Landon is HERE!

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 17, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

I went into labor late in the evening on Friday the 13th. We made it to the hospital around 11:30, after calling Chip to come and stay at the house while Aubrey Ann slept. I was so nervous that I was waking people up for a false alarm, but after two hours of laboring at home, the contractions weren’t slowing down and they were only getting closer together.

We were checked into labor and delivery around midnight, and they hooked me up to some monitors, and saw that I was indeed in labor. Contractions were about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes apart. Labor started off fairly quick, until around 3 am, when it suddenly stalled. I was dilated to 5 or 6 cm and suddenly my contractions started getting further and further apart. They told me that they wanted to start me on pitocin to make the contractions come back stronger and faster, but I was very nervous. I got an epidural prior to starting the pitocin, but unfortunately it only numbed my legs. Not exactly efficient for labor pain relief! They told me that they wanted to start me on pitocin regardless of the epidural working. We called Sandra and my Mom and asked them to come and help us figure out whether or not we should ask them to try the epidural again. When they arrived, I was pretty worked up and feeling scared. I didn’t want to have to have pitocin, I wanted to continue laboring on my own. I felt like my voice wasn’t being heard. Finally, I just left it up to Brandon to make the decision. He decided to have them try the epidural again, and start the pitocin.

The anesthesiologist came back into the room and inserted another catheter for the epidural, this time a bit higher on my spine to hopefully alleviate the pain from the contractions. Unfortunately, the epidural only helped to numb my right side, so I had all the feeling on my left side.

By this time, they had started the pitocin and the contractions started to REALLY pick up. They were 2-3 min apart and much more intense. They checked me and I had dilated to almost 8 cm, and I was progressing fast. Luckily, I was able to breath and concentrate through most of the contractions, until the last 5 or 6. I think they were more intense because I was ready to push. The doctor came in and quickly checked me and said, “We better hurry!” So they very quickly got the room ready, and the doctor got dressed and ready to go.

The doctor gave me the ok to push, and I pushed 4 times through one contraction, and Landon was born! I cannot even describe the feeling of relief and euphoria that labor was over and Landon was here! He came out and was absolutely perfect. The nurses told me later, that they tried to take him from me several times, but I simply wouldn’t let him go! He had such a mild little cry and nursed right from the very start with a good latch!

We are so excited to have our baby boy here. We are exhausted, and a bit overwhelmed (as to be expected) but loving life as a family of four. It feels like we are learning more and more every hour of the day. It is interesting to get to know another baby. It is always shocking to see that the two kids were so different. What worked to soothe Aubrey Ann, doesn’t necessarily work for Landon. It really is like starting over from scratch!

Landon is doing really well, and so far is nursing and sleeping well. He has just started to ‘wake up’ and so it was just in the last 12 hours or so that we really heard him cry for the first time. His cry is much more mellow than his sisters, but he still likes to use his voice!

Please keep us in your prayers. Many of you know that I suffered from a case of Postpartum Depression with Aubrey Ann, so we are praying that we don’t have anything this time around.

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In Desperate Need of a Pick Me Up

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 13, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

I don’t want to be a complainer, but being this pregnant is starting to wear on me. There are many things to dislike about being nine months pregnant. From the “cankles”, the oddly shaped belly button, to the fact that I cannot bend over without moaning so loud it sends Brandon running in to see if my water broke, the ninth month of pregnancy isn’t pretty.

In an effort to be more positive, I am going to try and think of a few things that I love about being this pregnant. I am really going to have to wrack my brain here, and get in touch with my inner optimist (which is VERY hard, for me).

