Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Eight

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Eight: 

I am thankful for evening routines.  We have had such an uphill battle with getting Everett to go to sleep every night.  Finally, after reading The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and implementing some of the ideas from the book we are seeing fruits from our labor.  I highly recommend this book if you are having nighttime struggles with your toddler/preschooler- the author, Elizabeth Pantley gives dozens of ideas to try so that you can customize your own bedtime routine specifically for your child/ren.  Also, if you live in the Stafford/Fredericksburg area you can check it out at your local library! 

Bedtime is no longer a fight or a struggle but a time for Everett to cuddle down with Tyler and/or I and enjoy a few quiet moments.  We have a song that we made up so that Everett knows what is coming up next: 

"Go potty, brush my teeth, put on jammies... Say my prayers, read books, sing some songs, and go to sleeeeeeeeeep." 

We are still working on the words, but you get the idea! I am so thankful that we can go to bed happy and content rather than frustrated and upset. :)

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Seven

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Seven: 

I am thankful for the friendships that have grown out of our life group at church.  Almost a year ago, Tyler and I made the decision to lead a life group and we are so thankful that we did. We have met some wonderful people and have cultivated some great friendships. I believe that God is using our small group and the people in it to bring each of us more and more close to him.  I can't wait to see how our life group continues to grow, branch out, and grow some more. 

Thursday Birth Day: Trooper's Birth

Welcome to Thursday Birth Day!  My hope is that this series will help to encourage women who may be expecting their first baby or their second/third/fourth/etc.  These posts will provide some real life experiences that we can all appreciate and maybe even learn from.  I also hope for this to be a place where women who have gone through birth can have a place to share their beautiful stories.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Baby Tooper's Birth Story
 

I had a great day with my stepson, Stayde. We had enjoyed some sunshine outside as he caught bugs in his new bug catcher and I decided to get out the skill saw and work on a little Pinterest project. It was around 11pm when I first felt a cramping feeling and Stayde was long in bed. My gut told me it was a contraction, but I was almost a week away from my due date and from all of the reading I had done, I figured being a first time Mom I'd go past my due date. I waited to tell my husband, who was working late, because I had had a "false alarm" the night before and didn't want him to rush home for nothing. 

Looking back, maybe that wasn't actually a false alarm, but in fact early signs of labor. I found my sister in law on Facebook and chatted with her about what I was feeling. I was feeling this "menstrual cramp" feeling about every 2 minutes and it would last for about 30 seconds. My sister in law said it seemed strange to be happening so quick and encouraged me to try to relax and rest. I finally called my husband around 1am and let him know what I was feeling, just in case. He finished up at work and came home. I had decided to take a shower and try to relax. While I was in the shower, I found myself leaning against the shower wall in between contractions. I was still unsure what my body was experiencing. David, my husband, arrived just as I had gotten out of the shower and together we sat at the kitchen table as he documented each contraction onto a notepad. We decided around 2am, that we would call our midwife, as it would be a 2 hour drive for her to get to us. I explained what I was feeling and she asked if I had drank enough water and said she felt like "it wasn't real." I thought to myself "oh geez! If this isn't real, I don't want the real stuff!!" She told me to drink 2 big glasses of water and go to bed. So, we did just that. 

Neither of us could sleep. With contractions happening every 2 minutes and lasting 30 seconds, we only had a minute and a half in between for any rest! My husband rubbed my lower back for the next half hour during each contraction. Carol, our midwife, called back about 45 min later and checked in. The contractions had gotten a little closer together and she decided she would go ahead and come. We remained in bed throughout the early hours of the morning trying to rest in between each contraction. Carol arrived around 5am and found me in bed. I was most comfortable laying down. I had attempted to sit on a birthing ball and to walk around earlier. A sharp pain would shoot through my lower back each contraction making it uncomfortable to sit or stand. 

Carol checked me when she arrived and I was dilated to 4 cm! I knew it was REAL! She told me to stay in bed and rest for as long as I could and she took a spot on the couch to get some rest herself. My sweet mother in law arrived around 7:30am to take my stepson to school, however when she arrived we decided it was a big day for him and instead of school he went to have some fun with Nana before his little brother arrived! She also brought breakfast tacos from my favorite Mexican food place and unfortunately I was unable to eat it! Throughout my pregnancy I had a few fears about labor. One-I am hypoglycemic and was afraid that I would get "the weakies" as I like to call them (low blood sugar) and be unable to have the strength to push my baby out. Two-I broke my tailbone playing basketball in high school. It has given me problems since. I was worried it would be too painful during child birth. 

