Life with Two

It has been tough- wonderfully tough. There have been breakdown moments and moments of laughter and joy. To be honest, it has probably been one of the hardest yet most wonderful experiences of my life. I am the mommy of two boys and could not be more blessed.

 I have learned so much about myself this past month. I have learned survival mode and what it means to have an awesome husband. I have learned that I can function off of zero sleep and make meals while holding a baby and tending to Noah. I have learned that happy mom equals happy baby, and there are some battles that I'm not going to fight.

We take daily trips to the park just because I need to get out of the house. Little dood is very mischievous these days- he goes 100 miles per hour and doesn't stop. I love this about his little personality, but I find that the park is one place I can have a break. It sounds counter intuitive, but when I go to the park and find myself surrounded by moms and others kids- I feel sane. This neighborhood in Dallas has been a total God send. I have met so many wonderfully ladies with kids around Noah's age.. I have four new mom friends that I just adore- they are in the same life stage as me and can relate. It's awesome.

We have had so many sweet friends step in and just help us. Bethany Phillip came over one night and let Matt and I go on a date just because. My neighborhood set up a meal train for me, and I have had women bring me meals that I have never met and they are all wonderful. Alli and Justin brought us food both nights in the hospital because we could not bare to eat the hospital meals and then brought us another meal a couple weeks later (and food is my love language). Luke Baker went out last week and did my grocery shopping because someone had done it for them, so they decided to bless us that way as well (and he has a little one the same age as Deacon ). I mean- people just keep loving on us. It's truly blown us both away and probably the only reason I'm sane with two kids right now- well besides Jesus.

Anyways, here I am. Mother of two wonderful boys and I'm surviving. 

Deacon is One Month!

Weight/Length- We go on Friday for his 1 month appointment. I will do a separate post then.

Eating- Deacon eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day. At night, we do 3-4 hours. I'm very excited for the 5-7 hours that should be coming here in the next couple weeks. As of right now, he is just doing mommy's milk.

Bedtime/Awake- Matt and I are BIG BIG BIG fans of Babywise (seriously). We started Deacon on this around week 2. Right now, we start our day around 6:30-7:30. Deacon eats, plays, and sleeps every 3 hours.  We put him down for a nap around 1 hour or 1.5 hours of being awake if he hasn’t fallen asleep sooner. The book recommends he stays awake at least an hour, but sometimes as much as we try- he fights it and is down around forty five minutes. Other times we have to put him down at 1.5 hours and he is still wide awake. Once we put him down for the night, we try to keep him asleep from around 8:30 until the morning. It isn't always 100% successful, but we are are work in progress.

Diapers- Deacon is a little peanut and still in newborn.

Clothes- Deacon is in newborn clothes.

Dislikes- Deacon doesn't like to sit still. He wants to be bouncing, rocking, held and walked. We are working on doing the playmate and letting him just chill- but he would much rather be stimulated. He semi loves/hates tummy time. You have to catch him in the right mood.

Likes- Deacon loves to take baths. I try to give him one every other night because it wears him out and he will sit there for fifteen minutes so happy. If there is any type of light or fan, Deacon is instantly drawn to it. He loves to eat and loves to watch his big brother play.

Favorite memories for the month- I have loved getting to watch Noah step into the role as big brother and love on Deacon. People always ask about jealousy. We haven't really seen much it at all. If anything, we have seen the smothering of love. Noah wants to hold, feed, and help with Deacon. Here is a classic sibling picture. Deacon ain't so happy with the Noah love.

Grammy and Ops Came to Visit

My parents came to visit a week after Deacon was born. It was such a sweet time to celebrate. My dad and Matt put down new sod on our front yard, my mom entertained Noah, and I was able to love on the new little one. Meals were made and put in the freezer, trips were taken to the park, and we all had a blast. Matt and my dad were beat after 4 days of manual labor, but the yard looks awesome. Here are some of the pictures to document the visit. 

Ops and Grammy with the Grandsons

Helping Grammy plant the flowers

The men resting after hours of hard work

Helping daddy with the tilling

King of the Sod.

Happy Thursday!

2 Year and 2 Week Appointments

Last Friday, Matt and I ventured to the pediatrician to have the boys checked on. Noah was due for his two year appointment and Deacon was up for the 2 week appointment. The timing worked out perfect.

Noah is measuring right at the 50% for everything- weight, height, and head circumference. He was such a trooper the whole visit. He even had his finger pricked and shed zero tears. I was one proud mama because I absolutely hate needles. I don't think I could have been that brave. The doctor commented on his verbal skills. She said at two years old, she expects to understand 50% of what a kid says. When Noah was talking (which is at all times), she understood 100% of what he was saying. It was an awesome thing to hear as a mom. 

