First & Second Month Must Haves

Well, we made it! Made it through late night feedings, learning to nurse, what we thought was colic, and everything in between! I'll admit, there were times I thought we wouldn't! Of course, there really was no other option so we trucked through with the help of our new parent instincts, the welcomed ( & some not so welcomed) advice of those who have gone before us, lots of naps, and these things!

My personal "must haves" for newborn raisin'!

Sleep Sheep- This little guy, fondly named "Shush" is a lifesaver. Just when I though I couldn't "shhh" in Hunter's ear anymore we bought him! It has a couple different sound settings, but ocean is our favorite! Word to the wise, stay away from the whale setting, kind of creepy! ;)

Carter's White Onesies- We of course go through all the colors and kinds, but these plain white ones are my personal fave! They don't seem to shrink and loose shape like all the others!

California Baby Shampoo- We use this daily! We give Hunter a bath every night. It seems to calm him and get him ready for bed. This stuff is fantastic. Smells super good & makes his hair so very soft! I've even tried it myself...

Boogie Wipes- We use the grape scented kind. Good for pretty much everything and smell so good!

Water- For us of course! Nursing makes me so thirty! I usually sit down with a big bottle for every session! Can't have enough...

Boppy- Great for tummy time, propping the little guy up so he can see the world and a big saver for your arms muscles when nursing!

Johnsons Bedtime Lotion- Another bedtime routine. Every night Hunter gets a "nakey massage" and he loves it. I swear by this too. I really think he sleeps better!

Baby Mittens- These were fantastic in the beginning. I was mainly too scared to clip his nails so before I got the courgage these rocked!

&& last but least

Paci- Hunter, being a little high maintenance like his Momma, only likes one certain pacifier but we bought a couple and try to keep them everywhere. The car, the diaper bag, the cradle, scattered around the house! Not that this won't happen to you but Hunter never had nipple confusion and took a paci really well. It helped since the little guy thinks hes hungry at least once an hour! Alot of times he just needs the comfort of sucking and that's where these come in handy!

So there you have it. Just a couple things that I thought were great these past couple of months. We will see what the future holds by way of awesome baby products! Share your favorites and we will try them out!

:)

Letters to Baby- 2 Months

Hunter,

Hunter-Bug, Hunter-Man, Leetle Man, Bugler Butt, Babylove, Little Love. So many things to me and your Daddy and most of all our whole entire world. When we knew about you we knew our lives would change but we had no clue that you would become so stitched into our lives.  What is even more amazing is how fast the time has flown by and how attached I am to this new job of mine. It is without a doubt the most amazing job I have ever held. You have me so entirely wrapped that it is not funny.

In two months you have begun to grow and changed so much! I don't even know where to start. Sleeping I guess, since that happens to be what you are doing now. I started putting you in your cradle and you actually like it. You sleep there for most of the night but Mommy sneaks you in in the early morning for some snuggles. I think you love that. I don't know if it is you or me, but no matter how far apart we start out in the bed we end up right next to each other and you hand always finds its way to my chest. I love to see those five perfect little fingers laying on me when I open my eyes. Nap times are fun. You sleep maybe 15-45 minutes a couple of times a day. Usually with me, but today Daddy put you in your crib in your room all by yourself and you did just fine. I cried of course because my baby boy is becoming a big boy right in front of my eyes. Before I know it you will be in a big bed! We started putting you down to sleep awake, and you even put yourself to sleep. Hallelujah!

Let's see, another thing you love is nursing. You take bottles now, which is easier when we are out or we need to leave you with Nana or Nanee, but we still love our time together when we are at home or at night. It never fails, you fall asleep. You are the most comfortable then. No matter what is hurting you that can make it all better. You also take your paci now. Of course, that might be a problem later on but it helps a whole lot now. & you are awfully cute when it falls out in your seat or in your cradle and you are asleep just sucking away on nothing. Melts my heart!

You are becoming more and more independent. Not rolling over yet but you quickly realized that you could hold your head up and that if you grabbed our hands we would pull you into a sitting position and there has been no going back from that. You are always pulling at your straps in your seat trying to be a grown boy and sit up. When someone is holding you, you are straining trying to see the world! It is quite funny to watch you try to grow up so very fast! We are going to start putting you in your Bumbo seat a little bit! Maybe you will be an early crawler/walker. I both anxiously await and dread those days!

