How It's Going

So far having 2 kids isn't really as hard as i thought it would be. First off, i feel great! I haven't really been sore at all. I'm definitely not as sore as i was with Carter. I remember it took about 2 weeks before i really started feeling better "down there" with him. I am not as tired as i thought i would be. The past couple nights we've been going down for the night around 10 or 11, waking up at 2:30, nurse and back to sleep until around 4:30 or 5, nurse and back to sleep until around 7. Definitely not as much sleep as i'd like but i'm not complaining because for the most part he falls right back to sleep after eating. He had his first doctor appointment yesterday and is gaining his weight back. He left the hospital at 7lbs 1oz and at his appointment he weighed 7lbs 3oz. It is such a relief because i was so worried he wasn't getting enough to eat. Carter is adjusting well, he loves to hold and kiss him. He gets jealous sometimes that i can't do as much with him as i used to because i'm pretty much constantly nursing Brody during the day but he's getting better. I am finding that evenings are a little hard for me. It seems like that's when my emotions go crazy. I cry for no reason, or for stupid reasons. I hope it's just my hormones trying to balance out and it doesn't last long. I don't feel overwhelmed, i just get sad. Right now i don't feel like it's something i need to worry about but if it gets worse i will talk to my doctor about it. I'm thinking it's just a little of the baby blues. Well, enough of my ramble, i just thought i'd write a little about how it's going over here. Oh, and of course, here are a couple new pictures.

Brody's Birth Story

We went in at 5:30am to the hospital to be induced. I got all the paperwork filled out and went up to Labor and Delivery. I got changed into my gown and hooked up to the monitors and was started on an IV. I was still at 3cm when we got there. I was monitored for about an hour and then started pitocin at around 7am. By 8:30 i was in extreme pain and begging for some medicine. I was now at 4cm so i was able to get a spinal block. I got it at 8:45. I had some relief for about an hour and a half and then started to feel really painful contractions again. They started to get extremely painful and unbearable and by 10am i was begging for something else for the pain. The baby's heart rate kept dropping so the dr. said i couldn't get anything through an IV. Finally at 10:30 the dr. broke my water-i was 7-8cm. I started feeling like i needed to push soon after that. Now is when it gets a little fuzzy. I was in excruciating pain and feeling tons of pressure. I got checked again around 11 and was 9cm. I broke down and started crying and saying i couldn't do it anymore. I was just in way too much pain and i remember telling the doctor that i couldn't push. Brad went and got my mom and told her to come in the room and she helped try to calm me down. Finally they got me over on my back and i started pushing. I can't remember what time i started pushing. Once i figured out how to push correctly it was really quick. My mom said i pushed through only 3 contractions. Brody was born at 11:39am. My total labor was 4.5 hours!! He came out with his eyes wide open and was very alert. He started crying while he was still halfway out! I had an episiotomy and got to hold Brody while the doctor was sewing me up. Then he was weighed and measured and brought back to me. I nursed him right then and he latched on perfectly. He nursed for about 15 minutes on each side. He is such a sweet little baby and is absolutely perfect!

He's Finally Here!

Brody Elton Redfern was born at 11:39am on Monday, February 23rd. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19 1/4 in long. He is absolutely perfect! The delivery was so much better than Carter's and i feel great! Well...my nipples KILL but other than that, i feel great. I'm still in shock that i was a week overdue and he was still smaller than Carter was, but my body is thankful! ;) I'll be back later to post the birth story.

This one is about half an hour after he was born:



An hour or so after he was born:



First night:

On the Mend..I think..

Yesterday was the worst of the sickness. Carter and i hadn't slept in like 2 nights b/c of our stuffy noses and his cough. We took him to the doctor yesterday and he has an ear infection. Luckily, his cough isn't anything and now he has some medicine and seems to be doing a lot better today. I feel much better, too. I used a Sinus Rinse 3 times-twice yesterday and once this morning...and i think it ended up making it worse. I had Brad go out and get me some Afrin this morning and it did the job! I can breathe again! We all finally got a good night's sleep last night and are just staying home resting today. I Lysol'd the whole house and we are going to be washing all the sheets and blankets later on today. Carter is going to stay with the in-laws tonight since we have such an early morning tomorrow. I hope i can get some sleep tonight but i doubt i will b/c i'm just so excited to meet my baby tomorrow! I am still in denial that i will have another baby. These 41 weeks have really flown by! Prayers and well wishes are definitely welcome!

