A Nursery Fit for a Wild Man

It's been a while since I've updated, and this sweet little nursery has honestly been "done" for a while, but I just have not gotten around to getting the details on the blog.

I spent the better part of my bed rest planning and dreaming about this little boy's room, and that meant quite a bit of time surfing the internet for the perfect pieces.  We were able to order some pieces online, other pieces are from a successful trip to Hobby Lobby, some things are hand-me downs and family pieces, and one very special shelving unit was designed by me and built to perfection by Will's Pappy!  I love every single inch of Will's Man Cave and look forward to adding a few more pieces and finishing touches to it during his first year.

Will's hospital room door hanger. Big Sister has one just like it on her door.

I knew I wanted to do some type of rustic theme, with outdoors, animals, and arrows involved, but I went back and forth with some different color combinations.  After our trip to Hobby Lobby and a quick look in the buggy, I could tell the color pallet was determined - ivory, gold, and wood!  I've added color in some different areas, and might add some more, but I LOVE the neutral look and the feel it gives to Will's room.

We were able to use the changing table from Bryleigh's nursery and then bought our Wild Man a new crib since Sister is still in her's and she'll be using it as a full size bed.  We added neutral colored sheets and changing pad covers (with light green back-ups from Sister's extras).  I knew what I liked in a diaper caddy, so we purchased a woven basket from Hobby Lobby to hold diapers, wipes, and all the creams.  We got SUPER lucky when we realized the wipes reusable box fits PERFECTLY at the back with some storage room underneath and the wipes tucked in at the front.  I LOVE the tree trunk canvas in neutrals and gold that really ties in all the details of the room and ended up being a big inspiration for all the decor.  I purchased it from Hobby Lobby as well.  The lamp shown is a beautiful brushed gold with arrows and a burlap shade, and there is a second matching one in the corner of his room.  These are from World Market and were a perfect fit to our little guy's room.

The shelf is from Target and has some sweet little owls from Bryleigh's "Look Whooo's 2" party, along with a picture from that Will's great-grandpa made.  It will eventually have a beautiful 4 generation picture displayed, but for now, Brad is loving the "punch heard round the world" being on display in Will's Little Man Cave.  There are also two signs and a camping lantern from Hobby that completed the shelf decor.

This corner of Will's world is home to lots more Hobby Lobby items - including the two square frames, the white-washed letters for his name, and the arrow beneath.  Two of my favorite pieces in this section of the room is the book shelf hanging on the wall that used to hold hymns on the back of a pew in my hometown church, First Baptist Church - Sherman, TX.  There is a lot of history in that church for our family, so it is very special to have a piece of that in Will's room.  You can also see a night stand tucked away in the corner, and that belonged to my Granddad.  My MawMaw and PawPaw got the Jimmy Don mountain-metal sign for us, and it is just the perfect fit for this rustic room and our hopes for our boy to be adventurous.

These are just a few close-ups of some of the details from Will's room.

I always love giving my dad a vision and watching him bring it to life!

If you've done much searching on pinterest, you might have seen shelves similar to the ones above...with a cool price tag of about $1100.  NOT exactly in this momma's price range, but thanks to my Pappy, we made it happen for a fraction of the cost.  We were able to find few different units that we liked and things from each that worked well, and my dad was able to design a shelf that fit our price range and was completely functional for our little guy's nursery.  It could not have turned anymore perfect!

That sweet moose and tree on the very top were purchased during my hospital stay and were the beginning of this whole vision.  They'll always be special pieces to me.  The bin at the bottom matches the diaper caddy on his changing table and is FULL of books that Bryleigh had while she was a baby a long with a a whole new set of books that our BSF Leaders showered us with when we came back to bible study.  I will always cherish those!  There are also some books we purchased or were given as gifts along with some more pieces from Hobby Lobby, including the "Be strong & brave" sign, the arrow picture frame, and the "Adventure" mountain piece, and the beautiful globe is from Target.

This just happens to be one of my very favorite rooms of all time.  And the little boy who lives in it happens to be a favorite of mine too!

And so the adventure begins...

Our Little Turkey's Birth Story

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.  We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you will live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.  He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. 

Colossians 1:9-12

One might think that as crazy as the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy were, and as dramatic (and traumatic) as Big Sister's delivery was, that Will's birth story would have been crazy, too.  But it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, your water breaking at 3:20 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning is quite dramatic, but the morning and Will's birth could NOT have gone more beautifully (except the fact that my epidural was a little crazy, but I'll get to that).

Obviously at 39 weeks pregnant, one has quite a bit of trouble sleeping, so I had already been up to the bathroom...twice, and I was still lying awake in bed TRYING to get comfortable.  "Rolling over" was quite the task with a little roasting turkey in there, but I needed a little switch, so I tried moving as I had hundreds of times in the weeks and months prior.  But this time was different.  I knew it as soon as I did it.  I felt my water break almost instantly, and shot out of bed to get to the bathroom (making NO messes until I got in to our tiled bathroom...FOR THE WIN!).

After a few minutes of my heart racing and thinking through things, I came to the realization that my water HAD broke, I was IN labor, I was delivering ON Thanksgiving Day, and my doctor would NOT be there.  As soon as I got all those straight in my head, I hollered out to my husband, who was pretty out-of-it-asleep, and he responded with a simple, but loud, "What?"

I knew I had to give him a few minutes to process all those things I had just processed in our tiny potty closet, and then it was..."What do we do next?!"  We go up front, water still leaking, Brad in his boxers, and tell my parents, of course! However, by the time we got to their room (I was worried about startling them awake...), we realized they were already awake and my mom knew exactly what was going on!! (haha, this part still makes me laugh - She had heard Brad say "what" and that was all she needed to know my water broke and I was in labor!)

