Around the House

My Biggest

My Littlest

It seems we’re all exhausted and trying to figure out a new “normal” for our little family!

Four Day Well Check Up

Baby Nolan at Four Days Old (11/15/12)- 10lbs 7oz

At four days old Nolan was just two ounces shy of his birth weight! The doctor was very impressed that such a big baby managed to hold his weight so well immediately after being born. I just said thank goodness for mommy milk ;) to keep my little piglet satisfied. He actually doesn’t eat any more often than Carter did at this age but my milk came in a lot faster and it seems to be doing the trick to keep baby N growing healthy and strong! We were also the talk of the pediatrician’s office that morning once word got around about our birth story. I have a feeling it will be a topic on conversation for a while!

Doctors appointments are exhausting for all of us ;)

Hospital Pics and Coming Home

Our hospital stay was rather uneventful! We were prepared for more complications just because of our experience with Carter but thankfully we didn’t have to deal with any of the stress of our first delivery. Aside from friends and family visiting, it was relatively quiet around our room! We were thrilled to get our discharge orders early on Tuesday morning and got everything packed up to go home! The nurses were prepping us all along that since Carter had such bad jaundice and almost wasn’t able to come home with us that we might face the same thing with Nolan. Luckily, and maybe this is the difference between coming ten days early and four days late, Nolan’s bilirubin levels were so below the curve that there was no concern at all! Carter also lost 10% of his body weight while we were in the hospital whereas Nolan only lost 6%. For such a BIG baby, that was a great sign that my milk was working fast. He dropped down to 9lbs 15oz but the pediatrician was happy with our progress and we were cleared to leave after 48 hours.


That evening Auntie Alex came over to cook us dinner! Hattie and Poppy came too and got in some nice cuddle time with both grandboys! It was so nice to be back in our own house and not have to worry about nurses coming in to bother us at all hours of the night!

Carter Meets His Brother

A few hours after Nolan was born, family started arriving to meet him! My father in law Bo was the first to get to the hospital and soon after my parents brought Carter to see his new baby! The first thing Carter said when he got into the room was, “What is that?” I had my dad place him in my lap and explained that baby Nolan was here and couldn’t wait to meet his big brother! We had been talking up being a big brother for months and I was anxious to see Carter’s reaction to this little baby. I wasn’t sure how much he actually understood about mommy having a baby in her belly so I didn’t think he would get the connection. His eyes lit up though and he immediately wanted to hold and kiss baby Nolan so his initial reaction was very special to watch!

Shari came to visit too and a few hours later Carter came

back after his nap to cuddle his brother a little more!

It was such an amazing day! Hard to believe all of this happened in less than 24 hours!

Gratefulness

In this season of thanksgiving it is hard to make a list of all our many blessings. God has been so good to us this year- always providing and always looking over us. Sure there has been heartache and bad news but I’m trying to think positive and remember that He doesn’t give us more than we can handle. The biggest reassurance is that even though life can be a big mess at times, gratefulness sings these truths:

• God's grace is sufficient.
• When you are weak, He is strong.
• You've been forgiven; you are a new creation.
• Don't dwell on the past, God is doing a new thing.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Nolan’s Birth Story

On November 11, 2012 we welcomed our second son! Even though he was “overdue” and made me wait not so patiently for him to arrive, little Nolan made an incredibly speedy entrance into the world and we almost didn’t make it to the hospital! Sit back and enjoy our labor and delivery story, as well as a million pictures of our newest little Hamilton.

38 weeks 5 Day ------- Due Date ------- 40 Weeks 2 Days

 

At thirty eight weeks and five days I was officially more pregnant than I had ever been before. I was sure the end was near and finally packed my hospital bag, set up the car seat, and got things ready for the arrival of baby h2o. I went to my 39 week appointment and joked with my nurse and midwife that I would be seeing them that weekend to get this baby out. Well, he had other plans and I made it to my forty week appointment. I was a bit emotional that day and just couldn’t believe I was still pregnant! We discussed setting up an induction for the next week because the closer we got to Thanksgiving, the less staff would be in town to help with delivery. My practice would let me go to 42 weeks but I reluctantly set up an appointment for five days later to get induced. Thankfully, God was listening to my prayers and baby boy made his debut without me having to make a decision whether or not to force him out. Just another example of God’s perfect timing!

November 11, 2012- I woke up to Carter crying around midnight and went to check on him. The poor boy had a bad dream and couldn’t settle down. I rocked him for a bit and sang him some songs.

12:06am- I felt a “pop” coming back from Carter’s room and I was sure it was my water breaking. I headed to the bathroom and started to feel really nauseous and light headed. I was passing light pink blood and having bad stomach cramps. I yelled down to Linc to come to bed because I thought something was happening.

