It's The Most Wonderful Time of Year... For Some

I love Christmas time. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I always look forward to it. I love the meaning of the season, the snow, the family time, the decorations, the music, the food, and of course the gifts. I always get a little depressed when it is over. This year, I was almost relieved.

I hate the fact that there are people who are suffering while I am living in luxury.

There was a page on Facebook called Blessings for Brinley. I had liked the page and had been following it for quite a while. It was about the cutest little baby girl who was born with a serious heart disease. She had been doing pretty good but then she took a turn for the worse and had to be admitted into the hospital. The doctors told her parents that if everything went well she would be home for Christmas. Little Brinley was having a hard time and she was put on life support. She was fighting with all she had but God called her back home just 3 days before Christmas. She was only 4 months old.

My heart broke for Brinley's parents. I guess it hit me harder then it normally would have since I have my own little baby now. I could not even begin to imagine the pain they were going through. Here I was, loving on Easton and wrapping his presents. Brinley's parents had just lost their little angel and they would probably have to go home and look at her gifts that were wrapped and waiting for her to open. Try as I might, I could not stop thinking about them. I cried and prayed that they would have comfort.

Not only was I struggling with the thoughts of Brinley's parents, but I was struggling with the thoughts of 3 police families who had just lost their loved ones right before Christmas. They didn't lose them because of an accident, they lost them because of hate. Someone hated the police so much that they killed 3 people who wore the badge of a policeman. They didn't know who these cops were. They didn't care that they had families to go home to. They cared about making a point regardless of the fact that they took a loved one away from their family.

The loss of a family is always hard, but I think it is especially hard when it happens during the holidays. While everyone else is happy and enjoying the company of the ones they love, those people are dealing with the absence of someone they love. My heart was heavy on Christmas. I enjoyed spending time with my family, but this was the first Christmas that I felt like I didn't take advantage of how blessed I am. The gifts were nice, but I was more thankful for my life and family members this Christmas season.

I know that all of these gifts come from God and the reason I have been blessed is because of Christ's sacrifice for me. So, even though this was a hard Christmas for me, I was very thankful for it. It really put things into perspective for me. I truly realized how blessed I am for the life I have.

~Seven Months~

I remember this time last year very well. I was about 20 weeks pregnant. I kept thinking, "This time next year I will have a 7 month old." Well... That time has come. It is Christmas Eve and here I am with a 7 month old. I know I say this every time I post about Easton, but it really does go by so incredibly fast. Easton is such a happy little boy and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is the best Christmas present ever! This is our first year celebrating Christmas as a little family. Even though Easton doesn't really understand the concept yet, I can already tell that celebrating Christmas with a kid is going to be way more fun for me than for him!

Here is his 7 month old growth picture:

His face is saying what I am thinking, "How did I get so big already?" This was the only picture I could get of him not grabbing his moose and trying to eat it. Little terd! Here are some stats:

*He is almost 16 pounds.

*He loves to eat fruits and sweet potatoes. He isn't a huge fan of vegetables but he will usually eat them without complaint.

*He will give you kisses when you ask for them. They are the most slobbery kisses but they are the absolute best.

*He is starting to figure out how to clap and wave hi and bye.

*We can put him on his hands and knees and he will hold himself up for a little while before he pushes himself forward and splats on his little belly.

*He is learning how to throw fits if he doesn't get what he wants. 

*He is sleeping through the night and has been for a few weeks now. Thank goodness.

*He has quite a bit of hair even though it is hard to see because it is pretty blonde.

*He loves his daddy. Every time he sees his dad he gets the biggest grin on his face.

*He is trying to cut the upper two front teeth.

*He loves his Kayda dog. They are best buddies and love playing together.

*He rolls and scoots himself all around our house. He is never in one spot for very long.

Easton is such a happy baby and we love him to pieces. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us!!!!! Merry Christmas. 

Yeah, Yeah, I'm Behind Again!

I don't even really have an excuse for not writing anything for a long time... other than I am lazy. I have however been thinking of some things to blog about so hopefully I will be posting more in the near future.

Easton has really changed in the last two months. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow. It boggles my mind how quickly he learns things! He is still the best baby in the world except for at night time. He still hasn't figured out how awesome sleep is.

