Little O'ster

Baby Owen is here! ....and he's almost 4 months old... I'm horrible at keeping up with this blog. In fact, I've completely skipped over writing a blog about Lynkon entering Kindergarten last August. I've started and restarted that entry, but can't figure out how to put my emotions about that milestone in writing. So, the procrastination will continue. For now, back to Little O'ster. I don't want to completely relive his arrival, as it was just as unpredictable as the pregnancy, but I will do a short recap. Short? ... yeah, right. I don't know the meaning of short recap, but here goes nothing... 

Buck and I went up to the hospital on October 10th to finish up some of the paperwork for my induction that was scheduled for the following week. They ended up checking my blood pressure as a routine step in the process, and it was elevated. I hadn't had high blood pressure the entire pregnancy mind you, so this was a total shock. My doc was informed and the orders were as follows: "Admit her, we're having a baby!" 

Whaaaaaaaat?!?!?! Was I prepared for this??? Had I packed a hospital bag??? Had I SHAVED my legs in the past week??? Had I installed the infant car seat base into the van??? Had I gone through the oh-so-wonderful-nesting-phase where I had cleaned everything and prepared for little Owen's arrival??? I think we all know that the answer to all of these is the same.... HELL NO! However, I wasn't stressed. In fact, it was quite comical to me. This pregnancy started out unpredictable and the ending turned unpredictable on its head. They started my induction out with cervadil, and I was scheduled to get 2 doses (4 hours apart), and then I was to get my first dose of pitocin at 1 a.m. It was going to be a long night. I was told I would have baby Owen by the following morning or early afternoon. Well, so much for that plan of attack. I immediately started getting heavy, painful contractions after having just one dose of cervadil... it had done enough to jump-start my own labor, and I wasn't going to need any more drug assistance. I had made it abundantly clear to the nurses that I wanted to get dilated to a 4-5 before getting my epidural. I knew I could do it... after all, I'd done it twice before. Cinch! Or so I thought. When I got to a 5, Buck, my mom, and I repeatedly said I was ready for the epidural. What was the nurse's response? 
"Well, you don't have enough fluid in your body for anesthesia to give you an epidural. But don't worry, I'm going to increase your IV drip and I'll let anesthesia know that you are ready." 
Great, sounds like a plan. Shit, there's that word again... plan. I see it mocking me even as I write this post. PlAn... pLaN... plan... PLAN. Buck continued to try and be my advocate as he protested to the nurses, "she goes really fast, she needs the epidural like now." All of this was met with a caring look and reassurance that I would get the epidural in time. The pain was almost unbearable. I was given stadol. I had been given stadol with my previous births and all it had done then was put me to sleep. Sleep sounded amazing at this point... it was a fantastic plan. (Ugh, that f-ing word again!) Sleep definitely did not happen... but, an amazing high did most certainly happen. Apparently I was pretty funny... all I remember is feeling super heavy & weighted down by the drug, but still having extreme contractions. I vaguely remember saying something over and over to Buck and Mom... but cannot remember what I actually said. There may have been some hallucinating, too. I dunno. This lasted all of maybe 30 minutes. So much for good drugs. Then, my water broke. WTF! My water had been broken by the doc in my previous two births... and an epidural always followed. In came the nurse to check my progress. 7CM! At this point, I'm totally freaking out... in my head. I wasn't saying anything out loud. At least I don't think so. In my head, I remember something to this effect:
"WHAT THE F&*K IS GOING ON!?!? WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY EPIDURAL?!?! DOES THIS NURSE NOT RECALL THE CONVERSATION ABOUT GETTING AN EPIDURAL AFTER REACHING A 5?!? I'M NOT GETTING AN EPIDURAL... I'M NOT GETTING AN EPIDURAL... I'M NOT GETTING AN EPIDURAL... THEY AREN'T GOING TO MAKE IT...." 
Then, silence. I retreated so far inside myself that the pain became something so intense that I couldn't talk, couldn't think about anything, couldn't moan, couldn't even hear anything... it was as though I was transported into a vacuum of some kind. I was sure I was going to pass out from the intensity of the pain. Then, the pain changed... I don't know how to describe the change, but it allowed me to delve even further inside myself. Screaming, yelling, or even thinking about doing any of those things was not possible. Oddly, it was almost peaceful. I began visualizing the birth that was about to take place. I had never been in a state of concentration like this in all my life. I remember opening my eyes and having a circular field of vision in which everything was a blur except a very bright light, Buck's face and my mom's face. I remember watching them watch each other with a look of dread on their faces and then looking back at me with their best 'everything-is-going-to-be-okay' faces. In that instant, I knew what they knew... I was not going to get an epidural. It was go time. I somehow mustered up the energy to ask if the anesthesiologist was in the room and if I was going to get an epidural... last ditch effort. Can't blame me for trying. Soon after I yelled something to the effect of "I have to push... he's coming out NOW!" To which I was told, "no sweetie, don't push. You aren't ready to push. You aren't at a 10 yet. I just checked you. You're at a 7." 
Then, I yelled again, with a little more gumption this time: 
"HE'S COMING OUT! I'M PUSHING..." then "HE'S OUT!!" 
I remember a nurse lifting up my gown and having a look of disbelief on her face as Owen was laying on the bed. It only took seconds for the room to be flooded with nurses. Now I was finally getting some attention! My bed was never broken down into "pushing-mode". Owen and I did it all by ourselves. My birth plan was shattered, burned, torched and tossed up into the air...