I decided I would take a shower, wash my hair, and try to shave my legs since my contractions were still what I'd been used to since about week 14/15.  However, they quickly changed while I was in the shower, and by the time I was out and about halfway through drying my hair...I could barely breathe through them.  We threw on some clothes, got the last of our bags together, and loaded up in the car to head to Dallas around 4:45 am.  (Praise the Lord for NO traffic!!)

The last bump picture - 39 weeks!

The rest of the morning is a bit of a blur because everything went so quickly.  We got checked in at the front desk (where my sweet husband did all the talking and all the paperwork because HOLY CONTRACTIONS!) and our nurse Jenni took us to our room.  One of the first rooms they were going to put us in was the room I spent 36 hours in getting magnesium pumped through my body, where there are also no windows, so we opted for a different room ;)

Our sweet Resident Doctor that  had seen me several times during my hospital stays was doing rounds before she headed out for her Thanksgiving plans, and she did a quick check at 5:45 to see how dilated I was.  Convinced I'd still be at a 3.5 (and even joking that I'd be back to a 2...), I was pleasantly surprised when she said that I was a 5.

I was in quite a bit of pain, so I had already let them know that I wanted an epidural.  I knew the differences in my contractions from Bryleigh's birth, and I knew how much work I'd be doing to bring my baby in to the world, so I wanted to rest while I could.  They came in around 6:00 with the IV, and shortly after it was time for the epidural.

Because I had tested positive for an infection during my first hospital stay, I was required to get antibiotics every 4 hours to make sure it wasn't passed on to Will.  They want you to get at least 2 doses, so at 6 and 10, with the second getting fully in my system by 2 pm...delivering anytime before 2 meant Will only got one full dose, and any time before 10 meant no full doses.  If that happened (which it did) he would just be monitored up in postpartum, and he'd have a series of blood work done.  They monitor him for 48 hours, so we knew the earliest we'd be going home was Saturday.

For some reason, the epidural only took to my left side, and the 40 minutes to an hour that followed were excruciating, with serious labor pains in my right hip, feeling more and more with each contraction.  My entire body was shaking, so I got wrapped up in some warm blankets to help, and at some point I threw up...but I really don't even remember when that was ;)

A different doctor came in to take a look at my epidural and determined the placement was causing issues, so he took it out and replaced it (twice), and hung out with us a bit to make sure it was kicking in the way it needed to.

Once the epidural took, our nurse checked me again to see where we were on labor progress. From 5:45 to 7:40, I went from a 5 to a 10! I could not even believe it when she told us, and I'm pretty sure I asked her at least 5 times.  I was SO not ready for the HARD part of all of this.  I knew this baby boy was a big one, and all I had to compare it to was Bryleigh's birth.  I told them all a few times that I changed my mind, and he could just stay put!!

Although Dr. Harris was off because of the holiday, we got the best back up - Dr. Gaitonde.  He was the doctor that worked with us to make sure our little guy got to cook longer, so it was super sweet that he was the one on call over Thanksgiving weekend.  He came in around 7:45 to check on things, and Jenni let him know I'd dilated to a 10, was fully effaced, and at a 0 - meaning our little guy still needed to drop a little more.  Dr. G was just starting to make rounds, so he decided he'd finish those and give me about an hour to just labor and let my body move our little guy down naturally.

That hour passed incredibly quickly, and by 8:45 we were ready to do some practice pushes with my contractions... However, those practice ones ended up being the real thing since they could see his head after the first push.  I was SO not ready for that part of all of this, but it happened so fast that I really didn't have time to freak out (or run away...) and by the third round of pushing, and about 10 minutes later, our little guy was HERE!

Holding our miracle baby for the very first time, just minutes after his birth

We are forever grateful for Dr. G...and his love for country music! ;)

To this day, 4 weeks later, I'm STILL in shock at how Will's delivery went.  It will always be one of the craziest reminders to me of how in control God is and how much I should trust Him.  I spent WEEKS making myself literally sick over fear and worry of delivering a big baby and going through what I went through with Bryleigh.  I could not comprehend that I could have a big baby (God's plans) and still have a better experience than before.

Will was born in to this world with 90's country music in the background at 9:00 am, weighing 9 pounds 7 ounces, measuring 20.9 inches long. He was absolutely perfect!

Our first moments loving on our sweet little boy!

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His spirit.  Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.  Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.  Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  

Ephesians 3:14-19

(I shared both of these verses in Bryleigh's birth story, 3 short years ago.  These are the words I am praying over my babies as they grow in a dark, lost world.  My prayer is that they come to know and fiercely love their Creator.)

Our Little Turkey's 1st Thanksgiving

Many people have asked about who Will looks like, or make the obvious comment that "he looks JUST like Bryleigh," and although there are similarities, there are lots of differences.  Bryleigh had way more hair.  She has her daddy's mole.  She weighed more and was shorter (making her look even bigger).  She HATED to snuggle, be swaddled, or have clothes on...Will LOVES to snuggle, be swaddled as snug as possible, and ALWAYS wants his clothes on.  They definitely favor each other, but he's not quite the carbon copy I was expecting, especially after all of our sonograms.

Although there are many differences, much of his first days were spent pretty similarly to his sister's.  (You can read about her first days here.) Thankfully, I had been through it all once before, so I knew a lot of what to expect.

