Madeline Kristine's Birth story

I am a planner, and although I wasn't thrilled with the idea of a repeat c-section I liked the idea that we would know exactly what to expect. I had all the details worked out. Who would be with Max, would be with me, who would take care of me when we got home, etc....literally I had a schedule on my calendar.

Well life doesn't always go the way you plan it, and Madeline's birth day was a surprise.

At my Thursday(7/8) appointment the doctor said I hadn't made any progress and we planned on the surgery on Tuesday(7/13). I told her I had felt some small contractions and she said they were probably just Braxton Hicks since the baby was high and no real dilation. She went over all the details for the day. "See ya Tuesday!", is what I said as we left. Boy what a difference a day can make. I began having periodic contractions on Friday during a play date with our neighbors Jennifer and Jaxen. It was uncomfortable, but not a big deal. By Friday evening, I was having contractions about every 10 minutes for about an hour. I decided to go to bed. I hardly slept because I was so uncomfortable and I was having contractions about every hour. I remember asking Shawn to go sleep in the guest room so he could get some sleep since I was tossing, turning, complaining, etc. By 6 am the next morning the contradictions were every 7 minutes, it lasted about 2 hours, plus I was having a few other signs of labor. Around 8 I called the doctor, just to get an answering service and the promise of a call back in an hour. At this point the contractions slowed down, so I decided to rest. I asked Shawn to take Max downstairs and I napped. About 2 hours later I got a call from Dr. White, the on call doctor. He said if I went into labor he would be delivering the baby. His instructions were if my water broke or if the contractions were 5 minutes apart for 1-2 hours to go to L&D.

I didn't want a doctor I didn't know to deliver my baby. So I thought I will just take it easy and this will pass. That Saturday, we got a visit from Rosie, Joey, Aimee and Penny. Rosie and I talked about babies, labor, c-sections, etc. They went shopping and we made plans for dinner at Chuy's(I've been craving Mexican food this pregnancy)! After she left I decided to relax and take shower, then I thought, "a bath would be better". I felt pretty good afterwards. We decided to go run an errand. Max fell asleep in the truck, so Shawn ran in while we stayed in the truck. I started having contractions, 5 minutes apart. I called my mom, told her, waited on Shawn, Max woke up, we got out, contractions continued, etc.

It was about dinner time. I text Rosie to let her know I wasn't up for dinner. I was still hungry so we decided to pick up Chuy's to go. Yummy! We started home, but I was still in pain. We decided better safe than sorry, so off to the hospital we went. I made the call to Suzy and Mom to be prepared, but I didn't want them to come in case it was a false alarm. I asked Shawn to drop me off in the front and for him and Max to eat in the lobby while I checked in. I figured I'd eat my Chuychanga later. So I checked in and the nurses checked me out. Turns out I was in labor!!! I was told that Dr. White would be there in 20 minutes and they began to prep me. Panic hit me, the tears began, etc. Who would watch Max? Would I have surgery alone?

We started to make the calls. Our parents started to head our way, but who would watch Max. We were so blessed to have Chuck, our neighbor to come and watch Max until Suzy got there. Whew!, that was my biggest concern. During all this I was getting prepped for surgery. Shawn made it in the room right as the surgery began. I had a great anesthesiologist and Dr. White did a fantastic job.

At 8:10 p.m. our beautiful baby girl was brought into this world. Thanks be to God!! Not quite as we expected it, but it was perfect nonetheless.

Madeline Kristine

She is finally here! I went into early labor on Friday evening and it lasted until Saturday morning. It seemed to pass, but by Saturday evening we decided to go into the hospital just in case. Sure enough, it was time. She wasn't delivered by my doctor, but everything went smoothly.

7 lbs, 15 oz

20 inches long

Born at 8:05 p.m on July 10, 2010

Roar!

Lately we've been working on animal sounds with Max. He loves to make sounds like quack, quack, moo, nee, nee, etc......well that was until Shawn taught him how to roar. Now, just about every animal says "roar". I had to capture the cuteness.

Max is continuing to get more personality. He has recently started saying "no" very clearly and making a sad/upset face. Sometimes he says it when he doesn't want something or if he knows he shouldn't do something (that happens ALOT). He has been very clingy lately, which is physically hard on me and makes me sad because I know that it will be a few weeks before I can carry him after the baby is born. He still only has 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom. His upper gums have been swollen for about a month and ONE tooth is finally cutting through. This has taken a very long time and he runs fever periodically.

A toddler and a wedding

We were privileged to be invited to the Boutton-Ransom wedding this past weekend. Kelly Boutton has been a good friend of my sister Maritza's since high school. I have seen her grow up and into a lovely woman and on Saturday I saw a beautiful bride!! We weren't able to get a good picture of her because we were kind of far away from the altar, for good reason. :o)

Weddings always make me emotional, especially Catholic weddings because they remind me of the vows Shawn and I took more than 6 years. Now, this wedding was a little different because we were trying to keep a toddler quiet. We were equipped with sippy cups, goldfish and a paci!! He really wasn't that loud, but he wanted to climb all over me. Not so easy when you have a 9 month belly in the way!! Then it was....stand up....sit down....stand up....sit down.....kneel down(that's where this prego lady drew the line!!). Oh and did I mention I dared to wear heels. Needless to say after the vows I need a shoe change and this is before mass was over, yes I was prepared.

