Thankful

I have always been lucky to have amazing grandparents. Grandparents who loved on us, taught us new things, supported us and my parents, and were just all around fun to be with. Some of my greatest memories include my grandparents, and I have always been so thankful for their presence in my life.

Now, I'm even more thankful for their presence in the lives of my own kids. It is so amazing to watch my Grandma take care of my babies, as if they were one of her own. Like my mom said, Grandma has the touch. The touch to calm, to soothe, to cuddle to sleep...it is perfect.

Ryleigh loves seeing "GG" and after we leave her house, always asks to go back. After this last trip to introduce Wesley to GG and Great Granddaddy, I imagine he will miss cuddling his booty next to GG on the couch while getting his back patted and soothed after a rough feeding time.

I'm so thankful to have loving and involved grandparents, and can not thank them enough for every way they touch my life.

Thank you for letting us come visit and for loving me and my babies so well! We love you more than words express.

Apples to...Oranges?

I have always heard that every pregnancy is different, as is every baby. But while I "knew" it in my head, I did not necessarily believe it would be true for me. Not only that, I was (am!) slightly frustrated that things were not more similar. I was counting on "knowing" what I was doing this time. But no, this time, there were different curve balls thrown. There were few similarities at all!

Planned pregnancy?

• Ryleigh- Yes! I got off birth control, carefully avoiding pregnancy for three months to make sure all the hormones were out of my body. I charted my ovulation all three months, and "tried" on the third month. Sure enough after waiting in anticipation of a missed period, I tested pregnant two days before my expected period, and we were both very excited to become parents.
• Wesley- Umm, kind of....? I had just gotten off my birth control, and no, we were not super careful. I definitely did not follow my ovulation or my cycles. I realized after being five days late that we were pregnant. We knew we wanted another baby, he just came a little earlier than anticipated. Our initial feelings were of shock, then nerves, and then of course, excitement.

Morning sickness?

• Ryleigh- I felt good for about a week. From then on, it was miserable. Morning sickness showed up fast and furious and lasted well into the second trimester. I lived off saltines and ginger ale (and TCBY yogurt) and any funky smells sent me running to the toilet. My best friend was Dramamine, which would knock me out for half the day, allowing my stomach to calm down. Don't get me wrong though; the sickness was not just in the morning. It was miserable all around.
• Wesley- I did get sick, but it did not start until later in the first trimester (around week 8 or 9) and was not near as severe. There were a couple rough days, but in general, once I got it out, I was fine for the rest of the day. There were a few isolated sick days during the second trimester, but nothing compared to my first pregnancy.

Worst puking moment?

• Ryleigh- Gosh, there were a lot of puking moments. Our entire vacation in Mexico, running to the bathroom at work and then curling up in a ball under my desk wishing to die, out in public places...often. I think the worst was one day after feeling incredibly nauseous and knowing I needed to eat something, I had gone through Chick-fil-A and got a chicken sandwich. While eating and driving down the highway, I started puking while driving, barely making it into a bag. Fun, fun.
• Wesley- The funny thing about my puking with Wesley, was actually Ryleigh! She was often around, and began imitating me, pretending to puke into her own little potty. Awkward! This was especially funny when I puked on the airplane on our way to Minnesota for the wedding-- me puking in the airplane bag, and Ryleigh imitating "Mommy sick." I think Jesse wanted to crawl under the seat.

Tired?

• Ryleigh- Not that I can remember. I know I slept a lot in the beginning, but it was more because of the Dramamine that knocked me out to stop the puking.
• Wesley- YES! I'm not sure if it was because of the pregnancy, chasing my active two-year-old, the move, or all of the above, but there were days I literally could not lift myself off the couch to get into bed at night. I could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.

Cravings?

• Ryleigh- TCBY yogurt; either a chocolate parfait with strawberries or a chocolate shiver with Reese's. And yes, they knew me at the drive-thru window. Anything chocolate and sweet was tasty during my pregnancy with her.
• Wesley- I don't think I had "cravings" per se, but when I wanted a snack, I tended to head more towards salty things, like chips and dip or peanuts. Don't get me wrong, I still had my share of sweets, this is me we are talking about, just not quite as often.

Belly pop?

• Ryleigh- I filled out throughout my entire belly and hip area, starting around 16-weeks.
• Wesley- Though I had started to get a little chubby, the belly officially POPPED, straight out, around 23-weeks.

Weight gain?

• Ryleigh- Lost a lot at the beginning, due to sickness. It all caught up to me in the third trimester though, and I gained 26-lbs, right on target!
• Wesley- Lost a little in the beginning, but not much. Gained a good amount in the beginning of the third trimester but it slowed down towards the end. Total weight gain was around 13-lbs. (I attribute the lack of weight gain on a crazy summer, including the move, as well as the added exercise benefit of chasing a toddler day in and day out.)