If I had to do it all over again, I'd want it done exactly the same. Looking back, it was perfect. Owen was so alert from the start... he latched immediately. I was able to walk within minutes of giving birth... NO pain. The pain was instantly gone. Amazing. 

Unfortunately my blood pressure did not behave though, and I was given what they called Mag-Treatment - a magnesium concoction that was given to me for 24 hours through an IV. I was given a catheter and couldn't get up for those 24 hours either. Brutal. Owen passed all of his blood glucose tests he had to have due to my gestational diabetes. He did end up becoming a little too jaundiced after coming home though, and we were given a billi-blanket to keep on him for 24 hours. He was our little glow worm for a night:) Poor thing was poked and prodded until good bilirubin scores came back.

For having such a dramatic entrance to his little life, Owen is the best baby. So calm, so happy, sleeping through the night... just perfect. Being able to be at home with Owen, without having to return to work has changed my attitude towards taking care of an infant as well. It's pretty easy to take care of a baby when you know that you can devote all your time, love, and energy into them. Sure I'm tired and exhausted, but I don't care. I have a happy baby and I'm happy. Life is definitely good. 

Born Oct 11, 2013 at 12:02 a.m.
8 lbs, 21 in

Minutes after Owen's first feeding

Proud Daddy:)

Getting sprung from the hospital!
First car-ride

Glow Worm!
Jaundice Treatment

First real bath:)

First round of shots :(

Favorite Part of Owen #1 - Fuzzy Halo Hair

Favorite Part of Owen #2 - Fuzzy Shoulders

Favorite Part of Owen #3 - Insane Eyelashes

Breastfeeding... love

Breastfeeding... love

Brotherly Love:)

Brotherly Love:)

First Smile on Camera

Happy O'ster

Beautiful Boy

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Jen Sebring Photograph

Daddy's Little Elf

Mommy's Little Santa

Our Little O'ster - Future Heartthrob:)

Getting Ready for Baby Owen

So, I found out a couple of weeks ago that I have gestational diabetes. (Boooo) I was absolutely devastated when hearing the news. I couldn't help but think it was solely due to my overweight status. I was sent to a certified diabetes educator/registered dietician for a consult. It went fantastic. Learned so much about GD and the many reasons that I was a prime suspect - third pregnancy, over 30 yrs old, diabetes in the family, and yes, a small percentage due to being overweight. Through talking to her, we came to the conclusion that I was getting too much sugar in my blood due to eating way too much fruit in one sitting. Apparently a whole bag of grapes for lunch isn't a good thing. Ha! I'm having to prick my finger 4X a day to check my glucose levels. So far, so good. I've only have one elevated reading - doctor and dietician are extremely pleased and don't see any reason why this will have any adverse effect on baby Owen if things continue this way. It's making me get more creative with my cooking, which is always good. Take a look at the omelet I made... 

