6 month update

Our sweet little rainbow is now 6 months old. She had her check up today. She weighs 17 lbs 4.5 oz (75%) and is 26.25 inches long (68%). Here is what's going on with Lydia these days.

•So far she's had oatmeal, carrots, and green beans to eat and loves them all.

•She is the happiest baby and just smiles all the time, especially at sister.

•She can roll both ways and still doesn't like being on her stomach.

•Her little legs are very strong and she loves to hold our hands and stand up. She was trying to walk like this yesterday.

•Right now she's sleeping from about 10 pm to 4:30 am. She nurses for about 15 minutes then goes back to sleep until 7-7:30. She usually takes a 45 minute morning nap. In the afternoon she sleeps for about an hour on her own and then I rock her while she sleeps for another hour and a half. She usually takes a little evening cat nap as well.

•She usually nurses 5 times a day.

•She's working really hard on sitting up by herself and loves to feel like she's involved in whatever is going on around her.

•She loves to touch and grab at things and put them in her mouth.

•She has two bottom teeth.

•She is now wearing 6-9 months clothes and a size 3 diaper.

Lydia Faith

5:30 am on August 16, 2012 after a night of tossing and turning with what I thought was heartburn, my water broke. It took a minute for what had just happened to sink in. After months of waiting. After a PICC line and 5 weeks of bed rest was it really time to meet the baby we had prayed so hard for? We'll never know for sure, but I believe that it was the combo of our friend Diana's delicious enchiladas and the pedicure my friend Valerie took me for that sent me into labor. Whatever it was, it was time and I was scared. Don't get me wrong I was incredibly excited, but I was so nervous and scared too. I wasn't worried about the actual labor and delivery. I was worried about Lydia. Did they miss anything on the sonogram? Will she be born healthy? I couldn't bear the thought of leaving that hospital without a baby again. We got to the hospital around 6:30. Several of the nurses made comments about how busy they were. They put me in triage and checked me. I was "only" 4 centimeters so they told me it might be a little while before they were able to get me into a room. Around 11:00 they finally got me into a room.




At this point I wasn't really in too much pain, but had told the nurse I was ready for my epidural whenever they could do it knowing that it sometimes takes a while for the anesthesiologist to get to the room. Just a little background info for those who care. I did not have an epidural with Kadynce, but did with Isaac for obvious reasons. I decided that since it had worked great with no complications during my labor with Isaac I would have one again. I won't go into detail to avoid scaring those that might want to have one some day, but let's just say that anymore babies that The Lord may bless us with will be born naturally. The epidural madness was over by noon and the most amazing nurse in the world world, Allison showed up to take care of me and help deliver Lydia. She took care of me when Isaac was born and then again when I went into preterm labor. She doesn't work on Thursdays, but they called her and she came in for me. Around 1:00 I was complete and Lydia Faith made her appearance at 1:15. I could not believe it when I saw her beautiful HEADFULL of DARK hair. She was a chunky monkey weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches long. The most precious thing in the world. I was so happy and relieved that our sweet rainbow baby was finally here. I think I looked over every inch of her 100 times. I also asked the nurses and doctors over and over if she was ok and healthy. They assured me each time that she was. I think a little paranoia is normal after losing a baby the way we had. One of the most special moments was when my dad brought Kadynce in and she got to meet her baby sister for the first time. I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight. Just like she was with Isaac she didn't want anyone else to hold "her" baby. Both nights i was blessed with the sweetest nurse that continually stressed the importance of me getting rest and did whatever she could to make that happen. We were also blessed with lots of visitors that wanted to love on our new baby. We were able to come home on Saturday and everyone knows that's when the fun begins. I think the first two weeks after you have a baby is always hard. You're sore and tired. You and baby are both trying to figure each other out. You may have unexpected doctor's visits. The whole family is just trying to adjust to their new normal. All of this on top of very little sleep can make for some rough moments, but some of the most precious memories are made in those first few weeks and that seems to make up for the craziness of it all. From day one Lydia has been a very laid-back, easy going baby. We actually had to wake her up for the first 2 weeks to eat because she would just sleep and sleep and never fuss.






































