A Week!?

Holy cow a week ago I was pregnant and getting ready to be cut open. Weird. Now I have CHILDREN and not just a little boy. Even more weird.

I am feeling so good after this surgery I feel like I didn't even have it. This recovery has been so painless that I even forgot to brace myself before a sneeze last night (the hospital sends you home with a pillow to hold to your incision anytime you need to cough, sneeze, laugh, breathe, pee, blink, etc.) and I sneezed full-force. I felt like I was going to split open but luckily I didn't!

I have had a lot of heroes to help me get through this past week. They are:

1- Brenda Barry: She watched our crazy Sam for 3 nights while we were at Hotel Arrowhead Hospital. She is such a great grandmother and Sam is a little obsessed with her.

2- Devin Barry: I should have put him at #1 but I'm going chronologically through my week here. He treated me so well while we were in the hospital. He went and got me Chipotle 2 separate times, re-did my ponytails when my IV wouldn't allow me to do so, and changed the baby's diaper without being asked.

3- Donna King aka "Don" aka Mom: She has been staying at our house since Wednesday night and has taken care of all the laundry, lifting Sam (I'm not allowed to for 6 weeks...make that 5 weeks), took me to urgent care, stayed up late with me while feeding Mollie, and much much more.

4-all my relief society peeps: People in my ward are so giving. We have had meals brought to us every night since we've been home. Plus I have loved the visits and not to mention the opportunities to show Mollie off.

I have also had 2 enemies this past week.



MY BOOBIES.


Here are some pictures of Mollie's first week:

Meet Mollie Marie

Our sweet little baby arrived Monday. She is too precious for words.



It was a very weird thing waking up Monday morning knowing that I would have a baby that day. Devin and I took Sam out to breakfast at McDonald's so he could play in the play-place (after I stopped at Chevron for my last pregnancy cherry Coke). Then we went home and packed everyone's bags and got prepared to go to the hospital. We didn't have to be there until 2:30, so sweet Devin decided to go shopping for a Buzz and Woody for Sam, because this is his latest obsession. Devin went to 4 different stores until he found the perfect ones. Sam is in love with his new toys and hasn't put them down since Monday. It is so sweet of Devin to want to get him something special so he would feel loved during all the baby stuff.


When we got all checked in to the hospital and I got hooked up to the monitors and such, the nurse seemed a little shocked because as it turned out I was in early active labor! I told her I had been having consistent cramps all day, and I had even told Devin earlier I thought "something was happening," to which he replied, "Doubt it." It was a nice told- you- so moment when the nurse confirmed my suspicions. (Just a little FYI I am on painkillers right now and am feeling a little loopy as I write this).

Devin and I in our surgery gear


I was pretty apprehensive about having the c-section this time and cried throughout most of the surgery. It's just a weird thing knowing that you are being cut open and being awake for it. Then I couldn't stop crying after Mollie came out because I was so overwhelmed and relieved and in love!

She weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. Just 4 oz. smaller than Sam was. Devin and I make them big I guess.


Mollie is such a sweet little thing. She seems to be really good-natured and even let me sleep 6 straight hours last night! I'm pretty sure they told me in the hospital to wake her every 3 hours to feed her, but sorry, not happening during the night.

I am recovering from the C-section surprisingly well. 5 hours after the surgery I was already walking the hallways of the hospital. I didn't feel a need for my painkillers by Tuesday morning, but continued to take them as suggested by my nurse. I have a lot of funny stories about the CNAs and nurses that I want to write about, but my current loopiness won't do it any justice.

I am already dealing with Mastitis and actually just got back from urgent care. Why does sickness always set in on the weekends when the doctor's offices are closed?

Here are more pictures of our sweet girl and I am done writing now!

T-Minus 19 hours

Our baby will be arriving in exactly 19 hours. That freaks me out.

As grateful as I am for C-sections, I am a little apprehensive knowing the exact time it will take place. With Sam it was so exciting; my water breaking in the night, last minute surgery, etc. But with Baby #2, I feel nervous because I know exactly what to expect. I am not excited to have surgery and to be awake for it, but I am so excited for the moment when my doctor holds my baby up for me to see. That moment with Sam was my life's happiest, and I get to re-live that tomorrow.

Devin and I really haven't done that much to prepare for her arrival. We have bought a few necessities, but most of baby #2's supplies were donated by loving, generous people. One person in particular really touched my heart this week. She is a woman from my ward who insisted on taking me shopping to Target for anything we might possibly still need. After trying to refuse her politely multiple times (she had already given us a baby gift for goodness sake), she told me frankly that she was ignoring my wishes and taking me shopping anyway. Thanks to her, we have several big items that we needed but couldn't afford to get all at once. I hope that someday my circumstances will allow me to do the same for someone else.

One thing I did do was decorate letters for her "room" (she will be staying in our room until the move). This is my way of announcing her name. If you know me you know I am weird about this sort of thing, and hope we do end up naming her this tomorrow...

We also traded in Big Blue this week.

Now we have Little Red.
It's a 2010 Corolla. I am too lazy to go outside and take a picture of it. I sure do miss our truck. It was the truck Devin courted me in, the truck we drove away from our wedding in, and the truck we brought Sam home in. The payment was kind of insane (Devin bought it when he was a single guy...what can I say), so we felt strongly about getting something more practical with a much lower payment and better gas mileage.

That's about all that's been going on. We love Sam to death and hope he still feels loved when this baby comes.

