Happy Birthday Ameryn!

Time flies by when you are having fun. That is so true of the time that we have had with our wonderful firstborn. She has been such a joy for us! It is so hard to believe that it was five years ago today that we were so incomprehensibly blessed with our daughter! I will share with you the day that our lives were so radically, and yet beautifully changed. I went to bed Tuesday night as usual. I felt no different than I had any other night in my final month. I fully believed that I would hold onto this baby until the scheduled induction I had for Friday. You see, I was five days overdue, and the were expecting me to have a giant baby being that I was so huge. I had to have another ultrasound about a month prior to check on her size because they were worried that she would be too big for me! She measured perfectly at that time, and they estimated that she would be between seven and nine pounds at birth. Chris and I were not worried about her size, we had always figured that with both of us being a little more than eight pounds at birth, our kids would be around that too. I had taken Tuesday off from work, figuring that I should take my boss up on the offer to take a day off to relax before I had the baby. I was fully intending to go back to work on Wednesday and work until my induction. Ameryn, thankfully, had other plans for my week! at 12:30 a.m. I startled awake. I really had no idea why, but after laying there for no more than three seconds I heard and felt a little "pop." I rushed into the restroom and sure enough, my water had broken. I tried to call out for Chris, who had fallen asleep on the couch. I finally got up and made my way into the living room to wake him up. I didn't have to do much three words brought him back from his eight hour coma in a snap. "My water broke" and he jumped up and gave me a hug, and voiced the question that was on my mind "what do we do now?" I had not really planned for this. In my mind labor always begun with contractions that you timed and new when things were getting close. We knew that once my contractions were five minutes apart it was time to call Dr. Scott and head to the hospital. I mean geez, didn't this usually happen well into labor, sometimes not until right before delivery? It was not what i was anticipating, but I was rolling with it (but really, there was not anything else I could do:). I called my doctors after hours service, hoping they were not going to tell me to wait around until I started contracting! They didn't. After a few questions to be fairly certain that it was my water breaking, not just some other issue that can happen with a very pregnant woman, the answering nurse put the call into the doctor, assuring me that they would call me back in minutes. I did not wait long before the phone rang again and Dr. Scott told me to head to the hospital. It was her surgery day, so my delivering Dr. would be Dr. Crowe. I had met and had a few appointments with Dr. Crowe, so I was not to upset not to have my regular doctor. Chris and I each got a shower and quickly made our way to The hospital. After a brief test to be sure that things were really happening, we were shown back to our room. I was hooked up to monitoring devices and given my IV. They gave me pitocin to start contractions, being that my water had already broken and I was not having any yet. My Mom and Amy arrived shortly there after. I was going to try and deliver without an epidural, but pitocin brings on hard and strong contractions form square one, and I was having a lot of intense pain from it. I labored for four hours before I gave in and asked for some relief. I was terrified of the giant needle that was about to be inserted into my epidural space, but I was relieved that there was an end to the pain in sight. They would not let Chris hold my hand during the procedure, and I could only get a glimpse of Amy from where the nurse was standing. They had to tell me to calm down a few times and try to slow my breathing ( I was pretty much hyperventilating at this point) but once they were done everything was great! I could watch myself contracting on the monitor, and actually be relaxed enough to relax some. Notice that I said "relax" and not "sleep" people are always wanting you to get some sleep while in labor, and for me that is simply not possible. I don't really know how anybody would be able to sleep with a baby coming, but I digress. I pretty much had no progression and only dilated to about a two before 7:00 a.m. Chris' family and my Dad arrived shortly there after. I was pretty comfortable through the morning, finally progressing to a four at about 10:00 a.m. Dr. Crowe came and checked on my progress at about noon, and discovered that I had progressed two more centimeters to be at a six! They expected me to be at least a few more hours, so Dr. Crowe went to check on a lady who was a bit farther along than I was. I had started to feel a lot of pressure at this point and was feeling that things were really starting to happen. I asked for the nurse to check me again. They really didn't think it was necessary since I had just been checked an hour before, but they went ahead with it and discovered that I was a full 10 centimeters dilated! They paged Dr. Crowe and started to get things ready for the new baby. They decided to let me push, telling me that I would be pushing for at least two hours. After my first attempt the nurse got a funny look on her face and said to get Dr. Crowe immediately. Apparently I was much more efficient than they had anticipated :) . They had me stop pushing (which is next to impossible when your body decides to do it without your help) and Dr. Crowe came running in. In 15 minutes total Ameryn came into this world. It was 1:50 p.m., after 13 hours and 20 minutes of labor. She had beautiful golden blond hair and eyes that were so blue that you knew that they would stay blue. She weighed 8 lbs 4 1/2 oz, and was 20 1/4 inches long. She was such a good baby, and would sleep for five hours at night as soon as we brought her home (that lasted for about a week :). She has been such a blessing in our lives. She has a love for music, dancing, and all things Daddy! We love you sweet girl!

