Haylee Debra!

It seems like these blog posts always start with some sort of sentence that exclaims how woefully behind I am on posting... this one is no different.    I figure for journaling purposes better late than never, right?

My doctor checked me 3 weeks early and said I was about 3cm and 80% effaced so I was completely prepared  for an early birth.  Then the somewhat regular contractions started 2 weeks early.  Because I was induced with Jorgan, I didn't know anything about natural labor.  I definitely knew what contractions felt like, and I was definitely having them.  There were a few (count them... 3...) times that the contractions were regularly within 2 minutes apart and I was convinced that I needed to be rushed to the hospital, and was.  The wonderful nurses would hook me up to the monitor, let me hang out for a couple hours and drink LOTS of water, and then pat me on the hand and tell me to come back when the REAL contractions started and to drink LOTS or water in the meantime. I thought they were hilarious :)

Well, apparently our sweet baby girl was very comfortable and my due date came and went.  I asked to be induced (I'm weak, I know!) and we headed to the hospital at 7 AM on September 27th.  I was in "BABY OR BUST" mode and very relieved that this time I would be leaving the hospital with a baby.  They had me change, got me hooked up to the monitor and gave me some medicine to kick start labor. I thought that was great because I was already having contractions and thought "Bring it on!"

They had me lay down for a bit so the medicine could work and we didn't have to wait long before it did!  My water broke when I was at about 4cm and that was quite the feeling.  Definitely different than having the doctor break them.  It was exciting!  They asked me if I wanted to walk around for a while and I did, but asked it I could get in the shower to clean up first.  The hot water was heavenly!  I ended up staying in the shower for about an hour.  Collin came in the bathroom with me and we had a great time.  We talked and visited through the contractions (that were really starting to hurt!) I got out of the shower and  got dressed in those cute little hospital gowns and started feeling tons of pressure down there and the contractions were getting super intense.  I told Vikki Henry (Best delivery nurse I could have asked for!) She got me hooked back up to the monitor and about this same time the baby started to have decells (a lot like what happened with Jorgan) and they started to get worried.  Lots of watching, lots of people in and out talking about the possibility of a c-section.  Then Vikki decided to check and see how far along I was.  Keep in mind, the last they had checked was an hour before this so everyone thought I would be close to a 4 still.  Lo and behold I was at a 9!  No one could believe it... I could have told them something was happening!  :)  I was a nervous wreck because I knew after 9 came 10 and then pushing and I still didn't have an epidural yet.  I asked for one and they called the anesthesiologist but he didn't get there in time. About 10 minutes later, and about a minute after Dr. Harrison arrived, I had the most insane, intense urge to push. Three pushes later (with me still begging for an epidural) out popped a perfect little girl.  The entire induction had taken about 3 hours.  Super fast!  She had a ton of dark hair and was as chubby as could be.  Haylee Debra weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 18 inches long.  What a sweet baby she has been!

We named her after Collin's mom Debra (Dub) and I had asked her to be in the delivery room with us so we could surprise her with our name choice.  We called her about the time I had gotten out of the shower to tell her I was still at a 4 and to take her time.  After they checked me again, Collin called to say I was at a 9 and get up there quick!  Needless to say, they walked in right after Haylee was born.  We still got to surprise her with the name and it was so fun!  I love that my girls are named after their sweet, wonderful grandmothers and I hope they will look up to them like I do.

My Jorgan Babe

Yesterday we walked across the street to play on Mary and Gerald's grass and just play outside (our yard is horrrrrrible at the moment!)  and Jorgan was so much fun!  She would run and run and then fall over and pretend to snore and be asleep (the whole time with a HUGE grin on her face) and after a couple seconds of that she would sneak a peek and  make sure I was still watching her, and then pop back up and run some more.  She was having a ball!

Jorgan is so wonderful!  I just needed to write a few lines about how much I love this kid.  She is always so happy and helpful!  She gives THE BEST loves and is so sweet.  I've been thinking alot about how the dynamic in our family is going to change once the little sister gets here and hoping that its not a huge, painful adjustment for Jorgan.  She'll be the best big sister, I'm sure, it just might take her a little while to adjust to having to share the spotlight.  Like any two year old she LOVES to be the center of attention.  In the meantime, I'm trying to spend as much quality time with my "best girl"  and hope that she knows how much we love her!

Moments That Matter Most

This was such a good reminder to me that I need to slow down and recognize and savor alot of the little things in life, especially with Jorgan. It seems like time just keeps going by faster and faster and my priorities need to shift. This is just the kick in the pants I needed!

Life's Tangled!

This movie has taken over our lives!  But that's okay because its not just Jorgan who loves it :)  I think it brought back the "Disney magic" for me- not to mention Mandy Moore sings all the songs which totally takes me back...  Jorgan watches her "pincess" movie at least once a day (does that make me a bad mother?) and I love hearing her belly laughs coming from the living room!  Anyways, if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.  It'll change your life... not really... but I promise you'll enjoy it!

BIG NEWS!

Introducing......

Baby Claridge #2!



Thats right!  We're adding a new little bundle of joy to the family!  I'm due September 25th (so that makes me 13 weeks)  and everything is going great.  Jorgan is so excited to be a big sister!  She LOVES babies and will be such a good helper. 

SNOW!

Just wanted to post these cute pics of my little girly in the snow in Colorado. She LOVED it! She must have her Daddy's genes because I do not enjoy it that much. Of course when I went to take her picture she wouldn't give me the happy little faces she was making approximately one minute before I got my camera out... Sigh... Thus is life. :)

Stop! All this cuteness is making me sick!

Not really... But there is alot of it going on here... :) I came out from getting ready for church Sunday morning (hence the PJs...still...) and this is what I found. How in the world did I end up with such a girly girl?! I love it!