As of last Friday, Deacon weighs 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 20.25 inches long. I knew they had measured him wrong when he was born (nurse said 18.25). That always seems to happen to my babies. They don't like to stretch out when they come out. Deacon is 25% for weight and 50% for height. With him gaining all of his birth weight back, I can now let him sleep through the night. Last night, he slept for 5 hours. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if the 2.5 hour fuss session before helped tucker him out- but I'll take it!

We are surviving as a family of four. There are so awesome times and there are hard times. It all takes time to adjust, so I'm not unrealistic to think that it will be easy as 1, 2, and 3. I've learned to enjoy the moments it is easy and cling to Christ when it is hard.

I'm so thankful to have Matt by my side through the journey. He has been my right hand man taking care of all the little things I can't think of. He even did a grocery run and mopped my floors after an exhausting day of research/school work.

Here are a couple more recent pictures! Happy Tuesday!

Kyle and Deacon

Where it all started....were we really this skinny? This is around 13/15 weeks I think.

Ashley and I were sorority sisters at Baylor University. There began a friendship that now 9 years later has seen two marriages( her to Luke, me to Matt) bought/sold houses, different cities, different states, graduate school, new jobs, and now four beautiful (or should I say handsome?) boys. 

When we moved to Dallas, one of the most exciting parts of the move was living ten minutes from the Baker's. When we found out in February that we were pregnant along with the Baker's, this was the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. We always joked about trying to have the baby on the same day, but I never really thought it was a possibility. With a two week separation between our due dates and Ashley carrying Kyle very low, I figured she would for sure go at 38 weeks. 

Halloween- the night before induction

As due dates got closer and still no Kyle, I started to have dreams about us having babies on the same date but I just figured there was no way. I also thought I would go over my due date with Deacon and I knew that the longest they would let baby Kyle go was November 4th. 

I have the epidural at this point- numb legs and all. Ashley walked down the hall to come check on me!

With how I was feeling and Ashley being ready to have her baby that was 10 days late, timing started to work towards our favor. Like I said in the post last week, the doctor gave us the go ahead to induce and Ashley was already inducing on November 1st, so it ended up happening!

With having the same doctor, delivering in the same hospital, having two boys (Noah and Kaleb) that are already best friends, we quickly became well known on the labor and delivery floor. I'm pretty sure my obgyn fought for me to be induced on November 2nd because I was told I took the last induction. 

I had just had baby Deacon and was headed up to recovery. They let me swing by and hang out with Ashley while they waited on baby Kyle.

We hung out all throughout the process. She came to visit me once my epidural was going. I saw her once I had baby Deacon. We texted all the time. It was so fun!

It ended up that Kyle decided to take his sweet time and not come until November 3rd, but our babies are hours apart.

Getting ready to go home- not good lighting!

The best part was having her on the same floor for recovery. Because we share so many friends, we had a pizza party in her room with the Lewis's. We had breakfast together one morning and she helped us as we packed up to leave. It was such a sweet adventure. 

One of my top five favorite memories. Labor was much more fun having my best friend by my side.Blessed! It was truly an amazing miracle and a wonderful blessing. Deacon and Kyle  have to be best buds with this story. They have been together since the womb as Ashley and I ran miles and miles together. 

The Birth Story: Deacon Matthew

Blessed. This is the word that comes to mind as I relive November 1^st and November 2^nd. These two days forever changed my life and I am eternally grateful. I could not ask for a more perfect story. I will probably do a couple posts on this weekend just because it would be ridiculously long to fit it all in blog post. There are some incredible side stories that I want to share that go along with the big day, but for now, I will just tell how we came to meet Deacon Matthew.

The week leading up to November 2^nd I was pretty miserable. Between contractions, lack of appetite, and little sleep- I was a walking zombie. At my appointment on Wednesday, the doctor could tell that I wasn't my chipper self. She suggested inducing and I happily agreed. Although I felt a little like I was taking God's control and putting it in my own hands, Matt and I prayed over it and it became very obvious that this was God's will. Our first date of choice was November 1^st, but they had 9 scheduled inductions that day so the chances I'd get bumped were about 100%. The next possible date was November 2^nd. I was hesitant to agree to this day because I knew my best friend was already being induced and I didn't want to take away from Baby Kyle. I quickly called her to run the idea by her and she was beyond thrilled. She loved the idea of doing this together and so did I. It was set. Ashley and I would be delivered on the same day, by the same doctor, and in the same hospital. How perfect! (I will leave the rest of this side story for another post).

