I promised you some funny stories and Hayden is asleep, so here ya go ;)
After two weeks of being a new mommy, I had my "I'm officially in the MOM club!" realization when I woke up after a really long night of hardly and decided since Hayden was still sleeping that I would eat breakfast in peace. Well, I go to pour a good ole' bowl of Tucan Sam's finest, Froot Loops and realize that nature's a callin.. GREAT, I already poured the milk and you know the cereal is not good if it's all soggy and even then the only ones that would be crunchy are the ones on the top. So, you know the saying, there's a first for everything... Well, just picture me sitting on the throne, eating some cereal, praying to the good Lord above that Hayden didn't wake up OR that my husband didn't walk in to capture a priceless Kodak moment. Just about two bites in, you'll never guess what I looked down and saw. Nope, not the latest issue of parenting magazine with "Mastering Multi-Tasking" on the front! Your right if you guessed, dried baby poop all over my hand! Needless to say, I didn't get to have that bowl of froot loops after all...
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Earthquakes and Labor and Delivery, OH MY!
I'M GIVING YA' A HEAD'S UP! This post may make you laugh, cry, throw up in your mouth, but I am not to be held responsible. It's your prerogative, ladies and gents...
Hi All! It has certainly been a while since my last blog, but I have had a huge life change since my last post though. Since then, I've had a beautiful boy named, Hayden and a lot of sleepless nights. God has blessed my family immensely and given me such a new outlook and tiny understanding of how He loves us. TJ and I have had learned super fast how life has changed and how it is not about US any longer. Such a sobering experience when you realize that! Fun stories to come... (:
Ok, it all started on Tuesday, August 23rd, when I thought I was peeing myself. Yes, I said it, peeing myself. If you know me, then that's no big deal, sounds like something I would totally do anyways. HAHAHA! I was at work and I told my co-worker/friend, Betsy that I was pretty sure I was involuntarily peeing myself. She, of course was laughing and said, "No, I think your water is breaking." So, I called my OB-GYN and made a quick appointment and they told me just to hurry and come in. The doctor checked and did this "litmus" test to check and see. And, it was a BIG, FAT "NO!" So, you can imagine the disappointment in my heart, not to mention the disappointment on my face when I walked back into work.
Oh, well I guess God wants to show me truly who is in control. I go back to business, as usual and then what happens!? We have a dern earthquake! Um, hello North Carolina? Earth, did you really just shake a pen off my desk? Weird. No, I really didn't feel it, but I did answer a few phone calls from some of our customers inquiring on whether or not they had earthquake insurance. I was so tickled by what had just happened and thought that if an earthquake couldn't shimmy Hayden on out, then I don't have any clue what would. Oh, that reminds me on the multiple ways I tried to go into labor: a wild, bumpy ride on our family farm [on my due date], eating the hottest wings I've ever put on my lips [on my due date], walked my little swollen legs off every evening, had my membranes stripped, TWICE, ouchie, "Shizenberries"..
After leaving work that evening, I went home and fixed the best little dinner your heart desired, country style steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and sweet tea. It was DE-LISH! We talked about our day and went out and did our nightly stroll. I came in and started doing the dishes and to my surprise... I felt a little trickle running down my leg, so I went waddling to the bathroom and slung my fanny on the toilet, thinking I was peeing myself again. Jumped in the tub and just stood there. I was flipping out. I waited a moment before calling TJ in there, because I was sort of embarrassed if I was really peeing and couldn't control it. I called him into the bathroom and told him what was going on and all he could do was assume that I just automatically knew what to do or if it really was my water, because I thought it was supposed to be this huge gush just like in the movies. We actually started to argue a little. Whoo-hoo. I called my mom and she told me to just got to Women's and have them check to be sure.
So, the moment I had been waiting for had come. And I wasn't really excited because I just knew it was my bladder not holding up it's end of the bargain. But, off we went. We got on Business 220 and drive up on some road workers painting the lines. REALLY?! It is 8:45 pm on a Tuesday night and I am on the way to the hospital and they are doing road work? What are the odds? So, we took our Plan B route on the back roads of Summerfield, that we had planned out.
We pull in and go into the triage and give them my name and fill out the forms and all that jazz. I finally went back and they weighed me, had me pee in a cup, and get into that sexy, backless gown and had me hooked up to those machines. That's when my nurse, Amy came in and she was this petite little ball of energy and pizazz. She tested me right away to see if it was my water and it seemed like forever waiting on the results, but she came back in and didn't waste any time in telling us, "Yep, it's your water, darlin." So, she went ahead and started my IV and went out of the room for a couple of moments and that's when the contractions began.