12:17am- I had my first contraction eleven minutes after the “pop” and even though they were incredibly sporadic, I knew something was definitely going on. I tried to get some rest but was up and back to the bathroom about a million times between 12:17 and 1:30 feeling really sick. Up until this point I was able to keep track of my contractions but by this time in the morning I was starting to loose my cool from the pain.

1:30am- I called my parents and told them to come to our house because even though I wasn’t sure it was time, I would feel better if they were already here to be with Carter. On the phone with my midwife my contractions were still incredibly irregular and she told me to wait to go to the hospital until they were five minutes apart. Well…that happened almost immediately after hanging up with her and I knew it was time to go!!! We almost had to get my neighbor to come over and stay with C but thankfully my parents arrived just in the knick of time. I literally thought I was dying as contractions came one on top of the other. We jumped in the car and my mom followed us to the hospital. I made Linc run a red light when my body started shaking. I could not stop the convulsions and my body was aching from head to toe. I could also barely talk but kept thinking just hang in there, you can get an epi as soon as you get to the hospital. Screw my birth plan, give me the drugs!!!!

2:30am- We arrived at the hospital and someone brought me a wheelchair. I was shaking uncontrollably and could barely make it out of the car. We wheeled to admissions and thank goodness the lady was on top of things because she realized I needed to get to a room right away and worry about signing all of the forms later! Even though we preregistered, there is still a ton of papers you have to sign before the baby arrives. Since I could barely form a sentence or open my eyes to look at her, I think she made a great call! The contractions were coming one on top of the other and I could not get any relief. They rolled me back at 2:34am. That was one of the only times I opened my eyes for a long while! I was trying to escape mentally- to get to a place where I wasn’t hurting so much.

When we got into my delivery room I was begging to use the bathroom. I just really needed to go and was trying to pull myself through the doorway but the nurses wouldn’t let me. Head nurse Mary had just delivered a baby in the bathroom and said she needed to check me before hand so she didn’t have to do it again!! Linc stripped me down and they got me over to the bed. As soon as Mary checked she announced I was 9cm dilated and I screamed that I needed to push! I remember everyone getting very frantic and the nurses telling me firmly to hold on! There were no doctors ready, nothing was ready, I needed to wait. At this point I was writhing in pain and I remember the nurses scrambling trying to prep the delivery room. I heard them on the phone with the ER doctor asking them to hurry over because my midwife was still five minutes away. Nurse Mary said, “I’m not sure what your birth plan was…but had you planned on getting an epidural?” “I guess not!!” was all I could manage to say.

 3:00am- Nurse Mary coached me through a few more contractions and yelled at me every time I tried to push. It was all involuntary but I appreciated her stern tone to help keep me focused! Linc held my hand while my mom took pictures and the other staff continued to prep for baby’s arrival. My midwife finally got to the room and suited up. She was surprised to see me so soon after just getting off the phone with me. Me too Susan!!! By the time she checked me I was fully dilated, baby was at -1, and she told me the next time I felt the urge to push to go for it!
 3:08am- Linc held up one leg and nurse Mary held the other. As soon as I was in that position I could feel the baby coming out. The pressure was enormous and with the first contraction I pushed as hard as I could. Everyone was cheering me on and very supportive. I dug down deep to keep my concentration and all I thought about was getting the baby out as soon as possible! Pushing was such a relief that the pain just sort of melted away and all I felt was the pressure of him working his way out. Two more pushes and he was crowning! I kept saying it was all happening so fast, he was coming so fast! I couldn’t believe it!
 3:11am- Just a few minutes and four pushes later, baby Nolan popped out! He was SO, SO blue and wasn’t making any noise. After, Linc admitted that he was worried the baby wasn’t alive. Thankfully, after some stimulation and suction he started crying and we knew everything would be ok! His poor face was really bruised from the quick delivery and the nurses kept joking that he had a perfect c-section head because he barely spent any time in the birth canal! Linc was able to cut the cord and they whisked my boy away to make sure he was breathing properly. I delivered the placenta a few minutes later and then they brought me my sweet little angel! I had a small tear along the same line as Carter so Susan stitched me up and then I was good to go.
Everyone was trying to guess how much Nolan weighed. We could tell he was quite the sizeable guy!! I stuck with my original prediction of 9lbs 13oz and was BLOWN AWAY when the scale read 10lbs 9oz. I pushed what? Out of where? With no drugs? I thought Carter’s birth story was pretty impressive, but I’m not going to lie, I felt a rush of pride when everything was said and done. I cannot believe that I delivered a baby of that size, without so much as an Advil, all within 2 hours and 54 minutes. 
It was such a whirlwind morning that I couldn’t wait to get my new little bubs nakie and do some skin to skin. He latched on right away and we spent some quiet moments nursing and getting to know each other while Linc signed all the admissions papers. We were laughing because the forms were release forms for things such as epidurals and episiotomies and other in case of emergency treatment options that thankfully were not needed. Everyone was in such good spirits and the mood in the room was one of pure elation. Word of the delivery got around pretty quickly and nurses kept stopping by the say their congratulations. Everyone was amazed at how BIG my boy was and how fast he came into the world.