Finally got a good family shot!

Max looked so handsome in his tux. We spared him having to wear the the jacket, he looked hot enough!

The reception was held at the Hilton and was amazing. Gorgeous cake, fun grooms cake, fun packs for the kids, yummy appetizers, food and chocolates and even an open bar (which of course I did not get to enjoy).

Max had a wardrobe change and he was much happier. He was all over the dance floor with the other kids. He even got to plan with the kids of one of my old teachers from A&M.

Exhausted mommy trying to keep him settled, not happening...

We resorted to the paci because that is all that would keep him quiet during dinner time! Shawn was so tired from chasing him around!!

He loved playing with the napkins and table cloth

Life's a Beach

Today we visited a great friend I used to work with. We usually reminsce on how much our lives have changed since we taught together in Bryan. We are now both happily married and mother's to our adorable sons! We enjoyed going to a new place - Palm Beach at Moody Gardens in Galveston. Max wasn't sure about it at first. I struggled a bit at first. I packed snacks, changes of clothing,etc. Of course, since I am a little, mmm, large/waddling at the moment I had to take in my stroller to carry everything. When we first got there I was so flustered!! I had to rush through the bathroom after our roadtrip. Then I unsuccessfully tried to push, then pull a stroller in the sand. Luckily my sweet friend Kari came to my rescue and we quickly got in the water.

Max liked being in the beach area and playing in the sand. He did not want the lfe vest on, so I just stayed close or stayed in a shallow area. I packed tons of snacks and drinks for the day. As much as I tried to avoid it, Max used his "sandy" fingers to eat grapes and goldfish. At first I tried everything to avoid it, but then I figured a little sand can't be all that bad. ;) Speaking of sand, the other thing he didn't like was the hot sand. I tried to keep him off of it, but being the free spirit that he is, he HAD to explore. His little cries were so cute, but I got him off the hot sand as fast as I could. We enjoyed the splashpad for a bit, but our beach area was more fun. The boys played in the sand and water and even shared their toys. We ended the day with a quick picnic on the way out. Can't wait to do this again with both my kids, with some help of course!!

Max & Mommy


In the sand

I've really been thinking lately about how the arrival of our daughter is going to change our lives...in good way. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel like I need to squeeze in lots of fun activites and one on one time with Max. Hence the beach trip at 36 weeks pregnant!! I remember how hard those first few weeks are with a newborn. I know as soon as she gets here, it will all work out and I will somehow muster up enough energy to be survive, with help of course!!!

Happy Father's Day

All Shawn wanted to do was relax on Father's Day, which was so hard for me, but I chilled too! We started out with Mexican food for breakfast, which we hadn't had in a while. Max loved the refried beans, potatoes and eggs!! We spent the rest of the day watching movies, flying helicopters, playing trains, grilling and relaxing!

One day he will fill those shoes!!

This boy loves spaghetti, his new booster seat and eating with a fork!

This and that

This past week seemed busy, but uneventful. I think that happens when you are a stay at home mom quite often. I stay busy by keeping a schedule. I try to go to StrollerFit at least 2 times a week, but with this heat it is getting hard. Its nice to get moving and have some adult conversation with other moms. Then Max gets to run around with the other kiddos when we are done. I think it's been great for me too. Keeping active has kept my blood pressure down. It hasn't done much for my weight gain, but I blame that on my addiction to sweets! I go to the doctor this Thursday to for my weekly check up. Around this time of my last pregnancy I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, put on bed rest and I started maternity leave. One way I know that I'm doing better health wise is that I only really swell when I've been walking around in the heat. Whereas before I would stay swollen.


Shawn came home early from his work trip to France. Although it was nice to have him home early, it was last minute so we had to rush back from our visit to College Station. Great to have the family back together again. I know Max was missing his daddy, and I love how his face lit up when we picked him up from the airport!

Max has been doing great. I think he is getting some new teeth in on top. It's about time, he is almost 16 months with only 4 teeth! He is very active too. He loves climbing onto everything, literally. When he was hungry he would try to get on his high chair. Which brings me to another milestone -- we are no longer using the high chair. He started getting really fussy at dinner time. After a while of that i brought in a booster seat since he was giving me signs he was ready to be in a chair. Guess what....he loved it! He's been eating much better since. Feeding time is always a struggle because he is very easily distracted. Add to that the fact that our dog was raised terribly and always begs for food. Max loves to feed him. At first I thought it was cute, then when he started feeding him all of his food, I had to put the dog out at meals. And ironically, Max still tries to eat the dog food any chance he finds some on the floor. Gross, I know, but what are you gonna do? He loves eating with utensils, his favorite is the fork. He still eats with his hands when he gets frustrated, but I think he likes eating like us. He will even grab my fork and try to eat with it.

With this summer heat going outside is not on the top of my list, so we are trying new things like drawing. Here are some pictures from that. He doesn't seem to prefer his left or his right yet. He uses them both to hold things. :o)