Boppi Comes to Help!

My mom came to help us after Derrick was born from Dec 2nd-15th. She was such a HUGE help and we had lots of fun with her in town. At first we were a little concerned about Derrick coming early and her not flying in until later but it ended up being perfect. We loved that special time as our own little family, and I was able to recover enough that by the time she arrived I was up to getting out and doing things (although I will say it was still a bit exhausting at times, but that was just because of the frequent feedings in the night and we tended to stay up later)

First Time Holding Derrick! 

 

Some of the fun things we were able to do:

The first one was Collin running down the hall at the airport to give jump into her arms and give her the biggest squeeze. He was SO excited to see Boppi!

We introduced Boppi to our Gulf Coast beaches. She loved it, especially all the sea shells and colorful the beach houses. We ended up going both Saturday's she was here. First weekend, and Derrick's first beach trip was to Surfside. The next weekend we went to Quintana, where we found lots and lots of sea shells. We brought home lots and I was able to use some to make some ornaments for Christmas presents for my siblings. 
Surfside: 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 Quintana:

 

We took a trip to Pearland one day to go to Bass Pro Shop for our yearly picture with Santa. Collin cried a little, but he was so brave! And then while we were up there we did some shopping :) Collin was a trooper with a late lunch and missing nap!

Mom watched the boys for us one night so Michael and I could go to his work Christmas party. It was a fun evening and nice to have a free babysitter. We ditched the party after the raffles were over to run home, change, and pick up Derrick to play games with some fellow LDS coworkers that were at the party.

 

Since it was Christmas time we made sure to drive around looking at Christmas lights. There is a street in town that does Christmas around the world- each house has a display representing a different country. We also made gingerbread cookies, and some other goodies, decorated the Christmas tree and put up some decorations around the apartment. The biggest highlight for Collin was meeting our Elf on the Shelf, "Bernard". He loved looking for him each morning. And it was actually great bribery since Collin was pushing the limits a little more since Derrick had been born. All we had to do was say "Bernard's watching" and he'd start obeying.

We went to Lake Jackson Seafood one night for dinner. Always a delicious meal!

 

We had our family pictures taken. I was glad we were able to have them done when my mom was around to help us decide on outfits, and get ready and out the door in time ;) That has been one of the big struggles of having another baby- it takes double the time to get out the door. And it often seems that by the time we leave Derrick is hungry again.

The day before Mom left our realtors called to tell us a new house came on the market that they thought we would really like. My mom was excited to go check it out with us. We all loved it so Michael and I went with our realtors to draw up an offer while my mom took the kids home. Little did we all know that it would end up being THE house...OUR house!

 Her last morning we went to one of our favorite ponds to feed the ducks and play. We always seem to gravitate toward the swings at the parks. It was a beautiful day!

Collin loved all the attention he got from Boppi! Since they were sharing a room Collin and Boppi got to read stories together every morning in bed. And would play until Derrick and I rolled out of bed.

It was definitely hard to say goodbye when she left. There were tears from both Collin and I. Its been a hard transition from 1 to 2 kids- the hardest parts being that I have to be up and functioning in the morning no matter how many times I had been up in the night and how long it takes to get out in the morning. By the time my mom left Derrick was nearly a month old and I hadn't had a solo day with both boys, which I am grateful for. It was a little nerve wracking our first full day on our own.

First Week of Derrick's Life

Michael was able to take off work the first week after Derrick's birth until my Mom flew in. It was so nice to spend time as a new family of four. I felt like we were living in our own little bubble. We had some meals brought in by people in the ward, Michael would take Collin out in the mornings for little outings,  we celebrated Thanksgiving, snuggled Derrick and enjoyed quietly adjusting to having a new baby in the family.

 

 Sweet Snuggles

 

Ready to watch the BYU game with dad

 

1st night home and sleeping in the cradle 

 

These little chicken legs were such a novelty for us (compared to Collin as a baby). I love them! 