Can we say, YUM?!? It was delicious. I've never made anything so pretty.  

My belly seems to be growing exponentially. My poor pajamas are in a sad state of affairs these days and are just trying to hold on for dear life... 

 My very good friends Jessica and Amy threw me a baby shower last weekend. I couldn't ask for better friends. It was perfect. I couldn't believe how many people were able to attend. Makes me miss being around all my teacher friends on a daily basis. The theme for the shower was Monsters... as we all know I refer to my boys as my little monsters. It only seemed fitting. Jessica & Amy did an amazing job of having monsters be all over the place. The pictures don't do it justice, but I must post a few. 

I received so many amazing gifts. More than what I could've anticipated. When I got home, I spread it all out in the dining room and took pictures to send to Buck. He was definitely impressed. I planned on waiting for him to come home to begin putting all the large items together..... BUT, I couldn't wait. It only took me 2 hours to put the pack-n-play together. Ugh! And I have to admit, it would've taken me longer if Lynk hadn't helped me. 

I started off doing it alone. As I'm trying to figure out how to lock the pack-n-play into position, (why does it have to be so damn difficult?!?) Lynk and Gavy are having a good ol' time screaming, laughing, galavanting around the house and around my "work area". I'd said several times, "Please stop running"... "Please keep the noise down" ... "Please stay away from my work area." None of these pleadings worked. So, when I couldn't handle it any longer, I lost it and screamed "CAN YOU GO TO YOUR ROOMS, NOW?!?!" I immediately knew the fact that I formed this into a question left room for a response other than what I wanted.... and right on cue, Gavy says "uh, no, I wanna be down here." That sent me off the cliff. How could I be so stupid to phrase it that way?! "GET IN YOUR ROOMS NOW!!!" This had the impact I wanted... minus the terrified looks on their faces. They both scurried off, slamming doors in their wake. A part of me felt bad that I yelled... but not enough to apologize. It was finally quiet! I could finally think and focus on this stupid task at hand. It reminded me of when I get lost on the road and turn off the radio and make the kids be absolutely quiet so that I can magically figure out where the hell I took a wrong turn. So, it's now quiet, other than the muffled noises of playtime that I hear coming from the boys' bedrooms. I stare blankly at the pack-n-play. The quiet didn't work. Damnit! After 10-15 minutes or so, Lynk pokes his head out of his room. "Mama? Can I come down and help you?" Pssssh, riiiiiiiight, like he's going to help. But at this point, it didn't matter... so, I let him come down. I crossed my fingers that Gavy wouldn't here him and decide to join us. Lynk watched me looking from the assembly directions to the pieces strewn all over the floor. As I began picking up pieces and attempting to put them in the correct position, Lynk grabbed the book and started studying it. I obliged and didn't say a word. Then... he began telling me which pieces to get and how to do it. AND HE WAS RIGHT! In about 2 minutes, he had solved a problem I had thought was impossible. He began looking at the pictures and dictating to me what he thought the picture was showing. It was amazing to witness. Within another 30 minutes, the pack-n-play was assembled (correctly). Lynk was excited, but not as much as I was... excited didn't seem appropriate. I was ecstatic... so proud of my little man. 

