Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Sleeping Standing Up

Poor baby. He has an eye infection, so we had to change the sheets on his bed before he could take a nap. Since he fell asleep on the way home from the doctor's office, John just laid him down on the couch before we got the sheets changed. He did great for a while, and then we heard some shuffling. We peeked over the couch to find this:


Yes, he's standing up ... and sleeping.

He stayed like that for about 20 min before crawling all the way off and onto the floor:



Poor baby!

I'll put up Trunk or Treat pics hopefully tomorrow ...

Monday, October 30, 2006

Homecoming

The kids and I had an excellent trip to Searcy for Harding's Homecoming. They did very well in the car ... Kalleigh's first trip longer than a couple of hours. Stopping to feed her did add 30 min to the trip there and an hour to the trip back, but we made it safely, and that's what matters!

Pics from the car. Yes, I took them while driving. (Now you're wondering how we ever made it safely!)





Fiddler on the Roof was just great! Way to go, Craig and Dottie! Also, great job to all of my relatives in the show: Tara, Logan, and Colin. (Can I count Colin? ... close enough). :)

And Coach Phillips, of course. You totally rock and are the best Russian dancer I've ever seen.

Harding has made so many improvements that have made such a big difference. The Lily Pool is beautiful and so is the Heritage lobby--gorgeous!




Can you believe it?? WOW! And I didn't even get the wall waterfalls on each side as you walk in. Gorgeous.

We went to Mamaw and Papaw's for supper Friday night. It was so good to see them. I snagged a quick picture before we left.


Papaw said, "I believe we could just leave her here!"

And we got to see Keleigh, a friend I coached in CO, and who is friends with Kreg. If you're thinking, "Hey, Keleigh is spelled a lot like Kalleigh," you're exactly right! We spelled Kalleigh's name that way because we liked Keleigh's spelling. So here are Keleigh and Kalleigh:

Kreg, I tried not to rub it in that Keleigh got to see her before you, but ... well ... Neener, neener, neener. ;)

It was a great weekend--just wish John could've been there!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Another week gone by

I can't believe how quickly time is flying. You'd think that with all the late night (or no night) adventures and the very many diapers I've changed, I'd want to hurry on through this phase. But I find myself NOT wanting her to be old enough to smile or hold her head up or whatever the next stage is. It's just going by too fast! I love this infant stage!

Johnathan has been so sweet with Kalleigh. Yesterday, he said out of the blue, "I love Baby Kow-lee! Kow-lee Uh-liz-buff, I love her!" I've heard it said that there is no greater joy than to see your children love each other. Perhaps.

Funny Johnathan story:

We got in the car as quickly as possible. We were at the church building heading home after dropping John off, and it was raining. We did not have our umbrella! I was holding Kalleigh with a blanket pulled over her, holding the car door open for Johnathan and "encouraging" him to get in "RIGHT NOW." As soon as all appendages were out of the way, I closed the door and ran around to the other side and put Kalleigh in her seat. By the time I got in, I was nearly drenched!

We got a few blocks down the road when Johnathan said, "Mommy! I not have my seatbelt on!" Great. I had forgotten to buckle him in before taking off. I pulled over and as I was buckling him up he said, "See? I nudist!" This obviously caught me off guard. "You what?" I asked. "I nudist I not have my seatbelt on!" Hee hee. "Oooohhh, you noticed?" "Yeah!" Silly boy. :)

The other funny thing that took us a while to figure out what he was saying was the song, "Round the Cornis," in Johnathan language. He kept saying that he wanted to listen to "Round the Cornis," and we finally figured out that it was a song from our Xmas dinner theater that we've been rehearsing, "Hope is Just Around the Corner!" He likes to dance to it as well as direct ... just like Daddy.

The directing, not the dancing. ;) Right.

And here are a couple of pictures of Kalleigh ("Finally!" you're saying--don't lie.) from this past Sunday:

This dress and little sweater were Aunt Karla's as a baby. I believe Jina wore it, too, as well as Alissa and Rebekah, and now Kalleigh! I'll bundle them up and send them on to Shawn and Britney's baby when she comes in February. (I've affectionately named her La'Shawnda.)


Here's my girl with the quilt Great-Grammie gave her in the background. Thanks, Gram!


I'm headed to Searcy tomorrow with the kids for Homecoming. Anyone else going to be there?

Monday, October 16, 2006

Three Parts

PART 1: Momo's visit

We had a nice time with John's mom here. She was the one to greet Johnathan every morning and help keep him from waking us up while we recovered from the previous night's lack of sleep! She kept all of the dishes clean. She fixed us French toast one morning and had the coffee ready every morning! She ironed Johnathan's shirt for Sunday morning. She took turns with diaper duty for both kids. And she was always glad to love on Baby Kalleigh--isn't that the most fun job of grandmothers?