Of All the Luck...

I noticed a couple days ago that Carter sounded stuffy. I didn't think too much about it but then he started coughing. He woke up yesterday so congested and coughing...great. So i have a sick 2 year old and will be having a baby in 3 days max. He hasn't had a fever so i'm just hoping it's a cold. His coughing just seems to be from the drainage from his nose. He isn't sluggish or acting sick and his ears aren't bothering him. Also, Brad and i are now getting runny noses. I am drinking orange juice like it's going out of style and plan on staying in as much as possible this weekend. Hopefully by Monday we're better.

An End in Sight

I had my final dr. appt today and will be induced Monday morning at 5:30am unless by some miracle he decides to come on his own by then!

New Pics

Here are some recent pics of Carter and my 39.5 week belly pic. I still haven't taken a 40 week pic yet...i plan on taking one right before we leave for the hospital..whenever that is....


Opening a present on Valentine's Day:

Looking handsome:


Poor thing thinks that you have to pull up your shirt for every picture..lol


Giving mommy some love:

Carter and his "Island of Sodor" if you have boys you know what i'm talking about..(and he got even more trains and track for Valentine's Day)


Here i am last Thursday...39.5 weeks:

Still Here, Still Pregnant

I promise i will update when it's time to leave for the hospital..unless i'm out and about when the time comes. I'm having my sister bring her laptop to the hospital but i'm not sure if they have WiFi there or not. If they do i will be updating as soon as possible. I have lots of people needing an update through Facebook also, so i will be doing that as well. So far today, i'm feeling fine...i'm so SICK of feeling good! lol i mean, if i felt miserable at least maybe that would mean the time was coming but no, i feel absolutely fine!!! Seriously, how do i make it not so comfortable for him in there! I went on over an hour long walk yesterday(in the freezing cold) and also did my exercise dvd last night and had a decent amount of BH contractions but that's about it...i'm going to my parent's house in a little bit to wash our sheets and make my sister go on a nice, long walk with me again. I plan on doing some laps up and down their stairs, too. In all honesty though, i just really would like to have this baby out by Friday, i could deal with that. I'm really hoping that at my appt Thursday they tell me that they can get me in to do that. If they tell me i have to wait until Monday to be induced...i think i'll start bawling right there in the office, then again, if i do that maybe they'd take pity on me and go ahead and let me come in on Friday... I have legit reasons for being induced before Monday. My brother in law and his girlfriend are coming home this weekend and i would hate for them to have to leave without seeing the baby..that and i will NOT be a good person to be around and don't want to be a huge bitch when they're home. My parents live 4 hours away and while my mom can come back when i go into labor, my dad has to wait until the weekend b/c of work and i'd hate for him to have to wait until Friday night to see his new grandson when if i have him this Friday, he'd have all weekend to see him before he has to head back.

Today is My Due Date

Well, i can't believe i actually made it this far. I really thought this one would come early but i guess he's just way too comfortable in there. Of course it's way too freaking cold out to go on a walk..(i may just have to bundle up REALLY well and go). Nothing's really going on. I woke up at 2am on Friday night with really horrible cramping, it was constant menstrual like cramps that came with waves of pain and thought that it might be time so i took a shower, blow-dried my hair, and sat on my exercise ball for a while. Eventually i got too tired and just went back to bed thinking if it was the real thing they wouldn't go away if i rested. Well, of course they went away. I had lots of BH contractions yesterday, some actually got a tad painful, but so far today i have only had some random BH. I give up...

I'm Sorry I Haven't Been Keeping Up

I haven't really been reading or commenting on everyone's blogs. My mind is so consumed with getting everything done here around the house, spending as much time with Carter as i can, and then sitting around just wishing i'd go into labor already! I've been trying to keep as active as possible, and i believe it's helping, maybe not sending me right into labor, but it's helping me progress. I just can't really focus on much else. I hope i can get back into the swing of things soon, but i'm sure adding a newborn into the mix will make it worse for a while. Sorry i've been absent!

