Deacon James

This post is a little delayed...two weeks actually, but better late than never!

We are excited to welcome our new little boy into the family.

Deacon James

Born at 2:33pm

on June 1, 2012

weighing 8lbs 10 ounces

measuring 20 1/2 inches long!

Birth Story:

Deacon was induced.  I was 39 weeks 4 days, and due to all that was going on my doctors agreed to induce me.  The night prior to the induction I planned on getting a good night's sleep - since it would be my last for a while.  When I laid down at 11:30 pm, I started to get contractions.  I was up for the next three and a half hours with contractions every 5 minutes.  They never got closer together, and eventually around 3 am they tapered off so I was finally able to fall asleep. 

We woke up at 6 am and called the hospital to make sure the induction was still on and they told us to come in around 7am.  I was actually quite nervous about getting induced because I had heard horror stories and I really didn't want to end up with a c-section.  When we got to the hospital my contractions had started up again, and when they put me on the monitor they were surprised to see the contractions had already started and were every 5 minutes.  Around 8 am the pitocin had started.  I managed to get through the pitocin contractions for 3 hours, and then at 11:30am I got my epidural, knowing the doctor was coming at noon to break my water.  I didn't know how quickly I'd progress after that so I figured better be safe than sorry. 

After my water was broken and my epidural was in I figured it would be a relaxing few hours until he was born.  Not so much.  Around 1pm Deacon's heart rate started to decrease, not in association with the contractions.  They put me on an oxygen mask and turned off the pitocin.  They also repositioned me to see if maybe Deacon was laying on the cord which was causing the decreased heart rate.  I got really worried becasue I thought here comes the c-section, but Kyle and I prayed at around 1:30pm that everything would be ok and that I wouldn't have to have a c-section, and boy did our prayers get answered.  Not long after that the nurses were comfortable with taking the oxygen mask off and the doctor had them restart the pitocin again...slowly.

Within a half hour I had them check me and I was fully dilated and having the urge to push.  By the time they had gotten everything set up and had the doctor come in it only took two and a half pushes and Deacon was out!  I was surprised when I opened my eyes and there he was!!  I thought for sure I'd need to push a few more times! I am so grateful to God that He allowed everything to go well and that I didn't need a c-section.  I'm also so grateful that the doctors allowed me to be induced so Deacon could spend a few days with my mom before everything started.

 I couldn't believe it when they put him on the scale and said he weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces!!  Both Noah and Grace weighed 8lbs 0oz so I was certain that because he was induced Deacon would be smaller.  The Lord provided in this way showing His divine power by giving us a BIG healthy boy.

Noah and Grace came to meet their new little brother that evening - despite all of the tornado warnings and terrible weather!  They were very excited to meet Deacon, but even more so to see me.  They were climbing all over me, and I didn't mind.  I missed them!  The nurse was concerned about them hurting me, but I didn't care.  If they wanted hugs, I wanted to give them!

 They each took a turn holding Deacon and I saw for the first time what I was in for!  The chaos that filled that room when Noah and Grace were there was exciting and scary all at the same time.

 Kyle was great.  He sat with me during the whole labor and we enjoyed having some "alone" time before Number 3 showed up.  We made jokes, laughed and he encouraged me through each contraction.  Best of all he led us in prayer as we asked for God's hand in a safe delivery.  I'm so happy to have Kyle in my life and for the leader that he is in our family.  When Deacon was born I looked at Kyle and he had tears running down his face.  Since we had 2 nurses (one was orienting) he didn't really participate in the birth so was able to just sit there and watch.  He said with having the 2 older siblings he hadn't thought much about this pregnancy or the little boy on the way so all of the emotions of 9 months of pregnancy hit him at once when Deacon was born.

The next morning I enjoyed some very quiet time with Deacon.  Knowing this would be my only chance to enjoy him one-on-one I soaked in every minute.  I even got a photo shoot in! 

Just Born.

 We originally had planned to name Deacon with the middle name Nathaniel, but with all that is going on with my mom, and all of the prayers people have prayed for her, we wanted to honor that.  We decided to name him Deacon James for James 5:15 - And a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick.  The Lord has already provided so much healing, and we continually pray for more.  We can't wait to celebrate Deacon's 5th birthday, and my mom's 5 years of being cancer free!

Deacon also got to meet Great Grandmom Videon.  Grandmom was born in 1922, Deacon born in 2012.  To see 90 years of family and heritage all in one seat was pretty incredible.  Grandmom was tickled to be able to come to the hospital to see Deacon and I, and we were thrilled to have her.

Finally, here's a picture of my parents with their newest and 6th grandchild. 

