Monday, October 29, 2012

6 months

Easton turned 6 months old this week.
He has been sick most of this month. He has a cold and cough, then got over it, then got a new one with Croup cough as well. So fun....NOT!! Poor kid is just a wet mess all the time.

He is kinda getting out of the newborn stage and getting into more infant cuteness. Although he is taking his sweet time on a few things :)
He is so chill and he is just happy the way he is. He loves to be held and cuddled. He hasn't quite figured out how to sit up by himself yet, or roll over. But thats okay right? They say boys are a lil slower than girls.
He just started eating foods and he is loving it. Somedays he still struggles on swallowing it and loves to push it out, but we are practicing.
He reaches for everything now! It's cute because it's almost like he forgets that he can, and then he will remember, and then grab for it REAL fast!! Catches you off gaurd.
His smile is electricfing! He works up into his smile, and it's beautiful and so contagious. He has huge dimples, just like his daddy.
He has been stuggling with sleeping this month due to being sick. He was sleeping all night till about 5 or 6 am but now is waking up a few more times.
He is finally packing on the pounds too. His thighs are so chubby and I just want to squeeze them all day! He loves his toes, reaching for my eyes and nose, and adores his big sister!!
When Bailey walks in the room, he gets a huge smile on his face. It doesn't matter what she is doing. She could be  dancing, playing with her toys, jumping on his belly, or hitting him in the head with a toy, and he still has a smile on his face!!!
We are practicing on his giggles too. Kyle can seem to get more out of him than I can.
He loves to be outside and looking up at all the trees and leaves!
Man, I love my lil boy. He is such a sweetheart! He melts my heart and I love to just sit and cuddle and stare into his eyes!

Easton.....Momma loves you! Please stay as sweet and calm as you are :)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

4 months!

Easton is 4 months now! I have made it through the hardest part, so they say! Some things about Easton:
He found his toes this last week. Everytime I change his diaper and brings his toes up, it's like he is seeing his best friend for the first time! He gets a great big smile and hangs on tight.
He loves to smile. I like to say his smile grows. It starts small and then grows into a huge, contagious smile.
He eats about 5 ounces every 2-3 hrs.
Poops once a day, usually blows out the sides
Sleeps, pretty good. Goes to bed about 9:30, sleeps till around 5, on a good day till 7 or 8, wakes up, drinks a bottle, goes back to bed till about 8:30. Awake for 2 hrs, back down for about an hour nap. Awake for 2-3 more hours, then takes about a 2 hour afternoon nap,scheduled around Bailey's nap. I love that he takes long naps b/c Bailey only would sleep in 30 min increments.
He loves to suck and chew on his fingers. Usually his two middle fingers.
He is happy when being held. I can now lay him down or in a bouncer for about 30 mins before he needs more lovin from someone.
Found his voice, loves to chit chat with us and sing along with Bailey's cartoons.

He is such a joy to have around. We love him to pieces. Bailey is very protective of him and needs to know where he is at all times. The other day we dropped him off at the babysitters and took her with us. She started balling b/c she thought we were going to leave him behind and wanted him back. She was so upset but we reassured her that we would be back for him.

Disneyland!

We braved it out and took our kids to Disneyland!!! We left here on Friday Oct. 5th and drove to Vegas. We stayed with our friends Jake and Ashley in their new home. There 2 yr old girl Brynlee, and Bailey are Besties and played together all night. We woke up Saturday and drove to California with only 1 potty break in Baker California (ghetto, hippy town) We made it to our hotel, dropped off our stuff, and headed to Huntington Beach! We only had about about an hour or so before it got dark but we got to watch the Beautiful sun set. I love and miss the sand between my toes, with the waves crashing! It's so fun to watch Bailey run around and play in the sand as well. I wish I lived cloer. Easton just chilled on my lap and was loving every min of it.

Sunday we woke up and got a late start on Disney. *Funny story* So, a few weeks prior to our trip, I was researching Disney and looking through the Website. I came across their events and it just so happened that we were going to be at Disney on GAY DAY!!!!! Wahoooooo, the one event a year, happens to be while we were there. Well, in fear of what Kyle might have thought, I didn't tell him. In fact, I came up with a brillant idea to prank Kyle. I called the other people we went with and clued them in on Gay Day and they all the Gays wear the color red. I told them that it would be HILARIOUS if we somehow cordinated our husbands into wearing red and then pairing them off together!! :) Muuhahahaha. Well, it worked! Kyle put on a white shirt that morning but we all used our magic to have him change his shirt to the red one so that we could easily spot our husbands by them wearing the same color. We got to the park and there weren't as many couples as we were hoping for. lol. Kyle was so oblivious to it all so we had to start placing the thoughts in his head. We starting pointing out all the couples and mentioning that they are all matching. Still not much from him. At one point, Kyle and Jake were pushing the kids in the stroller and Ashley and I were walking behind. A couple next to us said to each other....."Look, they even have children!!"  "Ewww" the other replied! I couldn't stop laughing! Finally, Kyle ran into a friend of his from back home and the guy informed Kyle that he was wearing Red on Gay Day!!! Kyle came yelling at me ;) and all I could do was laugh. Pretty good prank, don't ya think!