I continued to labor in bed with my sweet husband next to me rubbing my back during each contraction until 9am. Carol came into our bedroom about that time and suggested that David start getting the birthing pool ready and get out the birthing supplies. As he was about to leave the room, Carol checked me again and then told us "we won't have time to get the birthing pool up. We're about to have a baby!" She told me I needed to decide where I would like to have him and we decided that we'd have him in the bedroom since a nice warm birthing pool was out of the question. Rats!! They prepared the room in minutes flat. I decided I would kneel on the floor and lean over the side of the bed. David knelt beside me and put warm wash cloths on my lower back from a crock pot. That. Was. Heavenly. I began to feel like I needed to poop. I had dreaded this moment. So, I decided I'd just get it out in the open and announced I felt like I needed to poop. Ladies, poop happens. Keep calm and birth on! Apparently, that pushy feeling you get feels an awful lot like the urge to poop. Ladies, if you can poop, you can birth a baby. Carol explained that feeling to me and then checked to see if I was ready to push. Unfortunately, I had a lip on my cervix and couldn't push just yet. So, for the next hour each contraction Carol would attempt to move my cervix with her fingers. Sweet baby Jesus, that was painful!!! About an hour later I was ready. I was still on my knees leaning over the bed pushing my little heart out. Carol told me that if I wanted to speed up the process I needed to change positions so that gravity could help me out. So, I squatted with David behind me. 

Carol still had the warm wash cloths rotating in and out of the crock pot to my lower back. Seriously, get a crock pot and some towels. It. Was. Amazing. I had a floor length mirror set up to see. It was so encouraging to see my progress and to see my husband 's face behind me. David was such great support for me. He was encouraging and literally holding me up at one point. We were an amazing team. I struggled to push my baby boy out and keep the progress. His little head would start to peak out and then go back in. I changed positions from squatting (my legs were so tired!) to squatting on the edge of the bed while David sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around me to help hold me up. We finally were able to get his perfect little head out and I was able to transition back to my knees. A few pushes later I felt the infamous ring of fire. They ain't lying! Another push and my baby was here! Carol laid him on some towels below me and I picked him up and held him. He was perfect. My placenta came out immediately following The baby, so Carol had to juggle baby and placenta all at once. Following that was a lot of blood. I think Carol was a little concerned with the amount of blood and the fact that my placenta decided to just come on out too. She checked me out, got the bleeding to stop and then I was able to lay in bed with David and our baby boy. 

Trooper Jackson Long, 8lbs 2 oz 19 1/2 inches long. My greatest accomplishment.

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Six

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Six: 

I am thankful for my dad! He is one of the most giving and generous people I know.  He would literally give you the clothes off his back if you needed warmth.  My dad is a wonderful leader and is inspiring to be around.  He has a wealth of knowledge and enjoys sharing and teaching it to others.  I am thankful that he and my mom provided my siblings and I a safe and happy childhood where we were able to be carefree and enjoy being kids.  My dad has always been a very hard worker, he wanted to give us anything we wanted even if it meant he had to work twice as hard and twice as long to get it for us. My dad lives his life for Christ and shows it in his day to day life which is something that I hope to be able to do in my life as well. 

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Five

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Five: 

I am thankful for the wonderful woman who gave me life, my mom.  She is always there for me when I need her and is one of my biggest supporters.  I know that anytime I need advice she is there for me to talk to. Growing up my mom always had fun things planned for us to do, she was always involved in our activities and events, and was known as "the cool mom" to all my friends. She taught me how to be a mother and is one of my best friends. I hope that I can be as good of a mother to my children that she was to me. 

Instacram: September and October 2013

I love being able to share my photos so easily with Instagram! Check out what I've been up to this month! Okay I am a little late on these... life is hectic these days! :)

Are you following me yet? 