I was so grateful to have my mom in the room taking pictures and of course

my amazing husband to help get me through this incredible delivery!

 

Around 4:30 my mom headed back to our house to get some rest and

we were wheeled up to the recovery floor. I finally had a chance to text and email people

our great news. For the next few hours we rested, nursed, and rested some more!

 

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Check back for more updates including Carter meeting Nolan and our first few days at home!

Bumpdate- One Week Post Partum

Before we get to Nolan’s birth story I thought I would share our one week post partum pics! I know, a little backwards but that’s ok. The birth post took longer to write than I anticipated even though it occurred over a very short period of time!! Look for that on Wednesday, and in the meantime I leave you with our one week post partum belly shots!

At 40 weeks I had gained 35 pounds. I still have a LONG way to go, but as of one week post partum I was down 18 pounds. Considering almost eleven of those were baby, I’m not thrilled but I know it’s just the beginning! Hoping my body will bounce back relatively quickly but I’m giving myself a free pass through the holidays to not stress about it. I didn’t get serious about my post partum weight loss with Carter until he was like 15 months old. This time I know better and will be back at it come the new year!

A ‘Treat’ For You!

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Welcome to the World!

 

Sorry for leaving everyone hanging but…

We are so thrilled to announce the arrival of

 

at 3:11 am on 11/11/12

10 lbs 9 oz 21.5 in long

 

 

Pictures, birth story, and our first week as a family of four to come!

BMG Date Night

Linc, Me, Becky, and Matt

A few weekends ago we joined the other half of Blue Mammoth Games for a date night at Dante’s Down the Hatch in Buckhead! For those of you who don’t know, Linc and Matt run their own video game studio and after the insane hours they had been working for the last few months (ok…really the last three years) we all deserved a nice evening out on the town! The Woomers came over for a few pre dinner cocktails and we headed out downtown for our delicious meal.

These past few years have been quite an adventure but we’re excited to see

where BMG is headed and what the future holds for our little game company!

Halloween 2012

Halloween this year was a pretty crummy day. C was running a really high fever and wheezing every time he breathed in. We had taken him to the doctor the day before where he was diagnosed with “croup-like” symptoms and told we had to let it run its course. We spent the entire day in jammies, cuddled up on the couch watching movies, and then attempted a nap but the poor guy woke up hacking and couldn’t settle down. By the time Linc got home from work I was sure we would just need to put C down for bed but he insisted on going trick or treating!! We had been talking for months about dressing up like a pirate and I couldn’t deny my sweet boy a chance to get some candy! Plus, the doctor recommended getting him out to breathe in the cold air to help soothe his airways so Linc and I figured we’d give it a shot.

At first I really regretted putting C’s costume on because he was really tired and cranky. But, as soon as we reminded him about going door to door to get candy he got really excited and his entire demeanor changed. This boy was ready to rock and roll! We practiced saying, “Trick or Treat!” a few times and he was ready to go. I cannot believe how many houses we made it to! I even lost count because C was going so quick! He did great and was such a good sport going up to the doors and saying hi to everyone. We made it home before the sun set so it wasn’t too cold out and I am so glad we decided to give it a try. We got SO many compliments on his adorable costume (thanks Hattie!!!!) and it was a great night!

Twin Neighbors Madison and Harison with Carter the Pirate!

Baby Brigade Goes to Kinsey Farm

This is a bit out of order but I forgot to post about the day the Baby Brigade took a field trip to Kinsey Family Farm! We had already been once with our friends Lauren and Cullen and had planned to go with the Friday group but something came up and we weren’t able to make it that day. Thankfully it was on the calendar for the Tuesday group on October 23rd and Carter and I were excited to go again. I was feeling a bit under the weather that day and had forgotten my camera but was hoping someone else would have us covered. I stole all these pics off our group Facebook page from Halie :)

Thank the Troops

Did you know Veteran’s Day is this Sunday, November 11th? As the month of November continues to roll along many of us are reminded to stop and think about all the things we are thankful for. As we gear up for the holidays it is important to take some time to appreciate all our many blessings- one of the most important ones being our Freedom! The wonderful team at Shutterfly wants to encourage everyone to take a moment to thank the service men and women who are overseas during the holidays, away from their families, fighting on our behalf so that we can enjoy the simple pleasures of life. If you feel so inclined, please join us in thanking the troops and showing your appreciation for all their hard work and dedication. Right now on Shutterfly you can create a thank you card that will be mailed to our troops thanking them for their service to our country during a season when it is exceptionally difficult to be away from the ones we love.