Anywho, Sunday we did Disneyland and did most of the main attractions and rides for the kids.
Monday we thought it would be less busy, but were wrong. It was fall break in Cali, Arizona, and Utah. We headed over to California Adventure and did some Big kid rides! We did all the fast passes and child swap passes so we were able to ride all the rides....a few times. The kids were exhausted by this point and they all took turns naping in the double stroller. We headed back over the Disney that night to watch Fireworks.

Tuesday we headed back into Disney to hit up the Tea cups and Dumbo....Bailey's Favorites!!! Both my kids were sick, but it hit Easton pretty good. Sadly, he coughed non stop and was so sad, but on a postive note, he was so exhausted that he was very chill and sleepy. Poor kid!

We were so tired by two that we waddled out of the park and got back on the road. For some reason, it took us forever to get back to Vegas! We got there real late and went straight to bed. We woke up the next morning, Wednesday, and went out for breakfast, then swam, and then headed back to Utah!!

It was a fun, but exhausting trip! Bailey and Easton were such Troopers!! When Bailey is asked what her favorite part was, she will reply with, Ariel and Tea Cups!

When we got home, I worked 4 out of the 5 days and still feel like I haven't caught up on my sleep!

I love that we got to make family memories. I look forward to our many more Family vacations!
They will be the most memorable times of our and our childrens lives! I still remember every one of my family vacations!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Eastons Birth Day!

Two in a half months later, but HEY! Just proves that I spend all my time with my beautiful children :)