Here are his latest growth pictures:

Here are the stats:

-As you can see, he is mastering the art of sitting up. Except in the bath tub... He may or may not have toppled over and swallowed some bath water in the process.

-He wiggles all over the place. He will lay on his back and scoot around the house. He is also rolling all over. He even rolled off the couch and smacked his head on the coffee table on the way down. He didn't think that was very fun and neither did his mother. I don't know who cried more, me or him.

-He LOVES Kayda. He always squeals and rolls towards her whenever he gets the chance. Some days she thinks it's fun and other days she ignores him.

-He has started giggling but we have to work our ever living butts off to get him to giggle. He does more of a grunting noise than a giggle, but hey, I will take it!

-He is turning into a major mama's boy... Which I don't mind (especially since I always tell him I am the only girl he will ever need.) I came home from work the other day and he saw me and started smiling and wiggling. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and he started bawling. I came out and he could see me and he started smiling again. So of course I hid again just to test out his love for me. And of course he started crying again until he saw me. :)

-He is obsessed with his Johnny Jump Up now that he has figured out how it works. He bounces like a crazy man!

Overall, he is so much fun. I know I say that I hate all this growing crap, (which I really do) but I also love it. I love that he is getting to be more interactive. I love watching him learn. I just love him! Being his mom pretty much rocks!

Slow Down Little Man

Eric and I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited and....waited for Easton to get here. Now that he is here time is going by so fast. I wish I could just pause time. I know each day that passes is another day I will never get back with my little guy. He is growing so fast and I can't believe that he is already 4 months old. It's not a lie when people say that it goes by so fast. I feel like when I turn around he will already be graduating.

But... I guess growing up is inevitable so here are some fun stats about Easton.

1.) He is 4 months old. FOUR MONTHS OLD!

2.) He is starting to get very vocal. He is squaking and squeeling. He thinks he is pretty neat when he makes all sorts of funny noises.

3.) He hates practicing sitting up. He either wants to stand up or lay down...

4.) He is really smiley but only in the mornings. He starts to get a little crabby at night time.

5.) We have been trying to feed him oatmeal. He still isn't sure what to think of it. I think we are going to hold off on feeding him solids for another week or two.

6.) He is the drooliest baby in the world I'm pretty sure. He always has to wear a bib or else his clothes are soaked.

7.) He is awesome at tummy time. He is pretty strong for such a little guy.

8.) At his last doctor's appointment he was in the 7th percentile for head circumference, 13th percentile for weight, and 6th percentile for height. Seeming as how he looks exactly like his daddy, Eric says that he finally got something from me haha!

9.) He absolutely loves bath time. He thinks he is Michael Phelps minus the weed. I don't know who gets more wet during bath time, me or him!

10.) He had been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks but lately he has been sucking at sleeping. He has been getting up every 1-2 hours. Yuck. It's a good thing he is so stinking cute!

Now here is 4 months worth of growth pictures!!!!

Slow down little one. You are only this tiny once! It won't be long until you can't fit in my arms anymore. So until then, I am going to try and soak up every minute of your baby life that I can. I love you Easton.

10 ThingsThey Don't Tell You About A C-Section

C-Section= Worst. Thing. Ever. But also the coolest thing ever because you get a cute little baby out of the whole ordeal!

Since that is now off of my chest I can get down to the nitty gritty. I thought I had an idea of what c-sections entailed but I was SO off. There are a lot of things people don't tell you about c-sections. Probably so that they can willingly lead you off to the operating room without a fight. So, I am here to reveal the true details. You have been warned.

1.) It's a little sad.
While this may not be true for some women, it was how I felt. Women are supposed to be built for having babies. You go into the hospital thinking that you will be able to uphold your womanly purpose and push a baby out. It is quite a shock when the doctors tell you that you cannot physically have a baby on your own. When my doctor told me that I immediately felt like a wimp. That feeling lasted for a couple of weeks and I still envy those who can have a baby the normal way. I do feel lucky that I live in this day and age though or else neither Easton or I would be here today!

