I don't know about you, but the ringing in of the new year always makes me look back on the year ending and forward to the year ahead.
This past year has been a whirlwind! Getting settled into our new home, church and town. Getting pregnant and all the fun and not so fun stuff that goes along with that. Giving birth in a manner I had hoped I wouldn't have to. Recovering from the c-section and starting life with a new member of the family. While I never really ever wanted to experience pregnancy, I do love this little man very much. He was worth it. It is weird how he is a wiggle over two months old and yet it seems like he has been with us and a part of us forever. What a huge blessing!
Next year will be bitter sweet. As Derrek grows and learns and explores, Ray will be preparing to deploy to Iraq with his National Guard unit. Sometime in spring is when they expect to head out. With that, Derrek and I plan to spend some time back home in Maryland.
While it saddens me that Ray will be away, I'm grateful for his sacrifice. Yes, I'll be alone with Derrek and without much family close by, but Ray will not get the privilege to see Derrek grow and change every single day. We are going to have to be creative with keeping in touch. Hopefully, while difficult, the experience will bring us closer together as a family in the long run. It certainly has made us appreciate this time together before the deployment. We take no day for granted.
Now, if you look back at the first few posts of this blog, you will see that I did a month long experiment called "Surprise Me, God." It is based on a book by that name. This dude woke up every morning for a month and his only prayer was, "Surprise Me, God." The book itself is his journal of what happened. I really enjoyed it the first time I did it and I really do think the new year is a good time to do it again. While I did complete that month long experiment, I didn't journal or blog the whole thing. This time I intend to blog each day for a month my experiences.
Happy New Year To Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A snow bunny I am not!
I promised some funny pictures of my trying to tame the great snowy back yard. And, after the Raven's loss, I needed to cool off after all that yelling at the television. I put Ray's snow suit on and outside I went!
I'm not kidding, this snow is deeper than my waist! I can't imagine how much potential snow we are going to get this year considering we are only 2 weeks into winter and we have had 2 blizzards so far.
I did get my legs stuck. So I had to kick them straight out and up so that I ended up laying down on the snow. While I was there I figured I should go ahead and make a snow angel. It is still the Christmas season after all!
Yes, that is me standing on the seat of a bench. And, as I prepare to jump back into the snowy abyss......
....I get stuck AGAIN! I do have to say that playing in the snow was fun. Since rolling helped me get out before, I tried it again. The only problem this time? My arms got stuck too.
As you can see, I did eventually tame the Nebraskan Snowy Wild West Back Yard!!!!!!!! I should get a trophy or something. The weather man keeps saying we should be snow free for the next week. At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.
Even from the start, it was pretty deep. For some reason our back yard is a prime place for all the snow to drift to. Probably because the house is higher and the yard slopes away from the house. Ray, by the way, is warm and toasty inside while taking these pictures. Sheesh!
I'm not kidding, this snow is deeper than my waist! I can't imagine how much potential snow we are going to get this year considering we are only 2 weeks into winter and we have had 2 blizzards so far.
I did get my legs stuck. So I had to kick them straight out and up so that I ended up laying down on the snow. While I was there I figured I should go ahead and make a snow angel. It is still the Christmas season after all!
Yes, that is me standing on the seat of a bench. And, as I prepare to jump back into the snowy abyss......
....I get stuck AGAIN! I do have to say that playing in the snow was fun. Since rolling helped me get out before, I tried it again. The only problem this time? My arms got stuck too.
As you can see, I did eventually tame the Nebraskan Snowy Wild West Back Yard!!!!!!!! I should get a trophy or something. The weather man keeps saying we should be snow free for the next week. At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.
Thinking of Spring!
....Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town, not a vehicle was moving except for the plow.....
....and on Christmas day....and on the day after Christmas.......
Who ordered all this snow???? I bet it was the farmers. Lots of snow in the winter with a slow melt is ideal for the wells and for the produce. But two blizzards in three weeks is a little much. Although, it is pretty. And, if I were a kid, this would be the perfect snowman, snow fort or igloo snow. Tomorrow, I plan to jump into the massive snow drift in our back yard. Don't worry, Ray plans to video it and take some pictures. I'll be sure to post them for you to laugh at......
Now for spring.....
I still have this big old yard of garden and I plan to not be here for a few months this summer. So, I need to make some decisions about what to do with it when I'm not here and the yard tends to week up fast. I suppose I'll need to hire someone to take come over once a week, mow what little grass is here and tend to the copious amounts of weeds and grasses that tend to choke out my flowers and other plants. I'll have to think about that and do some research.