Thanks, Momo, for all your help last week. We appreciated it!

Here are a couple of pictures during her visit:




Look at that fluff of a dress! I love it!

PART 2: The Terrible Twos

It's really been difficult lately. I know it's normal with the new baby, but it's so hard! We got ANOTHER report from his teacher today at school that he had been hitting and kicking many of the other children. Then his teacher told us that he was bothering another little boy, so that little boy bit him on the finger. Great. There's something else for him to learn. I thought going to school was a good idea, but I'm starting to question it about now because of all the bad habits he's picking up.

That being said, how appropriate are these next two pics?!





PART 3: 2nd PKU

I took Kalleigh in today for her 2nd PKU. It's the awful one where they stick the baby's heel and squeeze all of the blood out of her foot while she screams at the top of her lungs while looking into my eyes with this look of absolute betrayal as I hold her down and tell her it's okay. While doing this, I had a flashback to when I had to hold 7 month old Johnathan while the dentist pulled his tooth that was sticking straight out because Johnathan had thrown a tantrum and knocked it that way. Again, it was awful.

Then there are the shots. They go through different stages. First it's the stage where they have no idea what's coming, sort of like Kalleigh's PKU today. They're happy, cooing, looking in your eyes with love and admiration, and then, "Woah! What was that???" And the screaming begins, accompanied, of course, by the look of emotional trauma because you, the mommy, have just betrayed her.

Next is the stage where Johnathan was at his 2 year old check up and vaccinations. He knew the word "shot," but wasn't quite sure what it meant. I had told him that it might hurt a little, but that it would be all done soon and he would get a sticker. When the needle came out, he looked at it doubtfully, unsure of what would happen next, and then, "Oh man! That hurts!!!" And the sobbing began, accompanied, of course, by the look of emotional trauma, because you, the mommy, failed to tell him just how badly it would hurt.

Next is the stage that I have not experienced yet, so I'm not as equipped to explain the agony as those of you who have been or are going through this stage. But this is the stage where they know exactly what's coming and they cry all the way to the doctor's office, and fall apart before they are even called back to see the doctor, sobbing, "No shot! No shot!" so loudly that all the other mother's cover their children's ears and hold them close to comfort them. Then when you actually get in there and get the shot, it's not nearly as bad as the child made it out to be in the first place and they go out of the doctor's office wearing their sticker as a heroic medal and can't wait to show everyone their battle wound, the Band-Aid. Is this anywhere close to being right?

I'm also convinced that it is just as bad for the mom as it is for the child. When Johnathan had his PKU, we both left in tears, just like we did after his 4 week shots. As the mother, I know that this is the best thing for the child; I'm so thankful that we have the preventive medicine that we do. But it's just so hard to watch your child suffer!

And that brings us back to the Father. I'm convinced that sometimes God allows us to go through hard times knowing that we will be stronger and healthier afterwards. It's not to punish us. He's our heavenly father! What father enjoys watching his children suffer? No way! It's agonizing to watch our children in pain! And just like we are there to hug and kiss and comfort our children after those "mean ol' shots," God is there to comfort us when we have gone through our own trials.

Thank you, God, for continuing to open my eyes to learn more about You by growing my understanding about what it means to be a parent!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Numbers

10--the number of Kalleigh diapers we went through a couple of nights ago
1 to 4--the am hours she was awake that same night, uh, morning (time is so relative)
2--the average number of new diapers needed for each Kalleigh diaper change
4--the number of Kalleigh outfits needed yesterday
3--the number of times we've changed Johnathan's sheets this week. He's not potty training, he's just peeing A LOT
2--the number of days I have until I start keeping Baby Nathan again in the mornings
3--the number of packages of newborn and size one diapers we've been through since bringing Kalleigh home

It's tiring, but it's all worth it!! I absolutely love this little bundle sleeping on a pillow on my lap right now. Johnathan is so sweet with her! Yesterday morning, I went out on the back porch swing to nurse Kalleigh, and Johnathan poked his head out the door. He had just woken up. It was a little chilly outside, so I asked him if he wanted to wrap up in his blanket and come sit with us. He did, and I enjoyed the next few quiet minutes swinging and cuddling with my two kiddos. This is life, and I love it!

PART 2: Desitin, anyone?

This happened about 5 minutes before we were headed out the door. Needless to say, we were late. :)

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Home for a week

We've been home for a week and a day now, and it's been great. Mom cooked every meal (unless we ate out) and did every bit of laundry. I really miss her! Kristi got in Sunday night and got to stay until Tuesday when she and Mom drove back to AR together.