2.) You feel like you are going to die.
Before I found out I had to get split open I got an epidural. Heaven. That's all I will say about that. So then when I had to get a c-section, they gave me even more numbing medicine. The medicine numbs you from your chest down. When they gave me that medicine I couldn't feel my lungs. I couldn't breath no matter how hard I tried to calm down and focus on breathing. I remember thinking, "I just went through 40 weeks of growing a human and now I am going to die and I won't even be able to hold my baby." Needless to say, I passed out, freaked my husband and the nurses out, and was immediately rushed into an emergency c-section.

3.) Ever been to a branding? 
Mmmmmm the smell of burning skin. If you  get a c-section be prepared for that! They cauterize your incision as they cut. I have to say, smelling your own burning flesh is not something I was quite prepared for. Especially since that was the first thing that greeted my senses when I finally came to. Sick.

4.) You probably won't remember the details.
The meds they give you will make you feel like you are walking through a fog. Eric has had to tell me multiple times all that happened once I was wheeled into the recovery room. I don't even remember feeding Easton for the first time. :( I have no idea if he latched on right away or how long he ate for.

5.) Milk of Magnesia ain't no joke.
This one is a little embarrassing but since we all poop I am going to write about it anyways. While I was enjoying my stay at the hospital the nurses kept bringing in shots of Milk of Magnesia. I didn't really think much of it. They told me to take it so I did. Well... they neglected to tell me to keep taking it after I got home. With a new baby and no sleep I didn't even notice that I hadn't used the bathroom for a few days. One night I sat on the toilet and felt like I could poop. Worst. Constipation. Ever. While I sat on the toilet and felt like death, Eric went to the store to buy me some Milk of Magnesia. I sat on the toilet for probably an hour. I was sweating and felt close to death. I was in so much pain that even having my clothes touch me hurt. So... there I was, sitting on the toilet... in just my bra. Next thing I know, my mother in-law is at the door knocking and asking if she could come in. At that point I didn't care who saw me, mainly because I was going to die like Elvis did so I thought I should say my goodbyes. Suzy is a massage therapist so she was showing me ways to rub my stomach to help me out. You are not close to your mother in-law until she coaches you on how to poop while you are sitting on the toilet sweating and in nothing but a bra. Let's just say, it was a long night and from that point on I doubled my dose of Milk of Magnesia.

6.) Functioning like a normal person is out of the question.
I was unprepared for the slouchiness I had to endure for six weeks. The first two weeks there is no way you will be able to stand up straight. After that, you can only stand up straight for short periods of time. A week and a half after I had Easton I had to go to a school meeting where I had the chance of meeting all of my new kindergartners and their parents before summer started. One of my teaching partners asked me why I was walking so funny... Not fun. It was really interesting when people started calling me the Hunchback of Notre Dame and gargoyles became my best friends.

7.) Let's just nap.
Total exhaustion does not even begin to cover how you feel for the first 6 weeks after a c-section. Not only are you tired from having a baby that does not sleep at night, but you are exhausted because your body is working overtime to try and heal itself. Eric and I would go for a walk around the block and it was all I could do not to lay down halfway through. Poor Eric. I don't think he had ever walked that slow in all of his life. My friend, who can push babies out like it's no big deal, called me 2 weeks after I had Easton and asked if I wanted to go walk around the fishing lake. I just laughed. I told her that going around the block almost killed me let alone going around a lake!

8.) I don't think my lungs are working.
I don't know what it is, but for the first few weeks it feels like you can't get enough air in your lungs no matter how hard you try. Going up a small flight of stairs would leave me out of breath like an obese 80 year old.

9.) That's not funny.
If you know someone who has just had a c-section, do not, I repeat, DO NOT make them laugh. It hurts, it hurts bad. So does coughing, sneezing, breathing, talking, moving, getting kicked by your tiny baby, and getting jumped on by one of your stupid dogs.

10.) Ummmm, this is not normal, is it?
My baby is about 3 1/2 months old and I can still feel the stitches underneath my scar. They staple your skin shut but they stitch up your uterus. They pull the staples out before you leave but the stitches have to disolve on their own. I have one that feels like it is going to poke through my skin at any given moment. It is pretty strange. I have been told that they will eventually go away. Who knows?

So there you have it, 10 lovely things they don't bother telling you about a c-section. At least next time I will know a few little tricks to help make it a little easier on myself! Oh and the next person to tell me that at least having my next baby will be so much easier because I won't have to go through labor, I may or may not punch them.