Presley's Birth Story

  
I thought it might be fun to do a side by side comparison of me preggers with both girls at 40 weeks...and in the same shirt too! Two days after taking the pic on the right...

   I woke up around 5:00am the morning of May 10th having contractions. I had downloaded a contractions timer on my phone so I started timing them. They were about 13 minutes a part, but consistent and stronger than the Braxton Hicks I had been having. It was very noticable when one was starting and stopping and I couldn't always tell with Braxton Hicks. I woke up Mark and told him what was going on. We laid around for a while longer and then started taking our time getting ready. As the next hour or two went by they got closer; like 8 minutes a part. I was sort of getting nervous because I had heard several of my friends say their second labor went much quicker than their first. However, I didn't want to get to the hospital too early as I wanted to attempt to deliver without an epideral and thought the further I could get before going to the hospital the better.
  
   We called the doctor to let them know what was happening and they scheduled a doctor appointment for us to come in at 9:10am. I was kind of freaking out like "are we going to make it to the hospital in time?!" thinking these people are crazy. Well it actually worked out nicely because by the time we were ready and dropped Kaitlyn off at Mark's parent's house it was perfect timing. The contractions were painful, but bearable. When we got to the doctor they checked me and I was 3 cm dilated. So he said we could head to the hospital!!! Since I wasn't in a rush to get an epideral and Mark was starving we asked if we had some time before heading to the hospital and the doctor said "Oh yeah". So, naturally, we headed to Cracker Barrel. Mark got to eat and I nibbled on some things here and there. It felt funny being out acting like everything was normal when I was having contractons. But they still weren't very bad at that point; I would maybe make a face during them and that was all.
  
   We weren't at Cracker Barrel long before we headed to the hospital! Remember, I was still worried things were going to progress quickly like I had heard it did for others. We got all checked-in and in our room around 11:00am. It wasn't long after that the doctor came in and checked me. I was a 4. Which, I was kind of surprised since it has almost been two hours since they checked and I was a 3. But they said that was normal. I told them I wanted to try without an epideral at that point and asked if I could walk around or if I had to stay in bed. They said I could most certainly walk around, but because I tested positive for Group B strep they wanted to get antibiotics in me as soon as possible and ideally before my water broke. So they had me in bed while I was getting the first dose through my I.V.

  
   After the antibiotic was done, they unhooked me from the I.V. and I was free to roam the halls. Mark and I walked around a couple times. The nurse thought it was helping because when she hooked me back up to the monitors to check on the baby my contractions were closer together; like 5-7 minutes a part. And then later even closer; like 5 minutes a part. Oh and the contractions were getting stronger too! Not my favorite part, lol. Close to 4:00pm the midwife and nurse came back in to discuss the plan. I hadn't been checked in several hours (they were avoiding checking me because of the risk of infection). They asked me what I wanted to do and had left the ball in my court all day (which I was really happy about). I told them I wasn't sure and it depended on how I was progressing and I wanted them to check me. And basically if I was a 5 (5 hours later), then I would probably want the epideral. But if I was an 8 I may want to try and stick it out. Well, they checked and I was only a 5!!! I couldn't believe it. But they said that was still pretty normal. So since my contractions were getting to the VERY painful point and I had been in labor almost 12 hours I opted for the epideral. I wasn't really upset or anything. It just seemed to be the right decision for me.
  
   They told me to sit tight and the anesthesiologist would be there in 30 minutes. Well people, I don't know if it was mental, but those contractions were EXCRUCIATING during that 30 minutes lol! Needless to say, I was very happy with my decision at that point. Once I got the epideral I was feeling much better (besides some nasty heartburn that they couldn't do anything about). They also started me on Pitocin, which I was not crazy about. I had a bad experience with Kaitlyn (her heartrate slowed) and wanted to avoid it this time. They told me they would start it low so that made me feel better. I had also heard how epiderals and pitocin can slow labor. And let's face it - I definitely did not want to be slowing anything down at this point! But at least I was no longer in pain. But to everyone's surprise not even 2 hours later I was a 10 and ready to push!! Craziness. The nurse and Midwife think I finally relaxed and let my body do what it was supposed to do. They (and I) think I was fighting the contractions. I tried breathing through them, but honestly all I wanted to do (and could feel myself doing sometimes) was tense up until they stopped. Everyone was also shocked at how quickly I had progressed with such a low dose of pitocin. I think it was a 2 (with Kaitlyn it went up to 20 and that's when she had the bad reaction).
  