Kalleigh is a very content baby--thank goodness! She cries when she's poopy, hungry or cold, and those are easy to fix. She's happy to sit in her bouncy chair and look at the cool patterns on the sides for long stretches of time. She is a very efficient eater, I've decided, because she doesn't eat for very long, but her tummy gets so full--it looks like a little puppy tummy right after it's eaten--all full and round!

And she has plenty of poop to prove she's eating enough. Sandi, I totally understand what you were saying about just not being able to keep up with the poopy diapers to prevent diaper rash. Yep, she has it. And we've gone through 3 packages of diapers in these 8 days at home, so it's not like we just let her sit in it. Some of these diaper changes involve up to 3 diapers because as soon as we get the clean one on, "SQUIRT!" and she's poopy again. (Isn't that sound so distinctive?)

I'm learning what projectile poop is. Johnathan never did this. Of course, his was projectile pee. But projectile poop only happens in the slight moments between having the old diaper off and the new diaper on--we're talking 1-2 seconds. I'll leave the rest up to you to figure out. :) Let's just say hooray for carpet cleaner ... "hooray."

Okay, here are some pictures of her during the first week at home:


Are you seeing this auburn hair?? My guess is that it will change, but who knows? John and I both have a tiny bit of red is our hair, so I suppose it's possible. Also her eyes aren't as blue as Johnathan's were as a newborn. We may have a hazel eyed, auburn hair little girl on our hands!

You be the judge. Who does she look like?

Daddy?


Mommy?


Johnathan?


Outside on the swing


Nana


Aunt Kristi


All ready for church! Thanks, Kisti, for the beautiful dresses!


One more hooray for her cord falling off last night! That's always a good thing.

John's mom is here for the next few days, so we'll be glad to have some more help around the house!

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Kalleigh Elizabeth--the facts and the story

For those of you who want just the facts, here you go:

Name: Kalleigh Elizabeth Hodges
Birthdate: October 2, 2006
Time: 12:35 am
Weight: 8 lbs. 8 oz.
Length: 20 in

Now for those of you who love the details, get ready!

An introduction:
I had been waking up at 5:30 am Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings for no apparent reason. This should have clued me in that I was close! Sunday was John's birthday, so I decided to use up some strawberries and make a pie ... before church. With that done, I got ready, fixed breakfast and got Johnathan ready. We headed to church just like every other Sunday morning. Very normal. People kept asking me the same types of questions that everyone asks, "Have you not had that baby yet?" "Are you just about to pop?" "You had better have that baby fast, 'cause you've run out of room!" "Are you so ready?" And I gave the answers they wanted to hear. I was actually thinking, "Well, I still have a few things to do around the house, so no, I'm really not ready." "Acutally, I don't feel all that awful, so I'd be okay with waiting a few more days." It seemed strange to me that I didn't feel ready when I knew I would be induced in just a couple of days.

After church we went to Johnny Carino's for John's birthday. We ate VERY well, and enjoyed a yummy chocolate dessert afterward! When we got home, Johnathan went down for nap and I made John's birthday cake.

We went to Bible Study at 6:00, and I brought the strawberry pie. While at life group I had a couple of contractions that were strong enought that I needed to breathe through, but they weren't close together at all, so I chalked it up to having a busy day.

We got home and put Johnathan to bed and started getting ready for bed ourselves. I kept having mild contractions, but again, they weren't too strong and not too close together. We decided to watch a little TV.

Labor:
Well, around 9:00, I started telling John when the contractions were coming, and sure enough, they were 4-5 minutes apart. Now with Johnathan, my contractions were 2 minutes apart before we headed to the hospital where they told me I was a whopping 1 1/2 cm and then sent me home. I was not about to be sent home again, so since I could still breath through them, I stayed put. Sundays are always busy, so I just knew that if I lied down or sat in a warm tub that they would slow down. I got in the tub and sure enough, I had a nice 8 minute stretch without a contraction. "See," I thought, "I just needed to calm down. I'm sure they'll go away." Another thing that influenced my decision-making process was that I had a friend who had gone to the hospital just the night before with close contractions after a busy day, and had been sent home because they fizzled out.

Well, around 11:00, the contractions were getting significantly stronger and I had decided that we really ought to go on to the hospital. I called Mom and told her that we were headed that way, so if she wanted to pull an all-nighter, to go ahead and get in the car. She did, of course. Then, since John and I are excellent procrastinators, we STARTED packing! No, HE started packing. I couldn't move very well. At about 11:30, I was really struggling through each contraction, but they were still only like 4 min apart. My biggest fear was that I was in all of this pain and they were going to tell me that I was only a 2! But it didn't matter. I had decided that we WERE going to the hospital and that I WAS going to have an epidural, and any other thoughts I had had in the past regarding wanting a natural labor were totally ridiculous. I knew I would never make it through several more hours of this kind of pain! Then I had a little meltdown about what an awful mommy I was for having to wake up my 2-yr-old and send him to another home for the night. Labor hormones ... wow.

