Addie's Monthly Photo
Cooper's Monthly Photo
Aribelle's Monthly Photo
Conner's Monthy Photo
All about Addie
Reading!! We have received a few letters from Addie's teacher, updating us on what they're doing in school. I had seen that they're reading more but really hadn't experienced much at home other than books she already knew how to read. This month, she brought several books home and read them to us!! I love her enthusiasm when it comes to reading. :)
BIG sister - Of course she's been a big sister for quite a while now but it never gets old. She has welcomed her newest baby brother with the most grace. I absolutely love watching her interact with Conner. She loves to hold him and gets very excited when she can help out. Her favorite thing is to give him his paci. She also likes to help burp him and reminds us that it helps his belly out when we finally get one out!! :)
Limo - Addie won a limo ride through a school fundraiser and on 10/22 she was able to take the ride. I didn't get to see or take pictures, but she talked about it for days!
Halloween - Addie was a GIANT cake for Halloween. She found the costume at Marshalls and just HAD to have it. Initially, I thought it was a strange costume for Halloween, but it turned out to be a pretty big deal at school and around the neighborhood where she went trick-or-treating. Good pick Addie!! :)
All about Cooper
Preschool Board - We haven't updated much on this, but Cooper has done well with "preschool time". Occasionally, he will say he isn't interested in participating but with a little encouragement, he agrees. We have stuck with our routine every morning (with the exception of right after the baby came) and Cooper is learning a lot. Some letters he retains and others are tough. For his age, I would say he's doing well. We will more than likely go back through all of the letters once we are done with the alphabet and I'm guessing he will retain more the second time around.
"I wish we could have that toy" - We went through this with Addie for a while too.... Every time a toy comes on a commercial, Cooper recites "I wish we could have that toy". Every. Single. Commercial...... LOL. At first it was cute but it is starting to wear on mommy. I've reminded him that Christmas is coming up and he can pick ONE toy that he REALLY wants and tell Santa.
BIG Brother - Cooper has done wonders welcoming yet another baby into our lives. He has gotten much better with Aribelle so I figured he would do nicely with Conner. He LOVES to kiss Conner's head and stroke the top of his head. He also loves to sit and hold Conner. He doesn't usually sit as long as the girls do, but I love seeing him take interest.
In addition to loving and being so gentle with Conner, he has taken on a new helping role in the house. He will randomly ask to empty garbage cans (small ones throughout the house), clean rooms without being asked, and help out with Aribelle. I love my little Coop!! :)
Halloween - Cooper picked out a dinosaur costume that looks like he's riding a dinosaur. To add a twist, we dressed him up as a caveman so he looked like a caveman riding a dinosaur. Nana added some "dirt" makeup to his face and roughed up his hair a bit and wahlah!
All about Aribelle
Climbing ladder - On the playground, Aribelle surprised me one day by climbing the ladder all by herself!! I think it took Cooper much longer than it took Aribelle, so I was shocked when she did it on the first try!
Toddler bed 10/9 - With a new baby arriving and knowing that I wouldn't be able to lift Aribelle out of her crib right away, I decided to go ahead and move her into a toddler bed. She did fantastic!! Only one night in the first week I found her sleeping on the floor but other than that, she did great. We don't use night lights and we keep it very dark in the kids rooms when we move them into the toddler beds. My main reason for this method is that if they can't see, then chances are, they won't get up. I don't know if that's why all three kids have taken so well to the transition, but it seems to be working out so far. I also don't do night lights because if they get used to them, then traveling can be tough unless you have the room lit perfectly.
Toys in nose - We really didn't have to deal with this with the other two. I knew eventually our luck would run out. I have Melissa & Doug magnet books that Addie and Cooper love playing with. Unfortunately, they have a few small pieces that I wouldn't consider choking hazards (too small) but definitely nose hazards. Shane and I were resting from a long weekend fresh from the hospital and my mom came into the room saying that Aribelle keeps pointing to her nose and saying "Nose" like something is bothering her. Sure enough, she had shoved a magnet up her nose. Luckily it was not too far up and we were able to get it out quickly and safely. Needless to say, that magnet book is put away now.
Halloween - Aribelle was Cookie Monster this year for halloween. We just passed down the Cookie monster that Addie and Cooper had worn in previous years. She was cute as ever. :)
Vocab -
"Did it" - She says this after she is proud of herself for doing something. She will also say it if you do something :)
"way wab ooo" - The cutest way to say "I love you"!!
"Yook" - "LOOK".
"Butt" - This is her new way of saying "Button"
"ON" - If she wants you to turn on a toy or lights
All about Conner
10/4 Movement - Conner kept me up all night moving all around and I couldn't help but feel like he had flipped again. I knew I had a prenatal checkup the next day, so I didn't panic and decided to let the doctor be the judge.