 

He may not have much hair in the front but he has a bit in the back 

 A swirl in the front just like his daddy

 

He LOVED getting his hair washed, his sponge bath not so much 

 We love Sunday naps! 

Collin liked his new brother but we definitely noticed a lot more tantrums and acting out from him. One night totally out of the blue he whacked Derrick on the head with a toy. Of course Michael and I immediately reacted and Collin put himself in the corner for time out without us having to say anything. Another time I walked a few feet away to grab a pen and I turn around to find Collin trying to pull/lift Derrick off the couch. I intervened in time, but it definitely gave me a little adrenaline rush! We quickly learned that Derrick needs to be buckled if not in our arms. He follows me around the house a lot in his little bouncer seat. This first week Collin went poop on the potty for the first time. Which is awesome! But he also started taking off his diaper during nap time. The first time it happened some how he managed to get his poopy diaper stuck in the foot of his footie pajamas. Which I guess was nice since it contained the mess. He did it a few other times, one time when my mom was here he smeared it all over the place. I was so glad my mom was here to help- I don't know what I would have done without her! I was a little concerned how long this acting out would last but thankfully 3 months later he seems to be doing much better. And the taking off poopy diapers phase has stopped!

Thankfully he has always loved to hold baby brother!

 

Michael and Collin went on a few outings together. One day they went to play a little "soccer" at the park. Another day they went to Target and got popcorn after shopping. The purpose of that trip was to get some more newborn sized clothes for Derrick. We only had probably two little sleepers that size. We definitely didn't run into that issue with Collin, he only wore newborn size for a few days! Michael also took him to get McDonald's for lunch one day. He had some coupons and Collin loved it! It was nice to have some quiet time at home to rest. And one outing they brought flowers home for me. Collin wanted to get purple ones for me. The lilies smelled so good! I am so glad that Collin and Michael were able to have some good bonding time, especially with all the changes Collin was experiencing.

Recovery wise I was feeling much better and moving around faster this time around then with Collin. However on Tuesday (day 3) we had Derrick's first doctors appointment and we looked at a house that afternoon. I think I overdid it and I was definitely feeling it for the next few days.

We celebrated Derrick turning 1 week and hitting his due date on Nov 28th with a little photo shoot with my iPhone on our bed ;) 

Derrick had his first bath on Dec 2nd in preparation for my Mom's arrival that night. His cord had fallen off a few days earlier on Nov 29th. The bathroom was pretty soaked after, thanks to a certain little helper ;)

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving this year (well I guess technically last year) was a simple one. Derrick was only a few days old and some friends in our ward were kind enough to invite us to join their family for dinner. We brought a few dishes, Michael did all the cooking and shopping! Well I guess Collin helped with the rolls :)

 I was kicking myself for forgetting to ask them to take a family picture of us. By the time I remembered I was the only one not in my pj's so Derrick and I posed for a couple pictures. So glad we did or else we would have missed his adorable smile! 

This Thanksgiving I think its safe to say we were all so thankful for Derrick and to be a family of 4! (And I was extremely grateful to not still be pregnant!)

Introducing...

Derrick Alden 

Born Saturday, November 21, 2015

10:35 am

7 lbs 11 oz 20 inches long 

We are so excited to have Derrick join our family! He is such a sweet little guy and we are all in love! Now time for the story of his grand arrival, before I forget any more details. Which now that I have written it out I realize that I still remember quite a bit, even 2 months later. Sorry its a little wordy!

I had a doctors appointment at 37 weeks on November 9th. My doctor checked me and I was already 3 cm, but hadn't effaced yet. I was excited to be progressing, but in the weeks leading up to this I was definitely getting to the "I am done" phase. He was putting a lot of pressure in my pelvic area and giving me so much sciatic pain. It hurt to sit for long but it also hurt to walk. Sleeping was getting more and more uncomfortable. Thankfully though that even if it took me a long time to fall asleep I would at least stay asleep for most of the night. I was going to the bathroom all the time too! At night I could use the bathroom, brush my teeth, finish getting ready for bed and then need to use that bathroom another time before actually getting into bed. I had been having braxton hicks contractions too. I had had them most of the pregnancy, but they were getting a little more frequent, however not really much stronger.