First Moments

We spent some time with our little guy down in the delivery room while the doctors finished up with me, the pediatrician took a good look at Will, and we worked through his first time to nurse.  My parents were also there to welcome him into the world and give him some good Mimi & Pappy loving!!

After delivering at 9, we were heading up to our postpartum room by 11:00, just in time for some Turkey and Dressing for lunch! ;)  (I learned from my days in antepartum that they serve turkey and dressing EVERY Thursday, so this was technically my FIFTH go around with "Thanksgiving Lunch" at Baylor.)  We were excited to settle in for a day of Thanksgiving Football and time with our little man!!  Thanks to our Wild Man coming so quickly, we were able to spend the whole day with him...and we were able to eat normal food!! ;)  

Glucose Protocol

Since Will was over 9 pounds, he would be required to meet the same glucose levels that Bryleigh did, ensuring they could maintain their sugar levels.  He was tested before each feeding and needed to have a 45 at least three times in a row after his initial check down in the delivery room.  Anytime the number dropped too low, we would have to start back over.  Our little guy officially passed with a 73 on his final check at 10:00 pm on his first day! This meant that he could also have his first bath!

Although we had been here before, and it was a stressful part of Bryleigh's first days, things went much easier with Will.  We knew what to expect, we knew what was required, and we knew to do what was best for our little guy - which meant supplementing from the start!  Thankfully, there was a new program at Baylor that started back in May allowing us to use donor breastmilk as opposed to introducing formula from the start.

Our little guy did MUCH better at nursing (in the hospital...) than his sweet sister, so we would breastfeed for about 30 minutes, then supplement with a bottle every two to three hours.  This allowed for both his jaundice levels and his glucose levels to even out a lot quicker than had he just been breastfeeding.  Although he did better than Miss B, I still have PCOS, so that didn't change anything this go around as far as milk supply goes! ;)

Big Sister Meets Little Brother

Our big girl spent her Thanksgiving Day with my brother, sister-in-law, and the cousins.  She was in heaven and loved her whole day, but she was so excited to meet "Baby Will."  She walked right in to that room, said "Hi" to her baby brother, and she hasn't looked back since! What an incredible blessing that has been to our family!!

Holding her sweet little brother for the first time

We weren't quite sure how she would do or WHAT she would do, so we decided to do a little Big Sis gift from Will with All-Things-Dory, including some activities she could do while we were still in the hospital.  

Little Brother meets the whole crew!

One of the best parts about Will coming on Thanksgiving Day was that my brother's family was in town and they got to come up to the hospital to meet him.  That was super special to me and something I'll always be so thankful for.  Alan's kids, Tate and Olivia, were instantly in love with their new little cousin!  It was so fun to see them love on him.

And the real fun started once the whole crew was together!! How lucky were we to spend time with our sweet family on Thanksgiving Day, and introduce them to our sweet little miracle baby!

The Meet and Greet Tour continues!

Will's DeDe and Poppa B came to meet our Will Man on Thursday night after the Cowboys beat up on the Redskins, and sweet Bryleigh was still there to make the introductions.

Our Little Turkey's fun-filled Black Friday

Our second day with our little man started out with a busy morning - including his circumcision which threw our whole feeding schedule off and an attempt at his hearing screening, continuing to spend some skin-to-skin time, working on nursing, and spending some time relaxing with our newest love.  Bryleigh Girl could not wait to get back up to the hospital to see us and hold her little brother some more, so they made a visit Friday afternoon.  She also brought a present for Will - a sweet owl lovie!

Aunt Erin and Uncle Luke came with DeDe and Poppa B on Friday to get to meet our sweet little guy, and Bryleigh was definitely proud to show him off again.  Any day she gets to spend with all four grands is a good day for her, and adding little brother to the mix was the cherry on top!

Our Little Turkey is coming home!

One of the final hurdles to us getting to leave was for Will to complete his hearing test.  We had tried on Friday, but with all the excitement (his circumcision, missing feedings, meeting family), we weren't able to get him calm enough to complete it.  Thankfully, Saturday morning was the perfect time for he and his daddy to watch some college football and get his little ears screened.

We were originally told we wouldn't be able to be released until we got results back on Will's cultures, which would have been late afternoon on Saturday, BUT we got news around 11:00 that we were officially released!  They'd watch the cultures for us and give us a call if anything showed up, but we were in clear to take our sweet guy HOME!

The BumpDate - The Final Bump

The final days with the Bump

Week 37 started out normal enough, Bryleigh went to Bible Study with Sissy on Thursday morning and school on Friday morning.  Since Friday was Veterans Day, Daddy had the day off, so we were able to go pick up the B-Girl together, complete with a stop by Braums for ice cream on the way home!!  Pappy didn't get to come until Saturday afternoon because of some work to get ready for Upward, but we were so excited when he DID get here - and we got to put up the shelves in Will's nursery!  Sunday was another normal day with church for the family and some downtime for me at home and a calm Monday around the house.

Tuesday, we took Bryleigh to shop for her Operation Christmas Child shoe box before we headed in to Dallas for our weekly appointment with Dr. Harris.  We spent the morning telling her all about shopping for those that don't have very much and how we'd be buying presents for a little girl just like her.  She watched the videos over and over while we finished getting ready, and she did a pretty good job of shopping FOR her little girl and not just for herself ;) Although, we did end up with TWO baby dolls, so one was sent and Bryleigh got one.