10/5 Breech.... AGAIN!! UGH!! Unfortunately, Conner had his own plan for his position in my belly. At my 10/4 prenatal checkup, it was found via ultrasound that Conner had flipped to head up again. I talked to the doctor about my options. One of the options was still of course C-Section. The other option was waiting until the "very end" to see if he would flip on his own again. I didn't see that as a viable option because we really wanted to guarantee that my doctor delivered this baby. Doc said after she checks me at my next appointment, we would confirm a definite C-Section date.
10/9 Losing part of plug.
10/13 Prenatal Checkup - Conner is still head up and I'm dilated 2cm 60% effaced :( Because I'm showing a progression since the previous appointment, doctor schedules my C-Section one week before due date (the 17th). They don't normally schedule on the weekends, but we knew that the possibility of me going into labor on my own was high and didn't want to risk a breech emergency C-Section and didn't want to risk the "wrong" doctor delivering Conner.
10/15 Change of plans... I get a call from the doctors office that my doctor had a family emergency and needs to move the C-Section up to TOMORROW!! A total mix of emotions. Excited that it's happening sooner but scared to death that it's happening sooner!! LOL
10/16
Conner moved all night long. I don't know if it was my nerves or what but he kept me up quite a bit. Fortunately, I was wide awake when my alarm went off at 4:00. I was unusually calm while getting ready. Lots of thoughts went through my head as I scrubbed down in the shower with the hospital-recommended antibacterial soap. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go, but I was at peace with it.... for now at least :) Shane was upbeat and helped keep my nerves down.
Arrived at hospital at 5:15. We checked in at the nurses station and they took us to our room. My nerves started to grow. I was still calm but more talkative as though trying to take my mind off of the reality that surgery was inevitable. By 6:00, I was in a hospital gown, my IV was started, baby doppler's placed and they were getting things in motion for surgery. The nurse indicated that the baby dopplers were picking up a heartbeat lower than what she would think a breech baby would be in. Although I had a small amount of hope, I was pretty sure he was still breech. When the doctor got there, we had an ultrasound to check Conner's position. Sure enough, he was still breech. From that point on, it was surgery time. The anesthesiologist came in and introduced herself, and 15 minutes later, I was walking into the surgery room with my IV pole in tow.
Surgery - The room was FREEZING. There were at least 5-6 people in the room and they all seemed to have a job. One nurse helped me onto the table while the anesthesiologist laid things out to get the spinal block in. My teeth were chatting partially from the temperature but I think also from my nerves. They began the spinal block and promptly laid me down. A sheet went up in front of me and I waited to hear Shane's voice. Finally I heard him come in and I could breathe a little. I felt pressure and pushing on my stomach and the nurse continued to ask me "can you feel that... can you feel THAT"? Luckily, I was only feeling pressure, but no pain.... Cue the green light for surgery.
I became a tiny bit nauseous (apparently meaning my blood pressure had dropped slightly), so they gave me oxygen. Shane stayed right by my side, occasionally looking over the drapery to watch the doctor dissect my belly. I felt pulling, tugging, pushing, and pressure you really can't describe. And then.... crying. It was him, Conner. My new baby boy was born. His cry was perfect! It sounded healthy. I could breathe! Well as much as one CAN breathe while your insides are hanging out. I cried. I cried like I've never cried in front of another person. I'm really not a crier but when I do, I'm a closet crier. Away from others and quietly. Apparently I cried enough that it concerned Shane because he asked "are you okay"? LOL I nodded, yes, not being able to talk because of my mess of tears streaming down my face.
I tried to paint a picture of what was unfolding on the other side of the curtain but all I could picture was my three other kids and what THEY looked like when they were born. I listened as closely as I could trying to juggle several conversations going on in the room. Some was from the doctor stitching me back up, some was Shane meeting his new baby boy, some was the nurse up by my head asking me questions about how I'm feeling, and some were from the students in the room.... Yes, there were students watching my insides get pulled apart. Like on a scene in The Walking Dead.... Only a bit more sterile.
Finally, I met him. The nurse brought him over to me to see him for the first time. He was PERFECT. I couldn't believe how tiny he was!! His color, was PERFECT!! Wow, he is perfect. As the nurse brought my crying baby in for skin-to-skin contact, I wondered how I would hold him. It was awkward at first to have my arms stretched out like I'm on a cross and have someone else lay Conner on my chest but I didn't care. I could see him, I could feel his warmth on my face and chest. I was eventually able to pull my arm over to touch him. My crying baby suddenly stopped crying. It was like he knew he was with his mommy again. The moment was, well, PERFECT. I love him. I started to get some extreme pressure from the doctor putting my insides back in place and closing me up and had asked Shane hold Conner for a bit. I loved watching Shane meet his little guy for the first time too.