Maternity clothes?

• Ryleigh- Started wearing the "balloon" shirts around 16-weeks, shopped only at the maternity stores, and bought a lot of new pants, shirts, and skirts. I was working in the office more, but in general I liked buying the maternity clothes, because I wanted everyone to know I was pregnant. Looking back, they were completely unflattering, and often made me look huge! Not to mention they were just ugly in general.
• Wesley- I avoided as long as I could. I ended up buying a pair of jeans for every day wear and wore a lot of t-shirts. I did have to buy a few real maternity clothes for the wedding festivities, but other than that, I avoided at all costs. I even had a few regular pants and shorts that were not maternity, that if I pushed them low enough, I could wear throughout the entire pregnancy.

Heartburn/ Acid reflex?

• Ryleigh- YES. Tums sat by my bed every night and were used all the time.
• Wesley- YES. Tums sat by my bed every night and were used all the time. One of the few things that was the same. And if the old wives' tale is true, the indication of heart burn and reflex did in fact signal a lot of hair for both my babies. They both came out with a head full of hair.

Baby in the womb?

• Ryleigh- Active ALL. THE. TIME. Strong kicks. Often got the hiccups. That girl has been active from day one!
• Wesley- Definite patterns of actions. Strong kicks. Responded to music in the car and big sister's shrieks and laughter. Hiccups all the time! For the record, both of my babies still get the hiccups easily and often.

Baby preparation?

• Ryleigh- All I thought about the entire pregnancy was the baby. I read all the books. We registered for baby products and had several baby showers. We had more than enough "stuff" for her, and did not have to hardly buy anything ourselves. We talked about her all the time. The nursery, though it went through several changes, was still ready to go months before she arrived.
• Wesley- The pregnancy kind of took a back seat to the rest of life, including caring for Ryleigh, moving, working, and everything else! We did not need many of the big things we needed for Ryleigh (furniture, baby gear, car seats, etc), but needed all new clothes, decor, etc. Because of the move, we did not even start setting up the nursery or deciding what to do in there until a couple of months before he was due, and it was not finished until a few weeks before his birth.

Daddy's feelings and involvement?

• Ryleigh- Very excited right off the bat, though he had to find out the sex to "prepare himself, in case the baby was a girl." Sure enough, she was! I had still planned on going pretty neutral with everything, but oddly, he insisted some things go girly. Jesse loved sitting next to me on the couch at night and keeping his hand on my belly. He often asked about the baby and came with me to a lot of my doctor's visits, never missing an ultrasound. Nervous about the delivery and bringing her home, and super gentle handling her.
• Wesley- Shocked right off the bat, but much more open to the idea than I was at first. He was calm throughout the entire pregnancy and did not make as big a fuss about feeling movements. He was very excited about "getting a boy" and would often make comments about "the boy." Because of his early move, he did not get to go to many doctor's appointments, and actually had to miss one of the ultrasounds. During the actual labor and delivery, he was much more laid back, knowing what to expect, and has also not been so nervous handling Wesley.

Early signs of labor?

• Ryleigh- No cervical change until the 39-week. I had a few hours throughout the week of intense, non-stop cramping, but no contractions coming and going.
• Wesley- Pains very low in my pelvis, and already dilated and effaced at my 33-week appointment.

Due date?

• Ryleigh- My original due date was May 25. The doctor stripped my membranes two days before I was due, and Ryleigh arrived on May 24, 2007, one day before her due date.
• Wesley- My original due date was October 6. My body went into spontaneous labor and my water broke on its own, September 20, and Wesley arrived on September 21, 2009, sixteen days (about 2.5 weeks) before his due date.

Labor experience?

• Ryleigh-After the doctor stripped my membranes in the afternoon, I began to have contractions throughout the evening. The contractions continued to get stronger and closer together, and we finally went to the hospital in the middle of the night. I got sick during labor, received an epidural, the doctor had to break my water, and I only pushed about 15 minutes. There was a slight scare when her heartbeat dropped, and they realized the cord was stuck somewhere; though her right clavicle was broken during the delivery, everything else was smooth sailing. Total length of labor, from the time contractions started in the afternoon of the 23rd, to her birth on the morning of the 24th: about 16 hours. To read all the details, remember this post.
• Wesley- My water broke while sitting on the couch at home, though no contractions came during the entire trip to Houston and even after settling in at the hospital. Finally, pitocin was ordered and the contractions picked up. Two epidurals and a few hours later, after only pushing through a few contractions, Wesley made his grand debut. Total length of labor, from the time my water broke to his birth at 1:03am: a little over 7 hours (only 2 hours with contractions). To read all the details, see this post.