However, it is going to be months, as you soon will see, until I see green again under all that white. So, in the mean time, I think I'm going to grow some herbs indoors. I always have a winter project and I think I'll make it my project for this winter.
....and on Christmas day....and on the day after Christmas.......
Who ordered all this snow???? I bet it was the farmers. Lots of snow in the winter with a slow melt is ideal for the wells and for the produce. But two blizzards in three weeks is a little much. Although, it is pretty. And, if I were a kid, this would be the perfect snowman, snow fort or igloo snow. Tomorrow, I plan to jump into the massive snow drift in our back yard. Don't worry, Ray plans to video it and take some pictures. I'll be sure to post them for you to laugh at......
Now for spring.....
I still have this big old yard of garden and I plan to not be here for a few months this summer. So, I need to make some decisions about what to do with it when I'm not here and the yard tends to week up fast. I suppose I'll need to hire someone to take come over once a week, mow what little grass is here and tend to the copious amounts of weeds and grasses that tend to choke out my flowers and other plants. I'll have to think about that and do some research.
However, it is going to be months, as you soon will see, until I see green again under all that white. So, in the mean time, I think I'm going to grow some herbs indoors. I always have a winter project and I think I'll make it my project for this winter.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
2 Months Already?
It is hard to believe that Derrek has been here for 2 months already. In reality, 2 months is a short time, but it really feels as if he has been here with us the whole time. I guess in a way he has since we moved into the house in mid December and I was pregnant by February! Here is Derrek's quick 2 month update:
Derrek was not a huge fan of bathtime at first. The pictures above are of his 3rd bath here at home and the first one he did not cry through. My mom came to visit for almost 2 weeks to help us out. It is a good thing because this hungry guy was wanting to eat every 1.5-2 hours. At this point we were still trying to get him back up to his birth weight. It didn't take too long because he eats all the time even now that he is on formula.
Here are some additional pictures from the past 2 months.
Of course, the most recent pictures are first. Above is Ray and Derrek at the Christmas party for Ray's MP unit. Below you will see that Ebony and Derrek are already good buddies. She lets us know when he is crying and will chase the cats away from him. Now she will lay on the floor next to his bouncer and lay her head by his feet.
Above was a picture I took here in the living room at 5 weeks. The blanket is one my Grandmother made. It made for the perfect backdrop for a picture of Derrek in his cammo outfit. And below you will see that Derrek already has the strength to hold up his bottle at 3 1/2 weeks.
Below is a picture I took while we were still in the hospital. Being a baby must be hard work! He was 4 days old here.
Derrek was not a huge fan of bathtime at first. The pictures above are of his 3rd bath here at home and the first one he did not cry through. My mom came to visit for almost 2 weeks to help us out. It is a good thing because this hungry guy was wanting to eat every 1.5-2 hours. At this point we were still trying to get him back up to his birth weight. It didn't take too long because he eats all the time even now that he is on formula.
Here are some additional pictures from the past 2 months.
Of course, the most recent pictures are first. Above is Ray and Derrek at the Christmas party for Ray's MP unit. Below you will see that Ebony and Derrek are already good buddies. She lets us know when he is crying and will chase the cats away from him. Now she will lay on the floor next to his bouncer and lay her head by his feet.
Above was a picture I took here in the living room at 5 weeks. The blanket is one my Grandmother made. It made for the perfect backdrop for a picture of Derrek in his cammo outfit. And below you will see that Derrek already has the strength to hold up his bottle at 3 1/2 weeks.
Below is a picture I took while we were still in the hospital. Being a baby must be hard work! He was 4 days old here.
Finally, we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Even our little guy is in a Christmas state of mind!
Derrek's Birth Story
Sorry this has taken so long but we have been a tad busy lately! If you get quezy at the thought of blood, bodily functions and gore and birth, reading a birth story containing a c-section may not be the best read for you!
On Wednesday evening, October 21st, I started to notice a kind of pattern to some back pain I was having. I also felt some contractions, but only like one an hour. Still, it got my attention enough to keep an eye on it. Not too long after that, my sister called. We were chatting about all kinds of stuff, and I mentioned around 6ish about the back pain and contractions. She stayed on the phone with me, and at 8:00 I started writing them down and she helped me with timing them.
My poor sister stayed on the phone with me until 10:30ish, when Ray got home from work. I also tracked down my friend Erin on facebook. I remembered her birth story and how she didn't realize she was in labor because the contractions were not textbook. I picked her brain a bit as well and decided that at the very least, when Ray got home, I was going to call the hospital and see what they said. At this point, contractions were about a minute or so in duration and about 10ish minutes apart.