Matt and I arrived on Friday night November 1st to start the process. I won't go into details, but the medicine they used sent me into full blown labor (they told me this would be a possibility). By Saturday morning, I was dilated to a 3 and baby was on the way. I was consistently contracting and very miserable. I asked for epidural because I wanted to enjoy myself. I received the epidural around 9 and then began the journey. The most difficult part of the labor was the IV. I have horrible veins that do not like needles. I had 3 unsuccessful IV attempts, one that went to my bone, and they had to call in the IV specialist. This lady was incredible. She did it on the first try- no problem. Her training had been with ICU babies and IV's. She said she had to pretty much do those blindly, so my veins were no problem. I was so grateful. I couldn’t handle being pricked anymore. The first one caused me to almost pass out. I HATE NEEDLES.

Anyways, as time went on once the epidural was in, baby started to get closer and closer. It was awesome. I couldn't feel a thing and Matt and I had a lot of quality time together. I told him this was like a date night- he said it was more like the last supper. Matt is quite the comedian. I loved having him by my side. He provided so much comfort for me throughout the weekend. He was my right hand man and the best companion I could ask for. Around noon the doctor came to check on me and I asked when they would break my water. I was at a 7 and I knew that the final straw would be breaking my water. He said he would come back around 2 and after that he thought we would start the pushing.

At 2 p.m., the doctor came back and broke my water. The nurse had me switch on my side to provide a different position for the baby. At one point I asked her if it was normal to feel so much pressure. I thought the epidural was wearing off. She got this huge smirk on her face and replied that was baby's head. As I started to do the first push, the nurse quickly told me to stop. She said that I didn't need to push, the baby was already coming. She quickly called the doctor back in. Luckily, he had just stepped outside the door after breaking my water so he was able to hurry his way on back in. They told me not to laugh or not to sneeze because baby would come. The doctor got where he needed to be to catch it and the baby just naturally came. No pushing. The doctor had us guess gender as baby was coming. Both Matt and I said boy, and we were right! On November 2^nd at 2:21 p.m., we met our sweet son Deacon Matthew. He was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 18.25 inches long. This little peanut has already provided so much joy. Noah has really stepped into his role as big brother and is quite the little helper.

Praise God for a healthy baby and providing for us time and time again. We are so thankful for such a successful delivery and the experience of doing it with the Bakers.

More posts and pictures to come!

Week 39

Why hello sleep deprived mama!

Along: 39 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size mini watermelon. Baby is around 7 pounds and continuing to gain baby fat each day.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I'm still going strong at 29 pounds as of yesterday. I think I'm actually now at 28.5 but whose counting?

Maternity Clothes:  At this point, my outfit of choice is shorts and a t-shirt. I am always hot. The tighter the clothes- the more suffocated and itchy I feel. I'm so ready for A) the cooler weather to come back and B) to have wardrobe options

Gender: Matt and I still think the peanut is a boy! The game plan is to bring 3 names of each into the hospital and decide there.

Movement: It has slowed down quite a bit.

Sleep: Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad.

What I miss: I miss food tasting good and sleeping through the night. I'm at the point where nothing sounds good. I just eat because I know I'm supposed to and I feel worse if I don't.

Cravings: Powerade, Gatorade, and anything cold.

Symptoms: Round ligament pain (legitimate peg leg as I walk sometimes), contractions, dizziness, nausea, headaches, exhaustion, and sciatica.

Exercise: I have walked a lot this week between 2-5 miles every day. I thought I was going into labor on Tuesday, so I hoped walking would help speed things up. It turns out those contractions were just for fun.   

Best Moment This Week:  We celebrated the dood's birthday this past weekend. It was small and we did a lot of little things to make him special (doughnuts, parks, ice cream, all things he loves). I think my favorite part was us dressing up as a Pac-man family and going to a party with Matt's cohort. Aren't we cute?

I have also had so many special moments with Noah this week. He has been very sweet and super affectionate to both Matt and me. There are lots of kisses, hugs, and chair rocking. I think he knows he is about to be promoted to big brother/ dethroned as the baby. He LOVES baby Hannah and Kaleb, so I think he is going to be a very good big brother.

Baby Update at 39 weeks

So what did the doctor say?

Everything looks great! I am still dilated at 1-2 centimeters with the prediction of having the baby here next week or right at 40 weeks. With how the baby is positioned, I am going to go fast. (I won't give details because I know there are a couple guys out there that read this). The heartbeat was at 138 and she predicts the peanut will be around 7 1/2 pounds. I am hoping that as I continue to be active, it will encourage the baby to come sooner than later. I walked 2 miles yesterday and 5 miles today. 