Baby size?

• Ryleigh- 7 lb 4 oz, 20.25 in
• Wesley- 6 lb 9 oz, 19,5 in (at Wesley's 2-week check up, on his actual due date, he weighed exactly 7 lb...still smaller than Ryleigh was when she was born)

Length of hospital stay?

• Ryleigh- We checked in around 1:00 am the morning of Thursday, May 24th, and were released mid-morning on Saturday the 26th. (~56 hours total)
• Wesley- We checked in around 7:30 pm on Sunday, Sept 20, and were released at noon on Tuesday, the 22nd. (~36 hours total)

Mommy's recovery?

• Ryleigh- I was pretty sore for a couple days, walking very slowly and was all-around hesitant to do much of anything for awhile. I had an episiotomy, and was very nervous about doing anything that could hurt the site. I was very gentle with my body for quite awhile.
• Wesley- Some soreness, but not too bad. The worst pain came from sitting on our new kitchen chairs that aren't quite broken in yet- ha! This time I tore on my own, though it was a small tear. I was not as scared of hurting myself, and allowed myself to get back to normal activity much sooner.

First major meltdown?

• Ryleigh- Mom and Julie came over, Julie had a cute new outfit for Ryleigh, and while we were in her nursery changing her into the new outfit, I just lost it. I "didn't know what I was doing, was tired, etc." It was at that moment I realized it was okay to let other people help me. :) Right, Mom?
• Wesley- Mom had come to help from the beginning this time, and on our first real outing (lunch at Chick-fil-A), I suddenly got emotional and cried right there at the table. For some reason, his birth seemed somewhat anti-climatic, like no one cared (though I know they did), and I was very emotional about whether or not people cared about him as much as I did. For the record, hormones and lack of sleep do crazy things to the sanity of the mind.

Baby temperaments?

• Ryleigh- Agitated and irritable. Ryleigh needed more attention right from the start, and would often cry and cry for no reason. I turned into the human pacifier because often the only way I knew to get her to stop crying was to feed her. She was never one for cuddling, and to this day, the only time she stops long enough to sit still and cuddle is when she is sick. That girl is always on the move!
• Wesley- Laid back and quiet for the first few weeks. Seriously, we never heard a peep out of him; and even when we did, it was more of a grunt than a cry. He fooled us though, because a few weeks later, he found his lungs and let us know very quickly that his little tummy gave him grief, with both reflex and vomiting after feedings, and gas and constipation a few hours after feeding. He is still a cuddler though, curling up on my chest and tucking his head up under my chin. Hopefully once we get his tummy under control, he will be a laid back baby once again.

WHEW! Well there you have it. I don't know if all the differences are due to the opposite sex (girl verses boy), or whether personality plays such a big role, or pregnancies and babies really are so different. I guess if we ever decide to have a third one, he/she will provide more insight. For now, I'm just happy that both my babies are healthy, happy little ones. And though there are days when I wish I did know what to expect, I'm thankful for a little variety as well.

On a side note, I don't really want to compare these two forever or deal with sibling rivalry, but it is hard to not compare! It happens automatically, thinking about milestones and wondering how much #2 will be like #1. I just have to be careful when they get older to not voice those comparisons to them!! Ryleigh does not need any additional reason to feel competitive...!!

A special visit

The weekend after my birthday, my sisters, Susan and Sarah both flew in town to meet Wesley and have some family hang out time. Because we are all pretty spread out, there are not many times when we all get a chance to get together; normally, it corresponds with a big event (like Susan's wedding this summer). This was the first time in awhile we had a chance to all get together and just hang out, without any plans or agendas. And let me tell you, it was a sweet time. Whenever we get together, it is normally at my parent's house. This time, everyone came and stayed at my house! And though I did not get to play hostess like I normally would have, it was very special having the girls stay with me.


Right off the bat, the girls showered love and gifts on Miss Ryleigh. That girl is sure spoiled with amazing aunts! Then it was my turn. :) They surprised me with a super sentimental and thoughtful gift- the forever entwined ring from James Avery. Apparently, they all have it, and gave it to me to complete the circle. Now all of us are forever entwined. It really touched my heart.

The visit was full of chit chatting, catching up, loving on babies, and of course giggles. Julie was in school, but she joined us as she could, and we tried to meet up with her as often as she was able.
For those of you who do not have sisters- you really are missing out. I can't explain it. There is something, unspoken, that truly binds your hearts together. As we get older and our lives inevitably drift apart, it never ceases to amaze me that my love and appreciation for them as people grows. The old phrase, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," really is true! Not only do I miss them and the laughter they bring in my life, but also, when we do get together, our catch up time is sweeter and more meaningful.

