke my water around 10:30 a.m. and the contractions went from tolerable to out of control immediately.  I received an epidural a little before 11 and was ready to start pushing at about 11:55 a.m.  The nurse said the doctor wanted to be in the room for the entire pushing process so we waited for him until about 12:10 p.m.  After the doctor arrived, I pushed for about 15 minutes and Grady entered the world screaming and peeing all over the doctor :)

I am so grateful for the smooth delivery and of course so very thankful that Grady came out screaming and healthy.

Grady

Grady Maxwell made his entrance into the world today at 12:26PM.  He was 8lbs and 2oz and 21 inches long.  We are all doing well and big sister Layla was happy to meet her little brother :) 

More pictures and details to follow soon!

Close...

Hospital...check.

Contractions...check.

But no baby yet!  I was feeling major pressure on Friday afternoon and my doctor's office sent me into the hospital because of my body teetering at a point where the baby could come very quickly if my water breaks (I have a feeling I might have a record long delivery with everyone telling me how quickly things are going to go).  Turns out everything was fine, the baby had just dropped a little and was causing me to feel the pressure and develop a very funny walk.  I am having contractions but they are spaced 8-10 minutes apart (I still can't feel a thing besides tightening of my stomach) so I was sent home.

It worked out just fine because we still were able to celebrate my mom's birthday that night.  I have a feeling it was going to be celebrated either way because Layla was not going to miss out on the cupcakes we bought for the occasion :)



We also got to spend some final time hanging together as a family of three and enjoying the beautiful weather that was supposed to be rainy and stormy.





Layla also got to partake in a new favorite hobby...making pine cone bird feeders. 



We find the pine cones on our walks and then she likes to spread peanut butter and sprinkle bird seed on them for the birdies. 



In reality, the squirrels go crazy for these bird feeders but Layla is determined to feed the mama robin that has a nest in our front yard.



So no baby yet....but soon.

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

Ryan and I have been busy getting everything ready for the baby and for the summer (since we are well aware that free time is going to be at a minimum for quite some time).  We have checked so many things off our to-do list in the last couple weeks that it makes my head spin a little when I think back on it.  Ryan has been working like crazy to try to get everything done on my extensive lists.  Between the craziness that is the end of the school year and a nesting wife with a mile-long list, he has been one busy guy.  I have no idea where his energy comes from (well, actually if you know his dad you would understand!) but I am so thankful for all he has done to help me feel "ready for baby."

Speaking of our little boy, he should be here soon.  I am under direction from the doctor to get to the hospital quickly once loose contractions start coming or my water breaks, she is worried the labor could go quickly and we are a bit of a drive from the hospital.  I have felt little pangs that might be contractions but nothing that really hurts.  Regardless of not feeling much yet, my body seems to be progressing quickly and quietly.  It is so odd to me because to get to this point of progression with Layla's labor I had to undergo the tortures of Pitocin and then (thankfully) had the relief of an epidural.  It is a nice feeling to know my body is doing some work on its own this time around.

Now before this baby comes, I wanted to share the nursery...which is finally done!!



I decided on a collage wall above the crib instead of the traditional letters.  I put the Cricut to good use!  My favorite piece is the "Layla and Grady" picture.  It was ordered from an Etsy store.

To include Layla in the room process, I asked her if she wanted to fingerpaint a canvas for her baby brother.  She liked the idea and loves to show people her part of the room.





The bin system worked out nicely for Layla so we decided to keep it around for Grady.  We had pink buckets for Layla and contemplated spray painting them but then I found these navy bins at Wal-Mart.  I cut out the words on fabric and then ironed them on using Wonder Under.



I love drawer pulls but they are normally so expensive.  I found these on Amazon....I love Amazon.com.

Liners and bookends!  I was able to copy the pattern of the pink liners that used to have a home in the baskets which was easier than I thought.  I simply traced and sewed!  I really wanted personalized bookends and found inspiration on Etsy. The bookend pouches were really simple to make and I filled them with leftover corn from Layla's sensory table.  I hope they don't welcome mice!!

 That was the official nursery tour, I hope you enjoyed :)  Ryan and I will keep you updated on the baby's arrival, I cannot believe the time is almost here!

Layla- Almost 3

I cannot believe we have rounded the corner on the final month before Layla turns three.  Where in the world did the time go?  Layla is looking more like a preschooler than a toddler these days.  This is only appropriate because next fall Layla will attend preschool two days a week.  How in the world can this already be here??