My next post will have pictures of our new baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"FIVE DAYS!"

When I was attending school in Mississippi and was about to come home for the summer, Christmas vacation, etc., I'd always call my friends a week in advance and say in a creepy voice, "SEVEN DAYS!" and then hang up. I'd do the same the next day, saying "SIX DAYS!" and so on and so forth until my arrival. (The whole reason I did this was because the movie, The Ring was really big when we were in high school, and the people in the movie would get phone calls warning of their imminent deaths 7 days in advance). Yeah, now I realize just what a cool girl I was for doing that...

Anyhoo, now that we are only FIVE DAYS away from having our baby girl, I keep hearing that same creepy voice in my head alerting me that the time is near!

And wouldn't you be excited too if you made kids as cute as this one???

Now We're Ready to Have a Baby

Last night Becky and I had a date to go see a movie, because it was probably my last opportunity for a while. When Becky arrived she came with 2 huge surprises:
#1

Becky had made an entire wardrobe of accessories for our baby girl! I was so excited to look at each one. I really wanted bows and flowers and cute headbands, but didn't want to spend the money on them, and definitely didn't want to make them, so I was thrilled at this gift. Becky spent an insane amount of time on all of these. When I asked her how long they took, she said, "Oh I only spent a day on them." Oh ok. Just a day. In that case I'd like more.

Surprise #2

Do you see that cooler? Becky filled it with food for us to freeze and eat when the baby comes. Seriously who is this girl? I'm sure this only took her another whole day.

Thank you, Becky, for your thoughtfulness and for your service to Devin and me. We love you!

Just Like His Daddy

When Devin was little he used to sneak into the pantry and chug down corn syrup.

Sam has recently learned how to open doors, and yesterday I found him in the pantry like this:


That dark puddle in the top left corner of the shelf is hardened corn syrup. Sam was actually all the way inside the pantry before I took this picture, licking the puddle of hardened syrup, saying "yum!"

Wondering how corn syrup had time to harden in my pantry? Yeah, the bottle spilled months ago. Don't judge.

T-Minus 13 days

13 days from now I will be having our baby! It's a good thing, because all my shirts look like this:


We also got another offer on our house :)

My 25th Year

I am 26 today.

Last year on my birthday I wrote a post about the ups and downs of the previous year, so I figured that's a tradition I might as well continue.

I really can't believe that it is already September and that I am now in my UPPER twenties. That is disgusting. I was thinking a week or so ago about my 25th year, and why it seems to have passed by so quickly. Then I remembered that I hibernated the spring away while I was dealing with morning sickness...

Some of my goals for my 25th year came to pass, such as finally losing all my Sam weight! My maker's diet was a huge success and made me appreciate all of God's creations even more. Sounds corny but it's true. I got to be skinny for 4 whole months before becoming pregnant again and gaining it all back. The one lesson that I will take with me throughout the rest of my life from this past year is that I DO have control over my impulses, and that I am truly happy and a better wife and mother when I feel good about myself. I think I owe that to my family to be my best.

So the plan for my 26th year? Start eating "God-made" as soon as this baby is removed from my stomach!

This next year of my life will also be one of many changes, i.e. moving, another baby, etc. I want to take on those changes with grace. I want to be outgoing in our new ward and neighborhood in Flagstaff and make lifelong friends. I want to help Devin study for his classes and am weirdly looking forward to that. I want to make more videos! I want our home to be more gospel-centered...like I want it to be expected that we don't go to bed without reading scriptures as a family, praying in the mornings together before Devin goes to school, etc. I want to laugh more. For me, laughter comes by my friends, which again is up to me to make some up in Flagstaff.

Cheers to year #26. This will be my best one yet.

memories from this past year


Sam a year ago. He has become a little boy and now has a full mop of hair on his head.


Becca & Adam's wedding in October


Devin sporting his favorite shirt in November. I call it the Jamaican shirt.


Paw-Paw doting on Sam in December. I miss them.


Living with that little puppy in January. Look how happy Devin looks. Sorry Dev...


Feeling sick in February. I remember having to unbutton my "skinny jeans" in this picture.


This is what I felt like in March...


Finding out about our girl in April


Trying to eat God-made in May but failing. This was good though- baked eggplant covered with grated almonds and diced tomatoes.


Having a friend in June!


Traveling everywhere in July...


Saying goodbye to Whitney in August...


The End.

Patience

The past 2 days Sam has been even more wild than usual. He is a biting, scratching, whining, tantrum-throwing version of himself and I don't like it! Devin and I think we discovered a 2-year-old molar that is coming in, which would explain a lot. I really don't like being impatient with Sam. Sam has been the one person who I can look at and brush off any unruly behavior because I love him so much. What I don't love so much is being bitten. 3 times today actually.

I am not a yeller. I have been really, REALLY tempted though, these past 2 days. Is this just my pregnancy making me less patient or is this the new Sam?

I am really worried about my patience when the baby comes (19 days and counting). I don't ever want to yell at Sam simply because I am stressed. I guess that's where prayer comes in.

Another thing I am worried about is making sure Sam gets enough love when the baby comes. How do I make both kids feel like the favorite?

For those of you with 2+ kids, is my world really going to shatter when this baby comes? I am SO excited and can hardly wait, but the reality is starting to sink in. I am going to have double the workload, double the demands, double EVERYTHING.




On a positive note, I've only gained 3 more lbs. in the past 2 weeks. Seriously that is so good for me.