A Weekend In Gatlinburg

We decided this past week to take a little weekend trip to Gatlinburg. I started looking on the Internet for cabin rentals, but then we thought that we have never reserved anything before so why start now? Also we thought it might be nice for the kids to have a pool, and I have not seen a cabin with one yet :) . I got us all packed and ready and we started to leave Friday night. I say started because we made it across the green bridge and decided that we would get there so late (like midnight) that it would not be worth it! So we turned around, grabbed some dinner, and headed home. I set my alarm that night for 3a.m., thinking that I would get up and run to Walmart before it was time to go and get a few things that we would need. Didn't happen. I hit the snooze button until 3:30 and finally got up to shower and get ready to go. Chris and I got the car packed and woke the kids up around 4:30. They had a quick wardrobe change and got settled in the car for their long sleep to Gatlinburg! I love it that we were blessed with two very good car riders. Practically any drive longer than 30 minutes and they will go to sleep :) . We did have a hard time with Rogan at first, he would cry and cry in the car. When he turned one, and we were able to turn his car seat to the forward facing position, everything changed. He went from a crabby car rider to a very happy one! He just wanted to be able to see what was going on I guess! After heading out on the road I realized that I had forgotten to pack Rogan some shoes! So when we stopped in Clarksville to eat breakfast I had to run into Walmart and grab him some new ones! I was also able to pick up the few things that we needed then (instead of at 3a.m.), so it all worked out! when we got into Pigeon Forge, our friend Rachel called my phone. they were in Gatlinburg with another couple and wanted to know if we wanted to meet up for lunch. We were just coming up to the shopping center that they were at so we thought that we would stop and say hi right then. After learning what wild and crazy people were, ( going to Gatilinburg in peak season without a reserved place to stay is not for the feint of heart) who were not yet committed to any sleeping facility, they offered us the extra room in the cabin that they were staying in. We were quite shocked at the invite, and had no intentions of intruding on their trip, especially with two children in tow! They were very insistent, however, and we ended up staying with them that night. The cabin was gorgeous, and the kids had their very own jacuzzi bath tub to play in! We had so much fun shopping, go carting and bungee jumping (Skip and Rachel, we just cheered them on :)! We said goodbye to Skip, Rachel, and new friends Steve-o and Susanna, the next morning. It was so blazing hot that we decided to find a good place in the mountain to wade. Chris did an excellent job of finding the perfect spot while the kids and I took a little nap! The water was freezing, and Rogan did not want to go in it for awhile. This of course did not deter Ameryn, and she took to the water immediately! Rogan was quite content to throw rocks into the water for awhile.

I got in as well!

Who says you can't wade in a dress?

Rogan finally got in when he realized that the best throwing rocks are in fact in the water!

He was trying to follow his Daddy in this one. :)

Showing off her weapons of mass destruction.

Rogan is not a fan of wet clothing, so as each item got wet, they had to come off!

My family! We finished the day in downtown Gatlinburg with shopping, an arcade, and dinner at Cherokee Steak House. It was a really fun trip,I can't wait to go back!