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God Bless America!

Bumpdate- 40 Weeks

Well here’s a post I never, ever thought I was going to have to write. I really did have it in my head that since Carter came early this baby would follow suit but once again h2o is proving that he will not be compared to his older brother!! This little man certainly has a mind of his own and a plan that has not quite aligned with what I had envisioned but I am learning a valuable lesson in patience and trying not to fail miserably. Thankfully, for being so far along and not knowing what it would be like to be THIS pregnant, I really am feeling great. Aside from a few sleepless nights and terribly swollen feet, there isn’t much else bothering me and I really can’t tell the difference between when I delivered Carter and now. I know it could be so much worse so I am trying not to be completely bummed out for every day that passes and I do not deliver this little bundle. I know he will come in his own time and I just need to wait for that day to happen because I’m sure once he’s out I will actually miss being pregnant and be sad that it’s all over.

Thankfully, where one adventure ends, another one begins.

Come on baby h2o, mama is ready to introduce you to the world!!

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How far along? 40 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss? Up one pound since 36 weeks (35 total).

Maternity clothes? The weather has changed and it feels so good outside! I have enjoyed getting to wear the maternity clothes that I had stored away. It certainly stayed a lot hotter this pregnancy than when I was preggo with C so a lot of my clothes stayed in a box until the very end. I have noticed my feet are so much more swollen this time around and most of my shoes don’t fit.

Stretch marks? Pretty much looks like I got attacked by a mountain lion!!

Sleep? Oh sleep…the one thing I want the most and the one thing that is so difficult to achieve. I don’t know why it is SO difficult…oh wait, it’s because I’m up every thirty minutes to go to the bathroom and the fact that as soon as I lie back down I have to go again. I cannot comprehend how one person can produce so much fluid. It’s quite annoying. These last few weeks have been really tough and I find myself laying in bed for hours watching the clock tick and praying for shut eye. As tired as I am, I cannot turn off my brain and get comfortable.

Best moment this month? Even though we passed the date I assumed baby would come, it’s given us a lot of chances to make the most of our little family of three! We’ve had a chance to get a lot of work done around the house, the nursery is nearly complete, and C has had lots of quality time with mommy and daddy.

Movement? I can tell he doesn’t have as much room to move because he’s a lot quieter these days! This boy’s rump sticks out on my right side and occasionally he stretches his legs up into my ribs. His head is nice and low and if I scratch my belly he dances around. He also gets the hiccups a LOT! Usually around 3am too which tends to get a little annoying. Hard to fall asleep when someone is constantly thumping you in the pelvis hahaha

Food cravings? I don’t eat much these days. There’s no room for anything!!

Gender? Baby h2o is still all BOY!!!

Labor signs? There have been a few nights I swore “THIS IS IT!!!!” but no such luck. In fact, there has been a significant decrease in contractions this past month. Not sure what’s up with that.

Belly button in/out? The button starts out flat in the morning but sticks out by the end of the day!

What I miss: Sushi, sushi, more sushi. Can’t wait!!!! And wine ;)

What I am looking forward to: Holding a newborn and introducing h2o to his family!

Milestones: Happy Due Date to me!

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I’m not going to lie, I spent a good part of this day crying just because I was so shocked to see my due date come and go. I had my 40 week appointment today and both my nurse Amy and my midwife Elizabeth were shocked to see me. I was pretty surprised we made it to that appointment too but apparently baby is just not ready yet! When Elizabeth checked me I had made progress (2.5cm dilated, 70% effaced, baby at -2 station) compared to last week so that was great news in the middle of my mental break down. We did an ultrasound just to try and figure out his positioning, but the good ultrasound machine was being used and the portable one is basically the worst form of technology ever. We did see he was staring right at the wand which was sort of creepy and thankfully he is the way he needs to be to come out correctly.

She doesn’t want me to wait a full week before coming back so we set up my next appointment for Monday. At that point I will either decide to hold out a little longer or head straight to the hospital to begin my induction. I can’t decide what option we will go with and am hoping baby will just go ahead and come on his own so I don’t have to think about it! My practice will let me go to 42 weeks, which is the day before Thanksgiving before forcing an induction so for the next two weeks it really is up to me to decide what is best. The reason we set Monday as D-Day is because the doctors are going to be traveling for the holidays but next week they will all actually be in the office in case anything goes wrong. I definitely want to give this boy enough time to keep cooking so for the next few days I am going to pretend I don’t feel “overdue” and just pray nature takes the lead.

I really hope this is the last bumpdate I will have to write and photograph!!!

Can’t wait to hold a newborn in these arms instead of my giant Buddha belly!

Playing in the Leaves

Me at 38 weeks 3 days pregnant & Cousins in the fall!