Something that you love and we have had to start doing a lot more is just laying you on you playmat or the bed or a blanket on the floor and let you go. Your little legs and arms just go and go! Papaw says you will be a boxer! Maybe, who knows! You love to look at everything from that angle and cry when someone tries to pick you up and hold you close! You just want to be able to play! The whole time you coo and smile and crack up up with your very Daddy-like expressions. && speaking is a whole other story! You started and haven't stopped. Morning is the best. You wake up smiling and we spend a little time every morning talking to you and basically telling you how handsome you are and what a great baby you have become. You must love the ego boost because you just talk to us, and squeal and laugh. My phone is probably going to bust with all the pictures that I have taken trying to catch you smiling.

Things you love:

-Paci
-Mommy talking to you
-Swaddling
-Bouncing
-Sitting Up
-You Are my Sunshine
-Being outside
-Nana & Nanee
-Bathtime
-Diaper Changes
-Nakey time

Things you don't like so much:

-Car rides (make that, hate. You HATE car rides. Scream the whole time. Daddy & I hope that's a phase)
-Being cold
-When I clean behind your ears (what a boy!)
-When I have to take the bottle away for a second
-Putting clothes on
-Your swing


I just can't believe we have been blessed with you. I truly feel honored to be your mom and I know I am biased but you are just a great baby. It blows me away how sweet and precious you really are. I can't wait to keep watching you grow into a big strong man.

Love you always little bug.

Mommy

Summa Time

So maybe it's just Spring but it sure does feel like Summer! So around here we are hazing lazy Sunday Fundays, laid out by the pool! Here is one of baby bug chillin (literally, it was kinda cool!) in the pool! He was a champ though, and loves the water just as much as his Mama does.

Just have to brag here! He is now turning his head from cheek to cheek when laid on his tummy, and can fully hold his head up on his own (for a little anyways!). We are so proud of him! I feel like he is so big already, it makes me a little sad sometimes. :( But so glad to be his mommy and know I helped create something so small, smart, and strong!

I cannot WAIT to take him to the beach and introduce him to the ocean! I hope he enjoys it as much as the pool :)

Mother's Day

I just have to say, it was so weird to wake up this morning. I was going to call my mom & grandmother's as usual but before I even got out of bed they had called me and were wishing me a Happy Mother's Day! It was so odd to hear! Hunter (with help from Daddy) got me a beautiful hydrangea, which is my favorite flower and a card that he signed himself! Then he & Daddy made me breakfast in bed before church.

It was really nice to go and show off the little guy, and he behaved so well! The rest of the evening we decided to be lazy so we laid around, took naps, and watched movies. For dinner we had chinese food in bed. Fancy huh? :)

&& then it was bath and bedtime for the baby! Which, by the way is my favorite part of the day annd thank god for baths because Hunter sleeps like a ROCK after he gets milk drunk and has his bath and massage from Daddy. I am going to post a little later this week about Hunter's schedule and what we keep in our diaper bag. Riveting, I know. You can thank me later.

Hope all the Mothers had a good Mommy's Day. I know I did!

Here's a little snap shot of my chubby man after his swim!

{Month One}

So I can proudly say, that it is 11:08 and I am able to crawl into bed and blog because my little man is sound asleep right next to the bed! He had a bath, a bottle, snuggles with mommy & daddy and went down like a champ! Go Daddy!

Tuesday is one month since our Bug got here and boy has it flown by! I think Brock might disagree but for me, I feel like I just had him yesterday and it makes me a little sad. Thankful however, that we made it this far (& believe me, there were long nights and even longer BF sessions where I thought we wouldn't)!

A month isn't nearly long enough for Brock & I to be pro's but we have taken to parenting pretty well I think. I really am lucky with Brock. He is such a good Daddy, always showing Hunter off, singing him silly songs, and making up stories for us at bedtime. He is always there when I personally need a hand and I really love wathcing them together, ecspecially since they are so much alike in their actions and facial expressions already. So cute!

Hunter is doing so well. Not that we don't have our moments because boy do we have our moments, but he really is a sweet baby. We have not effectively gotten him on a schedule, but hey we are working on it. Breastfeeding is finally going well after baby boy got his toungue clipped to make latching easier. He eats CONSTANTLY but I jus hope it keeps my supply up. We think we can definately make it to 6 weeks before we have to introduce the bottle for work purposes.

So since it is the 4 week mark (or close to it) here are some tidbits about life lately in our little nest!!