Find me: NotSoAverageMomma

Top Row:  1.) Nolan and I in the three-way mirror checking out my new hair cut,  2.) Brothers who weren't quite awake yet,  3.) My bat-men  4.)  Trying on daddy's shoes  5.) Sleepy time

Top Row:  1.) My little Cowboy by the fire pit,  2.) Snuggling up with Nolan,  3.) My pumpkin  4.)  Brothers in bed  5.) A boys paradise

Middle Row:  1.) My new teal buffet,  2.) TOES!,  3.) One of these days Nolan is gonna fight back,  4.) The cute cake from Justine's babyshower 5.)My best friend

Bottom Row:  1.) Aunt Jess holding sleeping Nolan,  2.) Chalk art in downtown Fredericksburg, 3.) Puppies,  4.) My beautiful cousin Maddy holding Nolan,  5.)  Everett found a mo-mo! 

Top Row:  1-2.) My boys,  3.) Watching the cement truck at our neighbors house,  4.)  Brother love  5.) Hanging on the beach with my littlest friend

Middle Row:  1.) A flower at Lavender Fields,  2.) Well... he does,  3.) Doodling,  4.) Sleeping in their carseats 5.)  Sweet boy with a sweet treat

Bottom Row:  1.) Grandma Howerton and her two great great grandsons,  2.) The boys at the beach, 3.) The famous photo by the bay,  4.) Side by side of E in 2011 and N in 2013,  5.)  Everett on top and Nolan on bottom

Top Row:  1.) Our family in 2011 and in 2013 2.) Vee Dub,  3.) The Thompson Family,  4-5.) Photos from August

----

For more Instacram posts click here! 

Thanks to Jess for the original inspiration for this post! 

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Four

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Four:

I am thankful for my "littlest friend," my sweet baby Nolan.  To be honest, before Nolan was born I was really worried about how things would be once he was here.  After he was born, I realized that love really is an amazing thing.  My heart didn't "make room" for him- no, my heart literally grew larger.  Nolan is such a happy little dude and he fills my heart with joy.  These past five months have flown by and I am trying to soak in every single minute of it.  Nolan's personality has started to show and he seems like he is going to be really outgoing and charismatic.  He smiles and laughs every time someone talks to or even looks at him.  He grins from ear to ear and then ducks his head down and burrows into my neck.  I am so thankful that God gave me this baby!

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Three

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

 

Day Three: 

I am thankful for the sweetest little boy in the whole wide world, my Everett.  He really is the pride and joy of my life.  When he came into this world and I held him for the first time it was then that I knew what pure love really was all about.  I had felt love before for my family, friends, and husband but this love was and is completely different than any I had felt before.  Everett gave me the gift of being a mother which was something I had always hoped for.  Sure, we have our challenges but the wonderful moments far outweigh the frustrating ones.  Everett is vivacious and his laughter is infectious.  He is so smart and so easy to get along with.  He is stubborn like his momma and daddy but sweet down to the core.  He loves his brother with all his little toddler heart and wants to hold him and give him kisses any chance he gets.  He is growing so quickly and I know that pretty soon he will be all grown up and I will be looking back and wondering where the time went but for today I am content to just let him be a toddler.

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day Two

I'm taking some time every day this month to jot down something that I am thankful for.  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day Two: 

I am thankful for my best friend and soul mate- Tyler.  We met over 12 years ago, started dating 9 years ago,  were engaged 7 years ago, and have been married for over 5 years.  I am so happy that God put this wonderful man in my life.  We have been through a lot in our almost decade together and all of it has just brought us closer together.  I can not imagine someone better to be the father of my children, my protector, my support, and my friend.  He knows how to make me laugh and he knows what how to comfort me when I am down.   Tyler thinks I am beautiful even when I don't feel that way - and he makes sure to tell me every chance he gets.  I am grateful for every single day that we have together and pray that there will be many many more. :)

Thirty Days of Thankful: Day One

I am jumping on the bandwagon here and participating in the Thirty Days of Thankful again this year!  (Checkout my Month of Thanks posts from last year here.)  Feel free to post a comment below each day with what you are thankful for or post a link to your own Thirty Days of Thankful! 

Day One: 

I am thankful for the love of Jesus Christ.  I was very fortunate to be raised in a God-fearing home where we were taught about God and Jesus from a young age.  Growing up I took for granted the gifts and blessings that I had.  I didn't truly understand how much the Lord loves each and every one of us until I had my own children.  The fact that God sent his holy and perfect son to die on a cross so that we might be able to approach his thrown and have an intimate relationship with him is unfathomable to my brain.  His love for us is so great and he truly wants us to be in a relationship with him every day.  It is a daily challenge of mine to make time to study his word and have conversation with him but I am working on it.