Ray walked in the door from work, and I said to my sister, "thanks for staying on the phone with me." Ray gave me a funny look and said that was an odd comment. It was and odd comment and I informed him I had something very interesting to show him and to come over to the sofa with me. He did, and I handed him the contraction timing list. He got this very cute and very funny smile on his face. Oddly enough, he STILL has that look today...LOL!
I called the hospital and they suggested that since I had been drinking water constantly since 6ish, to come in and get checked. Ray got our stuff together, made sure the animals were good and off we went in the pouring rain to the hospital. Good thing it was rainy though....otherwise our normal 40 minute trip to the hospital may have been more like 20.
We arrived, they took me to a labor and delivery room and started the intake. I had to pee sooooooooooo bad, so she let me go. Oddly enough, there was some bloody show. First time I had seen it at all. I immediately went on monitoring. Remember when I said I had timed my contractions to be like 10ish minutes apart? In reality, they were 2-3 minutes apart and I was only physically feeling about a third of them. I was totally fascinated with the monitoring strip. After 30ish minutes, the nurse finally checked my cervix and it was only dialted 1 cm and was about 45% effaced. No big deal. They called my doctor and he said to not admit me yet, but hook me up to fluids and monitor for 90 minutes. Check my cervix again after that and call him back. They inserted the IV around 1:00ish am. They also did an unofficial ultrasound, and stubborne little Derrek was still in full on breech, but doing very well with the contractions.
Fast forward 90 minutes later.....by this time, contractions were 1-2 minutes apart, I was feeling every one and laying in bed hoovered!!! They checked me, and I was 85% effaced and "one and a wiggle" cm dilated. The nurse left the room to call my doc and give the update. She came back in dressed in surgical scrubs. "Dr. Gibbens said to have you ready in 30 minutes. You are having your baby within the hour."
Huh? WHAT?????
So, surgical prep started. I got poked by the lab gal, shaved, got to wear my uber fashionable surgical cap and was being talked to by anestesia on the way to the surgical room. Ray stayed in the labor and delivery room until after my spinal/epidural was put in and all was ready to go. They gave me a combo spinal/epidural. The spinal meds covered the surgery and right after. I kept in the epidural for pain relief for a little over 24 hours. I was more scared of the epi than I was of the surgery I think. That fear was misplaced. Once I relaxed, the epi/spinal went in like butter and I started feeling very little.
Ray came in and sat by my head and they put up what they call "the tent." Doctors started working, and while I felt them working, I did not feel any pain. Well, I didn't feel pain right away anyhow. Let me just say that anyone who says that women who get c-sections are cop outs or not real women or don't have real births have obviously never had a section. It does hurt! A lot! Not so much the birth part, but the repair part afterwards. I dealt with labor, although a short bout of it and then dealt with the section. I paid my dues!
Derrek was pulled out rear first.....appropriate for being a full breech baby and he cried right away. Being born at 37/5 was no problem for him. 6lbs, 11oz and 18.5 inches long. APGAR 8/9/9. He was full of vernix but beautiful with a ton of dark hair on his head. They showed him to me quickly, but then rushed him off to the warmer on the other side of the room. Ray went with him and the anesthesia gal stayed with me and talked me through it all.
Did I mention how much the repair part hurt???? She had given me all the meds she could at the moment including pitocin to help get that uterus shrinking back since I could not breastfeed right away as well as nausea meds. I am still amazed that I did not throw up on the table. That's how much it hurt. And, I have a pretty high pain tolerance. At the end, the doctor asked if I wanted staples or stitches. I told him whatever is faster. I wanted it to be over sooooooooooooooo much! At this point, Ray had Derrek all swaddled up and had brought him over to help me get my mind off the doctor's working. He was so sooooo cute. And, he was quiet. Besides some initial crying as he was pulled out and then maybe for about 4 minutes, we heard very little from him. He was just that content and wide awake too. I had to keep asking if he was still in the room.
I was rolled into a recovery room, and Ray, Derrek and I got to spend our first quality time together as a family. The nurse took some pictures of us at that time. After that, it was time to be moved as a family up to the maternity floor. Finally...!!! Some rest.
On Wednesday evening, October 21st, I started to notice a kind of pattern to some back pain I was having. I also felt some contractions, but only like one an hour. Still, it got my attention enough to keep an eye on it. Not too long after that, my sister called. We were chatting about all kinds of stuff, and I mentioned around 6ish about the back pain and contractions. She stayed on the phone with me, and at 8:00 I started writing them down and she helped me with timing them.