The NOT normal started on Wednesday.  We dropped Bryleigh off for school and headed home to get a few things done, expecting a call to set up an appointment with the specialists in Dallas, so we enlisted some help from DeDe for after school.  What we didn't know was that I wouldn't be able to come home that night, so Bryleigh had two fun days with her DeDe, Poppa B, and Aunt Erin! She didn't mind one bit!!

Thankfully, I got to enjoy most of week 38 from home - including picking my girl up from school on Friday (on Mickey Mouse's birthday, no less) and a stop at Starbucks for cake pops on our way home.  It was also perfect timing to be home from the hospital, too, because my brother and his kids were in town for the weekend, so we were able to spend time with Olivia and Tate on Friday night/Saturday morning.

We decided that since we have NO idea when this little guy is coming, and we normally decorate the day after Thanksgiving (i.e. The day after hitting 39 weeks...), we should go ahead and decorate a little early.  Don't worry, we still watched "Pumpkin Sheriff Callie" at bed time. ;)

Our sweet girl took a quick trip to SS with Mimi, while we stayed home and *tried* to get some things done around the house, including one final date with my guy!

The BumpDates...
Week 37 will probably go down as one of my least favorites.  I came of the nifedipine on a Thursday, and by Sunday I was running a fever of 100-101 multiple times a day for hours at a time, and they would always lead to a few hours of some pretty strong contractions.  When they initially started on that Sunday, I gave my doctor a quick call and he told me a few things to watch for (rash and/or flu-like symptoms, but neither ever happened).  When I mentioned it again at my appointment (Nov. 15 at 1:30), after having the fever for several weeks, Dr. Harris was concerned enough to run some tests, but those did not come back until the following week when I went in for my weekly appointment, and they were all normal.  The next step was a sonogram in his office, which also looked good (Praise the Lord - our guy was measuring 7 lbs 14 oz).

Because of all the questions, and still having the fever, my doctor referred us to the Fetal Care Specialists that I worked with while I was in the hospital.  The following morning they called and had me come in immediately (Nov. 16 at 12:15).  I was greeted at the door with a mask, and then I was put on the monitor for 20 minutes and had a second sonogram (where our guy was measuring 8 lbs 14 oz...yes a whole pound difference in ONE day).  Everything was looking fine on the monitors, but the doctor was concerned about the fevers and did not want to send me home without further testing, so we were sent straight to the hospital.

I was expecting some quick blood work and testing (I did my own flu test!) along with more time on the monitors in the triage area across from Labor and Delivery, but as the afternoon moved on, we realized that might not be the case, and we were right.  I was admitted in to Labor and Delivery in to the isolation room where we learned that I was being tested for Tuberculosis.  Every person that entered had to wear a mask and "suit up," and I just spent a lot of time crying.  A quick test with results by 3 or 4 pm turned in to "tests at midnight" then "tests at 5 am" and "results in 6 hours" turned in to "results in 24-48 hours."  We were frustrated beyond belief and just so ready to be home (or in labor......)

Week 38 kicked off early with the lab coming in around 5 am to get the blood work, and then it was a 24-48 hour waiting game where I just sat in a hospital bed (crying and angry and terrified - I've given birth to a big baby before.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I had NO intention of doing that again...nor did a I feel like repeating that recovery process.  The worry and fear CONSUMED me.)  Although the lab results for TB had not come in on Friday morning, I had been fever free for 24 hours, so my doctor worked to get me released - he was about as upset with the whole "isolation thing" as we were.  I was able to make it back to Arlington just in time to pick Bryleigh up from school and have a weekend of relaxing at home with my family.

Brad and I headed back to Dallas for our FINAL appointment with Dr. Harris on Monday morning.  I was dilated to a 3.5 (finally making some progress) and 90% effaced at a -2.  We talked "plans" and decided that we would wait to be induced until after Thanksgiving when Dr. Harris would be back from the holiday.  We had originally talked about going in Thursday afternoon/evening or Friday morning, but I figured Will couldn't gain THAT much weight in those few days, so it was just better to wait.  I was officially "on the table" for an induction for Monday, November 28!!

And why is there still no baby?

The number one, main reason there is still no baby - because God is in control and He has a specific date for our little guy to be born on, with a specific time for him to take his very first breath! (You can read a little bit more about that and why I wanted him to come a little earlier HERE.)

But there are a few other reasons too.  Obviously I went in to preterm labor and we worked really hard to make sure our little guy stayed right where he was, by medicine, by bed rest, by prayer...But as I came of the medicine and the weeks continued to pass, nothing changed.  I would have (and still have) contractions as close as 2 minutes apart for hours at a time, but each and every day, things always calm back down to where I don't actually go in to active labor.  Dr. Harris let us know that this is actually a normal thing, stalled labor.  There is data and studies that show some moms who work to prevent preterm babies end up going beyond their due date and need medical intervention to get things going labor-wise.

The other reason we don't have a baby yet is that it is no longer "easy" to induce labor.  Dr. Harris has been on our side and was hopeful for an early delivery as well, but he let us know that there is a lot of red tape to work through these days when you are trying to induce.  New, first time moms can't be induced without a medical reason before 40 weeks, and second time moms can't be induced before 39 weeks.  In the past, "medical reason" was pretty loosely defined and left at the discretion of the doctor, but these days, it doesn't work anything like that.

Our case was reviewed by a case of doctors and there had to be documented medical statistics (i.e. documented fever in the hospital) for us to be considered for induction at 37, almost 38 weeks.  Doctors are held accountable and could lose their license, insurance won't approve payment so you're left paying the bill, etc.  Like I said, there's a lot more hoops to jump through for "early" inductions than there have been in years past.  (PS. A big baby is apparently NOT a medical reason to induce, no matter how many times you ask!)