Lydia is now 3 months old and is the most amazing little blessing. She is developing her own little personality and I just LOVE it. She smiles just about anytime someone talks to her. She likes to try to talk back and if you stick your tongue out she'll copy you. She eats at about the same times every day. I didn't force this schedule on her she just kinda did it on her own. She usually eats around 8:00, 11:30, 2:30, 5:00, 8:00, and 10:30. Whether or not she wakes up to eat at night is hit or miss. We discovered that she's pretty cold natured so adding a layer to her clothes has helped her sleep longer. She sleeps in her "monkey seat" (rock and play sleeper) right beside me. She naps about 4 times a day, but it really varies depending on what we're doing because she loves to sleep in the car. We are so looking forward to the holidays with 2 sweet little girls.

Susan

I'm back from my blogging haitus!  Our rainbow baby, Lydia Faith was born on August 16th.  She is just perfect and I fall more and more in love with her each day.  I promise to write more about her and her birth later, but today is all about another very special person in my life.  I've been asking, ok maybe begging my wonderful sister-in-law, Susan, to let me link up with Kelly's Korner on single's day for about a year now.  Guess what...she finally agreed so here it goes!

This is Susan...

Isn't she beautiful?  

I guess I'll start with some basic facts.  Susan was born in Dallas, TX, and grew up in Camp Verde, AZ.  She attended college at Union University in Jackson, TN where she got her bachelors in 2004 and later her masters in social work.  She still lives and works in Jackson, but would LOVE to live in Texas to be closer to her adorable neices.  Ok maybe I added that last part, but seriously she's said that moving is definitely not out of the question.

Susan is seriously one of the sweetest, most genuine people I know.  Her love for the Lord just radiates from her.  Her faith in Him and patience for His perfect timing is just incredible.  She is very involved in her church and has served in the children's ministry for years.  Family is something that is very important to her as well.  I will never forget how she drove all night when I went into labor with Isaac so she could be there to meet him.  She is a natural with children and babies.  Even dirty diapers and projectile spit up don't seem to intimidate her.  I love to watch her interact with both of our girls.  She has such a big servant's heart.  When visiting us this past weekend one of the first things she did was offer to help me clean or do anything around the house.  

 Now for some fun facts.  These aren't necessarily things she has said about herself, but what Jonathan and I have observed over the years:  One of Susan's favorite things to do is run.  Just this past year she completed her first marathon!  She loves to make and eat salsa and is an experimental cook.  She enjoys photography and exploring the outdoors. If you know Susan you know that she never hesitates to take new adventures - in her own town, random road trips across the country, or mission trips around the world.  She really loves and treasures her friends, and to this day still maintains strong friendships all around the country, even with people she grew up with as a child. There are a couple of things that you do need to be aware of about Susan, however. She can be a little silly sometimes and may bust out into random songs about the mullet she used to have as a 7 year old. And she barely knows about 3 chords on the guitar, just enough to almost compete with Phoebe in Friends. 

On a serious note, Susan is an unbelieveable woman. She loves and respects people genuinely, she never burns any bridges, and is looked up to among her peers. She is a servant-leader who has let her relationship with christ infiltrate her whole life. She knows who she is as a child of God, a woman, and is ready to fulfill the biblical model of wife and mother.

I asked Susan to tell me a little about what she was is looking for in a man and this is what she said:
"A man who strives to love the Lord & the church with all of his heart...but who also lives as a redeemed sinner, recognizing that imperfections, failures, and complete & total mess-ups are all part of the journey. Someone who is not afraid to dream big dreams/creative ways to minister to others. Developing a solid friendship is important.  Ability to laugh & find humor in the craziness of everyday life is huge. Some similar interests would be nice but having enough differences also keep it interesting. No requirements on hair (or lack thereof) and eye color...attraction is so relative and I trust will be there when it's right! Oh and yes, living in Texas would be an added bonus--haha!"