   Oh let me back-up for a minute...right after I got the epideral I was laying there and I felt something happen...I was like "Did I just have the baby?". So the nurse came in and checked me...she said I had delivered my water!!! She said it was so rare she wanted to take a picture, lol (but didn't). I think that was part of the reason things weren't progressing very quickly...my water hadn't broken. And they didn't want to break it because of the risk of infection with the Group B strep. But with Kaitlyn I had the same thing and my water broke before and then I went to the hospital. So I don't know what the answer is, I guess I just trusted the doctors on that one.
  
   Ok back to baby time!! It was a little scary because when they looked at my bag o' water they saw meconium (the baby's first stools) in it. So they play it safe and have a team of people come in and make sure the baby doesn't inhale any right after they are born. So all these people came in the room (with Kaitlyn it was just 3 of us; me, Mark, and the Midwife). Interesting fact: The same Midwife delivered Kaitlyn and Presley! And she's about to retire, it was meant to be! It was a little nerve racking having all of those people in the room, but better safe than sorry. I started pushing around 6:40pm, I believe. I guess I did good, but it was challenging because I really couldn't feel much since I waited longer to get the epideral (with Kaitlyn my epideral had pretty much worn off by then). The Midwife told Mark to yell out if it's a boy or girl! So at 7:05pm Mark said "It's a girl!". It was so overwhelming...they put her on my chest and I heard Mark say what she was and I got all teary eyed! Then they took her away...she was crying when they put her on me so it was kind of a blur. But when they got her all cleaned up and brought her back to me she was so sweet and calm. I just stared at her and kept saying "She's so cute!". I fell in love with her and those big cheeks right away!
  
   It was a 14 hour labor; only 2 hours shy of my first labor. But it really wasn't so bad and didn't feel as long as it sounds. And, of course, it was totally worth it!!! But to those of you who said it was going to go quick all I have to say is...LIARS!!!;-) Only kidding. Everyone is different. All in all, I'm happy with how things went and we are so blessed to be a family of 4! We love you Miss Presley!!!

Our Baby is 2!!!

Wow, we can not believe our baby is 2!!! Happy Birthday to our sweet, sweet girl! I guess we can't really call her a baby anymore since she is our tenacious toddler! I was trying to find another word for active that would describe her and boy is tenacious perfect! Well obviously it starts with a t just like toddler so I was like "heck yeah", but look what it means:

tenacious  [tuh-ney-shuhs]
Definition:
strong, unyielding
Synonyms:
adamant, bound, clinging, coherent, cohesive, determined, dogged, fast, firm, forceful, inflexible, intransigent, iron, meaning business, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, possessive, purposeful, relentless, resolute, retentive, set, solid, spunky, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, stout, strong-willed, stubborn, sturdy, sure, tight, tough, true, unforgetful, unshakable, unswerving

Well, she's not all these things, but the ones that stand out to me are; determined, fast, persistent, spunky, strong-willed, tough, and strong.

Kaitlyn is our tenacious little girl alright! These past two years have been a roller coaster, but definitely one I never want to get off of! The first year, was challenging and went by slowly. But the second year was a little easier and flew by! And I know the years to come will too. It is more than incredible to see her grow and learn. I thrive on watching her do something new for the first time. It really is true when people say "seeing the world through a child's eyes". It is the coolest thing. She has the cutest, funniest personality. She make us laugh, keep us on our toes, and is very independent! Let's not forget active and fast! In October Kaitlyn fractured her fibula and we had no idea. That's how tough she is:-) Kaitlyn's Granny noticed her limping one morning right after I dropped her off. The next day my mother and I took her to the doctor, which led to us ultimately finding out what was wrong and Kaitlyn getting a cast. But it didn't bother our tenacious toddler one bit! She had trouble walking the first day, but was practically running the next. She has this this unshakable quality about her that I love! She also has a very sweet, soft side. She is good about sharing, loves feeding mommy & daddy, gives lots of hugs and kisses, and has genuine concern for others.

Kaitlyn had her 2 year check-up right before her birthday. She weighed 26lbs. and was 2' 11.5" tall. She was right under the 50th percentile for her weight and in the 90th percentile for her height! Tall, lean girl! We need to get her to eat more, haha!

Kaitlyn's 2nd Birthday!

