Where Do I Begin? *Updates* Pic {kinda}

Okay so....really, where the heck do I begin?! So much has happened I honestly don't know if anyone still follows my blog or if I can even do this blog any justice now that my TTC~babymaking~Birth journey is over.

I wasn't a "mommy blogger" before my journey started back in May of 2013. That's just not my thing. I've tried to update this blog several times since the birth of Baby Boy N but I just can't seem to find the words or the direction. My sole purpose for creating this blog was to help me thru that chapter of my life and to prayerfully help someone else. I pray I did. So now what? I guess I will start by at least trying to keep this short (considering it could potentially be a very LONG post) & just update on where we are as of today.

The Journey:

It was this time last year I was gearing up to get pregnant. My wife, Baby C and I were headed to our annual visit to Disney knowing we would start TTC right after we returned home. Crazy right?! Nothing has changed, well the TTC part has, but we are once again prepping for our annual Disney trip BUT we have an amazing 3 month old son tagging along. Yep, Baby Boy N is 3 months old.....but I'll get to that. It is bittersweet that our TTC days are all over and that was indeed a source of sadness for me after delivery. My wife and I both felt a sense of sadness that we would no longer be trying to get pregnant, ever. Let's face it, we spent two years of our life surrounded by TTC stuff and it had become a place of normalcy for us. But it's over now. We still have those conversations about what if we are crazy enough to do it just one more time but in my spirit I know we probably won't. Our set is complete with a son and a daughter and I just don't see us doing it again. And I'm okay with that.

Post Birth Experience:

This really could be a separate post all in itself but I think I'll just touch on it here. My labor was so easy and so uneventful and so quick annnnnnnd my son came 22 days early. Needless to say, these awesome things however were also the root and core of my post-partum baby blues. It was like, one minute I was pregnant, miserable, big belly and congested--then the next minute I had this 6lb 1oz baby in my arms and my boobs were hard as bricks~! It all came and went so fast. I didn't have time to mentally or emotionally deal with things. It all kinda just happened. Then it was, over. I was sad. I cried, a lot. I was happy, sad and super emotional. No...I was a HOT MESS! It took a few weeks for the emotions to level out. I felt robbed of my last 22 days of my son being in the womb. Robbed of a labor that was filled with time to process that I was about to have a baby. Robbed of my July baby. Robbed of my last 22 days of selfishness having my baby boy all to myself. Robbed of hitting 37 (I was two days shy of 37 weeks when I delivered), 38, 39 & 40  weeks of pregnancy.

But God had other plans...........and I'm okay with that, now.

Baby Boy N:

He is AMAZING! He's our happy baby. He smiles all the time!! He's adorable. He has a sweet calm spirit. He is finding his "voice" by cooing. He is a sleeper! Thank God for that! He is just a lovable kid and I thank God for sending him to us. He's 3 months old and getting so chunky. He's about 13ish lbs now. He was almost 12lbs at his 2 month visit. What can I say, he lights up our lives and we are just so blessed. He adores his big Sister and laughs at her allllll the time. lol We are so in love. My wife and I have two awesome kids. For that we give thanks. I love my wife. I love my kids.

For a Son we prayed and God said, "Yes. I'll send you the desires of your heart."

 

(We don't post full face shots of our kids online but here is sample pic of our Baby Boy N!)

So, again....I don't know if I will continue this blog. I may pop in from time to time to update major stuff but I'm not sure. I really have no blogger direction now that my journey is over. I admire those super cool mommy bloggers lol. But again.....it's just not my thing. Maybe I will find another purpose for this blog. You know, a shift in vision that will lead me to continue documenting my life. We shall see. Thank you all for following my journey. Thank you for helping ME get thru one of the scariest times of my life. This blog is so special to me and I'm just so thankful for the blogger friends I've made along the way.

 

For now, signing out - Mama C!

Birth Story....Welcoming Our Baby Boy

Today is July 3rd. It was my due date. The day I fantasized over since we got our BFP.

July 3rd, 2014.

I think it's only fitting that I post my birth story today and take some time out to reflect on the most amazing journey of my life. Today our son is 3 weeks old. 

Let me take you back.......................