39 Week Appt

Well i had what i *hope* is my last dr. appt today. I'm 39w4d. Everything looks great with the baby, my blood pressure is great, i gained 1 lb. I'm up 23 lbs. Oh well. I am 3cm and 70% effaced and the dr. said my cervix is very low, she was shocked at how low it is! She asked me how i felt about this baby's size and i told her that i took comparison pics and i think i look pretty much the same as i did with Carter. He won't be doing much more growing so i'm just waiting and praying that he isn't too big. I have an appt set up for next Thursday the 19th and if i don't go into labor by then i'm going to be induced. I'm hoping that i'll have a baby by next Friday at the latest! Anyways, i feel so good about that appt and am going to be keeping extremely active to see if i can get me some contractions going!

Is it really February??

Seriously, this weather is amazing! We went on a nice long walk yesterday afternoon and had the windows open in our house! It was 60 degrees here! I love having the windows open and being able to smell the fresh air. It was a tad windy but still decent enough for us to go outside. We went on a little walk again earlier today but it's a little too windy to go for too long. I think we'll try to go again in a little bit. I sure hope all this walking will start stirring things up for me!

39 Weeks

Wow--only 7 days left until my due date. I can't believe it! Well, since i was induced at exactly 39 weeks with Carter i thought i'd put on a comparison picture on here of the two pregnancies.

Here i am the night before being induced with Carter. (38w6d)



And here is today at 39 weeks exactly. I don't feel as big as i was with Carter but i think i look like i am! Ugh...

Beautiful Weather!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, it is 61 degrees out right now! In February! I've already gone outside for a little walk and it is so gorgeous out! It is a tad windy but i'll take it! I'm so glad Carter will be able to play outside! That kid absolutely loves to play outside! I'm hoping to get lots of fresh air today.

I Did it Again

Well, i decided to chop my hair again. It was already starting to take too long to style, and i can't imagine having to do that with not one, but two kids to take care of. It seemed like anytime we had to go somewhere it would take at least 2 hours for me to shower, get dressed, do make-up, do hair, get Carter dressed, etc. Now, my shower is MUCH shorter, it only takes about 5 minutes to dry my hair as opposed to about 15, and maybe 5-10 minutes tops to flat-iron it as opposed to about 25. Much easier!! I can actually envision myself being able to style it decently with the baby in the mix, too! We'll see i guess!

By the way...i cannot WAIT to be able to fake-bake again. I HATE being so pale!!!

38 Week Appt

I didn't even want to post this b/c it is so pointless but whatever! I had my 38w3d appt yesterday. I gained 2 lbs......grrrrr. My total weight gain is 22 lbs now. I can't gain anymore! Blood pressure was 110/60, baby's heart rate was fine, basically, absolutely nothing is happening! Didn't get my cervix checked but dr. said if i make it to my appt next week she'll check me then. I really feel fine, which sucks b/c that just means that i'll be pregnant even longer! I've had a little bit of cramping on and off, and lots of BH contractions, lots of pressure, my crotch bones hurt-it feels like i've been riding a horse. But really, i'm not that uncomfortable at all! I'm not near as uncomfortable as i was with Carter! I think it's b/c this baby seems to be smaller and isn't taking up quite as much room. I am just praying that i have given birth before my next appt, which is the 12th--3 days before my due date! I really want it to be sometime next week. If anyone feels like praying for me, feel free! Really though, i know that he will come eventually, and i'm trying to be patient, but it's starting to get hard!

A few 38 weeks pictures

I took a few pictures yesterday when i turned 38 weeks. I have nothing else to report really, we've just been hanging out, being lazy, and waiting for the baby to make his appearance. I'm feeling tons of pelvic pain, it feels like i've been riding a horse every morning when i wake up. I can no longer lay on my side w/o having a big pillow between my legs, and even then it feels like i'm squishing the baby. I think i've actually been feeling some BH contractions, and had some off and on cramping the past few days. I'm really hoping that some of this turns into labor soon! I really want to experience labor coming on its own, rather than having to be induced, especially since the hospital i'm at now doesn't induce until you are 1 week overdue. Yikes! I had Carter at 39 weeks exactly (induced) and i don't want to know what it's like to be overdue! Anyways, here are the pictures.