We celebrated Kaitlyn's 2nd birthday on her actual birthday!! Which is a big deal because, well, it falls on Christmas Eve (Mom & Dad's poor planning)! We thought since it fell on a Saturday this time and we had a big party for her last year, it would be neat to do something smaller on the actual day. The party went great! My favorite part was when everyone sang happy birthday to her...I almost cried and so did she!! It was too sweet to see her reaction...she looked a little scared at first, then really shy, and then like she liked it! Precious. My Dad got some great pics and my father-in-law got an awesome video of all of us singing to her!!








Kaitlyn had a great time at her birthday party - thanks to all who came and celebrated with us!
Check out my other blog here, to see the crafty side of her birthday party!

Christmas!



Christmas was even more fun this year! Kaitlyn was more into opening presents (instead of just playing with the wrapping), she knows who Santa is and recognizes him, and she loved the Christmas tree and all the "balls".

I mean, look how happy this kid is:



She loved opening her presents and even helping pass some out!


Princess ball!

I had to include this picture for you. Look how ridiculous all of our faces are (ok really just mine)...I was ecstatic to get my Britney cd, Mark was appalled at my excitement and Kaitlyn seems to be planning her getaway, lol!

Kaitlyn's birthday and Christmas were great. I haven't updated the blog since last summer, so I thought you might like to know what we've been up to the last 6 months!

In August, we took a nice little trip to this beautiful spot...



We went to Niagara Falls with Granny & Grand-daddy! It was Kaitlyn's first plane and boat ride! She did pretty well on the plane once we got settled and had taken off and she did great on the boat. Maid of the Mist was beyond awesome - everyone should do it at least once! We got soaked and rocked back and forth, but it was such a cool experience to see the falls up close!



They even had ponchos in Kaitlyn's size:)



We had an awesome view of the falls from our room (and restaurant here)...



And it was too cute to see Kaitlyn pulling her Elmo rolling bag through the airport (I wish I had a picture)!!!



Kaitlyn got her cast on in early October. I thought this was a good shot to show you since she is sporting her jean diaper and you can see how much of her leg it covered!!



Halloween kind of snuck up on us this year. Mainly because things were a little hectic with Kaitlyn's cast; bath time for instance! But I found her a cute ladybug costume on sale at Babies R Us. And Kaitlyn was not feeling so great on Halloween so I don't think we got any pictures of her smiling:-( But she was still stinkin' cute in her costume. And she did have fun trick-or-treating! She got around just fine, it was hard to tell she even had a cast!



In November, we took Kaitlyn on her first trip to the zoo! She didn't have a huge reaction...we think she was just taking it all in. She loved the monkeys, komodo dragon, and of course, the elephants!

~Some random fun facts from the last several months~

Sometimes we stay at Nana & Pops' and Kaitlyn loves the doggies (she wakes up barking - guess they are the first thing on her mind)! And lately (after the holidays) she says cookie when we talk about going over there because they let her decorate cookies a couple times:)

One day when Kaitlyn was watching a baby Einstein video, I noticed her doing the sign language along with them!! And when I asked her to do it after the movie was over, she did!! It was too cool, guess those baby Einstein videos really work!

Kaitlyn's favorite songs are "Itsy bitsy spider", "If you're happy and you know it", and "The wheels on the bus". She does all the motions to them as well - it is so cute!!

Kaitlyn loved when we would do the "bumble bee". Basically we would hold her sideways (like she's flying) and zoom her all around the house while making a buzzing noise:) And she even started saying "stop" and "go" while we played. She's not as into it lately.

Kaitlyn says "yes" and "no" so clearly and assuredly.

She is talking more and more and saying new words everyday! For instance, today she started saying "See" and "Vegetable".

When Kaitlyn first started holding our hands, she would close up her hand with all her finger tips touching and put it in the palm of our hands, lol - too cute!

She loves jumping (we think this had something to do with her fracture)!

She is so funny and will clap and say "yay" when the car slows down or gets off the highway because she knows we are close to our destination.

She is starting to count by pointing at each object and can count to 3!

Kaitlyn is very polite and says please, thank you, and excuse me:)

She was doing this funny thing for a while where she would make the same group of high-pitched sounds for something when it was the same. For example, she saw a picture of me and then pointed at me and said her little group of sounds, that basically meant "that's mommy too!" So cute! She hasn't been doing it as much lately.

Kaitlyn loves to tickle us!!! She "get us" with her hands and says "tickle tickle tickle" in her own cute way!

When Kaitlyn would get hurt by an object, Granny would say "bad table (or whatever hurt her)" to help distract her. So one day she bumped into the table at home, cried for a second and then hit the table and said her jibber jabber for "bad table"! Lol, it is so funny and she does it all the time!

