Let's Get Caught Up

So, I've been out of touch a little, for understandable reasons, since Weston's birth on August 12th. I've been good. The first week is always a little rough with readjustments and soreness, and a breast infection didn't help matters. The second week was doable once I started accepting the fact that Advil is my friend and won't give Weston long-term issues, and this week has been even better, seeing as how I have an incredible son who sleeps for four hours at a time, sometimes five or six given enough stimulation! He eats and sleeps like a champ, so I have been twice-blessed with incredible kids.

So first on the list of catch-me-ups. Weston's first bath: Joey says, "Ten bucks he arcs one over the side as soon as he hits the water." And so he did. Once he relieved himself though, all over the bathroom counter mind you, he wasn't enjoying the bath so much anymore. Still doesn't really, but I'm sure that will change eventually too=)

This past Saturday we attempted our second family outing by attending the Red Bull Soap Box Races at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Now, we had been seeing commercials about this on TV, and thought heck, why not? Little did we know this is a nationally televised event and everyone and their brother would be there. We had a great time people watching and enjoying some of the sights on "pit row."

The weather was perfect, and Savannah thoroughly enjoyed watching all the dogs and people as well. Weston, well, he slept, literally the entire time. I fed him at 7:45 that morning, and he didn't wake to eat again until we got home at 2:15. I tried to feed him at the park, hence the Hooter Hider, but no dice. Too much noise and stimulation for him to even attempt to wake up. So he did, he slept, right through every booming stereo box we walked past, music blaring everywhere all the time. I paid for it that evening because once we got home, he fussed to eat every 2-3 hours like clockwork for the next 24 hours, but it was worth the fun day as a fam=)

Savannah was crashing and burning before a single soap box race actually took place, but it was a fun event, and at least we will know what to expect in years to come! Hope you enjoy the pictures! Believe me, you have to be a little "off" to participate at this event=) Click here to see a vidoe of some crashes in Seattle!

Savannah's New Room

Just wanted to let you know that pictures and explanations behind Savannah's new room are up on Facebook! Hope you enjoy=)

We Owned the Bathroom!

So, today was our first real day out with two kids under two. Joey and I are exhausted, but the doctor's visits for Weston were mandatory, so off we went. Joey is driving around town...very slowly mind you...like a zombie, while I'm dozing off on the passenger side of the car every chance I get.

After an early morning hospital visit for the billirubin blood draw, it was on to the pediatrician by 10:30am for Weston's first checkup. Which, by the way, he is perfect=) His levels were way down, so off the billi lights he came as soon as we got home. It's so nice to see my adorable little boy in clothes, bundled up in blankets the way he likes, and sleeping in his own crib=) And he's a fantastic sleeper and eater!

Anyway, by the time this long morning was over, we needed lunch, so since McDonald's and Chick-fil-A are the ONLY two restaurants with playgrounds, it was off to Chick-fil-A. We handled our two munchkins with some admirable teamwork, and I must say I am blessed out of my mind to have a husband with a flexible job schedule and a tremendous love for me and our children to do all that he does...to the envy of many an onlooker=)

As always, leaving a restaurant means a trip to the changing tables in the bathroom. Today was no exception, except for the fact that now we have two. It was my first time packing for two, so I conveniently only packed one pack of wipes, so I took Weston and went into the ladies' room first. And here is my experience: I laid him on his fuzzy blanket, thinking this would be a quick change because he had been full up at the doctor's office, no way he could add more, right? WRONG! No sooner did I get his diaper off and wipes open than he projectile squirted a horizontal splash of greenish-brown poop straight out across the blanket, about a foot in length from hiny to endpoint, and all over the wipes box. I wanted to cry for help or just cry in general at this point, but about that second he also decided to arch a stream of pee up over his head and onto the wall. Sigh. There was nothing I could do at this point but laugh hysterically at the mess in front of me. He of course is screaming his head off, so I attempt to vaseline his circumcision quickly, which of course means his feet and legs are now covered in vaseline before I can manage to get the diaper on him properly. So I had to first clean off the poop-covered wipes container before I could then wipe down the pee-covered wall, the vaseline coated legs, and well, the blanket just got wadded up, so you couldn't see the poop, so I could at least get him to the car without him being completely naked. Seriously, the whole scene was straight out of Saturday Night Live sketch!

I was giggling exhaustedly as I slumped out of the bathroom, briefly relaying the story to Joey who sighed and chuckled tiredly before he took his turn with the wipes and Savannah while I slinked off to the car. Joey then proceeds to the men's restroom, and this is what ensued: He had Savannah on the changing table, pants stripped off ready to change her diaper, which for whatever reason was loaded with a mess of watery poop...must have been something she ate. Anyway, Joey wasn't quite prepared for the mess he would have to clean up, so as he went to get more wipes, Savannah decided she needed to help him out...take matters into her own hands, literally. Before Joey could stop her, she had reached down and yanked the diaper off her bottom and flipped over, dirty-side down onto the changing table. In the process of yanking, she also managed to splash poop all over Joey's shirt and the surounding walls, and of course, the wipes box=)

So yes, we definitely owned the Chick-fil-A bathroom today...both of them. Joey got in the car, and I almost couldn't believe this had just happened to both of us on our first time out with both kids! It really was a comedian's dream act...nothing like real life for real humor=) Needless to say, that wipes box was empty when we got home, and Joey threw it into the dishwasher...hahahaha!