Ameryn and Rogan's Birthday

This past Sunday (Fathers Day, I know) we celebrated Ameryn and Rogan's 5th and 2nd Birthday! We decided to have a combined party for them this year and it went really well. We had never booked a party somewhere, we had always had Ameryn's party in our back yard or at the church, and Rogan had his first birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. It was nice to only have to worry about the cake (which I stayed up until 3a.m. decorating:). They had a blast and Rogan asks me every day if we can go back! Rogan's cake was Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. Ameryn wanted a pink butterfly. She got to help put on the finishing touches (the stuff that looks like a sprinkling of dirt is actually green sparkles, I don't know why they came out that way in the pic!).

They had a visit from Monkey Joe, which Ameryn loved!

Rogan, not so much!

Blowing out the candles.

Having fun on the bouncies!

It was a great day! Thanks to everyone who made it special by celebrating with us!

Spider Girl

AMERYN: Hey Momma, watch what I can do!

ME: Sure baby, go ahead.

Ameryn: Wasn't that cool?

Me: That was so awesome, you looked just like Spider Girl! But do me a favor sweetness.

Ameryn: Sure Momma.

Me: Let's not do that again. :)

Playing Catch Up

Wow, It has been a long time since I have posted! This is mainly due to the fact that I have been super busy with potty training two kids, caring for many small children at my daycare, and a little splash of just plain laziness!

Rogan is doing great with his potty training, and I am certain that we will definitely be done before kindergarten ;) . He has shown a great capacity for being outside with out having an accident. In my previous experiences with potty training, being in the great outdoors is the downfall of most children. I don't know what it is, but playing outside causes more accidents than a hand dipped in warm water while sleeping ( I have never actually tried this prank, but I have been told that it works :) . We had an impromptu birthday party for him at Chick-Fil-A. He and Ameryn are having a double party in June, but we couldn't let his birthday go by without doing a little something! He loves the motorcycles and guitar that he got! His speech and vocabulary have improved dramatically. I guess being able to hear agrees with him!

Ameryn is doing so well in karate, and just got her blue belt! Her teacher says that if she continues to progress as she has been, she will be one of the youngest black belts that the school has graduated. She really loves the classes and her teachers, but we will see if she still wants to continue with it when her year is up (if our kids choose to join a class, they have to do it for at least one year before they are allowed to stop). She is becoming my little fashionista, always wanting to "have some style." this started with her wanting to roll her socks down, calling that a style. just recently she was looking in my closet and found my black flip flops that have some sparkly things along the straps. "oh, momma, these are so beautiful! But you know, You need to wear them with something colorful. You know, because you don't want to be all black or anything." It was so hard to keep from laughing! And not because it was unsound advice, it was quite true, but for the fact that this was coming from my four year old. A four year old who has never watched fashion T.V. , or even seen a fashion magazine! I don't believe that I had to have this conversation with her today:

AMERYN: "Momma, can I wear my shirt up like this so that it shows my tummy?"

ME: "No baby, we don't wear our shirts like that."

AMERYN: " But why Momma?"

ME: "Because Ameryn, we are ladies and ladies don't walk around with their stomachs showing."

AMERYN: (dejectedly) "I just wanted to show some style."

I explained to her that there are more ways to be stylish while still being modest like wearing bracelets or rings or something of that sort. As in this picture, where she has added a butterfly headband, necklace, and three bracelets that are not in the shot. She was still unimpressed. But when I mentioned that she could put some glitter in her hair all became right in her world again. I just hope that this is not indicative of what is to come as she gets older. I guess as long as she is easily deterred by some well placed glitter, everything will be fine!

Happy Birthday Rogan!