My poor sister stayed on the phone with me until 10:30ish, when Ray got home from work. I also tracked down my friend Erin on facebook. I remembered her birth story and how she didn't realize she was in labor because the contractions were not textbook. I picked her brain a bit as well and decided that at the very least, when Ray got home, I was going to call the hospital and see what they said. At this point, contractions were about a minute or so in duration and about 10ish minutes apart.
Ray walked in the door from work, and I said to my sister, "thanks for staying on the phone with me." Ray gave me a funny look and said that was an odd comment. It was and odd comment and I informed him I had something very interesting to show him and to come over to the sofa with me. He did, and I handed him the contraction timing list. He got this very cute and very funny smile on his face. Oddly enough, he STILL has that look today...LOL!
I called the hospital and they suggested that since I had been drinking water constantly since 6ish, to come in and get checked. Ray got our stuff together, made sure the animals were good and off we went in the pouring rain to the hospital. Good thing it was rainy though....otherwise our normal 40 minute trip to the hospital may have been more like 20.
We arrived, they took me to a labor and delivery room and started the intake. I had to pee sooooooooooo bad, so she let me go. Oddly enough, there was some bloody show. First time I had seen it at all. I immediately went on monitoring. Remember when I said I had timed my contractions to be like 10ish minutes apart? In reality, they were 2-3 minutes apart and I was only physically feeling about a third of them. I was totally fascinated with the monitoring strip. After 30ish minutes, the nurse finally checked my cervix and it was only dialted 1 cm and was about 45% effaced. No big deal. They called my doctor and he said to not admit me yet, but hook me up to fluids and monitor for 90 minutes. Check my cervix again after that and call him back. They inserted the IV around 1:00ish am. They also did an unofficial ultrasound, and stubborne little Derrek was still in full on breech, but doing very well with the contractions.
Fast forward 90 minutes later.....by this time, contractions were 1-2 minutes apart, I was feeling every one and laying in bed hoovered!!! They checked me, and I was 85% effaced and "one and a wiggle" cm dilated. The nurse left the room to call my doc and give the update. She came back in dressed in surgical scrubs. "Dr. Gibbens said to have you ready in 30 minutes. You are having your baby within the hour."
Huh? WHAT?????
So, surgical prep started. I got poked by the lab gal, shaved, got to wear my uber fashionable surgical cap and was being talked to by anestesia on the way to the surgical room. Ray stayed in the labor and delivery room until after my spinal/epidural was put in and all was ready to go. They gave me a combo spinal/epidural. The spinal meds covered the surgery and right after. I kept in the epidural for pain relief for a little over 24 hours. I was more scared of the epi than I was of the surgery I think. That fear was misplaced. Once I relaxed, the epi/spinal went in like butter and I started feeling very little.
Ray came in and sat by my head and they put up what they call "the tent." Doctors started working, and while I felt them working, I did not feel any pain. Well, I didn't feel pain right away anyhow. Let me just say that anyone who says that women who get c-sections are cop outs or not real women or don't have real births have obviously never had a section. It does hurt! A lot! Not so much the birth part, but the repair part afterwards. I dealt with labor, although a short bout of it and then dealt with the section. I paid my dues!
Derrek was pulled out rear first.....appropriate for being a full breech baby and he cried right away. Being born at 37/5 was no problem for him. 6lbs, 11oz and 18.5 inches long. APGAR 8/9/9. He was full of vernix but beautiful with a ton of dark hair on his head. They showed him to me quickly, but then rushed him off to the warmer on the other side of the room. Ray went with him and the anesthesia gal stayed with me and talked me through it all.
Did I mention how much the repair part hurt???? She had given me all the meds she could at the moment including pitocin to help get that uterus shrinking back since I could not breastfeed right away as well as nausea meds. I am still amazed that I did not throw up on the table. That's how much it hurt. And, I have a pretty high pain tolerance. At the end, the doctor asked if I wanted staples or stitches. I told him whatever is faster. I wanted it to be over sooooooooooooooo much! At this point, Ray had Derrek all swaddled up and had brought him over to help me get my mind off the doctor's working. He was so sooooo cute. And, he was quiet. Besides some initial crying as he was pulled out and then maybe for about 4 minutes, we heard very little from him. He was just that content and wide awake too. I had to keep asking if he was still in the room.
I was rolled into a recovery room, and Ray, Derrek and I got to spend our first quality time together as a family. The nurse took some pictures of us at that time. After that, it was time to be moved as a family up to the maternity floor. Finally...!!! Some rest.
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