I proceeded to have to clean up squirting pee off the nursery wall and myself before the day was over...already going through three outfits and three changing table pads before the day was over. Seriously! I need some help! Pointers? Anyone? On the how to keep the boy from peeing all over everything every time I change him? I obviously haven't learned the tricks of the trade yet. Ah, but it is a relief to know that we can handle an outing with our two, even if we do have to leave our mark in the process=)

Where One Story Ends Another Begins....

...and such is the way God has designed all things. I sit here in the hospital, waiting rather impatiently for them to tell us we can go home with our Billi Bed and our baby to our own comforts and familiar surroundings, and I can't help but think about the emotions and heart treasures God has given me to contemplate in the past 72 hours.

On one hand, I look at this sweet, precious, cuddly little boy and praise God ecsatically that he is finally here...safe, no NICU needed, a great sleeper, and learning to be a good eater. How blessed am I! So thankful not to be in discomfort, to be relieved of the pains of pregnancy and the worries of bed rest and what ifs. Yet, now, on the other hand, my little boy is here and already beginning to grow and change, and the responsibility and priviledge of raising another little life to follow the Lord weighs silently in the background reminding me of why God gives us children to begin with...to keep His legacy of love, forgiveness, second chances, and new days alive for a dying world to see and remember and turn to seek Him.

Anyone who is a parent knows all too well this double edge sword of succulent sweet joy and piercing heart ache that goes along with growing children. I look at my Savannah now, so big in comparison to her little brother!!! I laugh and smile warmly at her every new phrase and action. reveling in the relief of freedom that her growth and understanding brings, yet silently part of me wishes she would never grow up. That I could forever enjoy the joy of her innocence without the heart ache of growth that knowledge and discipline bring.

I giggle and marvel in her daily independence then inwardly cry when I realize that only 22 months ago, she was as dependent as my little Weston is now. I warm and my heart smiles at every grunt the little guy makes, patiently waiting out the squealing cries knowing all too well, these days will pass too quickly, and I will be marveling and aching at the same time over his new found independence as well.

I look at this sweet picture of me and my mother, and I know that these feelings never change, lessen, or go away. Everyone constantly learns to latch onto the joy of fleeting moments while tempering them with the knowledge that "this too shall pass." Yet somehow God allows us to bear the daily heart ache, so we can cherish the daily blessings. Is this not how He deals with us too? Every day? In everything? Don't you know as His children we cause Him the same joys and pains? Our Lord is all about telling us His story, and the most precious gift He allows us is that He doesn't just tell us His story, He allows us to live His life--granted from a limited earthly perspective--but could we really handle all the realm of emotion our Lord must be made of? I think not!

So for the rest of our lives, where one story ends another will begin. The plot, setting, and characters will change, but I'm finding as time passes that the theme remains the same. God loves me. God loves you. God loves my family, and it is my response to Him to see to it we all share this love with everyone who will take a moment to listen and see and turn to seek His face.

I may be an emotional, post-pardom mother right now, but I'm pretty sure this all rings true. My milk is in, my breasts are killing me, but praise God Weston can nurse! I'm thanking the Lord that this hopefully will not be a repeat of breast-feeding horrors like it was with Savannah=) The beginning of this story is off to a good start! I'm looking forward to what God has in store for my little ones!

What A Mighty God!

So I go in for a routine 36 week check-up at my doctor Wednesday. Only for her to tell me I am 4cm dilated and in active labor.

I check into the hospital at 12:15pm, still feeling nothing. Dr. Pitcher comes to break my water around 1:30...and I start feeling something!

By 3:15 my epidural is in...and boy was that an episode I never want to repeat! I wasn't feeling the contractions now, but I was experiencing some back labor, so I wasn't really able to sleep or get comfortable until they gave me a different pain killer for the back labor.

It worked like a charm! So I was able to sleep about 30 minutes before Dr. Pitcher got there to get things started. I pushed through only four contractions and Weston was here a 6:58pm, weighing in at 7lb. 15oz four weeks early!!

He's beautiful and perfect as you can see :) He even slept five hours through the night the first night, and so far he has only cried briefly for obvious reasons. Thank you Lord for such a sweet blessing.

We are still here at the hospital at least until 7 o'clock this evening waiting on some blood tests. There's a good chance we will stay one more night if he needs to stay a night under the Billy lights.

I feel great! Such a relief to have him here and not pulling on my lower back! Thank you all for your prayers and support. Hope you will come by and see him when you can!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Irony of all Ironies

So here I am, in labor. I go to a routine doctors appointment today only to find out I am four centimeters dilated and in active labor. Labor I cannot feel by the way. Just feels like tight back pain now and again.

So after all the trouble this little guy has put me through maybe he has finally decided to behave. Haha! I guess we will see as the day progresses.

So right now I am blogging from my Blackberry in my hospital bed having contractions waiting for Joey to get back from his trip to the house to get my things. Ah this modern day of technology we live in.

If you don't hear from me for a while at least you k ow why. Love you all. Signing out at 12:55 August 12th. Check your email to find out when it's all over. Thanks for your prayers!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Nursery Mania!

So, I wanted to do a full compare and contrast of Savannah's and Weston's nurseries since it's the same room recreated for a little boy. Unfortunately, you would have been here ALL DAY looking at photos and my explanations! So, I created a photo album on Facebook, which made it super easy to post and tell the whole story behind every little item and creation=)

Now, I know not all of you are Facebook members. Supposedly if you click on the link below, you will be able to view the album, but you may have to join Facebook first to do so. If this is the case, so sorry=( I did post below the basic pics of what Weston's new nursery looks like, so hopefully you can at least enjoy those=)

A Compare and Contrast of Savannah's and Weston's Nurseries!