June 9th, 2014 {36 weeks 4 days / 23 days until my due date) I went to work as usual and like other days I felt so miserable. I could hardly breathe from the pregnancy congestion and there was so much pressure down below. But the difference today was I knew I would be off on 06-10-14 for a routine OB appointment. I was scheduled to have my Group B Strep test done (GBS) and to maybe have a cervical check. I went back and forth about the cervical check and decided I would decline it when I went in. My OB appointment was scheduled for the 10th at 10:15am. When I came home from work I lounged around the house and even bought brownies for my wife to fix. I did notice that simply getting in and out of the car was beginning to be very uncomfortable for me so I also decided that my last day at work would be 06-19-14....that would put me at 38 weeks. My plan was to work until then and take 2 weeks for myself to rest up and get off of my feet for the remainder of my pregnancy. 

"When we are busy making plans.....God laughs."

Later that evening I pulled the hospital bag out and just randomly went through it to make sure we had everything. I now know that was divine intervention.

My wife and I did some stretching before bedtime. My body was so sore and my hips hurt like hell so stretching did provide me a little relief. I thought I heard a "pop" sound while on the floor but nothing happened. We went to bed.

At 12:34am on June 10th, 2014 I woke up from my sleep feeling like I was peeing on myself. I jumped up to try to make it to the bathroom. I figured I had a dream of being in the bathroom and just had an accident. Then I thought maybe Baby Boy N hit my bladder in the right spot and that caused me to pee! As I stood up to go to the bathroom...the fluid just kept pouring. I just stood there and yelled, "Baby I think my water just broke!" My wife jumped up and walked around to my side of the bed. She said, "Baby that's NOT pee...it's not yellow!" lol I then attempted to walk to the bathroom. The fluid was still coming. When we both got to the bathroom and I sat on the toilet, it stopped. So at that point I knew for sure it was just me peeing on myself. I wiped and there was no bloody show....no thick mucus. Just the slippery clear kinda discharge. It looked like "I had a major orgasm" kinda slippery clear discharge. lol I should say that I think I started losing my plug the week before...but it was coming out in small pieces. I had one glob that was kinda weird but nothing that stood out as OMG!

My wife called the on-call OB and told her what was happening. They advised that I could come in at any time. After going back and forth with my wife about going in I decided to go back to sleep. lol Again, I just knew it was just pee. I put a towel between my legs and laid back down in bed. At 1:40am my wife asked was I still leaking. I told her yes but I thought it was again.....pee. lol Let me explain, when you get to the end and you're having to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes it's quite possible to pee on yourself...a lot! I laid there for about 5mins and sat back up in bed. Something inside of me said, "go to the hospital." I figured, if it is just pee let them tell me and then send me home. I also considered just waiting until my 10:15am appointment THAT DAY to be seen! lol I just knew I would be coming back home..........

As my wife sprung to get Baby C together and put the bags in the car I sat on the side of the bed and prayed. Same prayer I prayed just before our first insemination...."Lord, Thy Will be done." In that moment Our lives had come full circle. I also prayed that if this was truly it...that He would protect Baby Boy N and I and keep us both healthy and safe. 

I was having no pains. No nothing...and as we walked out the house I laughed to myself and thought, "I will be back home soon." My plan was to come back home and tell my OB all about my ordeal at my appointment later that morning.

"When we are busy making plans.....God laughs."

We arrive at Labor & Delivery around 2:15-30am. We were laughing and joking the entire time. Just me, my wife and Baby C. We were checked in and when the registration clerk asked why I was there I replied, "I think I pee'd on myself or my water broke...I'm not sure." She laughed and said, "Most of the women who come in saying they are totally sure their water broke end up going back home...and all of the women who think they pee'd on themselves end up staying." LOL I thought...Yeah right.

Still having Zero pain and in a chipper mood. 

They call us to the back for triage & this was the moment of truth. It's around 2:45am at this point. 