The BumpDate - Who's In Control?

People make a lot of jokes when you are pregnant...jokes about size (yours and/or the babies, your belly, your ankles...), jokes about genders, jokes about eating habits...but one of those "jokes" is about who's in control.

Over the past two months (and probably longer), I've heard countless people talk about how WILL is in control.  It's Will's fault I was so sick in the beginning, it's Will's fault I was in/am in pain at different times, and it's Will's fault that I went in to pre-term labor (<< that's the big one...).

If we're being honest...that is NOT true.  Will is just hanging out in there, and he may or may not want to come out.  Will hasn't been causing contractions, that would be my body.  Will hasn't been causing all of the pain and discomfort, that would be my body (and a little bit of my first born...)  Will didn't cause all of the nausea and vomiting (and neither did my first born), that would be my body and it's inability to take on any extra hormones.

But beyond that...beyond my body actually being at fault for those things, IT'S ALL GOD'S DOING.  He has this plan, and in His plan was preterm labor for our little guy at 31 weeks, it was for weeks in the hospital, weeks at home on bed rest, a second trip to the hospital, and a lot of close calls in between. It was His plan for us to face a possible preemie, to now facing "stalled labor."  Every bit of this has been within God's control, NOT Will's, and it has all been part of His plan.  None of this has come as one bit of a surprise to Him.

From the beginning of this pregnancy, I hoped for an "early" delivery - I was thinking 37ish weeks would be great considering Bryleigh had been such a big baby (that we were clueless about) and such a difficult delivery/recovery.  I wanted SO bad to have a little bit smaller baby so that the delivery process was a little easier and that the recovery process would be more manageable - I have a lively, lovable almost three year old that I don't want to miss out on one single second of her life (especially right here at the holidays), and I pictured myself after her birth and KNEW I wouldn't be able to do much with her if things go similarly - and it TERRIFIES me.

Although I hoped for an earlier delivery, I never hoped (or dreamed) we'd be so close to meeting our son at such a tiny size, and I will be forever grateful that God spared us from taking that journey.  Since that first day in labor & delivery, hooked up to all kinds of machines and medicines to intervene and make sure we were both healthy, it has been a constant battle of trusting God completely and clinging to every ounce of control I still could.

I have played out countless scenarios of "good" and "bad" birthdays for Will along the way, what would be convenient for us, what would be fun for us, and what would be special days (i.e. - my grandparents 75th wedding anniversary fell on November 5th of this year...and their last name just happens to be where I first got "William" from).  I am bad about that sort of thing though, playing out scenarios and planning things for God, as if I could have better plans than He does.

As I sat in the hospital room last week, angry at God that he hadn't listened to any of my plans, or apparently, any of my fears, I spent a lot of time crying, or worrying, or both.  Those were honestly some of the toughest, darkest days of this whole journey because I felt like any control I had was slipping through my hands, and I just couldn't see how all of this was going to work out.  (I'll update a little more on that in the final BumpDate blog.)  As much as I have said/can say I trust in the Lord with all of this, it's a lot harder to actually DO the trusting, the letting go, the no more planning.

For the last year, after finishing up the Kendrick Brothers', The Battle Plan for Prayer, I learned a whole new way of praying - GOD'S GLORY.  We aren't to pray for the things we want, but instead we should pray for what brings God the most glory.  I have done really well at this at some times...and other times I've fallen flat on my face and been as selfish as my precious toddler, telling God exactly what I want, and that I want it NOW. (As Bryleigh says, "I need that right now.")  And I hate to admit that the majority of this journey has been me whining and bargaining for my desires, forgetting that the goal is for what brings God the most glory.  (After finishing the book and processing all I had read, I began referring to it as "His story. His glory."  All of this life, it's ultimately for HIS story, not my own, and I want every bit of it to bring Him the most glory.)

So at this point, considering Will is still not here, and we haven't gone through the whole birth and recovery process, I don't really know the end of this story.  And honestly, I might not ever really know the point of these days since October 4th, but one thing I know is that from this point on, I am focused on praying for God's will in my life and whatever brings Him the most glory.

37 Weeks - And a Full Term Party!

How far along? 37 weeks...Beginning of the pregnancy, full term was NO question (Bryleigh was 40 weeks 3 days)...until it was the biggest question ever!! We are definitely celebrating over here!!

Due Date? December 1, 2016 (21 days!! or 3 weeks)

How big is baby? Will is (according to Ovia) over 6 pounds and 19 inches long...the size of a honeydew melon.

Total weight gain? I have gained about 25 pounds

Maternity clothes? I pretty much have LIVED in my maternity leggings since the hospital days.

Stretch marks? I got them bad with Bryleigh (right at Thanksgiving...33 weeks), so some of those have showed back up, but not nearly as bad this go around.

A little 37 week comparison - Bryleigh on the left, Will on the right

Sleeping? If my nose weren't so stuffy, I didn't have to pee 500 times a night, and it wasn't so painful to move...then I'd be sleeping a heck of a lot better, but honestly I'm getting enough sleep (and getting prepared for the whole newborn stage).

Miss anything? Driving.  I haven't driven since the Tuesday afternoon we went in to the hospital...5 weeks ago.

Movement? You've heard his nickname, right?! Wild Man Will.  The dude NEVER. STOPS. MOVING!  I am so thankful for a healthy, active baby because I always know he's doing just fine, but it honestly gets exhausting...and painful.  His movements can be SO painful.