Since having children, I have also seen a new dimension in my sisters: they are aunts! And boy howdy, do those girls love my babies well. It warms me to the very core to watch them interact with Ryleigh or snuggle with Wesley. I don't know if you can see Wesley's shirt...Aunt Julie gave it to him. It says, "My Aunt Rocks" with little guitars on it. Honestly, I couldn't have said it any better. Ryleigh and Wesley's aunts do rock!

I was sad to Susan and Sarah go, though I know they needed to get back home to their own families. Luckily, Julie is still close by, so we get to see her from time to time. These visits are definitely cherished in my heart and I always look to the future in anticipation of the next get-together.

I love you girls, and love the way you not only love me unconditionally, but also the way you shower love on my babies. Trust me, they feel your love, and love you right back! Lots of love going around...haha. Thank you so much for coming to visit.

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And a post on my "sisters" would not be complete without mentioning the other special visit from my honorary sister, "the older sister I never had,' my cousin Michelle. Michelle also made the trip down (in the rain!) to share my birthday with me. She also loves me unconditionally and is often the voice of reason I need to hear when I let my emotions get the best of me. I love Savannah (and soon-to-be, Austin) like my own, and I see her loving on Ryleigh and Wesley the same.

Thank you, Michelle, for coming to visit and share my birthday with me. I love you!

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Have I mentioned lately how blessed I am?

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of the sisters in my life!

Ryleigh and Wesley

I cannot believe I have two kids. Plural. More than one. YIKES.

At first, Ryleigh was very leery of Wesley, and frankly, not too interested. She took a couple of peeks at the hospital, but not much more than that.


Once we got home, she slowly warmed up to him. And I mean slooowwwllyy. In small increments.

Checking him out, every now and then....

Stealing moments with him when she thought no one was watching...

Still slightly unsure who this new little guy was and why he was on her domain.

Her feelings of affection grew over the next few days and weeks, and Ryleigh began loving on Wesley. Kind of like a bull loves on a cowboy. Tackles, full force ahead!

I don't think I mentioned in my introduction post my feelings regarding Ryleigh during and after Wesley's birth. I missed her while she was away from us and was so sad that she was not there when he was born to be the first to hold him. I worried about her reaction to him. And when she did come to the hospital, I saw her with new eyes. She grew over-night. I'm not joking. I kept starring at her on Monday, wondering when she got so big and thinking for the first time ever that she looked chunky. Those of you who know my daughter know that she is NOT chunky. I think I finally saw her relationally, in the same equation as Wesley. He was tiny = She is big. And sure enough, she officially was no longer my baby, but instead, is the big sister.

We have seen a few moments of jealousy towards Wesley. Like the time I was scrolling through channels, and paused briefly (like 30 seconds) on TLC's A Baby Story. Ryleigh took one look at the screen, saw/heard a baby, and immediately started yelling, "No, baby budda! It's Ryleigh's turn!" I guess she thought that was his channel...?

We have also seen some tender moments. Like when Ryleigh wanted to share her bed with Wesley, and was so excited that he wanted to cuddle with her.

Or the time when I was cooking dinner, and looked in to see my two babies checking each other out on the couch.

Ryleigh is not quite Mommy's little helper-- she is independent, after all-- but occasionally, she wants to be right there and be a part of whatever we are doing. She likes pouring the water on his toes during bath time, and handing Mommy wipes when changing diapers. Once, I even caught her trying to give him one of her baby doll's bottles. Sweet girl.

I'm sure we still have plenty of transition time ahead of us, but so far, Ryleigh is handling most of it pretty well. We had a few rough spots when we would take her to Mother's Day Out-- suddenly, she did not want to go anymore and would cry. I wonder if she thought she was getting the boot? Or that she would miss out on something while she was away? Who knows. She is doing much better again, and seems excited to see Mommy AND Wesley when we pick her up in the afternoons.

I have no doubt that these two will be sweet siblings- who love to hug and kiss each other, and also rough house and tackle one another. Right now, Wesley seems to have a chill personality, though I'm sure if Ryleigh has her way, she will get him roused up as soon as he is old enough. In the mean time, I imagine she will entertain him, by running in circles around him.

I can't wait to watch their relationship grow over the next weeks, months, and years. I'm sure they will be the best of friends.

Everyone wants to meet Mr.Wesley!

Wesley had his share of visitors, though spread out across the course of the past month. We tried to capture them all in pictures, but missed some.