The Doctor comes in and asks me a bunch of questions. She then tells me I have to get a cervical check to see if it was in fact my water that broke. My wife sees the look of panic on my face and immediately says, "she had a bad experience with a cervical check that caused her to bleed." The Doctor comforted me and said she would use the smallest speculum they had. My wife can be gangsta when need be! God I love her..lol She stepped in like a BOSS! :-) I braced myself for the check but Before she could even get the speculum in....more fluid gushed out and she was like, "Yep...your water broke I don't need to test!" She then told me she would check to see if there was any dilation. I saw the look on her face and I knew something was up! She shouted, "How long have you been having contractions??" I told her I didn't think I was having any because I was in NO PAIN! She asked how far dilated I was at my last OB appointment? I told her I had never been checked because my appointment was TODAY! All I remember is her saying, "Well you are 4-5cm DILATED already!" WTF!!!!! Then the room was an active L&D site! lol Nurses came from everywhere and I was asked even more questions. My wife started calling our moms and I was just laying there thinking, " Ohhhmyyyygawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

They wheeled me into my L&D room. At this point it was around 3am.  I immediately asked for the epidural! I was still in NO pain but I wasn't taking any damn chances! lol They also gave me antibiotics to be sure since I never made it to my GBS test. Well, after being in the room for about 5mins I began to feel pressure. I got the epidural around 3:30am. The nurse stayed with me while it was being administered because my wife had to step into the hallway with Baby C because our moms had not arrived yet. The Epidural wasn't that bad at all. 

Within minutes our moms walked into the room and I was starting to feel more pressure but I was also starting to feel the Epi kick in. Then the pressure really got to the point where I had to breathe thru it. I finally found out what contractions felt like. I asked the nurse if I could get more Epi juice but she wanted to check me first. My mom was on my left and my wife was to my right. My wife's mom was holding Baby C on the sofa playing with the ipad. 

When the nurse checked me I closed my eyes for a few seconds to brace for the possible pain....when I opened my eyes I asked her how much I progressed? She said, "YOU'RE 10CM!!" I thought, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!???? OMG OMG! My wife said she mouthed to her "he's right there!" Everyone was so shocked that I progressed that fast! The nurses were like, "Your body is a pro at birth and this baby is ready!" I asked if my OB would make it in time to deliver and they told me flat out, "hellll no!" lol Well, they didn't say hell but basically there was no way she would make it in time at the rate things were going. If I hadn't made the decision to go to the hospital I would have been delivering our son at home. This is a fact. Thank God we went when we did. At this point it was around 5am. 

We all screamed and I think I started to cry. Well, yeah I did. I was scared, nervous, excited and shocked all at the same time. My mom was so helpful and supportive. She surprised me. She was rubbing my face with a cold towel, rubbing my arms and telling me to breathe. I thought she wouldn't be able to handle the birth but she really surprised me. I've never felt more close to her than in that moment. My wife was a trooper and also did an amazing job keeping me calm. I just remember thinking how I wanted to make her proud of me. She was such a solider with the birth of our daughter....I just wanted to make her proud. 

This was it! We were about to meet our son! The child we prayed so hard for! 22 days early!!!!!

I pushed 7 times and Baby Boy N came into the world at 5:17am on June 10th, 2014 weighing 6lbs 1oz and 19inches. I cried so hard. I did it! I did it!! Praise GOD! I did what people said I wouldn't do. I carried a child and I pushed him out. I endured the pregnancy! I endured being miserable! I DID it!!!! I was so proud of myself in that moment. I remember just wanting to hold him and smell him! As they cleaned him off I had to get a few stitches. I will forever remember that first moment of skin-to-skin with our son and him rubbing his little fingers on my chest. My mom was so happy. My wife cried. My mother-in-law got to see her first grand-child born and my daughter got to see her baby brother come into the world. So many were blessed by his birth.

I prayed for a pain free easy labor.....and that's what I had. I only labored for 2 hours. There were no complications. Baby Boy N required no NICU time despite coming at 36 weeks 5 days. 22 days early. 2 days shy of full-term. My pregnancy was textbook & uneventful. I prayed for no morning sickness...I had none. I got pregnant on the first try. I prayed for a Boy and we now have our son. God. IS. Amazing. 

To Be Continued..............{The After-Birth Experience}

Baby Boy N is here!!!!

Thanks for all the "we need updates" messages lol

I'm sure with the long time between my last update folks figured something was up!
Well...on June 10th, 2014 at 5:17am baby Boy made his surprise appearance. It took us totally by surprise. He was born at 36 weeks 5 days. Perfectly healthy and beautiful! No NICU time, no trouble at birth...just 6lbs 1oz of pure perfection.