Things I Love to See/Do:

-Kiss his little lips. One day he will wake up and decide boys don't give kisses, and most definitely not on the lips so I am taking them and saving them while I can!
-Give him a bath with Daddy.
-Take a nap with him. He loves to sleep with me and if he is, his little hands hve to rest on my cheek or chest. I love that.
-Show him off! That never gets old! We are so proud of our little boy!
-Watch him smile.
-See him to turn to find my voice when I start talking. So proud to be his Mama!

Things I Cannot Live Without:

-Lansinoh Gel Pads, the BOMB if you are having trouble nursing. They are kind of pricey but oh so worth it!
-My bobby. Great for nursing, also for snuggling & tummy time.
-Sleep Sheep. We play Ocean for Hunter & he loves it.
-Baby Einstein Pandora. My girlfriend Brittani showed me this. I turn it on, and wham, mesmerized baby.

Things I Can't Wait For:

-To tickle him, or make a noise and get a "real" smile.
-Him to reach his arms out for me.
-Watching him grow and interact more with his grandparents! They love him so much!
-And the obvious, sleeping through the night. That said, I know there will be times I will miss when he was little and all he needed to go to sleep was to be wrapped up tight and in between Momma & Daddy.

My big plan is to start taking his montly pictures this weekend and do a post on his nursery. We will see how that goes! Being a new mommy is pure chaos but it is also pure bliss!

Hunter Brock is here!!

Whew. What a quick, crazy, blessed month this has been! A month ago today my baby boy was SUPPOSED to make his appearance, but in true Watkins-Worthan fashion he was late. We had an appointment two days after his due date, on April 9th, and we were still at 1cm so they sent us home and told us they would call with an induction time. Later that night we got a call saying that the following Friday was the big day, after my NST. All week long we prepped and relaxed! Friday morning I went to my appointment and Brock was on-call and ready at work to head straight the hospital at 4:00pm. However, after my test the Dr told me that someone must have gotten confused because I would be sent home and would have to call repeatedly over the weekend waiting for a room to be open at the hospital. Needless to say I was one disappointed Momma. They did estimate little man to be 8lbs 11oz. At this point I was officially ready and bummed. I was 6 days over due and just wanted to meet my Bug. Nothing to do about it though so we went home to wait out the hospital. Brock called every two hours up until about 12:00pm Saturday the 14th and we gave up. We decided to head over to my mom & dad's to visit and wait them out. At 1:30 Brock got "THE CALL"! The hospital asked us if we could be there at 3:30 and of course we said YES!

We went home, and I tried to stay sane while we showered and Brock went and got me a salad from Zaxby's in case it was my last meal. Then we got in the car and big, goofy grins plastered to our faces, went in.

By 4:00 I was in a bed and the clan was starting to arrive! My parents, Brock's parents and his twin sister were first. Then my Nanee was there to wish me luck. By the end however, my Aunt and cousin, Brock's Aunt and Uncle, cousin and their son, paternal grandparents, my sister, my friends, Hunter's godmother and godfather and his wife, not to mention his other grandparents and my other set were there! We had SUCH an amazing support system! Before everything got crazy my father in law came in and prayer for Brock and I, and baby Hunter and things got started!

I was given an IV of fluids, and cytotek in pill form to get contractions going. Around 8:00 I was still 1-2 cm  and the contractions were still mild so they broke my water. That really got the contractions going. Shortly after that pitocin was started as well. At 3cm my contractions were pretty heavy and my body was already worn out from the weeks of contractions prior. With the assurance from my mom, cousin Ginny, and an amazing nurse named Heather that I wasn't being a wimp, I got my epidural. Thanks to Brock it was manageable and in the long run the best thing I ever did! The rest of Saturday was pretty uneventful for the most part. We tried to sleep as much as possible and the medication I was given for nausea really helped with that. 

We slowly progressed from 3cm, to 5cm sometime early Sunday morning. About this time Brock was sound asleep and our crazy family had formed some sort of a hobo camp in the waiting room. I began to get the shakes and was feeling pretty nauseous. I also noticed my epidural had begun to wear off. They fixed that and eventually the shaking stopped and I was able to sleep more. Sometime later in the day on Sunday, I made it 7cm and she could feel his hair! We started to get excited!

This is where things get fuzzy for me, but I will do the best I can! Around 4:00 on Sunday my BP started to drop rapidly and Hunters heart rate sped up into the 200s. I got the shakes again, and couldn't stop getting sick. My midwife, Peggy, decided it was an adverse reaction to the pitocin and I was taken off of it at 9cm. The shaking gradually subsided and I was checked again. At 9cm still, she thought I may be able to push! With the help of Brock I was able to push twice before Peggy decided it was not going to happen right away and I was told to wait out a few more contractions and we could try again

However, the shaking and illness didn't go away and as my BP was decreasing, Hunter's heart rate was increasing at a rapid rate. Nurses had come from everywhere and I thought it was for me to push again. It wasn't until afterwords that Brock told me it was because there was serious worry for myself and the baby. Peggy finally came back in and told me c-section was the only way. I was 9 1/2 cm but his head was not coming down any on it's own and pitocin was no longer an option.