Food cravings? This pregnancy, the two main things I've craved are cinnamon (again) and chocolate milk.  I'm sure there have been other things at different times, but those are the big ones! And I ALWAYS want breakfast - pancakes, cinnamon rolls, sausage balls, waffles, cinnamon toast, coffee cake, bagels, chick-fil-a's whole morning menu...  I've also craved ice, almost all 40 weeks. (Shout out to the anemic mommas-to-be out there! My hubby is officially over it.)

Food aversions? Not any that I can think of

Gender predictions? All blue and all boy here!  (We got a LOT of sonos in the hospital. He confirmed it for us daily.)

Symptoms? This week - contractions that are hours long, fevers that spike 4 and 5 times a day, and the ever present nausea that will be gladly be on its way in a few short weeks!  Thankfully the hyperemesis has been much more manageable this go around...yay for boys and less hormones! ;)  I'm also in a heck of a lot of pain, but I draw the line on TMI,  and this is a line I draw!

Belly button – in or out? The more Will pushes out his tush, the more my belly button is an outie...if he moves around some, it's an innie.  I'm pretty sure half the time, he's trying to come OUT of my belly button.

Wedding rings – on or off? On

Mood? Changes daily...hourly.  Overall I feel really good. It's been crazy, especially the last 5 weeks, but the whole "you get to (have to) push this baby out" fear has started to creep back in...not to mention I know what to expect this time, and I'm PRAYING we deliver before he hits the 9 pound mark.  We've had our share of super stressful, super emotional moments in the last month, but the last week has been really good!

Labor signs? haha - Oh yes, those signs we have had for the past 5 weeks (and beyond...I started contractions at week 14.)  I am dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced, based on my last appointment.  I have contractions that pick up to about 2.5 minutes apart for an hour, sometimes 4 or 5 hours, every day...and then nothing.

Best moment(s) this week? Time.  (We'll ignore the fact that the most insane election of our country's history happened this week, because I don't even have words for that yet.) But I am SO thankful for the time we have had this week...to get to FULL term with this little guy, to spend more time with my baby girl before she isn't the baby anymore, to have time with my hubby to slip away for a dinner, to be with my momma during such a crazy time in my life...I'm just thankful for time.

Looking forward to? Meeting our little guy and bringing him home to start his life with our little family.  Watching Bryleigh become a Big Sister.  The holidays with all of our families, especially our TWO littles!!!!

The BumpDate - Wild Man Will

The "Almost Last" 12 weeks...
**This little title was written 12 weeks ago when I fully expected to have 16 weeks left and I was trying to stay all kept up with life as it happened. I guess it could read "The Possible Last 12 Weeks" or "The Actual Last 12 Weeks"...but time will tell! ;)

(For the record, there are far more pictures and details in this blog post than the others because I had far more time on bedrest -at the hospital- to get something like this done.  But it sure was fun to look back on a full 12 weeks of memories before adding Will to our team!)

Our sweet B-dad was home with us for an amazing 10 days, and we squeezed in as much fun as we could (which did NOT include taking him to the airport and dropping him off...although Bryleigh was very excited on our way there, she wasn't sure why she wasn't going, too).  Our sweet little girl has had a back and forth battle with all of her health issues since July 4th weekend, and some flares up tend to pretty much consume all of our time (and energy...and tears...and everything else).  This one sadly included 2 trips to the pediatrician's office and a whole lot of prayer (and tearful phone calls to my momma)!

We've had some BIG things going on in the past 12 weeks, including the beginning of B's school year!!  We had our first "parent duties" when we attended her Parent Night for orientation and then Meet the Teacher with her the next day.  We are SO excited that she is getting to go to school this year, especially with it being at our very own church.  Bryleigh and I normally have a "Not first day of school" party, but since she is actually going this year...we had a last day of summer party!!

B-dad was home for Bryleigh's 2nd day!

Equally as big as Bryleigh's first day of school was our first (and last) official vacation as BCBPartyof3!  We wanted to be sure we spent some time, just the three of us, before Will's arrival, and we realized we'd never really taken an actual vacation with just us.  We were headed to Conroe to celebrate our sweet nephew, Tate, and his 5th birthday, so we decided to just keep on 45 and head to Galveston!

We cut the trip a little short, but continued the fun at home since daddy still had one day off, complete with his favorite place to eat with his friends in North Carolina and a trip for the girls to get sno cones...Will really wanted one! ;)  We also made our very first pot of Hopkins County Stew for the season!

The week after vacation, we jumped right back in to a full schedule!  BSF got kicked off with our leaders workshop, and Bryleigh enjoyed her second week of school, along with lots of silliness, good food, and not so fun diapers (again).

We love getting to spend time with DeDe and Poppa B, whether it's B-girl time while we go out on a date, or a rainy Saturday afternoon of cooking football and watching whatever sport happens to be on at the time...sometimes even more than one at once!

Bryleigh and I were SO excited for BSF to get started! This is our third year, and it has been an absolute blessing to us each and every week.  Our first full week included Leaders Meeting, B's school, BSF class day, and our genetic testing to wrap up the week.

Bryleigh and I weren't the only ones having fun!! Daddy filled his weekends with football and Poppa B time at Jerry World, but they also took a trip to Sooner Nation to watch OU take on Ohio State.  This was a football game they'd been talking about for MONTHS, and it was so awesome they got to see it in person!