I  promise to update with my birth story soon. But for now I will just say, God is GREAT! I had a 2 hour virually pain free labor & delivery and things could not have gone any smoother. We are truly blessed and enjoying our time as a family of four.

Thank you all for following me along this journey.  Your prayers, love, light & positive energy have really touched me via this blog.

36 Weeks! The Nursery. & So, It turns into a monster?!

I'm 3 days shy of 36 weeks. Holy MOLY! 31 days until my due date. Yes, 31 days....

Shyt! Just. Got. REAL!

Well..it's been real for a long minute now but considering we found out we were pregnant when Sprouty was like 10mins old...{You know how us lesbians start POAS <peeing on a stick> as SOON as sperm meets egg lol}....But yeah, You get the point.

This baby. Has to come out of. ME. My Vagin.a or tummy cut. Like...He has to come out of my body one way or the other in 31 days, give or take........JESUS BE AN EPIDURAL!!!!!

Why am I so amped today you might be thinking...? Well let's just say I watched a BabyCenter birth video. Whyyyyyyyy did I do that?! I have to many thoughts....thoughts of, How the hell does "it" get SO big....I mean, I was traumatized by those huge lips.... the opening....Howwwwwwwww doesssssss that happen?!?

*Faints*

My wife had a c-section so I didn't experience the whole baby coming out thing.  They cut my babygirl out and I never saw what my wife's lady parts could do. I never saw it turn into a monster. Wait, I never saw her lady parts during the whole process now that I think about it. Mannnnn...it's mind-blowing how "it" can go from regular and cute to a BIG HUGE MONSTER!!!!!!! OMG!

*Faints.......again*

.......well, there's no turning back now and he has to come out. Lord be with me! My next OB appointment is on 06-10-14. I will have the GBS test done and maybe a cervical check. Fun. <sarcasm font>

On a brighter note, the nursery is done, our maternity photo-shoot is done & the bags are all packed. So we are officially on "just waiting for baby" watch. Yiipeee! Here are a few pics of our nursery. Baby Boy & His Big sister will be sharing a room. I can't WAIT for her to meet her little Brother. Ahhhhhhhh!

 

 

That's all for now.........pray for me ya'll :-)

Countdown Journal - Day 36

New Ailment - Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel
Old Ailment - Pregnancy Congestion

36 Days til Due Date.


Over the weekend I noticed my right hand was falling asleep. Well, just three fingers on my right hand, my thumb...ring finger & index. It was especially bad when I slept on my right side. Then I noticed, it can't just be a matter of "falling asleep" because they are always numb and tingly! Even when I know my hand is in a position where it's getting blood flow.

I went in for my 35 week appointment yesterday and mentioned it to my OB {after my wife told me she experienced it too and she already diagnosed me lol} & she says it's pregnancy carpal tunnel caused by the extra fluid. Ugh! Add yet another chronic "the only cure is delivery" ailment to my list, along with the pregnancy rhinitis (congestion). Just wonderful <sarcasm font>. My wife let me use one of her braces and that did help last night. I washed my hair this morning and my fingers were numb making it difficult.

Baby Boy N is still really active. He's moving around a lot but I can tell he's much bigger and probably running out of space. I feel his hiccups down reallllly low. I'm praying he stays in position and doesn't flip around. My OB scheduled me for my GBS test for 06-10-14. She will also do an internal check and give me an order for an ultrasound to check his weight.

In 15 days he will be full term. I just can't wrap my head around that! FIFTEEN DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm feeling tired and ready to have him. The congestion is really starting to beat me down these days. Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen. It hurts to get up, get in the car, get out the car, sit up.........basically anything that involves movement of any kind. My feet hurt, my ankles hurt from all the extra weight. I can't walk far or do anything too strenuous. I'm just tired. Thank GOD above for my wife...she's been a true blessing during this journey. She rubs my feet and always asks if there's anything she can do to help me. Thank you Lord for her. I've fought a good fight...while I want him to be a healthy baby needing no medical assistance after birth....I've had enough of pregnancy and I'm ready to meet him.

 

Dear Baby Boy:

 

After June 12th , 2014 you will be fully baked. So, feel free to come anytime after that.

 

Thanks,

Mama

Introducing Baby Boy N!