Gaga with Wesley, shortly after his birth.

Aunt Julie, shortly after birth

Big sister, Ryleigh, checking him out the next morning,

Monday 9/21

Aunt Jenn

Monday afternoon 9/21

Uncle Justin

Monday afternoon 9/21

Grandaddy

Monday afternoon 9/21

Papa

Monday evening 9/21

Stacey

Tuesday morning 9/22

Great Aunt Darenda

Saturday 9/26

Great Aunt Kathy

Saturday 9/26

Great Uncle Charlie

Saturday 9/26

RaRa, meeting Wesley for the first time

Saturday 9/26

Great Aunt Judy

Saturday 9/26

On Saturday, we somehow missed a picture of Great Uncle Rick and also our friends Hayden and Lauren, who stopped by on their way to a wedding in town. Sorry I did not get your pictures!

"Aunt" Michelle and Savannah

Friday 10/9

Aunt Sarah and Aunt Susan

Sunday 10/11

It has been a full month of visitors, and we are so thankful! We love showing off our beautiful son, and having all of you to help celebrate his arrival. Thank you all for coming to visit and meet Mr. Wesley!

Introducing: Wesley Haas

I'm sure most of you know by now that our sweet little man decided to make an early appearance. I apologize for the tardiness of my post, but life has been slightly full.

My little man has arrived! In a whirlwind of events and an unexpected time line, Wesley Haas entered our lives. Care for the story? I knew you would. :)

So, my last post was on Friday the 18th and I was telling him to "hurry up." Like a good son, apparently he listened!

We really had no big plans for the weekend. There was a home football game on Saturday night, and of course, Jesse wanted to go. However, we never received tickets for the game, and he was quite frustrated about the situation, so I settled in for a long night at home with a frustrated husband and restless two-year-old. About two hours before the game, Jesse decides that we should go to the game and just buy tickets on our own...and he wanted to take Ryleigh with us! I was not real excited, if I'm being honest, but we got ready, loaded up, and headed to the game. We never found anyone willing to sell tickets, so we went through the box office and paid full price for tickets- UGH. Ryleigh loved riding around on Daddy's shoulders and seeing all the people everywhere. She had a good time at the game and actually sat still a lot of time; a big accomplishment for her! The flyover was not too loud, so she enjoyed watching the "eh-panes" go right over our heads. Then she saw the horses from the cavalry, Reveille, and of course the band-- her favorite! She has not stopped talking about the band! It was a late night, but Ryleigh did great, the Aggies won, and Jesse got to go to the game, like he wanted.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I'm convinced it had a part in Wesley's arrival! Do you know how much WALKING we did? Walking around campus, walking up and down the stadium ramps, walking Ryleigh around when she needed a break from sitting, walking down the stairs to avoid the crowd after the game...it had to do something.

That night, I was exhausted. Absolutely winded. We were expecting our friend, Chris to come stay the night, but I simply could not wait up. I went to bed and Jesse stayed up and hung out with him.

Sunday morning, Ryleigh woke up early as usual, and asked to make blueberry muffins. I got to chat with Chris for a little bit before he had to get on the road and Jesse made it home from work just in time to tell him goodbye. We debated about going to church, but I was still exhausted and did not feel like trying to meet people or try out another church. So, we decided to be lazy. When Ryleigh went down her for her nap, so did Jesse and I, and we all slept for a LONG time. During my nap, I had more dreams. (Yes, I am a constant dreamer.) This time, my dreams were not about the baby or labor and delivery...they were about food. Specifically, a philly cheesesteak style sandwich. No joke. I woke up, and Jesse and Ryleigh were both still sleeping, so I slipped out of the house in sweats (I still had not showered) and went to the grocery store to get all the necessary ingredients to make my masterpiece. I came home and got to work. Sure enough, I managed to wake them both up, and everyone was hungry. We feasted on massive sandwiches and got incredibly full. Naturally, we headed back to the couches to put in a movie.

Within a few minutes of laying down on the couch (around 5:15 pm), I felt a gush of liquid I had never felt before, and literally jumped straight up and headed to the bathroom. I had heard of people losing their bladder control towards the end of pregnancy, but considering I did not feel like I needed to go to the bathroom, I was confused. I went to the bathroom and was still perplexed. When I stood up again, I noticed another gush. And another. And then it clicked.

Jesse had seen me jump off the couch and had followed me into the bathroom, wondering what was wrong. I told him I thought my water had broke!! He brought me my phone and I called the nurse on-call. We discussed my progress from the last appointment (2-cm dilated and 80% effaced) and she agreed that my water probably broke. She asked if I was having contractions, and I told her no. She told me to head to the hospital.