The evil Pack-n-Play that almost did me in

After that was complete, I took a 3 hour breather before I began on the swing. I immediately asked for Lynk's help... Yes, I learned my lesson. This time, I couldn't keep Gavy away. Having Gavyn help was like 'Pete and Re-Pete.' Gavyn watched his brother with the instruction manual and soon began following in his foot-steps. Gavy's assistance wasn't nearly as helpful, but it was adorable. I had to snap a couple shots of him before he realized I wasn't intently listening to him... 

 
We were able to get the swing done in about an hour and a half. Not too shabby for a preggo, 5 yr old, and 3 yr old, right? 

Now that I have a pack-n-play and swing in my living room, I'm really starting to realize how quickly a little baby will occupy these furniture items. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. 

So, all-in-all, I feel accomplished. We celebrated our success with a little jam-session in the kitchen that quickly turned into a slap-fest.... as most things do with these two little monsters. Luckily it ended in laughter instead of whining.... good day! 

Zombie Apocalypse

So last night was a full-on zombie apocalypse in my house. Boys were in ultimate make-believe state -- legs were being dragged, uncontrollable moaning, arms raised, blank stares, BRAAAAINZZZZ was the only word that was deciphered, etc. They both wanted a picture taken of their best zombie faces... this is what they came up with:

 

Gavy pulled on his face so hard that he had bruises under his eyes. :-/ What can I say? He goes all out for play-time. 

I shared the pics with some friends... all friends of baby girls. One responded about her daughter and other girls watching "My Little Pony" & that if the boys were to be there, the zombies would probably try to eat the little ponies. Damn straight! We rarely have delicate play here... it's more about being transformers, fighting bad guys, killing or being zombies, saving the world from some unknown evil force, crashing toy-cars, testing our strength, etc. Now, not to say that it's always helter-skelter here... there's a good 10-15% of the time when there is quiet play. (they have to sleep sometime, right? Ha!) 

Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

Holy crap it's been a LOOOOONG time since I've posted anything. Reason??? Well, let's see... I'm pregnant with another boy!!:) 

We found out on Valentine's Day of this year that I was pregnant.... total surprise. Funny thing is that we had just discussed trying for another baby... however, we had discussed trying in a year or so. We both wanted to lose weight, we had a vacation to Arkansas for a family reunion scheduled for June, etc., and we didn't really want to be pregnant at this point. Well, it never pays off for us to plan anything. Regardless, we were thrilled! This pregnancy has turned out to be the hardest of my three pregnancies though. We had a couple of scares in the beginning and almost lost the baby due to low progesterone levels. I was prescribed progesterone twice a day which made pregnancy my own hell. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that all of those symptoms that you hope you don't have.... I had ten-fold. I even had a stint in the ER. My mom had to come live with me for awhile to help take care of the boys because Buck has been working out in west Texas. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, the symptoms began to let up -- I began feeling somewhat normal again. I'm now 26 weeks and only have the "normal" symptoms left: headache, achey ribs due to stretching, nightly heartburn, and just overall uncomfortable sleeping. Nothing I can't handle. 

It's a BOY!! As if you couldn't tell:)

Little Owen Tate Kettering... can't wait to meet this little face!

Look at the size of that FOOT!!

Sooooo, another little monster.... a baby boy:) I'll have to admit that there was a time when I thought this baby was a girl. Just because of how different this pregnancy has been compared to the others. Having another boy is perfect though. We have decided on Owen Tate Kettering as his name. Owen being a family name - my grandma's maiden name. I cannot wait to meet him! I hope that Lynk & Gavy become as close to Owen as they are with each other. I love the idea of having 3 rowdy boys around all the time. I figured out that at one point, we will have a 19 yr old, 16 yr old, and 13 yr old... Whew! Can you imagine our future grocery bill?!?! 