Deacon has truly been a blessing.  He is a very laid back and calm baby.  At times I feel like he  is an angel that God sent to calm our hearts during this difficult time.  He has been a great sleeper and very tolerant of his older siblings' "love" and "affection" for him.  I don't feel the sleep deprivation that I usually have with a newborn and for that I am so grateful!

My mom has always said God's timing is perfect, and Deacon is proving that to me everyday.  I didn't understand it all at first, and sometimes I still don't, but I know that Deacon came exactly when we needed him to.  He is a reminder that despite everything that happens the Lord still gives and still provides His blessings and His love.

James 5:15

And a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick.

James 5:16

The prayer of a righteous man is both powerful and effective.

30 weeks!!

2 days ago I reached 30 weeks in my pregnancy

(sorry Deacon, it's been a while since I posted a belly pic)

Posting belly pics, or even taking them is quite a task - so here's my best attempt at a self-timer belly pic

all of my first trimester pregnancy symptoms are now pretty much gone

(whew!)

I've officially entered the third and final trimester

And for fun I calculated it out, all kids combined this is my

109th week of pregnancy!

I now enjoy frequent trips to the bathroom,

waking in the middle of the night with muscle cramps,

and now with this pregnancy the dreaded varicose veins

I haven't gotten any (additional) stretch marks yet...

but I've got 10 more weeks so I'm sure they'll come

and Deacon's movements have gone from somersaults to rolling kicks

- I forgot what it was like to get kicked in the ribs from the inside -

Noah is really excited for Deacon to arrive

his preschool teacher told me that Noah is constantly talking about Deacon at school

and how he's going to have a little brother

and how much he loves Deacon

so cute!

Grace is baby crazy

anytime there is a baby anywhere she wants to see it, touch it, hold it

she loves baby dolls

I'm hoping this will translate into her loving Deacon

and easily transitioning into being a big sister

(one can dream right?)

Amazingly I'm completely ready for this little man to arrive

(I was never this ready with the other 2)

The nursery is all set up

his clothes are all clean and put away

I have enough diapers to last at least the first 6 months!!

and 6 cans of formula - which will hopefully only be supplemental and therefore last 6 months as well

I have a diaper bag with his name on it

The kids have big brother/big sister shirts

We have a photographer ready/scheduled for newborn pics

I even bought a bathing suit (non pregnancy) for me to wear for the summer!

let's just hope I can fit into it quickly

Now in terms of being ready to have 3 kids ages 4 and under......

NOT READY YET!

I have days where I think - how am I ever going to do this?

but I was nervous about how I would handle 2 when pregnant with Grace

and now it seems easy to have 2

I know with time 3 will become the new norm and I'll wonder why I was so concerned

Hopefully I'll be back on soon to update a new blog - atleast sooner than 6 weeks!



24 weeks and counting

Yesterday marked...

24 weeks

A simple photo shoot for the belly turned into a little more.

These little ones make sure they are a part of it all!

Kisses from big brother & sister.

I hope Deacon is ready because he's going to get a lot of love when he's born!

Baby #3's name

We are so excited to announce Number 3's official name. We've had this name picked out for a boy since I was pregnant with Grace & we still love it. It's biblical yet unique, uncommon but not unheard of.

Deacon - to serve; messenger

The middle name is after Kyle's twin brother Nathan. We added the "iel" because it flows a bit better that way.

Nathaniel - God has given

His full name will mean:

Deacon Nathaniel - servant/messenger whom God has given


Meanings of our other children's names:

Noah Matthew - rest/comfort in the gift of God

Grace Christine - the grace of Christ

Here's a picture of the nursery all ready to go!!

Gender Reveal Party!

Is it a boy or a girl???

Tonight we had family over and had a low key party to reveal the baby's gender.  The guests were supposed to come dressed in blue or pink - their vote as to what they thought the baby was going to be.  Only my parents came dressed for the theme - one in pink, the other in blue. 

The food at the party consisted of anything pink or blue that I could find.  We had pink and blue jelly bellies, pink and blue m&m's, strawberries & blueberries, pink oreos (who knew they existed?!) and green oreos (unfortunately no blue, but green still works).  It wasn't exactly the healthiest gathering, but it was fun.

Pretty much everything else we served were cravings that women in the family had while pregnant.

Cheddar sun chips & yorks (my cravings this pregnancy)

Pickle juice (Lauren's craving)

Cherry salad (Kyle's sister Jess's craving)

Pickles (Kyle's moms craving)

Hershey bars (my mom's craving) 

 This piggy bank was at my baby shower 4 years ago when I was pregnant with Noah, and all of the guests signed it.  Now here it is 4 years later still in use and still relevant...how cool is that!