 

On May 14th, 2014 we went for our private 3D ultrasound session! My wife, Baby C and a few family members and close friends had the opportunity to share this special moment. It was awesome! I was exactly 32 weeks 6 days. I wasn't sure if we would be able to get pictures of his face because some of the suggestions I read said that between 28-31 weeks was the best time. So needless to say we were pushing it. lol

 

Part of our package was a CD of the session, printed 3D and black & white images. We saw him smiling, opening his mouth, sucking his thumb (side-ways), and even crying/frowning!!!!!! OMG! I couldn't believe it! Technology is so amazing I tell ya.

 

This session made everything seem so damn real. Most people say it "hits" them after the babyshower but for me it was seeing our son on that huge flat screen monitor. To see him crying and not be able to hold him almost made me want to tell the tech to stop the session! lol Like, he was right there! On the screen. Chubby cheeks, long fingers and everything. Oh, and this time he made SURE we knew he was a boy. Spread eagle for all to see lol My wife bought a heartbeat bear. We had one from Baby C and it was only fitting to complete the set with one pink bear and one blue one. His heartbeat was fast! She said 165bpm. It's never been that high! So of course I called the OB the next morning to inquire and find out if I should be concerned. I was told it's perfectly fine.

 

Sidebar: My mom placed her hand on my stomach and he moved and kicked. She was like "Oh wooooow!" I'm glad she got that opportunity. It was a precious small moment between her and I while waiting to go into the ultrasound room. It's a huge step for her and I because with me not being "girly" and her not being really "expressive" we don't have too many memories like that. In fact, my pregnancy/labor/birthing will probably be the only time. lol I'm cool with that tho.

 

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Look at those LIPS! So adorable! That little nose and those lips melt my heart. My wife & I think he's gonna look like Baby C. We think our donor just has strong genes. Time will tell. I can't believe how plump he's looking. At first I said he would probably weigh around 6lbs....my wife has said the same as Baby C (7lbs 13oz) or a little bigger, like 8lbs.  Either way....41 days and counting. We are so ready to meet this little Guy! I'm 34 weeks 1 day. Yay! Oh, I got my whooping cough shot yesterday and thank God I have no soreness at all! Life is Grand.

 

 

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Surprise Shower @ Work!

 

 

Well, my coworkers really got me good yesterday! They threw me a surprise Baby Shower. It really touched me. I was totally not expecting them to go all out like they did. How awesome?! I'm truly blessed. We received lots of cute clothes, toys and cash/giftcards for Baby Boy N. I couldn't wait to get home so my wife could go thru everything. lol We are all set! Now we just wait out the next 41 days for the BIG MOMENT!

 

 

I had to snap a pic of the food & delicious cupcakes! Yum! They even did the Monster's Inc theme. I was really touched and had to step out for a moment because I knew I was gonna cry. Which I did..........

 

Here's a recap pic. This has been an amazing journey.

 

 

Countdown Journal - Day 44

I decided to document these last few days because I want to attempt to capture as much of this journey as I can.

 

The previous posts have been more about me sharing with others but my countdown journal will be more about me documenting what's happening in my body & progress til the big day! Therefore, the only way folks will even know that I've posted these is to check in. I will not be sharing these via my usual sources.

 

 

Day 44:

 

I've had horrible gas today! For the past two days my stomach has been feeling kinda weird. Not like pain but just weird. I had several braxton hicks contractions the other night. They weren't painful but a few times I had to hold my breath just a little. Baby Boy is down reallllly low. So much so when he moves I feel it not only in my lower belly but on top of my thighs. lol Yeah, my stomach is resting on my damn thighs when I sit down. Smh....lol

 

I told my wife I don't think he's gonna hold out until our due date (07-03). I think he's gonna come sometime between now and 38 weeks. I'm praying he stays put until at least full-term which is 06-12 (37 weeks). I will be 34 weeks this Thursday. We are praying for a Cancer sign but I'm thinking he just might be a Gemini. Please hold out til after 06-22nd little baby! lol BUT....I know your birthday has already been determined so it's all good. We love you so much already.

 

We still need to finish the letters for the nursery, finish packing my lounge clothes in the hospital bag and finish cleaning the nursery. The carseat is already installed, the double stroller is already put together, our birth plan is already in place. So I guess we are all set for now.