I was immediately prepped for a c-section and our parents came in to pray with us. I was at this point, both completely  scared and totally relieved. The relief on Brock's face was evident. He told me later how worried he was for his wife & son. 

The thing I remember most about the operating room was how bright it was. I couldn't open my eyes and I was fighting exhaustion. I was alone except for what sounded like an army of nurses. Finally my Brock was allowed in and he sat down beside me and assured me it was okay to sleep. I could tell he was excited and I was using all my strength to stay awake. I thought that someone would ask me, "Does this hurt?" and that was what I was waiting for. However, just when I thought I couldn't wait any longer for them to start I looked at Brock and his face said it all. He was laughing and had tears in his eyes and as I tried to process what was making him do that, I heard the sweetest sound in the world, my sweet baby cry. Brock said "He's beautiful." and weeks of waiting and anticipation and pain came to a head and I was crying and laughing all at the same time. Brock said it over and over again, "He's perfect. He's beautiful." and the whole time he was just laughing and crying right along with me. They took him to the little cart and began all the work they do, and Brock was allowed to come take a picture. That was the most beautiful picture I have ever seen. He brought it back and showed it to me and I was amazed. His sweet little eyes were open wide, and he wasn't crying much at all. I think I finally talked then, agreeing with Brock and saying "He's here, he's finally here!" A few moments later a nurse said she was holding him up for me to see and it confirmed everything I knew about my little boy. He really was perfect. The Dr. finished his work and they moved me onto a bed. A nurse handed me a little bundle and it hit me that he was all mine! I kept kissing his sweet face, and finally got to tell him Happy Birthday as they wheeled us back into our room. Then it was just the three of us. Me, my amazing husband, and my new baby boy. All pink, and sweet smelling. I couldn't get enough of him.

You dream and dream about this thing in your tummy, and Hunter blew me and all my dreams away. I said I wanted a tiny Brock. Dark hair, blue eyes, long lashes, Daddy's lips and he was all of those thing but also so much more. He had my nose, a tiny version right there and I still can't kiss it enough. He had the most gorgeous dark hair with the softest curls. He looked at me, and I watched Brock hold him and I was just in heaven. 

From then on out it was a flurry of visitors, and making sure Hunter didn't have the infection that made me so sick during the labor process. I fed him for the first time and was amazed that I could do that for my son. We had skin to skin and it was so sweet. 

 We had so much love and support poured out on us & Hunter that 26 hours. So many people had anxiously awaited his arrival and he made the wait so worth it. There is not a thing I would do differently and I am so proud to be that little boy's Mama.

My sweet baby boy:

Born April 15, 2012 at 5:28PM

8 lbs 13 oz

20 inches long

The best thing his Daddy & I have ever done.

40 Weeks && Counting

Okay, so 10 weeks ago (bad blogger, yes I know) I last posted that in ten short weeks I would have my sweet boy home. As of three days ago, he proved that I was oh so wrong. My due date came and passed and it was pretty heartbreaking. We have been to L&D twice. The first time I was having contractions 2-3 minutes apart and they hooked me up but sent me home because they just weren't strong enough to dilate me past a 1. This past Saturday we finally had to call after 2 days of being sick and not being able to keep down food or liquid. I was in triage for 2 hours hooked up to fluid and something for nausea. We really thought they would induce that night but once again I was sent home, and at least I got two good days of sleep due to the medicine! Yesterday was my 40 week appt, the appt I never thought I would have to keep! Sure enough, I was still at a cm but she could feel his head! So they sent us home, hoping my body would do it's job before my next appt on Friday. This one is for a NST, followed by an evening induction and HOPEFULLY we will meet our baby boy before Monday!

It has definitely been a journey. From the suprise of finding out to all of the wonderful milestones we got to experience together, down to these last couple days of trying to stay sane! First and foremost I can be thankful for such an amazing support system! People have offered us dinner, and let me sleep while they worked around the house and my husband has just blown me away with how attentive and funny he has been to keep me laughing. I couldn't have better friends and family!

I truly hope that the next time I post, that it includes a birth story. But we will see :)