What I LOVE about being 9 months pregnant:

1. People letting me go ahead of them in line at the grocery store.
2. The way my belly makes a resting spot for all my plates of food and drink cups when I lie down.
3. All that ice cream, none of the guilt.
4. When I drop something, everyone makes a mad dash to help me pick it up. (Thank goodness for this one!)
5. Brandon’s help with vacuuming, every.single.night. Gotta LOVE that one!
6. I can’t see my thighs any more! Woo hoo!
7. All the rolling and kicking in my tummy. I know I will miss this feeling very soon!
8. I have the perfect excuse to cry at any given moment, and NOBODY gets to say a thing about it!
9. Ummmm, can you say “Thank you pregnancy hormones” for nice skin, hair and nails for 9 months? I can! I haven’t had a zit in forever! Now that is a reason to stay perpetually pregnant!
10. All the extra hugs I get from Aubrey Ann because she wants to hug her baby brother. This one might be the BEST of all.
11. Oh yeah, did I mention that I get to have a BABY! How awesome is that! Superman, eat your heart out!

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So Ready!

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 12, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

It is all done. The clothes are washed and hanging, the crib is adorned with all things cute and baby-like, the house is clean, the laundry is done, the bags are packed and ready to go. So what exactly is Landon waiting for? I have officially reached the point of pregnancy where I can honestly say, “I am D-O-N-E, DONE!” I know that patience is a virtue that I often lack (and then wonder why my three year old struggles with this very thing!), but doesn’t there come a point where you can simply reason with the baby about making his arrival a tad more prompt?

I imagine my conversation going something like this:

Me: Now Landon, give me your eyes and listen to my words, it is not nice to dilly-dally. Mommy has told you that it is time to come, and you are choosing not to listen. I would like you to please come with a quickness. Say ‘yes Mommy’.

Landon: Huh? (Silently thinking, “you are crazy lady, I am snug as a bug in a rug in here!”)

Me: Landon, I know you are not even born yet, but I promise, if you come now, I will lace my breast milk with all kinds of candy and sweets. Also, while we are talking, can you please stop kicking me under the ribs, it hurts Mommy.

Landon: Mmmm. Candy. Tempting, but no. And the rib thing? Yeah, I am a boy, so you just better get use to it.

Me: (Sigh. Long pause.) Landon, have I ever told you what a time out is?

In all reality, I am trying to enjoy these last few days of pregnancy. I know our world is going to be turning upside down very shortly. But being 9 months pregnant in August certainly earns me the right to do my share of complaining, yes?

In the meantime, I am trying to keep myself busy with Aubrey Ann. I find that the more I get out of the house and do things, the better I feel. It is the days where I stay at home, not ready to meet all the stares and hear all of the sympathy comments that seem to make me much more antsy.

On a side note, I had an interesting comment from a checker in Walmart today. I had seen her before, but never spoken to her. Since there is exactly one place to shop in our little town, I am sure she was my checker at one point or another. Well anyway, as I was checking out, I had Aubrey Ann sitting in the cart. The checker asked when I was due, and I told her. Then she said, “Is your daughter ready to be a big sister?” Aubrey Ann said, “Yes”. Then the checker said, “It is going to be a huge adjustment, because you two are so close.” I said, “How do you know that?” She said, “I see you in here all the time, and you can just tell that you two are best friends.”

Made my day. She is right, Aubrey Ann and I are so close. In fact on two separate occasions today I heard. “Mommy, I will ALWAYS love you”. And also, “Mommy, you are the best Mommy ever.” I wish I could save some of the comments for the teen years!

I am confident that even though my heart feels like it could burst from all the love I have for this little girl, that it can grow to accommodate all the love I have for Landon. That’s just what Mommy’s hearts do.

So in the meantime, I am going to try and exercise a bit of patience and wait for this little guy to come, if for no other reason than to show my daughter how it is done!

And since SOMEBODY needs to use that crib…

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Wizard of Oz is Finally Finished!

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 9, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

Today before nap, Aubrey Ann and I finally finished reading The Wizard of Oz. I cannot tell you how long it has taken us to get through it, but it feels like it has been at least 2-3 months. Everyday before nap we read a few pages, depending on how tired AA is feeling that day. Today was our very last page, and I must say *sniff *sniff, I am not ready for it to be over. Her first novel is completely done, and that is just another “first” to pass us by.

But on to bigger and better things! Our next chapter book is going to be Charlotte’s Web. AA saw the movie a couple of months back and has been asking about the book ever since, so I am off to amazon to buy our next great literary adventure!