Okay. Here it goes. On April 18th I had my 38 week check up. We had an ultrasound to check out baby and he measured in at 42 weeks in the head and belly. My doctor was nervous that he wouldn't fit through the canal if I went to the full 40 weeks so we scheduled my induction at 39 weeks.
April 25th, 2012: We called in the morning at 5:30 am to see if we were good to come in. They said that they had a busy night and they needed to post pone me for later, so to go back to bed and they would call me when they were ready. A little bummed out, Kyle and I went back to bed. They called back around 7:30 and said, We're Ready for you!!! Here we go! Kyle's sister, Shantell stayed over the night before (tues) and was there to watch Bailey all day. We packed up and were able to say Goodbye to Bailey and headed to the hospital. We got there about 8:00am.
The night before, I called and requested for the one and only room with a bathtub so I could labor in it since I was going all natural. I also requsted a nurse who supported natural labor and they were totally cool and said it would all be arranged.
 We walk into L&D and my tub room was available and my nurse jumped up and escorting me in. I was really exciting to go through Labor. I know I'm crazy, but I actually look forward to laboring, it's kind of a rush! We got all checked in and my nurse started asking me questions. I told her the game plan I had with my Dr. and how he was going to break my water to see if my body would go into labor on its own, so I didn't have to get pitocin. I also told her I was going natural and DID NOT want an epidural. She straight up stared at me and said, "What!!? You don't want an epidural? WHY NOT!??" I got all pissed off and told her because I have my reasons, and I'm NOT going to get one! She totally didn't believe me and questioned me. She told me she was going to call my Dr. and see if that's what he really was going to do! Tension was immediate in the room and I looked at Kyle and said, "HERE WE GO!" With her being all pissed off that I didn't want an epidural, it gave me all the more reason to stick it out! While she was still talking about how she didn't believe me, my Dr. walked in the room and said, "Hey Heather, I'm here to break your water! I turned to her and just gave her my known smirk! haha Needless to say, she was not nice, not supportive of me, and was annoyed by me. She never smiled, hardly talked, and ugh!
8:30-Dr. McCarter broke my water. Wasn't painful for me, just yucky! I hated sitting in a bed full of warm fluids, Ewww!
He said he would give me 2 hours and see, then we would start pitocin.
He was leaving out of town at 6pm so we were under a timeline! lol
I went into the hospital dilated to a 3 and about 80% effaced, when he checked me, he forcefully made me about a 4 cm, ouch :)
8:45-10:30: I walked the halls, around and around. Yes, it was nasty to walk after the water was broken. I don't think I should have b/c it wasn't very sanitary. lol I made frequent trips back to my room to place a new towel between my legs and waddle around some more, and to change my socks.Yuck!
Nothing happened!
10:30: Nurse comes in to start pitocin. We started at a lower dose so the pain would be manageable. I swear, as soon as the first drop of pit came through my IV, contractions started!
Heidi, my mom, and Kyle were my labor team. Annalee came later, about when the Dr. arrived, and took pictures. Heidi's job was to do soft tickle on my legs and back, Mom's job was to massage back and shoulder, and Kyle was to do anything I asked of him! haha. I was going to hire a doula, but decided against it. I was also going to go to Hypnobirthing classes, but didn't! I knew if I wanted to do it, I would!
Contractions were very manageable for a while. Heidi was by my side the whole time talking and joking around. My mom was eating broccoli and immitation crab, so I demanded she stay away from me so I didn't throw up on her, and Kyle was entertained by the birthing bouncy ball and sports on tv. Haha, I wasn't really in pain yet so he didn't know what to do!
I told them all that If I keep myself and everyone else laughing through it all, I would be just fine, and that's what I did!
Time was blurred by now.
Contractions were stronger. I stayed in the bed for a while until they got pretty painful. Heidi filled the tub and I climbed in. The water was a lil too warm but felt good. While lying in there, my contractions picked up a ton and were about every 2 mins. They were really hurting by now. I was listening and singing to Boyz II Men music and trying to stay relaxed and funny. Every time, I would remind myself to relax my face and shoulders. That's all I needed to get through them. I kept my eyes closed and just stayed very focused. I was getting too relaxed between contractions and was almost falling asleep. I felt like my energy was draining and needed to get out so I had energy to push!
Around 3 is when I got out of the tub and sat on the birthing ball and leaned on the bed. This position was the best for me. The tub didn't really relieve the pain, like I thought it would. When I sat on the ball, Kyle's duties were in full fledge now. I kinda stopped being funny and that's when they knew it was down to business. Contractions were very intense now and Kyle was counter pressuring on my back. This labor was so different than with Baileys. My contractions with her were in my whole abdomen. With Easton, it was just in my lower stomach and pelvis. It felt like I had diarrhea!! Major poo cramps that come and go x 1,000!!!
While sitting on the ball, I had this weird sudden urge to push that I could not control. I yelled to my Nurse that I was pushing and couldn't stop and needed to do it again! She didn't believe me again b/c when I got in the tub I was only 4cm. I demanded her to check me b/c I was pushing! I jumped on the bed and I was dilated to an 8 and I WAS pushing! She ran and called the Dr. and he was there about 10 minutes later.
He checked me and I was still an 8 but I told him I was going to push the baby out whether I was a 10 or not! haha
So I started pushing and they started counting. I did not like them counting. I yelled at them that I couldn't even hold my breath for 10 seconds, let alone push for 10 seconds, and that I was going to push when and how long I wanted.
This is when crazy, labor Heather came out, but still I was making people laugh, So I was doing my job!
The Dr. kept his hand at my cervix the whole time so while I was contracting, he stretched me out to a 10. (When I say I was yelling, I really wasn't, it was more joking and sarcasm)