Once the doctor was done, the curtain came down and I was put onto a hospital bed and wheeled into my recovery room. I looked around me as though making sure they didn't forget to put any organs back in. Luckily, I didn't see anything left behind. Once I was in my room, I was ready to hold Conner. The nurse brought him to me and promptly put him on my chest. The feeling is indescribable. I have my new baby boy. After holding him and nursing for a bit, I realized that Shane hadn't really held him much yet and could tell that he was eager to bond.
The pain.... Shortly after surgery, I began to experience a large amount of pain/pressure all over my belly. The nurse gave me different meds but nothing was taking the edge off. We Found out shortly after that that the Anesthesiologist forgot to put morphine in my spinal block. Once the nurse finally realized the mistake, she promptly gave me new meds to help with the pain. I. Felt. Drunk. LOL. I've never felt so drugged in my life. It was actually comical because I was tired and so very awake all at the same time. I would talk to people in the room with so much energy and close my eyes at the same time. Shane said I kept asking the nurse the same questions over and over again. Silly me ;)
Siblings meet.... That evening, I was feeling well enough for Conner to finally meet his new brother and sisters. Shane left to pick up Nana and the kids. When they arrived, a whole new energy poured into the room. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. All three kids were ecstatic to meet Conner. They kissed, hugged and even sang to their new baby brother. I love my family.
Recovery.... I was up and moving only a few hours after surgery. It's encouraged that you move around a lot after c-section to help with healing. It's not an easy task by any means to move after, but it makes recovery easier for sure. I had them remove the catheter the first evening because I was eager to start the process of proving I was ready to go home. Sure enough, I was able to potty right away but still needed to do one more thing..... fart. Yep, the hospital wanted me to fart at least a few times before they would let me go. Easier said than done, apparently. The first night, I was not able to and it wasn't until Saturday that I finally did. I basically went into the bathroom and danced. I wiggled my hips side to side and back and forth until finally.... FINALLY.... the loudest, most obnoxious fart I've ever heard, came out. I had temporary relief and then more pressure. The next several hours I spent "dancing", walking, and moving as much as possible to relieve more pressure. Just when I would feel a sense of relief, minutes later the pressure would build again. I wondered if my belly would ever feel normal again.
10/18 Going Home.... Sunday we were able to go home. Nana had been at the house watching the kids and they were all super excited for our arrival. Sure enough, Shane and I walked in with Conner and were immediately surrounded by all three of Conner's new siblings. My heart was the happiest it's ever been.
10/20 - First checkup.
Height: 19in (12th percentile)
Weight: 6.5lbs (9th percentile)
Head: 14in (72nd percentile)
Halloween - Of course he's too little to trick-or-treat, but Conner wore a skeleton onesie. I wore him in a baby carrier on my chest while the other kiddos walked around door-to-door. It was a bit chilly, so we kept him covered and snuggled. :)
More photos from the month:
Occasionally I will catch the three of them
playing together with one toy and not screaming.
Picking up the trailer from Uncle Dillon's.
Aribelle always asks one of us
to hold her hand and walk her across
the grass/rocks and into the playgound.
They DO love each other!!! :)
Nana loves her new grandbaby
Silly girl!
She LOVES to feed the chickens
When she can't get one of us to hold
her hand, Cooper is quick to help out.
Grandma Handley reading books
during a quick visit
Aribelle and Cooper soaking up some book
time with their Daddy
Aribelle LOVES books. She will climb up on the
couch and plop down next to us and continue to
say "book... book... book" until one of us starts reading.
Addie at Cheer camp
A little visit to one of the local pumpkin patches.
Riding the hay rack ride that takes us to the pumpkin patch
A petting/feeding zoo at the pumpkin patch
The kids playing in the corn bin
Daddy buried Addie in the corn!!
Mama/Addie selfies
Aribelle watching the cat lounge
Playing outside with a little baby belly silhouette
We only have one of these chairs and they will
occasionally share it
And then theres this....
On our way to the hospital. Last day
of being a pregnant mama!!
One more selfie before we go.
Bye bye baby bump
Meeting Conner for the first time
Aribelle was very interested in baby
Addie spoke so softly to him. ADORABLE!!
Cooper was so gentle and sweet
He LOVED being able to hold
his new baby brother
My FOUR kids!!
Daddy getting some snuggle time in
Mommy getting some snuggle time in
So peaceful
Daddy was beginning to get a little sore
sleeping on the "daddy chair" so I let him
have the hospital bed for a bit.
Time to burp
I love him
Time to go home
Addie didn't want to leave his side from the
second we got home. She loves him!!!
Quite possibly the best big sisters in the world
Aribelle kept crawling up on the couch
saying "baby?.... baby?".... Apparently that
translates to, "I want to hold Conner"
Sibling love
First doctor's appointment.
Weighed 6lbs 5oz
Addie's school costume parade.
Bedtime book routine was temporarily
moved to the master bedroom so that I could
be included. I love them!
Cooper visiting with Mickey
Happy Halloween!! Our little caveman
riding a dinosaur!
Trick-or-treating in Nana's neighborhood