I'm so excited to see how this birth story unfolds. I also can't wait to see if we have a mini-Noah or if  the peanut favors more my coloring and looks. There is so much to come here in the next couple weeks!

Here are a couple pictures of the dood and his month o' birthday celebration. He now loves getting packages in the mail!  These are pictures from when his dinosaur set arrived from the Blankenships and his new red "fruck" from his Great Grandma Nancy.

I can't wait for Halloween and Christmas with the dood. This year is so different because he understands so much more. I LOVE THIS AGE! 

Happy Friday!

Week 38

Along: 38 weeks

Size of baby: The baby is the size of a leek. He/she should weigh almost 7 pounds and measure around 21 inches long. The average full-term newborn weighs from 6 to 9 pounds and is 18 to 21 inches long. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  29 pounds as of last Thursday

Maternity Clothes:  I wear a mixture of both. I am down to one pair of jeans and one pair of work pants that fit comfortably. The rest of the time I'm living in dresses or sports attire. Anything with a lot of pressure on my belly makes me queasy. I have found my "go-to outfit" is loose, comfortable clothes that are light. I still wear a lot of tank tops and summer clothes despite our cool nights. I am a radiator of heat.

Gender: To be announced in 2-4 more weeks! I have loved this sweet surprise. Matt and I both think boy.   

Movement: Yes! He/she is very active but his/her movements are less crazy and painful. I'm pretty sure I'm at the point where the peanut doesn't have a whole lot of room- more incentive to come out, right?!

Sleep: Restless for the most part. I feel OK though. I think my body is just preparing for what's to come.

What I miss: I miss having outfit options and not constantly feeling all hot and sweaty. It's cold outside and I'm still sweating. That's just wrong in this beautiful Texas fall weather. I also miss being able to get out of bed with ease and get up from sitting on the floor with ease. Noah will offer me his hand to try to help me up. It is pretty darn cute. He says "mama hand" with a slightly bossy voice like hey- I got this, I can help you.

Cravings: Carbs. I want the empty carbs like cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, cookies, and muffins. Luckily, there hasn't been much around, so I can't really indulge myself.

Symptoms: Round ligament pain, Braxton hicks, dizziness, nausea, headaches, exhaustion, and sciatica.

Exercise: I walk probably 2 to 3 times a week. I would walk more but at this point, I don’t want to go by myself.  

Best Moment This Week:  My grandparents and Tony came up to Dallas to visit this past weekend. It was so much fun. Noah was spoiled with attention and soaked it all up. Noah could say everyone's name by the end and was sad to see everybody go. Tony gave Noah his first set of Legos. To say he's obsessed would be an understatement- he LOVES them. Matt and I feel very blessed to have so much loving support. I will update the blog again after my appointment tomorrow. I'm excited to see if we have any progression! My hope is sometime early next week Peanut will arrive- preferably not Noah's birthday and not Halloween but beggars can't be choosers. 

Boys and the Garden Snake

I think I've mentioned this before, but Matt and I could not have chosen a better name for Noah. Although it has been in the top ten since 2011 (which we had NO idea would happen when we chose the name), I can't imagine a better fit or picking anything different. Homeboy loves him some animals.

Recently, Matt has caught two lizards, two frogs, and now a snake for Noah to see/hold. I didn't document the lizards or the two frogs (I totally would have documented the frogs but forgot my phone to take pictures on our walk), but I did get a chance to document the snake.

Matt did some yard work on Friday and came across a garden snake. Well, Matt didn't know it was a garden snake- he just told me he found a snake to which I might have shrieked a little. He took me back to the rock where he found it and I told him it was a garden snake. Immediately Matt asked if we could keep it and told me to get a jar. I HATE snakes- HATE HATE HATE them. I have dreams they are in my bed and then I can't sleep the rest of the night. I told him I would get a jar but that thing would never come into our house and we were NOT keeping it as a pet. He agreed- he just wanted Noah to get to hold it. 

Noah loved it. He has talked about nonstop. If we are anywhere near the rock where Matt found it, he tells Matt snake night night. (That is what we told him when we set the snake free). Here are some of the pictures to document Noah, Dada, and the snake. This picture screams boys will be boys. 

Introducing Noah and the Garden Snake

You mean I can hold it?

OH yeah. The smile on these two faces says it all!

Time to free him Night Night.

Oh yes, mommy insists he now live OUTSIDE the gate.

Happy Tuesday! 

