Today and March 1, 2010

Today has been one of those days! The kids are being good and my house is clean (no thanks to me), but I am so tired. Every few days the broken sleep catches up to me. Macey slept all morning until it was time for John Henry to take a nap. Of course. So John Henry is skipping his nap today. No way I am sitting up with Macey awake while John Henry sleeps. If he sleeps during the day he has a really really hard time going to sleep at night. Then Macey screamed and screamed for about 30 minutes earlier. That isn't like her at all. I think it is a combo of gas and being overly tired. I can't wait for bed tonight. Hopefully we can all go to bed early.

Right now, Macey is sleeping in her stroller. We have been going on walks when Kurt gets home from work, and she always sleeps so well when we come in. I put her in the stroller to see if that has anything to do with it. She is sleeping with her arms over her head now- so cute! But my stupid camera went dead when I tried to take the picture. :(




And John Henry is on the floor playing with his train, bus, and airplane. He is really good at entertaining himself, praise the Lord! Notice the big boy underwear? We are seriously potty training over here. I say seriously because this isn't the first time I have tried this. He does great around the house then not so great when we go places. We have been mainly hanging out at home this week so he can get the hang of it. He even pooped in the potty this afternoon! Yay!! We have had a few accidents, but he usually catches himself and runs to the potty to finish.

Macey's first real bath last week. John Henry was a big help until he tried to dump a huge cup of water over her head. Then I yelled and made him cry. I felt bad, but I had JUST said, "Don't pour that water on Macey."



Another of John Henry hugging Macey. This morning I was in the shower; Macey was in her bouncy seat on the floor and John Henry was watching Toy Story 2 on the portable DVD player (excellent parenting I know). Macey started crying and John Henry said, "Mommy I am going to pick up Macey now." Uh, no!! Then he tried to put her paci in her mouth (mainly by shoving it in really hard) and he was talking to her so sweetly. He was saying, "Don't cry girl. Don't be sad." It was adorable. Even though he is still a little jealous, he is so sweet to her- most of the time!



Now the birth story. I wrote John Henry's in his baby book as soon as we got home from the hospital, but my poor 2nd child is deprived and doesn't have a baby book yet. This really bothers Kurt, but it has been ordered!


I went to the doctor on February 23rd and Dr. Ross said that he was going to induce on March 1st. I wasn't dialated at all, but John Henry weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz. and he was afraid Macey would be big as well. Kurt had actually been telling people that she would be born on March 1st for a while. I guess he's psychic.

So on March 1, I got up at 3:45 am and got ready to be at the hospital at 6:30. I got Kurt up and he got ready to go as well. I forgot that I was supposed to call the hospital and see if they had room for me. I called around 4:45, and the nurse said they were really really busy and to call back in 10 min. I called back and they were full! They said they would call me when they were ready for me to come in around 9 or so. I swear as soon as the nurse said to go back to bed and get some rest, John Henry woke up. So we laid on the couch and watched tv until the hospital called at 7:45 and said to come in at 9:30.

This is me on the way to the hospital. I had no idea my face was so fat until I saw this picture! Check out my unfinished living room. Still looks that way. It will until we win the lottery.



We dropped John Henry off at my mom's, which was really hard. I cried so hard when we left Bailey the morning I was induced with John Henry. I don't think I cried as hard when I left John Henry which sounds really bad, but I knew he would be fine with my mom. She called when we were pulling into the hospital and said he has stopped crying.

We got to the hospital around 9:45, and the induction didn't really start until 10:30 or so. I was dialated 2 cm before the induction started. I decided as soon as I got the nubain painkiller with John Henry that there was no way I was getting it this time. It made me throw up all.day.long. So I toughed out the pain until it was time for the epidural. I think I got the epidural around 1? I can't really remember. All I remember is that the nurse told me it would be about an hour, and it was the longest hour of my life! Then she told me she called the anesthesiologist, but I don't really think she did because a little bit later when I asked how long it would be again, she said she has to call the anesthesiologist. What the heck?! We thought she was on her way! Thankfully it only took a minute for her to get to my room.

The epidural hurt this time and it didn't work on my left side, exactly like with John Henry. She had to come back and adjust it. While I was waiting on her to come, I could feel everything on my left side, but it was definitely a relief to only feel the pain on one side instead of both! She adjusted it where most of my left side was numb. I could still feel part of it though, which made it hard to sleep. They promised that they could give me a local if I needed it during delivery.

For some reason epidurals make me really really sleepy and worn out. I just laid there and couldn't even talk b/c I was so tired. I only threw up 2 times, which was much better than last time. At one point, I told the nurse I had to throw up, but I didn't have the energy. :) Kurt was so sweet to hold the barf bag and wipe my face. I hate to admit it, but that is much nicer than I would have been if he were throwing up. I would have been running the other way.

I started pushing around 4, and Macey was born at 5:02. As soon as she came out, she grabbed Kurt's hand. He said it was really cool, but really gross too. Ha! I think she would have been born earlier, but it was a shift change, so I had to stop while they brought the new nurse in. It was soooooo much easier this time. I didn't really know if I believed everyone when they said the second was easier, but it was. I am sure it helped that she was almost a pound smaller than John Henry.

I am already telling Kurt that I want another baby, but he is admant about no more children. I just can't believe that we will never have another little baby. It makes me want to cry to think about it. Maybe he'll read this and see how sad it makes me and want another one. :) Yeah, right! Two that don't sleep has about sent him over the edge.