At this point, our life kind of looked like you imagine in the movies. Jesse literally started running around our house throwing things everywhere, trying to get all our stuff ready to head to Houston. Ryleigh was kind of packed, but not really. I was not packed. Jesse was not packed. None of us were dressed for the day. He took off to go get Ryleigh dressed and packed, and then moved on to pack his own stuff. Meanwhile, I was surprisingly calm. I took a shower and started packing my bag. Jesse came running back to finish packing his bag and realized we needed to take Jersey too, since we had no one in College Station to take care of her while we were gone. By the time I was ready to go, Jesse had:

• Gotten Ryleigh dressed, packed, and in her car seat.
• Packed himself and got dressed.
• Packed Jersey's food and got her in the car.
• Loaded the infant car seat in the car.
• And placed a towel on my seat for the drive to Houston. :)

I got in the car, calm as can be, and looked over, and the poor guy had sweat dripping off his face. Bless his heart.

Once we got on the road (around 5:45 pm), we both got on our phones. I called my mom and told her what was happening, so she could be ready to intercept Ryleigh when we got to the hospital. Jesse called his dad and filled him in, and then asked if we could drop Jersey at his house on our way...unless things started progressing quickly, in which case, he would just meet us at the hospital and take Jersey himself. The plan was in place and we were on our way. The drive was not the crazy, speeding drive that you see on the movies, though Jesse did drive slightly faster than normal. The whole time, he kept looking at me, asking if the contractions were picking up. There was not one single contraction the entire time. Honestly, I was starting to doubt myself, because I assumed that once your water breaks, your contractions set in pretty quick, and I did not have any! Since things were fine, we went ahead and dropped off Jersey and then headed on to the hospital, arriving around 7:30 pm. When I got out of the car, another massive gush encouraged me that I was not crazy- my water was definitely broke! Mom and Dad met us at the door, and took Ryleigh, while Jesse and I headed up to Labor and Delivery.

We got checked into the hospital and spent some time in triage, monitoring contractions, vitals, etc. Still- NO contractions. However, they did a test, and confirmed that my water had broke. Also, I had progressed again, and had dilated to 3-cm and was 100% effaced. So, we proceeded to get moved into our private labor and delivery room. I think by the time we got into the room it was close to 8:30 pm. Mom brought Ryleigh back to say goodnight, and then took her home to get her in bed for the evening. Ryleigh was in good spirits, though she thought Mommy had "boo-boos" due to all the arm bands they had on me. I let her know that they were my pretty bracelets, and she was fine after that. I got a big hug from her and she was off for the night.

By this point, I was kind of bored. Nothing was happening! Seriously, not a single contraction. Meanwhile, the nurse kept asking me if I wanted the epidural. I thought she was nuts, because, like I said, there was nothing happening in my book! I felt nothing. We learned that my doctor, the doctor that I had been driving back and forth to Houston for, because I wanted HER to deliver our baby, was not on-call that night. In fact, none of the female doctors from the practice were on-call. Yikes. And apparently, the male doctors prefer their patients to receive an enema prior to delivery. Lovely. Never done that before. Fun times. Anyway, so once that was taken care of (around 9:00 pm) we were just hanging out waiting for something to begin.

Pitocin was ordered and they started it around 9:30 pm. Again, the nurse asked me if I wanted the epidural. Since I was still not feeling any contractions, I just thought it would be silly to receive a pain blocker, when I felt no pain! So I refused. Julie arrived to the hospital and was hanging out with Jesse and I, still waiting for things to pick up. Still, nothing was happening. The nurse kept coming in to check on me and up the Pitocin. Mom made it back to the hospital and Dad stayed home with sleeping Ryleigh.

Finally, around 10:00 or 10:15, I started to feel contractions. And boy howdy, did I feel them. Once they started, they hurt. Badly. According to the monitor that shows the strength and length of contractions, there was literally nothing, then one or two that appeared about half-way on the chart, and the rest were off the chart. And they were quick too, with only about 2-minutes apart. So, I around 10:35 pm, I asked for the epidural.

I felt pretty silly, because before the contractions started, I had told the nurse what high pain tolerance I had...and yet, once the contractions started, I only lasted about 20 minutes. Impressive tolerance, huh? Pitocin is the devil. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The anesthesiologist came in around 10:45 pm and sent Jesse out of the room. Last time, they let him stay-- he just had to be across the room where he couldn't see the needle. He went to go hang out with Mom and Julie in the waiting room. The contractions were pretty intense, and I did my best to sit still while he positioned the needle to my back. It hurt like the dickens. I don't remember it hurting that much last time, if I'm being honest, but who knows if I just blocked it out. The anesthesiologist hung out in the room with me for a bit afterwards, making sure the epidural was going to take effect. It took awhile, but finally I started to notice my right leg go numb. He left, and said he would check in later to make sure all was well.