I had another appointment on the 19th, a couple days shy of 39 weeks. This appointment was in Houston and Michael came with me. We brought our hospital bag with us hoping that I would have progressed a lot and she would just want to keep me  (I was delivering at the hospital in Houston). Unfortunately that wasn't what happened. I was still dilated to a 3, but had effaced about 60%. Before my appointment we had decided that we would ask if she would strip my membranes. Thanksgiving was the next week and my doctor was going to be out of town. And with the holiday Michael would only miss a few days of work and we could still have a full week together as a family. My doctor was more then willing and it was quick and painless. We did discuss a possible induction for the 30th (or maybe it was the 1st) if he hadn't come by then. And we scheduled another appointment for Monday the 23rd in Angleton, but she didn't think I would make it to the Monday. I had my membrane stripped when I was pregnant with Collin and he was born within 48 hours. We were hopeful it would have a similar result. I had a little bit of cramping the rest of the day but not much.

The following morning I had my "bloody show". I didn't experience this with Collin so it was a bit of a surprise. Throughout the day I continued to loose more of the mucus plug, but again I was feeling pretty much the same. I did however follow up with our friend's about watching Collin just to make sure they were still on board. And Michael did want me to do jumping jacks just like he had me do trying to go into labor with Collin. Cooking was the last thing I wanted to do so I convinced Michael we should go out, especially since it could potentially be our last night as a family of 3. We went to a local Mexican place, La Casona (which unfortunately just burned down last week. sad!) and then took Collin to the carnival that was set up for the Festival of Lights celebration happening the next day. It was a perfect evening with Collin. He was in heaven going on a couple rides and eating popcorn. I am sure the hormones were playing a role but I was definitely feeling sad and sentimental with how big he was getting and how he wasn't going to be our baby much longer. I shed a few tears as I snuggled and sang to him before bed.

The morning of the 21st I woke up to contractions around 4 am. Similar to Collin's labor contractions started fast and strong. Knowing we had an hour drive to the hospital I woke Michael up around 4:30 and called our friends to come over until Collin woke up around 4:45. By 5 we were on the rode. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute or more. We called to let our doctor know we were on our way so the hospital would be ready for us. Drive wasn't too unbearable, but I was pretty discouraged to discover that they slowed down a bit by the time we got to the hospital. A couple funny things that happened- Michael missed our exit. Thankfully the alternate route was just a couple minutes longer. And around that time I turned around to discover we had forgotten to take out Collin's car seat. Thankfully I knew that these friends just happened to have an extra car seat.

We got to the hospital around 6 and got situated in our room. Our first nurse was Aspen. She checked me around 6:30 and I was 4 cm but still only 60%. She said we could walk around for about 30 minutes before the nurses changed and to see if contractions would pick back up. I was feeling a little discouraged since it still wasn't a done deal that we were staying. However, after just 15 minutes of walking I insisted that we go back to the room. It was getting to unbearable to walk. Michael didn't really like that idea, but there was no way I wanted to walk anymore. My new nurse was Lora. She was great. I do feel lucky to get such great nurses during delivery. She informed us we were indeed staying. She started getting things in order and was great about talking me through contractions. I got my IV at 7:45. My water broke naturally at 8:10. I am pretty sure that shortly after is when I got the epidural. It may have been before. Michael had to leave the room so he wasn't around to write it down. Thankfully it was quick and relatively painless and such a welcome relief from the contractions. I was checked at 8:40 and I was a 6 almost 7 cm. We got a little time to relax but I soon felt like I needed a little more epidural. I pushed the button and the nurse said it takes a few minutes to feel a difference. After a little bit I told her I was feeling alright but there was still this burning/uncomfortable kind of feeling right in the center of my pelvic area. Based on my description she decided to check me again at 9:40 and surprise I was at a 10+! (I do remember responding to a text to some of the girls in my family and saying it was time to push. I later read the reply from my sister in law Tanna, it was something along the lines of who texts right before pushing. Made me laugh and I love epidurals!) She called Dr Hanson and things happened really quickly. They got everything set up, nurses started coming in, and there were a few student observers. I did a couple practice pushes and he quickly moved down into position. I pushed two more times and boom he was born at 10:35! I was totally prepared to push a third time but he just slid out on the last contraction. I was only pushing for about 15 minutes, at most. I did have a 2nd degree tear, I pretty much just tore in the same spots as I did with Collin. Everything progressed so quickly only 6 1/2 hours from start to finish, about 5 hours faster then Collin's labor. There was little down time which was nice, but I am curious (and nervous) about how fast it will go next time.