Macey's first picture. She screamed like that for 30 minutes straight. We were both a little nervous that she wouldn't stop once she got home.

John Henry meeting Macey for the first time. He held her for a second, then told me he was too big to hold her.

She has so much hair!

John Henry loves Macey.

If Macey is anywhere near the ground, this is what John Henry does. He is trying to hug her, but he really ends up lying on top of her.

See? :)

Bec Bec holding Macey when they came to visit last week.

Cowboy John Henry

This is where our hunting dog hid during a thunderstorm. She is going to be a great hunter!

Check out the hair!

New post below

Update on us

Macey is 3 weeks old today. I cannot believe how much bigger she has gotten! She is getting fatter, holding her head up more, and staying awake a lot more. She stays awake more than any other newborn I have ever seen. From the beginning she stayed awake for 3 hours at a time. I think her stomach hurt yesterday, but she was up from 9:30 when we woke up until 1:00 in the afternoon! Praise the Lord, she is a wonderful night sleeper. She stays awake for a few hours at night, then I put John Henry to bed, come and get her and feed her, then we go to bed. At night she is sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches. Then I just change her diaper, feed her, and put her back down. After John Henry I don't think Kurt and I can take another bad sleeper.

We had a few rough days with John Henry being bad but thankfully those are over. He still has his moments, but I think that is mostly from him being 2. He is a little jealous of mine and Kurt's time with her- he wants us to wrap him up in blankets while we hold him or hold him like a baby, but I guess that is to be expected and I will take it over the screaming and yelling NO that he was doing a few weeks ago.

John Henry loves Macey so much. Whenever she is on the floor in her bouncy seat or in her swing, he hugs her and lays down with her and says, "Hey gril. I love you gril." He is trying to say girl, but it sounds like grill. :) When she cries he gets her paci to put in her mouth and rubs her head. He is a very sweet big brother.

I do feel guilty b/c we stay in the house so much these days! The weather is gross and it is so time consuming to get 2 kids out of the house just to go to Wal-Mart (b/c that is all we have here for entertainment). By the time we are finished at the store, it is always past nap time. Then John Henry naps late and is up all hours of the night. We have gone to Birmingham two times this past week- once to play with Ben and Bec and the other to see my mom on Saturday. It was so nice to get out of the house and have some help!

Even with how hard it is to get out of the house, going from one child to two is so much easier than going from no children to one! Seriously, this is so much easier than I ever thought it would be. God has been very gracious!

Pics in the next post. I hate how blogspot puts all the pics at the beginning of the post. They are so hard to move.

A few pics of Macey from her newborn photo shoot

Beth Daniel (http://www.bethdanielphotography.com/) has taken some of John Henry's pictures before, and she does a great job. She happened to go to an nationally recognized newborn photography seminar last weekend, and as an incentive to get newborns in to shoot them, she was running a special of a free session and 20 free prints!! I was so excited, and we had to do them before Macey was 10 days old, so we went yesterday at 9 days old. Below are a few pictures that she took and posted on facebook. The others are coming soon. They are amazing!

First week at home

First of all, if you have called or emailed and I haven't emailed back I am sorry! Things have been crazy here, and I feel guilty talking on the phone and taking more time away from John Henry.

Our first week at home has been good! John Henry loves Macey and wants to hold her, but the jealously has started to set in a little bit. He wants me to hold him more and more and has been acting out for a few days! The 2nd day we were home, John Henry looked in Macey's bassinette and she wasn't in it. He asked where she was and I told him downstairs with Daddy. He said, "Mommy, I wanted two babies!" I think he has changed his mind since then. :)

Macey is doing well. She was jaundiced so she had to say on the light for 3 1/2 days. It really was a blessing b/c we couldn't hold her all the time, so she is learning to sleep on her own. Something John Henry never did! She sleeps great, but is awake more than any newborn I have ever seen. Usually about 2x a day she wakes up for 3 hours. Today she was up from 7-10 am and 4-7 pm. I am talking wide awake the whole time. She will lie in her bed for a while, but then she fusses to eat or be held. God has been very gracious and not let that happen at night yet, praise the Lord!

Kurt and I both had a stomach virus last night. He spent the night in the basement b/c I didn't want him touching the kids. John Henry and I slept on the couch with Macey beside us in the basinette. We are both feeling better today, but John Henry and I are pretty tired!

We went and had Macey's newborn pictures done with Beth Daniel today. Just this month she is doing a special for newborns 10 days old and under- free sitting fee and 20 free prints. Yay!!! I think the pics will turn out really well. I can't wait to see them. John Henry flat out refused to take a picture with her, but I can't blame him. We did get about 6 hours of sleep on the couch and he was an angel for the first two hours we were there. I was very disappointed though b/c I really wanted one of them together.

I know I have more to add, but I will do it later.

She's here!

Macey Evelyn was born last night at 5:03. She weighs 7 lbs, 7 oz. and is 20 inches long. She looks a lot like John Henry to me; they definitely have the same lips. :) She has TONS of dark dark hair.

John Henry held her for a second and then told me, "I'm too big to hold her." Then while Kurt was holding her, he said, "She came out of your tummy with blankets on!" He did not want to leave last night. I think everyone in the room was crying. My mom said he slept from 1:45-5:15 this morning and woke up asking to "go to Mommy's hospital." So they will be here in just a little bit. Hopefully, John Henry will fall asleep and take a good nap for my mom!

Here are some pics. More updates to come later. :)