She can recognize and say some colors!! She says green and purple pretty well!

We love Kaitlyn's "excited face". We say "Are you excited?" and she makes this face:



I think her daddy taught her that;-)

She has been saying "bye bye" so clearly lately and it is the cuuutest sounding thing ever!:) And I think she understands more on tv because she'll interact and answer them if they ask questions and she says "bye bye" after they say it.

It is so funny when Kaitlyn pretends to sleep and snore!

She recently started calling people/pets/things, for example; Chi-tah (Chiquita - chihuahua at Nana & Pops), Maw-mee & Daa-dee, and Pa-pee (paci - we only give it to at night - I know we need to get rid of it!!!).

Kaitlyn started singing not too long ago and we love it!! She'll sing from the back seat of the car sometimes:)

Some cute things she's been saying are: "What's that?", "Mmm...that tastes good!", "I spilt that". Too funny!

That's it for now...I know that was long and I'm sure I left a lot out!?!! I'll try not to wait so long before updating again!:)

Life at 18 months

Our little angel is 18 months old today!!! We can't believe it, my how the time has flown! Watching her grow only gets more and more fun. Let's see...I know it's been a while since I've posted on here so I'm sure I'll leave a lot out, but lately she waves at everyone (and I mean everyone - people across parking lots), she gives us lots of kisses and hugs, and she is talking up a storm! She gibber jabbers all the time and can say more words. This week she really started saying "frog" and "rain". And she understands most of what we say and can follow simple direction. She is also starting to feed herself!! Oh how that will be nice at dinner time:-) We just got back from the beach and she loved it! She only tried to eat the sand once (a vast improvement from last year). Disciplining is getting challenging because she is testing us more and more. We are staying strong though, lol! I battle her every night to brush her teeth. She will brush them, but I need to get in there to finish the job. But it is getting easier. She loves her Elmo so much! If Sesame street is on she plays while it is on in the background, but as soon as Elmo comes on she bolts to the TV! And I recently bought her some boy Elmo pj's...I felt a little bad putting my little girl in boy pj's, but she loves them!! And they look cute on her:-) What about mom and dad? Well I have been staying home with Kaitlyn for 2 months now. I know; it has flown by! I am even busier than I was when I was working! That probably doesn't make sense, but I have less "me" time. And being at the house more has inspired me to decorate some of those blank walls and organize those messy cabinets. So my "To Do" list has quadrupled;-) I am physically exhausted by the end of the day, but I truly love spending so much time with her and being there for all the cute little things she does. I know she misses her Granny and Grand-daddy though so we try to see them often. Mark travels a lot so it's tough during the week. He was home for two weeks recently so that was nice:-) Here are some of my favorite pics that my Dad, the amazing photographer, took at the beach!

15 Months

We just got back from the Dr. and Kaitlyn did great! She checked out well. She's 31" tall and weighs 22.7lbs. She's in the 70% for her height and right on target with her weight. So I guess she is eating well even though sometimes she can be picky!! She got her shots and screamed of course, but was fine shortly after. In fact, she was in a GREAT mood on the way home surprisingly and is now down for a nap.

Some cute new things she's been doing lately are that she's talking more; she'll say daddy (dah-dee), bath (high pitched noise that resembles the word), she's starting to say mom and mommy a little bit more. It's seems like she says it when she's mad or ready to be done with something (like get out of the highchair) and she says bird! Her Granny and Grand-daddy tought her that. She also uses the same sound and beginning when pointing at the butterflies on her wall. Too cute! She started walking on her tippy-toes in the last couple of days and pushing with her feet when she's on her princess car. She'll be driving it around in no time! She also covers her ears and makes cute baby sounds (we think she likes the way it sounds). Everything she does is freaking adorable. She's so much fun! Oh she is also our little collector. She loves to pile things up and they are usually in the same category like shoes, toys, receipts out of mommy's purse, etc. Something interesting she does at her Grandparent's house is she has a blow-up tent house thing and it has plastic balls in it. She picks out all the yellow ones and takes them to her princess chair - so smart!! She's does it all time and they are always yellow:-) She put on mommy's shoes the other night and walked a few steps in them! She likes to flip through books on her own and look at them. Sometimes she'll let us fininsh reading a book to her, but usually wants to stop half way through. We do it everynight so hopefully she'll enjoy it more in the future. She still loves bath time and will tollerate getting her teeth brushed. She loves to hide and when we hide or play peek-a-boo. She was also cracking up a noise I was making the other night and then she would do it and then I would do it and you get the picture:-) Well, I'm sure there's lots more to tell, but that's off the top of my head. Oh she loves to go outside so we are looking forward to the summer and being outside more! Ok, one last thing I can't believe I forgot! By far the cutest things shoes does right now is the happy dance!! When she's standing and is excited those little feet go ninety to nothing and we say "happy dance!!!" But of course she won't do it when we record her, so we are still trying to get it on video;-)

