Wade Is Home

So Wade has been home for 15 days now!

Week 1 at home was great, now at the beginning of week 3....its still great! But, truth be told the sleep deprivation is starting to catch up *wink*wink*

I don't know if its because he is our second or because with two kids you just don't have time to waste time, but this newborn business doesn't seem as stressful as last time. Don't get me wrong, it is still hard, but I remember being a complete wreck last time around. Ty couldn't leave, I was always tired, I couldn't find time to do anything else except watch the baby, and the like. I guess we can thank the NICU for getting Wade on a schedule because that has helped a ton. It is also great that Tav seems to love helping Wade!

Thru this entire process starting New Year's Day, I haven't felt overly scared, or anxious, or stressed, or overwhelmed. Of course there is the natural feelings that come with having a baby, and I don't want to undermine the seriousness of preterm labor, a premature baby, or labor in general-quite the opposite. It is a scary situation, filled with unknowns and pain, and apprehension. That is what makes this such a learning and growing and personal experience.

We know that so many people were praying for us. I know how easy that is to say, but seriously we KNOW it, we felt it, we saw it! I was blessed with peace throughout this process from the start (before in fact). The prayers on our behalf were answered! Peace, health, safety, comfort, doctors, nurses, the hospital and staff-and those are just specific to this situation, there are tons of other blessing that were all ready established that eased potential stresses.

The thing is I know my personality and I know that I would normally freak out, complain, gripe, cry, etc, but those things did not take over. Sure bed-rest in the hospital is not fun and I missed my Tav, and had it gone longer who know what state of mind I would have been in, but it didn't and things went as smoothly as possible for the circumstances. Wade was able to fully absorb the steroids before being born which helped is lungs, I was able to be monitored and NICU was ready as soon as Wade came. I can't count how many people were at the ready to help with Tav or whatever we needed, as well as checking in on us and praying for us.

I've always trusted in prayer, I may not have a million fancy experiences, but this is one. And it is one that will stay and become part of my testimony and conversion. I don't know what to say more than THANK YOU! Family, friends, ward members, people who pray for the sick, people who pray for doctors, nurses, hospitals, people who pray for those in need of comfort, thank you!

the week of Wade

So over the past couple weeks I have had a lot of time to reflect.

On New Year's Day 2015 around 3:30 in the morning I woke up with contractions. I knew they felt like contractions, but I couldn't believe it was labor because I was 32 weeks along in pregnancy. I got up and took a warm bath, but it didn't help too much. Ty found me around 4 trying to sleep on the bathroom floor. We started timing contractions and over the next couple of hours they were pretty steady at 5 minutes apart. We called the hospital and they wanted us to come down to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Once we got checked in, they hooked me up to the baby monitor and contraction monitor. The baby was doing great, but my contractions were in fact labor. The nurse checked my dilation and I was at a 5+, with the contractions and dilation I wasn't going anywhere. Wow! So now what? We were having a baby! They gave me magnesium which helps to stop contractions, but also makes you feel like you have the flu (small price to pay to keep the baby cooking). I also got a shot of steroids to help the baby's lungs, and penicillin to make sure baby and mom are good to go. Contractions eventually did slow and stop, but you can't un-dilate so basically we were on hold.

Friday brought an end to the magnesium (thank goodness), and second (and final) steroid shot, and they put me on nifedipine for the contractions. Nifedipine is a blood pressure medicine, but it would keep my contractions in check, however if my body went into labor again it wouldn't stop it. Aside from just waiting and not knowing, not getting to see Tav was really hard. The hospital has a no visitors under 14 policy during cold and flu season. Luckily we have awesome friends and family that we can call anytime. We also got to go down and get an ultrasound to check on Baby Wade. He looked great! Measurement were on par, fluids and whatnot looked good, baby wasn't under stress, except for the dilation you wouldn't have guessed I had been in labor.

Saturday I was still feeling pretty good, physically, but missed my Tav and going a little stir crazy. Ty and I joked that if Baby Wade was gonna come early it should be today since it was J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday. The day went on pretty well, although that night I started to feel tight down where the contractions were. They didn't last long, never got too close together and weren't painful so we didn't worry too much.