We finally got on our way at 11:45 and headed into town. We dropped Johnathan off around midnight and began the drive to the hospital. I was in significant pain and at every red light, I yelled, "Run it! Please run it!!" John did so, for he knew that even though it was a potential threat to his life to run a red light, it was a guaranteed threat to his life not to listen to his laboring wife. He was so good. :)

Oh yeah, and my water broke in the car somewhere along the way. Wow. Really gross.

We got there, after what seemed like an eternity, but really only took about 10 min. As we were getting out of the car, these two ladies said, "Aw ma-yan. Is shay goin' intuh lay-ber?" (We life in East TX, remember.) I just rolled my eyes as we shuffled by. We went in the ER, like they told us to, and someone soon got a wheelchair for me. "I want my epidural ASAP!" I moaned. Then they started asking me all these questions! Like I could think straight ... good grief. We HAD pre-registered, so that shouldn't have been an issue. Then they had a couple of nurses take me up to the 4th floor. We headed around the first corner, and one of them turned a door handle that was locked. "Uh-oh," he said, "I'm not sure how to get there if we don't go through that door." I yelled, "NO!! WE HAVE TO GET THERE NOW!!!" Amazingly, they did find another way. We headed up the elevator and into the room.

The three nurses who were working that night were in the room and had all of the delivery equipment set up. "That's good," I thought. They gave me a gown and told me to strip down and put the gown on. John was helping, and after one unsuccsessful attempt to put the gown on, I threw it down in frustration and told him to do it right next time. Poor guy. Like I said, he was so good to me even when I was ugly to him! The second attempt was successful.

I got back to the bed and crawled up. The nurse checked me and said, "Well, you're at an 8." WHAT??? No way. I was instantly crushed because I knew I wouldn't have time for an epidural. I was coming unglued with every contraction. John and I had practiced our breathing because I had had such a strong feeling just a few weeks ago about doing this naturally, so I tried really hard to breathe through each one, but it was too hard not to yell ... a little ... okay a lot.

Delivery:
Like 5 minutes after she checked me the first time, I was yelling, "I NEED TO PUSH!!" She checked me again, and said, "Yeah, you're a 10, but you don't need to push right now because the doctor's not here." WHAT??? That was the most ridiculous thing I had heard all night. "No, I HAVE to push!!" The nurses were all scurrying around looking a bit frantic. Finally one said, "Okay, ladies, I'm going to have to catch this baby right now" and she sat down on the side of the bed for a side catch. I could feel Kalleigh's head coming down the canal and yelled, "SHE'S RIPPING ME IN HALF!" The nurse sat down on the edge of the bed and told me it was okay to push ... like I needed her permission. I pushed with everything I had, and heard John say, "The head's right there!" So I gave it another good push and her head was out. They suctioned her mouth out and told me to push again with the next contraction. I should mention that there were no sterile pads or a little curtain draped over me, they didn't have time to change my bed around and get my feet in stirrups, and I had absoluetly NO pain medication. So, I was hold my own legs back to push! For the push for the shoulders, another nurse came around and grabbed my leg and pushed my knee back to the next zip code and said, "Okay, NOW push!" That's all it took, and Kalleigh was in the world. Still no doctor! 12:35 am.

The nurse cut the cord and they took Kalleigh over to get her cleaned up. I noticed that the cord was still hanging out of me, so I asked if I needed to push it on out. "Well," she said, "Maybe we can wait to do that when the doctor gets here." "Yeah right," I thought, and with the next contraction, willed the thing out. "Oh, well, there it is," said the nurse. :)

THEN the doctor came to see what was leftover and to stitch me up--I needed 2 or 3, I think is what he said. Then he left and it was all over.

I couldn't believe how fast it all happened and how close I came to having that baby in the car! I had no idea I was that far along! And it was such a huge difference from my experience with Johnathan where I had an epi at 3 cm and then dozed off and on until they told me it was time to push, after which I said dreamily to John, "Let's do it again!" And then this time when I knew exactly when I needed to push and felt like my body had been totally destroyed right afterwards!

I wasn't looking for a brave war story when I had thought about doing labor naturally, but I sure ended up with one!

So, a 3 1/2 hour labor was all it took this time around. Whew! Here are a few pictures from the hospital. Thanks for all of your prayers! She's a perfect little girl in every way!