Here are some highlights of Layla at age 35 months:

Knock on wood.  Layla is potty-trained!  Knock on wood.  It has officially been two weeks and I think we are going to continue with this pattern, although I expect regression with the baby coming.  Layla had been very interested in the potty for quite some time but she needed to figure out how everything worked on her own and in her own time (She is SO me in this aspect).  Although Layla gives me all the credit (Mommy teaching me!), I literally did nothing more than provide the potty, undies and a prize box that has now been emptied and eliminated from our routine.  Just like everyone told me (including her doctor), when she was ready it would just happen.  She is still in diapers during nap and bedtime, and I imagine will be for quite some time, but everywhere else she seems good to go.  At first I was terrified of puddles in public, but I have calmed and am starting to trust her ability to let me know when she has to go.

Layla's big birthday and birthday party are coming up and Layla and I picked the book Pinkalicious for the theme. She is very excited for the party and has played a very active role as party planner (this child likes A LOT of favors for her guests!).  I have been feeling a bit guilty that the baby is due to come so close to her birthday and I really want to make sure she gets a special day.  Ryan and I always wanted kids that were three years a part...and we literally couldn't have gotten any closer to our wish with the baby's due date being exactly one week before Layla's 3rd birthday!  Anyway, I have almost everything ready for the big day and I am just hoping Ryan & I can pull it all off with a newborn in tow. 

We had a visit with Layla's neurologist in April.  All is still well and Layla was such a big girl at the appointment.  Doctor visits are very hard and draining for her but she tried so hard to keep it together and only didn't like when the blood pressure cuff became too tight on her arm.  Layla clicks well with the nurse (we have the same one each time) and neurologist which makes these examinations much easier.  We are hoping and praying that Layla will continue to have success with her current medication and that she continues to make solid progress with her development. 

Layla has been loving the outside.  She enjoys riding her trike and toting her babies around in whatever she can find.  She has been helping me feed the birds and loves the "yellow ones" (finches) almost as much as I do.  Layla loves going for walks and finding ducks, geese and birds and always wonders where the mommies and daddies are.

Speaking of the outside, our seed to plant project was pretty much a failure.  The seedlings started off really strong but I think I may have pared them down too early.  In addition to paring them down a tad early, a certain orange cat made it his mission to eat as many of the plants as possible whenever he could gain access to them.  It was difficult to find a sunny spot that was also safe from Blue.  I ended up buying a few plants and then Ryan and Layla planted leftover seeds from the original planting for the rest of the garden.

Layla's new favorite activity is sidewalk chalk.  She has started writing some letters and likes to practice on the driveway.  We have quite a few H's lining our driveway right now.  Layla likes to show Howie since this is "his letter" but Howie just isn't too interested :)  Layla also likes to trace letters that I have written for her.  I have found this be the perfect "keep busy in a restaurant" activity.

I am excited and nervous to see how Layla does as our family grows from three to four.  I am looking forward to seeing Layla in the big sister role but also sad that she will no longer be "my baby."  But then I think maybe it will be good for Layla to spread her wings a bit without me hovering too closely over!  Happy almost 3 to Layla!!

36 Weeks

35 weeks pregant (taken on Easter)

I have officially entered my final month of pregnancy, it is so crazy that the baby could be here at any time.  I have a feeling I am going all the way to the end.  Ryan feels I will go early.  Layla's prediction is May 7th (we had her point to a day on the calendar when Ryan and I were making our predictions). We will see whose guess is the closest. 

The nursery is done and the carseat is in but our bags are not quite all the way packed yet.  I wanted to get them done on Sunday but I came down with the stomach flu.  I think my body wanted to get sick a little more during this pregnancy :)

I had a doctor's appointment today and all was well.  The baby is still head down and estimated to be 6lb 1oz and he looked very cozy and smushed on the ultrasound.  He was drinking quite a bit of amniotic fluid while we were watching him which explains the constant hiccups I am feeling.  Everything else went fine and my body is starting to make a little progress.  My hopes are up a bit that he may not arrive a week late on Layla's birthday....but you just never know.

In other baby news, some of my sweet friends (Kayte, Nicole, Anni  & Tara) threw me a sprinkle at a local tea room this past weekend.  It was such a nice afternoon chatting with the girls and celebrating baby Grady but I forgot to take even one picture.  Thank you girls so much for the fun lunch and thoughtful gifts for Mr. Grady.

Layla seems really excited about the arrival of the baby.  Today, she helped me pack her bag for when she goes to stay with grandma and grandpa when the baby comes.  She is fascinated by the "baby coming out" process and asks quite a few questions.  She told Ryan tonight, "Mommy going to push the baby out" and she followed this with a grunting noise :)  Layla talks to my belly often and brings toys to my belly for Grady to "play" with.  She told me she is going to help with diapers and likes to talk about how she is going to feed him.  I am hoping that nursing goes smoothly and that I can pump early on so Layla can help feed him with some bottles.  We will see how everything really goes once the baby is a reality.

That is the baby update, only 4 more weeks until the due date!!!