Bristol Grace

Bristol Grace

February 23 at 4:34 a.m. 

8 pounds, 3 ounces

19.5 inches

After Monday morning's false alarm, contractions started again on Tuesday afternoon. By early evening they were painful and regular, so we headed back to the hospital around 8:30 p.m. What a difference the time makes- when we got there at 4 am Monday there was no one in the ER and only a few cars in the parking lot. This time almost all the parking spots were full and it was a zoo! After getting settled in our room we were sent to walk for an hour again and then they were checking to see if I had made enough progress to stay. If not, we were going to have a problem because the contractions were really painful at that point. I was making progress, got an epidural around 1:30 am and Bristol made her appearance at 4:34 a.m. at 39 weeks and 5 days. My two fears were not realized: she was not so quick that she was born in the car, and we didn't arrive too late to get an epidural. Yeay! We came home today and are getting settled in as a family of 5!

39 weeks pregnant

  Big Brother Brayden and Big Sister Brinley were so excited to meet Baby Bristol! They have been talking non-stop about getting jello in the cafeteria when she was born, but didn't end up choosing jello after all...

 Ready to go home! Bristol is wearing the same Mississippi State sweat suit that her Mommy wore home from the hospital in 1980, Brayden wore home in 2006 and Brinley wore in 2008!

False Alarm!

Last night I started having contractions around 9:00 pm and they were about 15 minutes apart. Starting at 2:00 am I was up with them every 10 minutes, but they were not especially painful. With Brayden my water broke and with Brinley I was induced, so I haven't had to deal with this whole contractions thing before. Not really knowing what to expect or when to go to the hospital, being about 25 minutes from the hospital, and this being baby #3, I didn't want to risk it. We called Nana & Grandpa at 3:00 am and were at the hospital by 4:00. I was put on the monitor to check things, then sent for a walk for an hour and re-checked. Contractions were consistently 3 to 10 minutes apart, but not intense enough to get things going, so they sent me home. The doctor said could be the next 24 hours, the nurse said could still be a week, so who knows! It was certainly disappointing to be sent home, but I guess it's better than hanging out at the hospital with nothing happening. Hopefully we got all of that middle-of-the-night drama out of the way and when it really happens it will be a more normal time of day! Kenny & I both came home and slept for a few hours to make up for all the sleep we lost last night. For now, we keep waiting.

Weekend

We had a good weekend with absolutely nothing on the calendar, which meant that baby didn't feel a need to make her appearance. Saturday we went to the Explore More Museum and the kids had a great time. Today I took the kids for a walk around our neighborhood for the first time while they rode their bikes. This was one of the main reasons why we wanted to move and why we picked this house, and we are loving it! Got a few more boxes unpacked and things organized and the car can now be parked in the garage- yipee!

And now we wait for baby girl...

"Wouldn't Change a Thing"

I love the words to the new Matthew West love song he wrote for a K-Love radio listener. Check it out at http://www.matthewwest.com/.

Wouldn't Change a Thing
Had a picture in my head
Of how I thought it oughtta go
But look who showed up instead
Turns out you never know
Love will steal you by surprise
Take your heart just like a thief
Love can bring a stubborn man
Down to one knee

Chorus:
I wouldn't change a thing
It's perfectly imperfect
So crazy but it's worth it
I'm wrapped around you like this ring
And something tells me even if I could
I wouldn't change a thing

Love will show you what you lack
Love will laugh at all your plans
And if your heart won't give it back
Love will slip right through your hands
Heaven knows we've had our share
Of days we'd rather leave behind
But love don't really seem to care
It makes the wrong turns right

Chorus

I'm truly, deeply, madly, completely
Devoted every moment until my last breath I'm yours

I got a picture in my head
A hundred years from now
All our lines have all been read
And we're both up there looking down


My favorite lines, so fitting for my life right now:
I wouldn't change a thing
It's perfectly imperfect
So crazy but it's worth it
And something tells me even if I could
I wouldn't change a thing!

Full Moon

I'm 39 weeks pregnant and tonight is a full moon, so here's hoping that will contribute to the start of labor! I've read many conflicting stories that support or deny any correlation between the phases of the moon and the start of labor.

I do know this: Brayden was born on the day after a full moon (my water broke the day of the full moon) at 38 weeks and Brinley was born the day before a full moon at 41 weeks.

Brayden is 5!

Happy Birthday, Brayden! These are the bracelets that he and Brinley made me for Valentine's Day. Notice he is pointing to his "I'm 5 Today!" sticker.

 Brayden picked out his cake on Sunday, and due to Valentine's Day, there were about 3 cakes that weren't all hearts and flowers. He picked this one, which I think may be from "How to Train Your Dragon," something that no one in our house has ever seen.

 Brayden got a balloon and Buzz Light Year figure delivered to his school from his Mimi and Pop! He was so excited, and his daycare director snapped this picture and sent it to me.