Sunday rolled around and I was feeling pretty good until about 3:30. The tightness I'd felt yesterday had been off and on, but the later in the afternoon the more painful they were becoming. I the nurse put me back on monitors, and baby still looked great, but the contractions were slowly getting closer together and the pain wasn't easing off. By 4:30 it looked pretty promising that Wade was coming. They called the doctor and the anesthesiologist and got the NICU and OR prepped and by 5:55pm Wade was here!

Delivery went smoothly, I heard Wade cry, Ty followed him to NICU and I felt great. Once the baby was out the pain was gone and the relief of knowing Wade was good made it all worth it. Tyler got to bring him over just for a minute and that was enough to get me along until I could hold him. Once I got settled in the mother/baby room, Ty wheeled me up to NICU to see Wade, and after holding him I felt everything was gonna be ok.

Since then its just been a whirlwind figuring out Tav, NICU, school, work, etc. We are overwhelming grateful for the prayers and support in our behalf. As Ty wrote: "We are glad you guys are praying for us. We feel all the prayers and blessings being sent our way. Even though this wasn't the perfect way to have a child everything so far has been as perfect as you could ask for. Cass' quick recovering and good health is example of both answered prayers and The Lord making sure we are able to grow our family at this time. Wade has been nothing short of a miracle and the brightness of love that illuminates from him overfills our hearts. Every nurse and doctor here are heroes. If everyone had the charity they have shown us there would be nothing buy joy in this world. They are the truest form of "angels on earth". We are literally in the Lord's care. At the moment all we need is those prayers to keep coming..."

i just want a cookie

So I was watching my little boy play with blocks today. I asked him to bring the blocks in my room so I could get ready and still talk with him. He sat right by the door building towers, destroying them, and building again. The thought crossed my mind of, 'Is it sad I'm making him play with just a few blocks so I can get ready?' which then led to the thought, 'No, he is happy to play with blocks. Kids are happy creatures. People say about them that they are resilient, they can bounce back!' But people only say that about kids-why don't they say that about adults?

When Tav asks for a cookie and I say no, he throws a tantrum until he gets distracted by something else. If I ask for something and don't get it, I brood or mope or feel sorry for myself. And even when I get distracted, I always remember that I didn't get what I wanted. Tav doesn't remember that he wanted that cookie because it doesn't matter to him anymore. As my thoughts kept going, I felt like I got a little glimpse of what Heavenly Father sees all the time, and why we are taught to be child-like.

When Heavenly Father doesn't give me my cookie before dinner, its because He knows that dinner is more important than the cookie. Of course the cookie isn't bad for my little boy, but the better thing is for him to eat dinner. He obviously doesn't need the cookie, which is proved 5 minutes later when he has forgotten the cookie and is interested in something else. And then when dinner time rolls around, he is excited for dinner and doesn't even think about the cookie.

This very small and simple lesson Heavenly Father shared with me, reminds me how true the gospel is - how happy I am to have it in my life - how thankful I am for my little boy - and how blessed I am that God shared this with me.

1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks, & 4 days

Finally updated the 'family blog' so I figured I'd better update all the growing my little boy has done too!

So as of today, here is a run down on the current Tav:

• temper tantrums (as in fall to the floor as dead weight and bellow the "end of my life" moan)

• has about 14 teeth, 6 on top (4 in the front and 2 molars) and 8 on the bottom (4 in the front, 2 molars, and some stuff in between)

• talks a lot but does use the English language as we know it (tck-tck-tck, da-da-da, mommm, lots of other random sounds that we aren't sure where or how he learned them)

• love you to read to him (will bring the book to you, if you don't catch it fast enough he will thrust it upon your face---repeatedly)

• love toy cars (and will wave to any life-sized one that drives by)

• climbs into his highchair (could probably climb out too, but we are ready to test that yet)

• decided that he could feed himself with a spoon and bowl of whatever now

• Jake and the Never Land Pirates! 'nough said

• loves to join Mom at her BYU yoga class (good thing the teacher(s) think he's cute too)

• learned how to "feed the dog" from his highchair (did I mention we really want one now)

• loves to run

• sometimes says: "Tavish", "Mom", "Dad", for sure understands those three plus: "Matey/Kitty", "Grandma/Grandpa", "No", "Food", "Drink"

• can sign: "More", "Food", and "Finished/All Done/All Gone"

I guess I can't really say you are more caught up than before, but at least now its on record!

one year & one month

one year

eleven months