Well, the nurse stayed with me, and realized that I was still grimacing in a lot of pain during the contractions. I told her that the left side hurt really bad, and it felt a lot more concentrated. She called the anesthesiologist back, who checked the pump, up'd the dosage, had me roll to my side (which we had already done, hoping that gravity would work its magic), and he checked the location of the needle to make sure it was correct. Nothing would remove the sharp pain from the left side of my abdomen. I thought I was just going to have to deal with it, but the nurse would not have it. She could tell how badly it hurt when the silent tears started falling and the grimace would not go away.

Around 11:30 pm, the anesthesiologist came back, removed epidural #1 and then administered epidural #2. Yes, you read correctly. Two epidurals-- fun stuff! I felt bad and could tell he was irritated, it was late at night after all, but I wasn't making it up! Sure enough, within a matter of minutes, the left side started to go numb. Ahh, sweet relief.

The nurse let Jesse back in the room and I think Mom and Julie came in for a few minutes once I was comfortable again. I chilled out for about an hour, and then around 12:30 am, the nurse came back to check my progress. I was complete and ready to push! She left to call the doctor (whom I have never met- errrr) and get the rest of the nursing staff ready. About 15 minutes later, everyone arrived, and put on their game faces.

I pushed through about 3 contractions (3 pushes per contraction) and our little man was born at 1:03 am, on Monday, September 21, 2009.

Nothing can compare to the feeling of your new baby placed on your chest. Nothing.


He cried right away and turned pink, healthy as can be. While I was getting fixed up, (luckily, there was only a small tear this time...apparently this doctor does not do episiotimies unless absolutely necessary) Daddy cut the umbilical cord and then followed with the camera as the nurses cleaned him up, weighed and measured him, and stamped his hand and foot prints. He weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 and a half inches long. Perfect, if you ask me.


After the delivery, our son was wide awake, and I went ahead and began nursing. He took to it like a champ! Never an issue. I guess boys really do know their way around a boob from the get-go....!!

Mom and Julie were the only ones there, but they came in and met our new little addition, and took a picture of the three of us.

We hung out for a little while, but the nursing staff came to take the baby to the nursery for his bath and initial tests. Then it was time to move to my new room for the remainder of our hospital stay. By the time we got to the new room, settled in, and met the new nursing staff, it was 3:30 am. Jesse got comfortable on the couch bed, or at least as comfortable as he could, considering it was a couch bed, and I closed my eyes. About that time, they brought the baby back to me, and it was time to nurse again. And then the nurses came back to check my blood pressure....again. And again. Meanwhile, waiting for feeling to resume in my legs so I could attempt to go to the bathroom. Ha. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep the remainder of the night.

Monday morning, we anxiously waited for Mom to bring Ryleigh back to the hospital and meet her baby brother. I did not really have any kind of expectations, just curiosity as to how she would respond.

Anyway, when Ryleigh arrived, she had a balloon and a huge teddy bear for her baby brother. She walked into the room real slowly and hesitantly, and then came to see Mommy. After a few cuddles, she was ready to meet the baby. She went with Daddy to go look in the bassinet, still holding on pretty tightly to Jesse. She was not all that interested. After a few more minutes, she went to go look at him herself, peering through the plastic.

Finally, she was ready to hold him. At least for a few seconds...

We had more visitors throughout the day on Monday- my dad, Jesse's dad, and Justin & Jenn and the boys all came by to meet the baby. Mom brought Ryleigh in and out, as she tolerated it, and Julie came by once more before heading back to College Station.

Did you notice a key player who was not mentioned? Jesse's mom was out-of-town! Great timing for me to go into labor, right? Apparently she was out-of-town when Caleb was born too, who also made an early appearance. Perhaps out-of-town trips are not good the month before the baby is due...

Monday afternoon, after Ryleigh had gone home for her nap and came back feeling much better, she was able to participate in the sibling wall! All around the maternity ward of the hospital, there are colored hand prints with big brother and big sister names. The nurse said they are running out of room, but have one little corner left. Jesse took Ryleigh (and Mom took the camera so I wouldnt "miss" it), and she got her hands painted pink to put her prints on the wall. I think it is a super cute idea to get the siblings excited and participating in something fun of their own to celebrate, in their own way, the birth of a new brother or sister. Ryleigh loved it!