And now Rogan's story continues. After trying unsuccessfully to relax and not wake Chris and Ameryn up I decided to go ahead with the epidural. At that time I had to lay only on my left side, because Rogan responded better to the contractions that way. This made them much harder for me to bear unfortunately, and as I knew that I would want one sooner or later I decided to opt for the sooner. My Mom and sisters had been in the waiting room for awhile trying to let Chris and Ameryn get some rest, so they were able to take Ameryn out of the room for the procedure. I had always said that I would not be comfortable with a student shoving a giant needle into my spine, but when the sweetest girl came in and asked if I would be willing to let her practice on me I couldn't say no. I of course asked her the obvious question of how many epidurals she had done (to be sure that I would not be the first) and she told me that I would be her 40th patient. Everything went great ( as great as it can be with someone shoving and shoving a catheter into your epidural space) except that there was a kink in the line when she programmed the dose into the computer. This meant that I did not receive the full dose and was unable to get any more for a certain amount of time. Whatever she gave me was plenty enough to make the rest of my labor nice and comfy:) . At about 4 a.m. Doctor Kyzer came in to see how things were progressing. I was at 2 centimeters by then. I tried to get some rest but again, nada. I was 3 centimeters at 6 a.m., and then 4 at 7 a.m. Chris' family began to arrive at about 8 a.m., and I was found to be at 5 centimeters. I was able to brush my teeth in bed and Amy put my hair up for me because I didn't want to move my hand with the IV in it. I should have looked in the mirror, for when I later saw my pictures (which will not be posted here!) I vowed revenge on her when she had her babies! By 9a.m. I was a full 6 centimeters dilated. The nurses were expecting me to have a while to go, but I was feeling like things were starting move move pretty rapidly. As I experienced with Ameryn, my body likes to go from 6 centimeters to 10 in about an hour. By 10 a.m. I was feeling some pretty intense pressure and asked for the nurse. like I expected I was a full 10 centimeters and ready to go. They called for Dr. Kyzer and started to prepare the incubator. While we were waiting, Rogan' s heart started to really slow down during each contraction. They had me lay on my left side again to help him out. it happened again with the next contraction and the nurse walked calmly over and gave my stomach a little shake. That seemed to work for him and his heart rate came right back up. When it happened again with the next contraction the nurse gave him another shake and that seemed to be enough for him. He didn't make me worry any more:) . They were ready for me to start pushing then, and with the first one they realized that they would need the Dr. pretty quickly. I don't know about you, but someone telling you to stop pushing once you have started is pretty much next to impossible! Dr. Kyzer rushed in and with five more pushes (at 10:30 a.m., 13 hours after my water broke) our beautiful son was born! He was 7 lbs. 10.4 oz. and was 21 inches long. He has looked like a blond haired blue eyed version of his Daddy since day one and has added to our lives exponentially. He is my tiny ball of pure energy, and I love him to my core. Happy Birthday my son! Your Mommy loves you!

Two Years Ago Today

May eleventh, 2007 was pretty much a normal day for our family. It was a Friday, so Chris went to work and I stayed at home watching Ameryn and the other daycare kids. I was nine months pregnant and hoping that our little boy would make a timely appearance (he was due by the Dr's. calculations on Mothers day, May 13th, by my calculations on the 12th.) and not wait around for five days past my due date like his sister did! My bags were packed. Ameryn was prepared to spend some time with her grandparents after he arrived. I was really hoping that I would recognize real labor and not go to the hospital just to be sent home by a false alarm. we went out that evening (I think that we were playing cards at my parents house, but I'm not sure) and got home around 9 p.m. I put Ameryn to bed at 9:30 and went to relax on the couch before hitting the hay myself. As I relaxed into the couch and turned on the TV I had that peculiar feeling. I knew it well from a night about three years before hand. As I rushed into the bathroom my suspicions were confirmed. My water had broken! So what did we do? I hopped into the shower. We figured that we had a few hours before anything major happened so we tried to relax. Right. We woke Ameryn up and asked if she would rather head to her Grandparents house or spend the night with us in the hospital. She wanted to stay with us so we called the doctor who told us to head on to the hospital. It had been a very stormy night and when we got to Baptist it seemed like every woman in the area had decided to give birth that night as well. "They" say that a storm front brings more babies than spicy food, and I guess that "they" were right on this occasion. After being checked to be sure that my water had in fact broken (I mean, really, can you mistake that?) We ended up in the waiting room for about thirty minutes for a room to be cleared for me. Once in the room I was hooked up to all of the monitors and given my IV (complete with pitocin because my water had broken and I had not started contracting yet) we were left alone so that we could get some sleep. Again, right. Chris and Ameryn slept on the fathers bed/couch while I waited for things to get moving. I don't understand how anyone could sleep with a baby coming, let alone with a needle stuck in there hand, and contractions that were getting progressively worse. That brings us up to about midnight, the rest of the tale continues tomorrow...