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Little Landon’s Room

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 9, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

We are finally finished with Landon’s room. Such a marked difference from last pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Aubrey Ann, I had the room finished MONTHS in advance, but this pregnancy I finished around 35 or 36 weeks. I think it comes from the realization that I am likely NOT going to have this baby spontaneously at 32 weeks, and that even if I did, he could really care less if his room is finished or not. Ahhh….to be a mother of more than one. So freeing!

So here are the pictures of his room!

Decorating his room was a lot of fun. I think realizing that I will be redoing it in just a couple of short (VERY short) years really took the stress off. It was fun and now I can’t wait to rock him in that rocking chair!

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Double Stroller

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 7, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

We finally put together our double stroller this weekend, and I am SO glad it is done. It was the second to LAST item on our “To Do Before Landon Arrives” list. There is a definite sens of finality now that it is done, and now I am just not-so-patiently awaiting his arrival!

Here is a picture of it all put together and ready to go!

Mamaw and Papaw were kind enough to buy this for us, and we SO appreciate it. Can’t wait to give it a spin!

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Our Last Vacation as The Three Amigos

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 7, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

Santa Cruz, here we come!

The three of us made a trip to Santa Cruz for some fun in the sun. We knew this would be our last vacation as just the three of us because of Landon’s soon arrival, so we were very excited to get away and live it up a bit.

The first day we spent at the beach. Aubrey Ann loved playing with all of her princesses in the sand, and especially enjoyed hanging out in the big hole Daddy dug for her. She liked playing in the water, and really like chasing the waves in and out. We had a great day on the beach!

The next day we spent at the boardwalk. Aubrey Ann had a great time riding all the rides, and even rode a couple of big ones! She went on The Log Ride, and had a great time, until the drop that is! She immediately started crying when the ride was over, but then she told me she liked it! Silly girl! She is a little dare devil like her Mommy I guess!

We had such a good time, and Aubrey Ann enjoyed every second of our day. It was nice to get away just the three of us and reflect on where the last three years has taken us, and where the next three might be headed! We are so looking forward to our addition, but we are also savoring every last moment as ‘the three of us’. We couldn’t be more blessed!

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Landon’s Baby Shower

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 7, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

My Mother and Cassie threw me a ‘sprinkle’ for our little Landon. A sprinkle is basically a small baby shower to celebrate second and later babies. I really appreciated the thought, and they did a FANTASTIC job. If I had made all the decisions myself, it would have come out just like this shower. I had a great time and Aubrey Ann enjoyed playing with all of her friends on the waterslide bounce house in the back yard.

The decorations and food were absolutely wonderful! The decorations were all blues and greens, and my mother and Cassie made all kinds of yummy salads for our lunch. The BEST part was all of the desserts! There was cake, a strawberry ‘pizza’, cupcakes, and a couple of different types candies. Oh yes, I can’t leave out, Mom’s homemade cookies and cream ice cream which is responsible for most, if not all, of my third trimester weight gain! It was absolutely DELICIOUS. We had such a good time, playing games (my favorite was a game of pregnancy pictionary!), eating good food, chatting, and opening gifts. I was overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and felt very blessed to have such awesome friends and family.

Thank you to everyone who made my day so special, it was absolutely perfect!

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Maternity pictures

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 7, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

These were taken by our very talented brother-in-law Derek. He is fantastic, and we absolutely LOVE how they came out! Thank you Uncle Derek for taking such awesome pictures.

I was 34 weeks pregnant when these pictures were taken.

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Fourth of July- 2010

Posted by Mari Jo

on August 7, 2010  about Aubrey Ann

We were very fortunate to get to spend our Fourth of July this year with our Cousin Micah. They both enjoyed being together and having fun with all of our little projects and crafts. In the afternoon, they both spent the day at Mamaw’s house and had a blast on the waterslide bounce house. Aubrey Ann LOVED the sparklers as usual and had a great time with all of her cousins. Here are a few pictures from our fun day!

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