Two of my best friends, Jessica & Amy, have decided to give me a baby shower. I'm so excited! Buck and I had gotten rid of everything baby related right after having Gavyn... at that point, another baby was not in the cards. So, we are starting from scratch. I'm so lucky to have friends like Jessica and Amy:)

This summer has been packed with all sorts of stuff. We went with the whole family to Arkansas for a short family reunion with the Anderson's. We stayed in cabins at the Spider Creek Resort. Such a peaceful place. We had a great time visiting and hanging out with family. Gavyn was the center of attention most nights. That child just doesn't know a stranger. Buck and I rented a pontoon boat for our family to go out on for an evening. It was fantastic! Lynk & Gavy's first time on a boat and it was a total success. They swam in the lake and had a blast. When we got home, the idea of owning our own pontoon struck a cord with Buck, and we are now owners of a pontoon boat. Haha. We've gone out twice, once with mom and dad and another time with Jodi and Steve. So much fun. We got a four-person inner-tube for the boys to ride... they love it! I am slowly learning to drive the boat myself, but I'm much happier just sitting and riding. I'm anxious to be able to ride on the inner-tube next summer when I'm not pregnant. 

Gavy chillin' in Spider Creek in Arkansas

Lynk being silly in Spider Creek in Arkansas

My favorite boys in Spider Creek - Arkansas

Lynk fishing in Spider Creek -- Arkansas

Big Captain B on his new pontoon for the first time in Lake Ray Roberts:)

Gavy on the pontoon for the first time at Lake Ray Roberts

Lynk on the pontoon for the first time at Lake Ray Roberts

Merly and the boys riding the tube for the first time... they had a blast!  (Lake Ray Roberts)

Gavy upset after Daddy said "No more tubing for the night" -- NOT a happy camper anymore (Lake Ray Roberts)

Buck finally gets on the tube with the boys the second time out on the boat at Lake Worth 

Jodi and boys hitting the inner tube at Lake Worth

Lynk and Gavy are still my wild and crazy boys. My days are filled with their laughter, wrestling, giggling, crying, yelling, and just plain-old-silliness. The pictures below help to describe some parts of our time together since I found out we were expecting again. I figured pictures would be much better than trying to write about our experiences. 

Writing Practice Time!

Gavy is finally interested in learning to write!

 

Easter at Granny's house - painting wooden Easter Eggs! 

Painting wooden Easter Eggs at Granny's house... NOT thrilled about Mommy wanting a picture. You can't interrupt an artist, I guess?!?

Easter Egg hunt at home... Lynk grabbed the last egg... guess who's upset??

Disney on Ice! 

Disney on Ice!

Houston Aquarium

When you gotta go, you gotta go! Houston Aquarium

 Lynk showing his Texas Rangers spirit!

Gavy showing his Texas Rangers spirit!

Eatin' Cherry Chills at the Rangers game:)

My favorite boys walking into the Rangers game

Splash Park!

Splash Park!

Lynk - first swimming lesson at Emler's Swim School

Lynk - first swim lesson

Gavy - first swim lesson at Emler's Swim School

Gavy - first swim lesson

Lynk's first shave

No more scruffy Kettering boys:)

No more scruffy Kettering boys:)

Catchin' some rays at Merly's house

July 4th Celebration at Comfort Suites in Denton

First bloody nose after fireworks on July 4th... that dang tailgate just jumped out and bit him! 

YUMMY! Eatin' a peach right off the tree at the Peach Orchard

Fresh peach eatin' at the Peach Orchard

Delicious Peach Cobbler from orchard peaches

Delicious Peach Cobbler from orchard peaches

Lynk will start Kindergarten in about a month. I am so happy for him. He's so excited! We went to get his supplies and some new school clothes just the other day. While I'm very happy for Lynk, I'm nervous for how Gavy will take it when Lynk goes to school. Gavy has it in his head that he will be going to school as well. I'm nervous Lynk will begin to separate himself from Gavy due to being a "schooler" as he calls it. On the other hand, I'm excited to have two months alone with Gavy before Owen makes his debut. 

Well, that roughly sums up the last 5-6 months. Much more to come from the Kettering Khaos Household....