Interview with Brayden

We have a Birthday Book which has activities and interview questions for your birthday each year. Here is an excerpt from Brayden's 5th Birthday interview:

Q. What was your favorite birthday present?
A. A monster truck with a remote control!

Q. What is your favorite color?
A. Rainbow.

Q. Tell me about your sister.
A. I like to play with her.

Q. Tell me about magic.
A. Flying princesses.

Q. Tell me about bedtime.
A. We sleep and read books with our flashlights.

Q. Besides your birthday, what is your favorite day of the year?
A. Valentime's Day (also his birthday...)

Q. What is your favorite thing to wear? Why?
A. My new Buzz Light Year shirt because it has lots of Buzz Light Year people on it.

Q. Now that you're five, is there any "big kid" thing you'd like to learn how to do?
A. Drive a trash truck!

Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. A trash man.

Q. Tell me about God.
A. I love him because he watches us all the time.

38 weeks

The view from here at 38 weeks:

Happy Valentine's Day!

She may not feel well, but she looks "Cool, dude!" in her new sunglasses that she got for Valentine's Day!

Happy 5th Birthday, Brayden!

Our little valentine, Brayden, turned 5 years old today.

Where has the time gone? The first picture is blurry (cell phone) and he has his mouth full of birthday donuts!

 He picked the "Peanut Place" (Texas Roadhouse) for his birthday dinner- how many 5 year-olds choose a steak restaurant for their birthday? He ate lots of peanuts, and ordered a hot dog and french fries. Too funny. When a certain song comes on, all of the wait staff start line dancing. Here is he, watching them and playing along with his "kit-tar" (guitar).

 Brinley wasn't feeling very well, but still looked so sweet!



Sweet, Funny Kids

This morning Brinley was snuggling in our bed and we were talking about the baby. I asked if she was going to hold her and she said "Yes, I'm going to rock her on my lap and sing Rock a Bye Baby!" I am so looking forward to seeing that (and of course getting it on video!). We also talked about how the baby will use little tiny diapers because she can't use the potty until she's a big girl like Brinley. Brinley wanted to know what snacks she can feed the baby and I explained that the baby will just drink milk for a while and she asked "Will she drink all of it!?" I think she was worried that the baby would drink all of her chocolate milk in the fridge! After Brayden & Brinley had granola bars for breakfast they were still hungry and I tried to hold them off, since they also get breakfast at daycare. But when they begged for carrots, "cut in circles," I couldn't resist giving them some. Who I am to deny my children their veggies, even if it is 7:00 am?!

"This Is the Stuff"

I really like the Francesca Battisetlli song "This is the Stuff." It's a great reminder that God is in control and that the little things aren't such a big deal. My favorite lines are highlited in pink. Here are the words:

I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please, 'cause I can't find my phone

chorus: This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what Your're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind

Chorus

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world

Chorus

This is the stuff You use

Small Joys

Brayden asked me the other day: "Mommy, when is the baby going to be here?" I told him it might still be a little while. He said: "When she's born, I'm going to get some jello in the cafeteria at the hospital!" Ahh, the small joys of life. Tonight he put his hand on my tummy while she was kicking, and then put his face next to my tummy and said "She's kicking me in the ear!" That was right before he and Brinley tried to feed her some plastic food through my belly button...

Noah's Ark, Roller Coaster Road & Rhymes

Tonight at Awana they learned about Noah's ark and Brayden told me all about it on the way home. He knew his stuff! Noah was the man who built the big boat when there was a flood, and they took two of every kind of animal- like turtles and crocodiles. So sweet.

On the way home we went on the "roller coaster road." This is a country road that has 4 really good hills where it is appropriate to say "Wheeee!" and/or giggle.

Brayden has also learned about rhymes- maybe at daycare? Tonight at church we saw our friend who has a new baby. She asked about our soon-to-be new baby and Brayden said "Her name is Baby B!" (This is because we haven't told him the real name because we don't want him telling people what it is yet!). Then he turned to me and said "Mommy, we could call her 'Baby T' because that rhymes with 'Baby B!'" What a smart cookie.

I love these two kiddos and sweet times like tonight almost make me forget about the challenges of getting the up, dressed and out the door in the morning! Sometimes I think there are already teenagers living in my house...

One Word

I listen to K-Love radio in the mornings and they have been talking about a new kind of New Year's Resolution. It's called "My One Word." From their website (http://myoneword.org/): "My One Word" is an experiment designed to move you beyond the past and look ahead. The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick one word. This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down to a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future.

Well, we certainly have plenty going on this year in the life change category. I've been thinking about what I want my word to be for this year and it came to me this morning:

CALM

I often get frustrated with the things going on in my house (usually involving my children) and adding another child to the mix is only going to increase the chaos factor. I want to focus on staying calm this year. Calm when I talk to my children, even if they're causing me frustration. Calm when I talk to my husband about whatever it is that is going on that day. I especially want to be calm when I am having to discipline my children. My frustration seems to fuel theirs and then everyone is a mess. So, for 2011, I'm all about CALM!