Have you noticed throughout this post that I have not used his name? Yeah, that is because we still did not have a name. We deliberated names the entire drive to Houston. We talked about them during labor. We discussed some after he was born. We spent all day on Monday talking about them, asking visitors their opinions. At one point, Jesse even used the dry erase marker to make a list of names on the window! Everyone thought we were joking about struggling to find a name. My sisters were convinced that we really had a name picked out and just did not want to tell anyone! Nope. We REALLY could not decide on a name.

During all the paperwork, he had no name. When they put Ryleigh's hands on the wall, it said "Ryleigh: Big sister of _____ 9/21/09." He was referred to as "Baby Boy Shulse" by everyone. We even tried out different names on him, and nothing quite fit.

Tuesday morning, I was released to go home, pending the baby's release. We were both released and ready to go by 10:00 am. Only one small problem. We needed a name on the birth certificate, so the staff could turn it in and get his social security number! No joke, deciding his name held us up at the hospital until lunch time.

Finally, after much deliberation, we tossed a coin.
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Just kidding! We did not toss a coin!! No, we finally realized that we both liked the name Wesley and though it did not seem to "fit," it probably was because we had been trying so many names and had not been calling him Wesley consistently. Surely, after a few days, it would roll off the tongue.

So, we finalized the paperwork and dressed Wesley in his Texas A&M onesie, just like we did with Ryleigh, and put him in the car seat to go home. Tiny little thing!

Wouldn't you know that when we got to the car, it was raining. I mean pouring. Do you know that when we left the hospital with Ryleigh it was also raining? Talk about stirring up a new Dad's nerves! It's scary driving your newborn for the first time, then you add the rain on top of that...anyway, you get the picture. Luckily, with Ryleigh, we only had to drive 10 minutes to get home. With Wesley, we had an hour and a half, on one lane roads! And yes, it rained the entire trip. But we made it.

Once we got home, Jesse and I started cleaning up. Remember the grand meal I had made of philly cheesesteak sandwichess shortly before plopping myself on the couch? Well, the evidence was still everywhere. I did the dishes while Jesse did a quick dust and sweep. Shortly afterwards, my mom arrived with her bags and Ryleigh in tow.

Ryleigh was more receptive to her "baby Wes-we" at home in her normal environment, and enjoyed holding him on the Boppy...at least for a few seconds. :)

All in all, the experience was a whirlwind. From the time my water broke to the time I delivered was a little over 7 hours, and when you consider that during that time we drove to Houston, dropped off Jersey, went through triage, changing rooms, starting pitocin, and two epidurals...it all happened quickly. AND if you consider the fact that my contractions did not start until 10:15 pm, I was only really in labor for 2 and a half hours, half of which was trying to figure out the epidural situation...that is REALLY fast. We were back home within 40 hours from the time my water initially broke.

It was an experience I could never forget.

And for the record, since I have mainly given out the facts of the delivery and steered from the feelings, let me tell you how I felt about my son. You know how I was worried about having feelings for him as strong as I felt when I had Ryleigh? I was gravely mistaken. When they laid Wesley on my chest and I looked into his squished, swollen face, my heart grew again. My eyes welled up and a lump rose in my throat. He was my son. He IS my son. And I could not get enough of him. He slept in my arms Monday night, because I could not get enough of his soft hair on my cheek. I kept starring at his little nose and pursed lips, wondering how I could love anything more. I'm completely smitten. The capacity of a heart is amazing. It continues to grow and love, even when you think you cannot love anything more. Trust me, you can.

I'm so thankful for a healthy pregnancy, uncomplicated labor and delivery, and a beautiful new addition to our family. Thank you all for your encouragement, excitement, and prayers. We are beyond blessed and excited to have Wesley Haas in our hearts and lives.

Do you know what my prayer calendar said on the day of his birth?

Remember that deliverance comes from the Lord, and it is an ongoing process. It is God who has "delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whome we trust that He will still deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:10).

God delivered me from pregnancy. He has safely delivered my son from my womb to my arms. And though I know it will be an ongoing process, learning to parent him and train him in the way that he should go, I can only pray that one day the Lord will write His name on Wesley's heart and deliver him from the great death.

Thank you, Lord, for the amazing gift of Wesley Haas. I pray that you guide Jesse and I as we raise this little one to one day rise up and call you Lord. Please keep Ryleigh's heart open to change as we transition from a family of three to a family of four, and grant me the patience to handle the long days of raising two little ones. Give Jesse wisdom to lead our family and encouragement to show his son what a Godly man looks like. Thank you Lord for continuing to bless us, though we are not worthy. We love you and love these little lives you have entrusted to our care. All glory to you, forever. Amen.