So, TJ made the calls, texts, and facebook updates. We were gonna have a baby! I got rolled on up to my room and the contractions started getting closer and a little stronger. Then all of my family started rolling in my room. Not just a few, I'm talkin' my mama, daddy, brother, nana, papa, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Well I was smiling for a while and trying to fight through the contractions. I slowly started dilating more and more and then when I was a 6 and the contractions were ROUGH! Finally at around 2:30 am, I requested my sweet and precious epidural. And that joker was nice! I slept through a butt load of contractions and finally I woke feeling like I had to push. So, the nurses came in and checked me and sure enough it was right about time.
I started to push at 8:40 am and gave birth to Hayden Thomas Easter at 9:42 am. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21 and 1/4 inches long. Soon after the nurses tested him, they brought him back to do the whole precious skin-to-skin thing. That was the most rewarding moment of my life. When I was holding him, I started to feel a little dizzy and light-headed. My mom walked over to the side of the bed where I was holding him and just kind of made sure I wasn't going to drop him, because she thought I looked like I could pass out any minute. She asked the doctor if I was alright and they began to focus her attention more to the baby and start working on stitching me back up because I was losing more and more blood. One of the delivery nurses that we actually know from my home church was in the room with us and she called my mom over to show her my placenta. It had an accessory lobe and was called Vasa Previa. Basically, it was a dangerous condition that could've caused Hayden to die if my water would've actually ruptured. Around 95% of babies die in the womb from this condition. Is my God BIG TIME awesome, or what? I cannot even wrap my head around what life would be without that boy.
Meanwhile, TJ and my mom both noticed I didn't seem right. The midwife asked me to lift my legs in the stirrups and when I couldn't, she started getting concerned and called in the head surgeon for assistance with the stitching. The blood just kept coming and they couldn't really stop it, well that is when I passed out. My nurse, Jennifer woke me up with smelling salts and got me conscious long enough to drink some apple juice and eat a peanut butter cracker. Well, I went out again. That time is was a for a while. then they woke me up again long enough to talk me into a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was a 4 and after delivery it was supposed to be between 12-15. I went out one more time. Around 3:30 that afternoon, I became conscious again. Hallelujah!
Needless to say, our hospital stay was eventful and filled with miracles from God! I'm pretty sure I've overstayed my welcome on this post, so you guys have a great night! Our God will never leave you or forsake you! :) By the way, I didn't proofread this, because I'm lazy.
Hi All! It has certainly been a while since my last blog, but I have had a huge life change since my last post though. Since then, I've had a beautiful boy named, Hayden and a lot of sleepless nights. God has blessed my family immensely and given me such a new outlook and tiny understanding of how He loves us. TJ and I have had learned super fast how life has changed and how it is not about US any longer. Such a sobering experience when you realize that! Fun stories to come... (:
Ok, it all started on Tuesday, August 23rd, when I thought I was peeing myself. Yes, I said it, peeing myself. If you know me, then that's no big deal, sounds like something I would totally do anyways. HAHAHA! I was at work and I told my co-worker/friend, Betsy that I was pretty sure I was involuntarily peeing myself. She, of course was laughing and said, "No, I think your water is breaking." So, I called my OB-GYN and made a quick appointment and they told me just to hurry and come in. The doctor checked and did this "litmus" test to check and see. And, it was a BIG, FAT "NO!" So, you can imagine the disappointment in my heart, not to mention the disappointment on my face when I walked back into work.
Oh, well I guess God wants to show me truly who is in control. I go back to business, as usual and then what happens!? We have a dern earthquake! Um, hello North Carolina? Earth, did you really just shake a pen off my desk? Weird. No, I really didn't feel it, but I did answer a few phone calls from some of our customers inquiring on whether or not they had earthquake insurance. I was so tickled by what had just happened and thought that if an earthquake couldn't shimmy Hayden on out, then I don't have any clue what would. Oh, that reminds me on the multiple ways I tried to go into labor: a wild, bumpy ride on our family farm [on my due date], eating the hottest wings I've ever put on my lips [on my due date], walked my little swollen legs off every evening, had my membranes stripped, TWICE, ouchie, "Shizenberries"..