I kept telling the Dr to take his hand out and move his face out of the way because I was going to, (pardon my language here, but I want to really remember what happened, lol) shit on his face! And then I would say, Sorry, sorry, for cussing! But then repeat it over and over. I just remember yelling at him that I was seriously going to shit in his face, because that's what it felt like every time I tried to push! hahaha He was laughing so hard, with the rest of the room.
I also remember being so hungry and in the middle of pushing, I opened my eyes and the TV above the Dr's head had a Carrabba's commercial on it! No one else could see this so randomly I yell, Damn you Carrabbas! Everyone looked around and realized what happened and started laughing. Again, I apologized for cussing, and then would say another one :) I remember saying, Gosh dang it, this hurts SO BAD, But I'm doing it! I was so proud of myself and actually was kinda enjoying proving everyone that I could.
I also kept yelling out...."POISONOUS DIARRHEA!"
Refer back to my post after Bailey was born. (My mom poisoned me once. I had a bad stomach bug and asked her to bring over Malloxx, but instead she gave me Milk of Mag which is a laxative and I was running to the bathroom every 5 mins with major stomach cramps!)
I told this story to the whole room while pushing b/c that was the only pain I could remember and relate it too. So then I kept yelling out....Poisonous Diarrhea!! Again, everyone laughing at me :)
When Easton's head was coming down, it wasn't fitting. His heart rate started dropping and the NICU nurses started trickling in. I, of course, didn't know this at the time. They put O2 on me, and the room changed a lil bit. Suddenly the Dr. grabbed the vaccum, and was trying to pull his head out for me, he tried 3 times and then it slipped off. Everyone started yelling at me to PUSH as hard as I could and I needed to get him out ASAP! I only was pushing for about 20 minutes but it felt like an eternity. I honestly felt like I ran a marathon and wanted nothing more than to just go to bed.
I remember thinking in my head that if i just close my eyes, I could fall asleep and it would all go away. I wanted to quit and didn't want to go on another minute with the pain. When I opened my eyes and saw the urgency in everyone's eyes, I grabbed the handrails, dug down into my inner core, and gave it all I had. This push was the only real scream/grunt I let out. The Dr. gave me an episotomy and out popped his head! Body followed after and the feeling of such relief and I knew I was done! I had NO energy left and remember trying to lift my head to see Easton but it fell back to the bed.
Easton Kyle Johnson was born on April 25, 2012 at 4:06 pm. He tipped the scales at an even 9.0 lbs! I was so proud when i saw he was a 9 pounder. He was 20 1/4 in. long. They checked him out for a bit b/c his Oxygen sats were low and they were debating whether to take him to the NICU. Luckily, he was rebounding and they put him on my chest, skin to skin, and he started breathing better! After that, he was perfect!
I held my lil boy for the first time and I will never forget that instant love. Childbirth is the most amazing thing, and I got to experience it 100%! It was awesome, painful, and awful for that 20 mins, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
As soon as I pushed him out, I turned to my nurse and said, "HA...I did it! And you didn't think I could!" By this point, we had bonded and she losened up a lil and she gave me a smile and I could tell she was proud of me too!
Dr. McCarter stitched me up, and literally ran out the door. He had a speaking assignment about an hour away! He told me that he was going to use me in his speech for his favorite woman in labor! haha. He called me a champ and couldn't stop laughing at all the things I was saying to him!
At my 6 week check up, he told me again, how funny I was and he would never forget me. He said he gets yelled at all the time but I was the only one that apologized after everything I said! haha
Needless to say, Natural childbirth was HARD! It wasn't easy, but it is totally do-able! I would do it again anyday! I always say now that I can do anything, because I went through labor. It really was a personal goal that I wanted to achieve and I wasn't going to disappoint myself.
Other than my mom popping my hip out of place during the pushing part, I got up and walked right away. I felt great!
I wanted to leave the hospital the next day but we decided to stay the full 48 hours. When we got home from the hospital, I went shopping at Target! Bad idea! But I was feeling so good. I got a lil light headed and decided I should get home. Then the next day, we went for a walk and I ended up walking a mile! Bad idea again! It set back my healing and my hip started hurting all over again. I should have milked it b/c I was being so tough that nobody thought I needed help! Bad idea again! I guess I was on such an adrenaline high that I thought I was SuperWoman! dang :(
Nursing of course was the worst part! Easton didn't latch on right and still doesn't! Breast feeding is so painful for me and would rather go through the labor again rather than start the nursing part! It hurt for a full 8 weeks this time.
Bailey got to meet Easton shortly after he was born. She wasn't too sure about it all. She hesitantly walked in and got nervous when she saw everyone staring and taking pictures of her. He gave me a hug and then hid her face. My mom presented her with a lil baby doll for her and that broke the tension. Bailey cuddled her new doll for a bit and when she was ready, she came up on the bed to meet her lil brother. She held him and fell in love with him! She was so sweet and she started singing the song from Tarzan that the mother sings when she found him crying. "Stop your crying, it will be alright, Just take my hand, hold it tight". It was a precious moment to experience and to finally have my children, one in each arm! We felt like a family now and I couldn't be happier!
Thanks to my 'birthing team", family, friends, and neighbors for all you did! The meals were great and I will still welcome a homemade warm meal anyday :) Two kids is an adjustment and time management is hard for me. Luckily, he doesn't cry as much as Bailey did! He loves to be held though so I don't get much done, but OH WELL!!! That's hard to actually practice but I have to keep reminding myself that it's OK to sit and be a mom, and not clean all day!