Our little one year old:-)

Well this past year certainly has flown by!! Our little Kaitlyn turned one on Christmas Eve. So much has happened and she does something new everyday it is hard to keep up. I'll try to fill you in though. She is such a joy! I would describe her personality as cute, sweet, sassy, wild, and funny! She keeps us entertained and on our toes for sure! She's so funny and has been shy lately...she'll put her chin down to her chest and look up at you and sometimes tilt her head and put her shoulder on her cheek. She grunts when she wants something and is very persistent! She can bark like a doggy and make a sound like an elephant and do her arm like the trunk (Granny & Grandaddy taught her). She understands so much of what we say...she'll bring us stuff, she can high-five, and she points to the bathroom when we say "let's go brush your teeth!". And she'll even make this funny sound for the word Elmo (because that's who's on her toothbrush). It is absolutely presh. She plays more and more on her own. She loves her kitchen she got for Christmas and her other Christmas and Birthday toys (but we have stashed some away for later). She weighed 19lbs. at her 12 month. I think it's time to turn the car seat around soon!! Her poor little legs are way too long and have no room, lol! She says "Dada" all the time!! We have thought she's said a couple other words, but aren't sure. She'll repeat us when we say things too - the other day Mark was saying "yum, yum, yum" and she said it too:-) But we're not quit sure how to figure out what her first word is (I guess we'll go with Daddy - Darn it!;-)). She's so smart; a couple weeks ago I was looking for her hat and was trying to get out the door. I had given up hoping it was in the car and I said "Let's go Kaitlyn" and she darted off to the living room and I was getting anxious ready to go and went to get her when she was about to bend down and get her hat!! I didn't even know she knew what that meant. Too cute!! I can't wait until she can talk to us!! But some people say be careful what you wish for! Then I'm sure she'll tell us no, because she hears that all the time from us. She definitely tests us all the time. She knows not to touch the plant or the trash and she'll go for it and look back and wait for us to say something. Oh she is also sitting down!! It is seriously the cutest thing...her Granny showed me how she sits in her Princess chair and sometimes she misses, lol and then she will sit on the first step at home. It just blows my mind how much difference a year can make! Oh she is a pretty picky eater - I'm hoping it's a phase. But she loves fruits, cereal bars, puffs - mainly the sweet stuff. Sometimes I even hide some veggies and meat in her yogurt if she won't eat it otherwise. But she was really loving the chicken pot pie her Daddy made us this week!! We are having a ball! It's challenging at times, but we are living and learning and wouldn't change a thing. Happy Birthday too my sweet baby girl!! And many more...Love, Mommy.

10/11 Months!

Well Kaitlyn just turned 11 months!! We can not belive she is almost a year old!?!! She is so big! She is so smart and so much fun. She really understands a lot of what we say now. Daddy has taught her to hand him the remote, she runs if you say we need to change you, she picks up her arms when we put the tray on her highchair and tell her "hands up", she barks like a doggy when you say "What does a doggy say?". It blows us away how much she comprehends about what's going on (but not really because we know she is a smart girl!!). Her favorite thing right now is her Einstein videos:) She loves the one Granny and Grandaddy gave her about Old MacDonald. She will walk towards the tv clapping and squeeling until you play it for her. And she dances, laughs, and squeels while watching it - it is seriously the cutest thing we've ever seen!! She loves people and is not afraid of a crowd. She goes to other people and doesn't mind them holding her. She's very independent! She loves hiding and when we try and "get" her. She has such a cute little personality; we love watching her grow and learn:)

9 Months

Kaitlyn is 91/2 months old now. She is so much fun. She is walking all over the place. We got her first pair of big girl shoes last weekend. She recently started clapping and saying "Da Da"! Her favorite games to play are "Where's Kaitlyn?" and "I'm gonna get you!". She loves to pull the curtain in front of her and then pull it away so we can "find" her. And she loves when we sneak up behind her and "get" her. Mark and I picked out her Halloween costume today and she is going to be a bumble bee:-) Stayed tuned for pictures. At her 9 month appointment she weighed 17 lbs. 9oz. and was 2' 4'' tall.