There really aren't words to describe the emotions of when you first see your baby. Its surreal, exciting, emotional and there is such a strong spirit. Michael cut the cord and they immediately put Derrick on my chest. It was love at first sight. I loved looking up at Michael and seeing him with tears in his eyes too.

It was now time for us to decide on his name. We knew his middle name would be Alden, after my mom's maternal uncle. (A fun coincidence- Derrick was born on my Grammie's birthday. Uncle Aldie's sister and my mom's mom) We were debating between Tanner and Derrick for his first name. Seeing him the name Derrick immediately came to my mind. I didn't want to say anything yet so I asked Michael what he was thinking. When he said Derrick as well we knew it was the perfect name for our little boy!

 

Our hospital stay was pleasant, the staff was all very nice and the food was much better then last time. I loved that they did the majority of Derrick's tests and his first bath right in our room. But they were still willing to take him to the nursery when I requested, especially since Michael slept at home that night. I was feeling much better then I did after Collin's delivery. The epidural may have taken a little longer to wear off, but comfort level was much better and I was moving and walking around a lot more. I did take some pain meds pretty regularly for the after delivery cramps. Those were not fun! Derrick was a natural at nursing and all his tests were coming back with great results. The nurses were so great about moving things along so we could get discharged Sunday night. I was so happy to sleep in my own bed!

 

After his 1st bath

I am so grateful for the Wilcox's willingness to watch Collin Saturday for us. Such a comfort to know he was having fun and in good hands. Michael went home Saturday night to be with him. They went to Sacrament meeting Sunday morning and then came up to meet Derrick. I had sent Derrick to the nursery while I showered and then the doctor came to circumcise him while he was there. So Derrick wasn't in the room when they got there. It ended up working out great. Collin had time to warm up to me in new surroundings. We ate lunch, had some of the "sibling cake" the hospital had for us, and went for a little walk around the halls.

 

When they brought Derrick back Collin was so excited! It was such a precious moment to hold both my boys on my lap and sing rock a bye baby. Those silly hormones made me all teary eyed again. ;) The boy's exchanged gifts- Collin had picked out a little lion that plays lullabies, and Derrick "gave" Collin a puzzle. Michael didn't think Collin need more toys. But I told him its really just an excuse to have something new to keep Collin occupied while I am busy nursing so much. They went back home and Derrick and I had a relaxing afternoon together. 

 

 Family of 4! We couldn't find a nurse to take our picture so this is as good as it gets.

 

Walking Michael and Collin to the elevator. Collin insisted on pushing Derrick. It was a bit of a wild ride and I couldn't help but laugh that this was our new life with a toddler and a baby. 

 I am also grateful for a family in our ward for watching Collin last minute so Michael could come back up to Houston for us to be discharged. Derrick was swimming in his coming home outfit. I learned my lesson thinking that he would be big like Collin. Next time I will buy a newborn size, not 0-3. We folded up the sleeves and pretending that his legs weren't all the way up by the leg snaps. Thankfully he has been able to wear it a lot since then! Collin only wore his a couple times.

 

So happy to be home with this sweet boy! Love how little he looks in his car seat.