After leaving work that evening, I went home and fixed the best little dinner your heart desired, country style steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and sweet tea. It was DE-LISH! We talked about our day and went out and did our nightly stroll. I came in and started doing the dishes and to my surprise... I felt a little trickle running down my leg, so I went waddling to the bathroom and slung my fanny on the toilet, thinking I was peeing myself again. Jumped in the tub and just stood there. I was flipping out. I waited a moment before calling TJ in there, because I was sort of embarrassed if I was really peeing and couldn't control it. I called him into the bathroom and told him what was going on and all he could do was assume that I just automatically knew what to do or if it really was my water, because I thought it was supposed to be this huge gush just like in the movies. We actually started to argue a little. Whoo-hoo. I called my mom and she told me to just got to Women's and have them check to be sure.
So, the moment I had been waiting for had come. And I wasn't really excited because I just knew it was my bladder not holding up it's end of the bargain. But, off we went. We got on Business 220 and drive up on some road workers painting the lines. REALLY?! It is 8:45 pm on a Tuesday night and I am on the way to the hospital and they are doing road work? What are the odds? So, we took our Plan B route on the back roads of Summerfield, that we had planned out.
We pull in and go into the triage and give them my name and fill out the forms and all that jazz. I finally went back and they weighed me, had me pee in a cup, and get into that sexy, backless gown and had me hooked up to those machines. That's when my nurse, Amy came in and she was this petite little ball of energy and pizazz. She tested me right away to see if it was my water and it seemed like forever waiting on the results, but she came back in and didn't waste any time in telling us, "Yep, it's your water, darlin." So, she went ahead and started my IV and went out of the room for a couple of moments and that's when the contractions began.
So, TJ made the calls, texts, and facebook updates. We were gonna have a baby! I got rolled on up to my room and the contractions started getting closer and a little stronger. Then all of my family started rolling in my room. Not just a few, I'm talkin' my mama, daddy, brother, nana, papa, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Well I was smiling for a while and trying to fight through the contractions. I slowly started dilating more and more and then when I was a 6 and the contractions were ROUGH! Finally at around 2:30 am, I requested my sweet and precious epidural. And that joker was nice! I slept through a butt load of contractions and finally I woke feeling like I had to push. So, the nurses came in and checked me and sure enough it was right about time.
I started to push at 8:40 am and gave birth to Hayden Thomas Easter at 9:42 am. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21 and 1/4 inches long. Soon after the nurses tested him, they brought him back to do the whole precious skin-to-skin thing. That was the most rewarding moment of my life. When I was holding him, I started to feel a little dizzy and light-headed. My mom walked over to the side of the bed where I was holding him and just kind of made sure I wasn't going to drop him, because she thought I looked like I could pass out any minute. She asked the doctor if I was alright and they began to focus her attention more to the baby and start working on stitching me back up because I was losing more and more blood. One of the delivery nurses that we actually know from my home church was in the room with us and she called my mom over to show her my placenta. It had an accessory lobe and was called Vasa Previa. Basically, it was a dangerous condition that could've caused Hayden to die if my water would've actually ruptured. Around 95% of babies die in the womb from this condition. Is my God BIG TIME awesome, or what? I cannot even wrap my head around what life would be without that boy.
Meanwhile, TJ and my mom both noticed I didn't seem right. The midwife asked me to lift my legs in the stirrups and when I couldn't, she started getting concerned and called in the head surgeon for assistance with the stitching. The blood just kept coming and they couldn't really stop it, well that is when I passed out. My nurse, Jennifer woke me up with smelling salts and got me conscious long enough to drink some apple juice and eat a peanut butter cracker. Well, I went out again. That time is was a for a while. then they woke me up again long enough to talk me into a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was a 4 and after delivery it was supposed to be between 12-15. I went out one more time. Around 3:30 that afternoon, I became conscious again. Hallelujah!
Needless to say, our hospital stay was eventful and filled with miracles from God! I'm pretty sure I've overstayed my welcome on this post, so you guys have a great night! Our God will never leave you or forsake you! :) By the way, I didn't proofread this, because I'm lazy.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Pork Chops and Hospital Delivery Bags
"Oh Glory" Pork Chops
I call these pork chops, "Oh Glory" pork chops, because that's what I shouted when I put that first bite in my mouth. Now, I didn't cook these, my precious hubby did and I couldn't have done it better myself.
Of course we NEVER measure anything out in our house when trying new things, so all I have are the ingredients he used. TJ rubbed the chop with season salt before dipping them in canned milk and beaten egg mixture. He then tossed it in the dry mixture consisting of flour, season salt, garlic powder, chili powder and black pepper. He fried the pork chops in a cast iron skillet in oil on medium heat, 3-4 minutes each side. I promise, you will not be disappointed!!! Let me know how they turn out if you try them!
The Delivery Bag
So, I've had the hospital delivery bag packed for quite a while, actually since week 33. I keep adding items to it that I just know I'll need in case I'm there umpteen days.