Our first full week was also one of the tougher ones for Bryleigh.  We were so thankful that Mimi was here to help us both.  I don't normally share a lot of pictures on social media, but I do take them from time to time, and looking back through those days, I thought I'd share a little bit of what a "Diaper Daze" week (that's what I've come to "lovingly" call our periods of not so fun days) looks like - it's a lot of snuggling in between diaper changes, it's a lot of baths, and even a shower when the bath doesn't do the trick. ;)

Brad and I went on our last date before Will arrives...although we didn't know it at the time!  While he was home during the week before a weekend conversion in NC, and thanks to some BEAUTIFUL fall-like weather, we decided to make a last minute trip to the Rangers game, where our (heavily discounted) tickets included access to the Capital One Club.  We didn't know it was the last date, but we sure did enjoy it!!

Another "last" that we had, even though we didn't know it at the time was some FUN last times with just the THREE cousins.  Soon they'll be adding a fourth to their craziness, and I'm not sure we'll be able to keep up with them all!  We had so much fun watching Abby and Mandy cheer under the Friday night lights,  followed by a full Saturday morning of Larry's Donuts, time at the zoo, and lunch at the new SHAKE SHACK in Dallas!

That weekend was our last "normal weekend" before bed rest, and it wasn't even that normal considering our B-dad was out in North Carolina for his conversion with work.  The next week started with a trip to Bryleigh's GI doctor on Monday for a follow up and some new treatment options while we wait to hear back on testing (which came RIGHT in time considering she was ASKING to go to the doctor on Sunday :( ), and Tuesday was our leaders meeting for BSF, followed by lunch at Taco Bueno with daddy since he was home...and then, everything changed!

The BumpDates...

Week 25 was another appointment week, complete with our 1 hour glucose test.  Will was measuring TWO full weeks ahead but has a strong heartbeat and things are all looking good! (I DID pass the gestational diabetes test, but the blood work showed I do have anemia again, which was not a surprise with the hyperemesis.)

For some crazy reason, week 26 decided to bring along some crazy pregnancy insomnia with it, and I was over it about as quickly as it started!!  It also brought the beginning of acid reflux type symptoms that I was thankful had NOT made an appearance this pregnancy.  Will decided to continue his hours long dance parties that have been going on since about week 18 or 19.  I'm really not sure the boy is going to ever sleep when he gets here!

Week 27 was not one of my favorites, at all.  I had crazy contractions, and some other issues that I've dubbed "TMI," even for my over-sharing self!  Sometimes pregnancy is just not fun OR easy.

We officially hit the "appointments every 2 week" mark at 28 weeks. At our appointment, Will had hiccups!! Bryleigh thought it was hilarious, and it made it incredibly hard not to laugh while the monitors were still on my belly...which made everyone in the room laugh.  He was also back to measuring right on track!! 


The first week of BSF/week 29 was very busy, but one of the best parts was that Mimi and Pappy came to town and helped us completely rearrange furniture in 3 different rooms to make room for our Will!  They are definitely the hardest working people I know, and I am so very thankful for them! Bryleigh and I came home from Bible Study and Brad's office was officially the guest room, and the guest room was completely empty and ready to become Will's nursery.

Obviously after so many appointments, Bryleigh has made herself right at home in Dr. Harris' office.  She loves going in to hear the heartbeat and chatting with all the nurses!  At our 30 week appointment, Will was back to measuring a week ahead, and I got a flu shot...Bryleigh was quite concerned for momma's booboo!  Week 30 was also another week of crazy movements, morning, noon, and night, keeping me awake, and reminding me he's in there and would like to be out here!!  We also spent some more time getting Will's room ready, including getting his crib put together and a trip to Babies R Us for some registry items.

Week 31 - (Sept 29) I would say that week 31 started out like any other normal week, but honestly...it didn't.  I was completely exhausted and had major nosebleeds (that I've been having since week 6) that caused me to get up at least 3 times every night for 3 or 4 nights in a row.  Will was CRAZY, moving non-stop, all the time, and then on Tuesday...the contractions started.

The Bedrest BumpDates...

On Tuesday evening, I wasn't feeling well at all.  We had planned on taking a trip to the grocery store, fixing some dinner, and then getting ready for the rest of the busy week, but when I sat down, contractions seemed to pick up (instead of get better like they have this whole pregnancy).  After the third one, I looked at the clock so I could time the next one if it happened to come...and it did.  So I downloaded an app to time and count contractions, and by the 4th or 5th one, the app was telling me to go to the hospital!

I still wasn't convinced. I mean, these were GOING to stop, right?!  But I messaged my mom and husband to let the know what was going on, and (thankfully) Brad was adamant that I call the after-hours line for my doctor.  The doctor suggested that I drink 3, 8 oz. glasses of water, take 2 extra strength Tylenol, and take a warm bath.  I was to call back 2 hours after all of that was done if my contractions continued.  And they did.  They had gone from about 5 minutes apart, to 2 and a half minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute each.  I started getting ready even before we heard from the doctor, because I knew what he was going to say...but I still fully expected to crawl back in to MY bed sometime that night and wake up there the next morning.

We got to the hospital and quickly checked in to our room where our nurse and a resident did a thorough (PAINFUL) exam and got me hooked up to the monitors that verified I wasn't crazy and things were more serious than I was even imagining.

I went in at 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced...pretty sure I wasn't there until I was 40+ weeks pregnant with Bryleigh.  Our doctors wanted to be aggressive to make sure we could do our best to keep Will in a little longer, but in case he did come early, we'd be as ready as possible.  I was given an IV drip to help with any dehydration, along with magnesium to try and stop the contractions, and I was also given antibiotics to treat any infection that might harm Will during delivery and 2 steroid shots (24 hours apart) to speed up his lung development.  Getting both of those steroid shots in was a huge answer to prayer.