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Easton's Pregnancy Timeline

Well..........
Seeing how I'm being induced tomorrow morning, I thought I should document something about this pregnancy!
We are pregnant with lil baby Easton. We thought of this name in the beginning before we found out it was a boy. As soon as we saw the male organ, we started calling him Easton and Bailey has caught on too. The other names I liked were Blake, Brock, and Owen. So if we go for a third, maybe!
This pregnancy overall I think went a lot easier than Bailey's. Although, it could be the fact that it's my 2nd time around and everything is less draumatic and more expected.
1st Trimester (if I can remember that far): I was nauseated all the time, but only threw up a hand full of times. I did keep my zofran near by but used it much less. I was able to eat a lot more this time, which helped with the sickness. The smells weren't nearly as bad to handle, but I do remember being extremly tired!
2nd Trimester: I started showing a lot earlier this time. You could tell I was pregnant probably around 16-18 weeks. We found out we were having a little boy and we couldn't have been happier. Every ultrasound he makes them check JUST to make sure things haven't changed. At 18 weeks I was having tons of pressure so the Dr. checked and Easton was head down and low already. We kept close eyes on that to make sure I didn't need bed rest or go into pre-term labor.
I was always craving salads and fruit with this child. I did have a goal to NOT gain the almost 60 lbs I gained with Bailey so I was happy to have a healthy craving.
3rd Trimester: Tons and tons of pressure in my pelvic and legs. This was due to Vericose Viens that decided to take over my life and make me look 65 instead of 25! I wore TED hose everyday religiously. But when I would stand up from bed, take a shower, do the dishes, or just stand still, the pain and throbbing would get the best of me! Only on my right side are they really bad though. In these last few days I can start to feel a lil pressure in my left leg, so we have to Hurry! ha. The weight gain started real good about 34 weeks. I have gained a total of about 45 lbs, give or take. The swelling really started about 37 weeks.  I walk into work and people just laugh at me! I don't know why the nose and bottom lip have to swell so much during pregnancy! I got my last scheduled US at 34 weeks and we discovered that Easton was measuring really big. His head was 98%. So at 37 weeks I was checked and I was dilated to a 1 and effacing. Dr scheduled me for another US at 38 weeks and still measuring huge! His measurements were saying that at 38 weeks his gestational age was 42 weeks. Only thing is, his legs were much smaller, so who knows! I was also dilated to a 3! He decided he didn't want me to go any further than 39 weeks for fear of the baby being too big and not fitting! The last thing I want is a C-Section!

I am also planning on going All Natural!!! Some think I'm crazy but I think woman are crazy for not wanting to feel an ounce of their childbirth. I have always been an adrenaline junkie and I like to do things the tough way. I don't judge anyone for the way they want to have their children but I feel like our generation has it so easy with everything. I want to be one of those woman that can look back and say, Oh, That was nothing....I've giving Birth! I personally feel like I'm cheating if I get an epidural this time. I was induced with Bailey as well and yes, I know how miserable I was! Yes, I wanted to die, Yes, once that epidural went in, I was having a party in my room! It just seemed TOO easy! I had no control of my body and I have back pain from the epidural site. I won't lie, I really enjoyed the whole thing but that was because I didn't feel a thing! I want to feel, be in control, and experience the REAL awfulness of labor and delivery, just because I can! No one died of pain before. I will probably come back tomorrow and read this and laugh at myself, but as for now, these are my thoughts! Wish me luck!!!!

Bailey has done really well with everything. She hasn't missed a Dr. appointment and loves to hear baby Easton's heartbeat. She cuddles with him daily and loves to talk to him and fell him kick. She thinks she has a baby sister in her tummy and she kicks too! We told her very early on that we were pregnant (don't know if I recommend that), but it hasn't been that bad with her. She is very curious and asks questions all the time. She knows where he will be eating from when he comes out and what body part he has that is different than hers. When we found out it was a boy, the Ultrasound tech said, There is his penis! Bailey then went around for about a week telling everyone that Easton has a penis and she has a vagina! haha. I try to talk to her like an adult but sometimes it back fires. Oh well!

Am I ready for a new baby? Yes and No. I try not to think too much about it b/c we had such a rough time with Bailey. I'm trying to stay open minded and hope that the Lord blesses us with a calm, chubby, lil boy. One that will sleep, and eat, and smile. I hope the transition with Bailey goes well too. I started getting real emotional this last week b/c I just don't know how I'm going to love a new baby as much as I'm going to love her! I get teary eyed when I think about her meeting her new lil brother and we are a family of 4 instead of 3. I'm so glad we spaced them apart to almost 3 years bc I would have missed out on so much with my lil girl. She can be difficult sometimes but she is the coolest, funniest, and so witty. She keeps us laughing ALL the time. One minute I can be so frusterated with her, but then she will turn and do or say something and I just crack up laughing! She has such a lil attitude for her age but I wouldn't change her no matter what!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Merry Christmas!



Little late I know....But life has been CRAZY! I will blog all about it when I have a moment to breath!