I used small, clear bags with zippers to store a lot of our things, as well as Hayden's. It was great for organizing everything and will be easy for me to find when the time comes. The bags are what actually held our curtains when we bought them from Lowe's. They're great and I will be able to reuse them in different ways.
I started off with a list of everyday items that TJ and I use and would need (toiletries, clothes, undies, swimming trunks for TJ, etc.) They say that it could be beneficial when in labor to take a warm bath, and for your spouse to get in with you to rub your back, so that is why I packed the swimming trunks. And yes, I packed my own shampoo and conditioner, so they won't charge me $15 for using the travel size they provide. I am bound and determined not to let that hospital to charge me for anything, but the necessities.
I packed the Word so I can remind myself not to use any other words that might not honor God when I deliver.
Then I started adding our electronics bag, filled with cords, chargers, iPod, Kindle, camera, video camera, three sets of tapes for recording, and our iPod speaker for blaring the worship jams!
Then came Hayden's things. We have his burp cloths, bibs, pacifiers, mittens (so they don't scratch themselves), pajamas (sleep sack and pants and onesie, depending on how his personality is), socks, toboggans, "coming home" outfit, and diaper bag packed to the max.
This is his "My First Prints" frame. If you tell the nursing staff when you get there that you have one these, they will gladly do the prints however you want, which I thought was totally awesome!
Then it's back in the bag it all goes! Sidenote: We also packed our own pillows and we put on "wilder" or "unique" pillow cases, so the hospital didn't mix up our pillows with theirs, because we had off-white pillow cases. I also packed his car seat and a boppy pillow and "udder cover" for breast feeding.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Are We There Yet?
Yeah, yeah... I know what you're thinking! This girl hasn't blogged since she had a tiny peanut in her tummy. Well, it's just more like a stubborn little human now, named Hayden who is approximately the size of a beaver!? Yep, we're sitting on week 39 and he is still livin' it up in Mama's oven.Oh, how my big, swollen, elephant-like feet are longing for summer to be over after enduring 44 days of 90+ degree temps.
Life between my last post and now has been a crazy roller coaster! The only thing that was constant was my sweet Savior! I found out I was having a little boy, my brother moved away (Greensboro is a long 45 minutes away from me), my husband's grandmother went to be with Jesus, we inherited this blessing called our home, I switched jobs going into my third trimester (loving it and praising Jesus for it daily, by the way), and just all around eight months of nothing but a full plate of preparation and trusting Him. God has been so good to us and I am so grateful for the ways He teaches us things, even if we don't think it at the time.
Hayden's room is finally finished and I will be posting photos later on this weekend. I've even done a little homemaking, here and there. I re-arranged my kitchen, HALLELUJAH! All around, good things ready to be posted! Let's just pray it isn't Hayden's first birthday before I make another post.
My verse to leave you with is found in Ecclesiastes 3:9-12. What a beautiful reminder of God's intentions for us all!
9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
Life between my last post and now has been a crazy roller coaster! The only thing that was constant was my sweet Savior! I found out I was having a little boy, my brother moved away (Greensboro is a long 45 minutes away from me), my husband's grandmother went to be with Jesus, we inherited this blessing called our home, I switched jobs going into my third trimester (loving it and praising Jesus for it daily, by the way), and just all around eight months of nothing but a full plate of preparation and trusting Him. God has been so good to us and I am so grateful for the ways He teaches us things, even if we don't think it at the time.
Hayden's room is finally finished and I will be posting photos later on this weekend. I've even done a little homemaking, here and there. I re-arranged my kitchen, HALLELUJAH! All around, good things ready to be posted! Let's just pray it isn't Hayden's first birthday before I make another post.
My verse to leave you with is found in Ecclesiastes 3:9-12. What a beautiful reminder of God's intentions for us all!
9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
heyyyy ohhh!
Well ready or not, here I come! First blog EVER! I've been inspired by many blogs that I read on a daily basis and as a result of one of my many New Year's resolutions to actually start a blog of my own. I plan to post atleast once every couple of days and encourage or lift you up with this blog. I'm just a 23 year old with a life devoted to Christ Jesus, my wonderful husband, that little booger in my belly, my sweet family, and friends. I love life and all that I've been blessed with! How awesome is our God! Also, I plan to blog about my resolutions, recipes, spiritual joys and struggles, renovations within our cute little country home, and much more! So buckle up and have a good time! Love y'all! :)
PS-if you guys have any suggestions, that would be great!
PS-if you guys have any suggestions, that would be great!
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