The next 36 hours are a blur for me.  My body could barely tolerate the magnesium, but coming off it meant more contractions, so it was a constant back and forth battle to keep it all managed.  It seriously felt like one long night, not a night, a full day, and another full night.

Thankfully we kicked week 32 off with a little bit of a party - Our night nurses came in to let us know that I had stabilized enough to come off the mag and that I'd be moving upstairs to the antepartum unit! PRAISE THE LORD!!! (and I was FINALLY able to eat!!!)

Life in room J711 was a roller coaster ride.  Some days went exactly as expected with good monitors, little to no "extra" contractions, and no unwanted side effects.  Other days had different things from not passing monitors and needing an IV, to lots of extra contractions, to feeling flat out sick. I spent a few days where I slept more than I was awake, but overall, we were very thankful to keep our little guy inside and growing stronger every day!

The days consisted of monitoring in the morning and evening until we both met all of our criteria, medicine every 6 hours for contractions (but only after blood pressure and temperature checks - my BP has to be higher than 90/50 to be able to take my meds...and sadly, it was too low on some occasions or JUST right on others), other meds at other times, and sonograms twice a week.  At least 2 different doctors came in each morning, and we had a team of nurses and assistants that would help us throughout the day.  One thing is for sure, we felt completely cared for the entire time we were on Floor 7!

We were definitely in a routine by the time we hit 33 weeks.  We knew exactly what to expect each day, we knew what was required to meet the criteria, and what I needed to do if I wasn't meeting those (to avoid IVs and other interventions).  We were also counting down the days to be home with our Bryleigh Girl!  It seemed to be an up and down roller coaster with positives and negatives each and every day.  Some days I'd wake up feeling pretty good, and other days I'd barely wake up, sleeping most of the day or having far more contractions than I'd care to (or the doctors for that matter...), we also had our share of VERY long monitors when Will wasn't behaving (or my uterus wasn't behaving).  Brad got to where he was able to know what was going on based on the noises he heard from the monitor as opposed to looking at the strips.

Our sweet girl was in good hands the whole time we were at the hospital, whether it was with my mom during the week, fun times with Pappy on the weekends, or fun adventures with DeDe and Poppa B - they brought her up to see us at the hospital, took her to eat her favorite foods, and spent some time at the park!

Week 34 hit on Thursday, October 20, 17 days after we went in to the hospital (and three days before my birthday).  We had been counting down to that day since about 2 hours after being admitted when they let us know that was the EARLIEST we'd be leaving.  We started the morning with a quick check to make sure I wasn't dilated anymore (Praise the Lord, still a 2!), followed by a final sonogram (loved getting to see our little guy twice a week on the big screen), and then one last time on the monitor.  Once all of those pieces checked out, we got our discharge orders and prescriptions, loaded up ALL our stuff, and headed HOME!!!  Brad has lovingly dubbed the final weeks... "King Size bed rest" ;)

We got home JUST in time to celebrate my birthday.  Brad's parents came over on Saturday for Hopkins County Stew and college football watching, along with a yummy Nothing-Bundt cake from DeDe!  Sunday was sausage balls for breakfast (my favorite), getting to open my surprise from Brad and Bryleigh, a little bit of bed-rest-cheat-time at the park with B-girl (where I got to break in the new camera), but mostly, resting on the couch and meds every 6 hours!

Bed rest at home wasn't the easiest.  I wanted to be up helping, taking care of myself, and especially taking care of Bryleigh.  She's been in the middle of a flare up since before we even went in to the hospital, so that was the most challenging part (being away from her at the hospital AND being at home with her but not being able to help).  But we made the best of some very tough situations and had as much fun as we could...complete with MORE birthday cupcakes (thanks, Mimi!), a prize for B girl (Beauty and the Beast), and lots of play time!!  ((Also, Brad figured out a new med schedule where we only had to wake up ONCE a night, instead of twice!!  I take nifedipine every 6 hours to relax my uterus and slow down contractions.))

35 weeks was a BIG goal for us - it meant that I would not have to be re-admitted to the hospital (unless delivering), no more chance of needing magnesium, and no automatic trips to the NICU for Will (under 4 pounds and/or less than 35 weeks means they go no matter what).  So we celebrated hitting that milestone!  Week 35 at home was a lot the same - bad diapers for Bryleigh, lots of laying on the couch for momma, and doing the best we could to still have fun, but we did have some fun things during the week - including sweet friends and family bringing us meals, Bryleigh and Daddy going to church, and Bryleigh's last solo Halloween!

LOVE comparing the two pregnancies/bumps! So fun to see!!

I also had some very tough days fighting off contractions.  Sunday (35 weeks 3 days) around 1:15 they picked up again pretty strong and were about 2 minutes apart.  I did EVERYTHING they had told me to do and nothing seemed to be working, so we at least did what we could to be ready for another hospital trip.  Although they won't stop Will, we still aren't quite ready for him to be here with us...or HE'S not quite ready, actually, so I still do what I can to try and keep from going in to labor just yet! We're so excited and anxious to meet him, but we are hoping that he comes healthy, strong, and happy!!

(Did I mention Brad had surgery during week 35?!? Oh yes...life wasn't crazy enough, so we decided to throw that in too!  Actually...it was on the calendar before all of this happened, so we decided to go ahead and get it done.)

And we officially made it to THIRTY-SIX weeks!!  We have NO idea what to expect about the next few weeks, but we are ready and excited to meet our little guy and start making our memories as a family of FOUR!!