Update and Link-Up

Due to things being a little out of sorts around here I have not gotten my weekly link up posted the last two weeks, but it's back today.  One week from today is Isaac's birthday.  I can't believe that it's almost been a year since I have kissed those sweet, chubby cheeks.  In some ways it seems like the blink of an eye, but in others it has been the longest year of my life.  We have been planning for a while to make next Monday a really special day, full of celebrating our precious boy.  We may not get to do everything I originally had planned due to me being a partial bed rest, but it will still be a wonderful day.

Things are going well around here.  I'm 33 weeks and 2 days.  Still no baby Lydia so that is a very good thing.  As long as I'm staying down like I'm supposed to I feel good.  If I start to overdo it at all the contractions start and it really scares me.  This baby still has some growing to do!  We have just been overwhelmed with the love and support we have received the past few weeks.  We have food being brought to us nearly every night and people are constantly checking in to see if we need someone to watch Kadynce, clean house, do laundry, etc.  My mom has been here almost every day basically "nesting" for me and getting ready for this baby girl to arrive.  Jonathan and my Daddy painted the nursery and it is just perfect.  I feel so unworthy, yet I am ever so grateful for everything. 

Below is the Wonderfully Made Link-Up for those of you that have had a negative prenatal diagnosis.  I am continually amazed at the encouragement I have found through other mommies that have been in a similar place in life.  I would love to hear your story and I'm sure others would as well!

    

Big Scare and Bedrest

I'm so sorry I have been MIA for a little while. I have a good reason I promise :) This may be a little lengthy, but I want to remember everything that happened. Last Saturday, June 23rd started off as a normal Saturday. We got up early, went to some garage sale, the farmers market, and the mall. By the end of the morning I felt pretty uncomfortable, but who wouldn't be at 31 weeks pregnant walking around on a soon to be close to 100 degree day. When we got to the restaurant for lunch I noticed I was bleeding a little. It wasn't anything to make me very alarmed, but this was the first thing that happened when I went into labor with Isaac at 33 weeks.  I immediately called the on call doctor. She said just to be on the safe side and because of my history I should probably come on in to the hospital. None of us were very concerned since I wasn't really feeling any contractions. My Dad even said he was going to take my mom and Kadynce to the house and come right back and pick us up. Once I got to the hospital things took off pretty quickly. They put me on the monitor and once I got still and started paying attention I noticed I was having some "tightenings" that were coming pretty regularly. They started an IV in hopes that some hydration would make things better. In just a short amount of time these "tightenings" were becoming actual contractions and they were coming every 2-3 minutes. NOT GOOD! The Dr. came in and checked me and I was dilated 2 cm (when I first got there I was only 1 cm). They had also discovered that I had another UTI that was probably what triggered the contractions. She told me I was going to be staying a minimum of 3-4 days then immediately began giving the nurse orders. Steroids, magnesium sulfate, procardia, IV antibiotics. You see, I worked on a high risk antepartum unit for about 18 months. While I know this makes me far from an expert, I knew what those orders meant and I knew that they were pulling out all the stops to keep this baby from coming and to prepare her if she did.

This is where I started to lose it just a little. I went from enjoying a normal Saturday with my family to being in the hospital, getting pumped full of IVs (magnesium is NOT fun)trying to keep my 31 week baby inside. God is so good though because right then is when they informed me that my nurse was going to be the same one that was there the day Isaac was born. She is AMAZING! While that news made the tears flow harder they were tears of relief. This was to me the Lord reminding me that His hand was in all that was going on and he was going to take care of both me a Lydia. It took until about midnight, but my contractions finally spaced out and I hadn't dilated past 2 cm. After a long, sleepless night they were able to turn the medication off and I was able to get up and shower. I felt like a new woman. The next few days were pretty uneventful. They continued the IV antibiotics for the UTI while waiting for the culture to come back, finished my steroids to help develop Lydia's lungs, did 2 sonograms (Lydia wasn't doing the "practice breathing" on the first one which is fairly normal at 31 weeks), and discontinued my oral medication that was preventing contractions. When my culture came back saying that I could just take oral medication for the UTI and my contractions had not returned I was discharged home on bed/couch rest until 36 weeks. That was Tuesday night.