Change in Season

As this blistering hot summer  is changing into cool fall nights, occasional rainy afternoons, and early sunsets, I can't help but thinking how the season of one having one child is coming to an end as well. Dallas went from 90 degree weather to highs of 60's and low's of 40's within a matter of days. To think that within a day, I will go from being a mama of one to a mama of two is just as shocking. 

With change comes wonderful opportunity- I am excited to embrace this next season of life and see what the Lord has in store.  Noah and I both have been welcoming the fall breeze with open arms. It means less mosquitoes and more outside time for the both of us. Here are some pictures I snapped recently.  We went from rain rain rain to cold cold cold.

As for baby, I went to the doctor Thursday and everything looks great. The heartbeat was right around 146 and I'm dilated 1-2 with the prediction that little peanut will come around 39 to 40 weeks. I also lost a pound! Maybe my goal of only gaining 30 pounds will be possible this time around after all!  

Week 37

Along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: Baby weighs almost 6.5 pounds and her/his total length is about 21 inches long. The peanut hasn't stopped growing yet; baby will continue to develop about a half ounce of fat a day. His/ her immune system continues to strengthen and will continue to get stronger after birth. The peanut can now grasp with her/his fingers as dexterity improves.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  30 pounds as of last Thursday

Maternity Clothes:  I wear a mixture of both. I am down to slim pickings. Luckily with this weather change I can do leggings!

Gender: Surprise! Matt and I have decided we aren't going to talk names anymore. I have a list on my phone that we will bring with us and discuss once the peanut is born. We have the boy and girl names narrowed down to three!  

Movement: Yes! I love it. I know it wakes me up while I'm sleeping, but it still is probably my favorite thing about pregnancy. I love the sweet little jabbing reminders of the miracle I'm carrying inside of me.

Sleep: Horrible. Enough said.

What I miss: I miss walking normally and getting out of bed with ease. I feel like it's such a chore to go from sitting to standing or pick something off of the ground.

Cravings: I am at the point where I don't have a huge appetite. I crave juice and fruit.

Symptoms: Round ligament pain, Braxton hicks, dizziness, nausea, headaches, exhaustion, and pregnancy brain. I often lose track of my thoughts mid-sentence or forget what I'm doing.

Exercise: Ashley and I did a five mile walk this weekend. It was a doozy. I am going to try to keep some kind of walk routine up. I want this baby to come!

Best Moment This Week:  There are too many! Matt got a 97 on his test which is studied his butt off for. I was one proud wife who took him to celebrate at the best place ever- CHICK FIL A! On Saturday, the Longhorns defeated the Sooners. GLORIOUS! It was an incredible game that Matt has already had me watch twice. Saturday night, we had supper club and it was a joy/blast/treat. I love this special time with friends. They bless me so much. Tuesday- TAX DEADLINE DONE! No more weeknights or weekends of working- HALLELUJAH!  Let's just say I'm overjoyed and glad I survived. 

Birthday Pictures Plus Family Update

Here are some of the actions photographs from last weekend's shin dig celebrating the dood's second birthday! Can you tell this boy had the time of his life? Mama and Dada did too!

For me?!?!?!

Rio Cake Grammy's friend made- INCREDIBLE!

Grammy and the dood- same shaped face. right?

As for baby update, my oh my! We are so close. I went in on Thursday to check on baby. I kept meaning to ask the doctor if the baby was still breach (peanut was breach at 30 weeks). Turns out homegirl/homeboy has finally switched.  Baby's heart beat was at 146 and the peanut was a kicking and a punching. No slowing down there- I've read that eventually the baby runs out of room. I'm pretty sure this baby just makes room to take jabs at my ribs.

This day is the best!

Kanagroo gets to live at MY house?

Hudson and Noah- friends from the womb.

Noah was in the patient room with me and heard the heartbeat.  He is starting to understand that there is a little baby in my belly. It's pretty cute. I think he is going to be a wonderful brother (watching him around baby Hannah makes my heart melt- he is so gentle and sweet).  I also found out that Noah weighs 30 pounds. After they weighed me (who has also gained 30 pounds), he was curious to try it out too. Noah did have shoes on, so he probably is more about 29.5 but I looked up his percentile. He is 75%-90% for weight. Little dood is thick!

This is going to be fun!

Lunch time!

Mama's sweet friend who drove all the way from Austin to celebrate. :)

I think Matt and I have agreed on taking 3 boys names and 3 girls names to the hospital with us and deciding from there. I'm about 75% sure this baby is a boy. As I am getting closer to my due date, a lot of how I look, how I feel and how I'm carrying this little one reminds me of Noah. I think there are too many similarities for it to be a girl, but who knows? I've heard it can feel the same way and be different genders! Time will tell!

Happy Monday!