The BIG reveal

I made cupcakes with a 'surprise' inside.  Everyone at the party received a cupcake that when they took a bite the gender of the baby was revealed either through blue or pink filling.

A video of the reveal - it's a little chaotic but you get the idea



My crazy dad!



So yes, we are having a little BOY!!!!!

I am so excited for Noah to be getting a little brother - he SO needs it!  I hope this little guy is tough because he'll NEED to be.  He's got a big brother and big sister that LOVE to wrestle and play.  I will say that  I'm a little sad for Grace that she won't have a sister (yet?), but it had to go one way or the other.  The whole pregnancy we've been thinking boy since this pregnancy feels so much more like Noah's than Grace's. Strange how that works! 

Note: I put the kids in pink to throw people off about whether it was a boy or girl, Kyle and I wore blue!

During the ultrasound I actually saw the evidence that it was a boy, and turned to the sonographer and asked "It's a boy isn't it?" and she brushed over it claiming she hadn't yet checked (we had told her not to tell us but to write it on a piece of paper).  Later when we caved and found out it was a boy the sonographer said "He was a rockstar" because he kept showing off his stuff and she kept trying to hide it from us....oh boy!!

The name coming soon....



20 weeks: Ultrasound!

20 weeks!

Today was one of my favorite days - the 20 week ultrasound! I love this day because it's such an amazing experience.  I am so grateful to God for this precious child.  Unfortunately, I know what it's like to stare at an ultrsound screen desperate for any sign of life only to leave the room in tears so any time I get to watch a living, moving, healthy creation, it's pure joy. All of those hours I've spent nauseated and hanging my head over a toilet just completely disappear. 

The baby is healthy. Amazing.  I was worried throughout the ultrasound because she kept going back to look at the baby's heart, and I didn't see the clear cut 4 chambers I'd seen with my 2 previous babies.  In the end they said everything looked perfect.  I'm obviously not a sonographer so I trust that she and the doctor know what they were looking at and that the baby's heart is perfectly fine. 

Throughout the ultrasound Number 3 constantly had his/her hand next to his face.  It seemed as if Number 3 was trying really hard to figure out how to get that thumb in the mouth.  We even saw during the 4D part Number 3 opening his mouth - much like a newborn that is rooting.  Finally at the end of the ultrasound when they were getting the final profile shots Number 3 finally got that thumb in his mouth and started sucking away. (Apparently sonogaphers can tell when they are sucking their thumb or not --who knew??)  Watching the little one's success made me laugh, which shook the baby, and the poor thing lost his thumb and was back to square one! Poor baby! 

who doesn't love a baby foot right?

Now the big question.  Boy or Girl???

Pregnancy Update...

15 weeks

(Note: picture taken Wednesday December 14th)

Here I am, 15 weeks 4 days today.

This is only the 2nd pregnancy picture I've taken so far (and I can't seem to find the first one). Sorry Number 3.

It really does get less and less with each pregnancy but come on I've got 2 kids to take care of now!

Way back when I was pregnant with Noah life was MUCH different. 

I took naps, I watched tv, I actually read my "your pregnancy this week" emails, I got massages and sympathy.

Pregnancy number 3 rolls around and motherhood has already set in. 

Life  keeps marching on morning sickness or not.

No naps for me! 

Although I am thrilled to NOT be working this pregnancy.

It has truly been a blessing in so many ways!

Last week I started to feel really good, almost normal.

And then, Sunday came and I went right back to my usual routine of sick in the morning, ok mid day, very sick at night.

Ah! I thought I was in the clear!!!

This pregnancy is so similar to Noah's that I will be SHOCKED if we find out it's not a boy!

Speaking of Noah, pregnancy #3 comes with some fun surprises. 

With the first two I didn't have a little guy doing this:

Noah at 15 weeks

He MADE me take a picture of him holding the sign too!

He's such a proud big brother. 

He really seems to be understanding the concept of a baby in Mommy's belly.

In fact this morning as I was throwing up he said

"Mommy what's gotten into you?"

To which I replied "A baby."

And he said "Oh, ok." and walked away.

 I love that kid.

I know he'll be such a great big brother to this little one, because he's already so good with Grace.

He's got such a heart of gold.

Some exciting news

Grace is going to be a big sister!

Yup that's right, baby #3 is in the oven and we are so excited!

Grace actually has no idea what's going on, but Noah seems to really be grasping the fact that there's a baby in Mommy's belly.

He even tells me he's got a baby in his belly!

Noah has told me several times that there's 2 babies in there, but so far we've only seen one! whew!

He also likes to talk to the baby.....and jump on the baby.  That's what big brothers are for, right?

Number 3 is due June 5, one week exactly before Noah's 4th birthday! WOW!