Whew.... that was a lot of information. I'm not going to pretend that this has been or is going to be easy. I have had my moments of feeling discouraged. After all we went through with Isaac all I want is a healthy baby. It's hard to understand why this pregnancy has been so difficult. On top of that I still have so much to do before Lydia gets here. I had pretty much completely cleared the calender in July and that was when we were supposed to do everything. Washing baby clothes, painting the nursery, sewing bedding, organizing closets, and making freezer meals were just a few of the things on my to do list. While this is not what I would have chosen I am so thankful for so much and I know this is a part of God's plan. He has shown me that over and over this past week. So many people have already helped us so much and we just can't say thank you enough. From people coming to the hospital, to those that have watched Kadynce, to the wonderful meals, to the prayers and encouragement. We have been blessed by you.

Rainbow Baby and Wonderfully Made Link

If you had asked me a little over a year ago what a "rainbow baby" was I probably would have looked at you like you were crazy.  I would have had no clue what it meant.  Once we learned that Isaac had Trisomy 13 and would more than likely not live long I began to see this term quit often.  When a family had healthy child after an infant loss they many time referred to them as a "rainbow baby."  I found this definition on babycenter.com by a mom named Courtney and I thought it was perfect.

"Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope.
~Courtney

As most you of know we are expecting our "rainbow baby" in a few short months.  I didn't know it was possible to be so excited, yet so nervous at the same time.  We have VBS this week at our church.  I distinctly remember sitting there last year discussing with some friends how I wanted Isaac's memorial service to be.  I remember talking about the songs I wanted played and how I wanted the room to look.  The thought of carrying a healthy baby seemed so far away, like a dream.  Would I want to be pregnant again quickly?  Would people think we were trying to replace Isaac.  Would I be strong enough emotionally?  I read so many stories of "rainbow babies" on different blogs and I think that is part of what carried me through.  Isaac will always be a part of our lives and our family.  I will think about him each day for the rest of my life.  But, Lord willing in about 11 weeks I have will have a sweet new baby to hold.  I just can't wait.

It is time for the weekly Wonderfully Made Link Up.  If you have ever had or are currently carrying a baby with a negative prenatal diagnosis please link up here.  Your story may be just what someone else needs to hear!

Baby #3!

March 11,2011.  A day that changed my life forever. It was a day that I have relived in my mind over and over.  It was the day we were told that the precious life growing inside of me, our son, was very sick.  We were told if he made it to birth he would not live for long.  

July 16, 2011.  The day we met our perfect little boy, Isaac.  A day I never want to forget.  God blessed us with more than we could have ever asked for that day.  Isaac was born alive.  He was moving, making noises, and when he went to be with our Lord he did so without suffering.  

December 13,2011.  The day we found out the Lord had blessed us with a third baby.  He didn't have to, but he did.  Thankful, scared, excited, nervous.  My feelings were all of the above that day.  

March 5,2012. The day we found out the precious life growing inside of me is healthy!  Almost exactly a year after our hearts were shattered by a devastating diagnosis, the nurse said within seconds of looking at the sonogram screen "oh Kacie, this baby looks healthy".  I felt like a could finally breathe again.  

We are so excited and just so thankful for this new little blessing.  I think it really hit me this morning exactly how tough this past year has been when I walked through the baby section at Walmart and for the first time in a year my eyes were filled with tears of joy instead of sadness.  I had almost forgotten that that was possible.  When we posted our good news on facebook the love we received was overwhelming.  Thank you all so much for loving us so well.