The Birth of Isabelle Mae pt. 1

       The story of my VBA2C (vaginal birth after 2 cesarean sections) begins with the birth stories of my 2 c section babies.
       Connor is my first baby, now 4 almost 5. When I was pregnant with Connor, I had no idea that I needed to be educated about birth. Women have been doing this forever, right? Why do I need to take a class? I can just wing it. Well, Connor came at 35 weeks, and not because I went in to spontaneous labor. When I was 35 weeks, I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and a suspected pulmonary embolism. My doctor came in armed with the anasthesiologist to talk to me about induction, or talk me out of it I should say. They told me that they could induce me, but I would just end up needing a c section anyway, and I would be exhausted. He then proceeded to tell me about his wife who was up and walking around the neighborhood days after. "It's no big deal." So, I agreed to the c section. Well, after my c section I ended up in the ICU for 3 days, and my baby was taken to the NICU for 9 days. It was the most heart wrenching experience. I had 10 blood transfusions due to hemorrhage, and I didn't hold Connor until he was over 24 hours old. We weren't sure more kids were in our future.

     Fast forward 15 months, and a new doctor. I loved my doctor with Austin. He was comforting, and believed in me. BUT, he didn't allow VBACs. Honestly, I didn't really care. I had a lot of anxiety throughout my pregnancy with Austin. Constantly checking my blood pressure and praying the events of the repeat c section didn't turn out the same. I can honestly say that Austin's birth was pretty healing. Recovery was so much easier, and I was able to nurse him as soon as we were in recovery together. I still hated the fact that I wasn't the first person to love on my baby.

      Isabelle Mae

     When I got pregnant with our Izzy Mae, I hadn't even thought about the birth. I assumed I would have another c section until my first appointment at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. The doctor asked me if I wanted a VBAC or a repeat c section. I immediately blurted out VBAC! When I left the appointment I called Adam and told him we were having a VBAC and I needed to interview doulas. When I got home I started with the research. I did hours and hours of research over the 9 months. We weighed the risks vs benefits and educated ourselves. When I met with Christine, our doula, I knew before she even left my house that she was my doula. She was there for me from 10 weeks on. She quieted my doubts and fears and was there for me every step of the way. I had doubts, and there were moments that I was afraid of what could happen. I silenced the doubts, and I knew if I was going to do it, then I needed to mentally be in it 100%. I took a birth class with Christine, and we decided to have a natural birth. I knew moving around as much as possible would better my chances for a successful VBAC.


TBC..

California

     It has been a long time, but we finally got a new, working computer, so I can keep family and friends updated again. Not that facebook doesn't update enough.

    Recruiting Duty is OVER. Over. DONE. The day Adam checked out, it seriously felt like the cloud that had been hovering over us for the past 3 years disappeared. I won't count the ways that Recruiting Duty sucked, but it was the ultimate suck. I'm so proud of us for getting through it. I know HE was the recruiter, ya'll, but you just don't even know. The long days/nights/stress.. ugh. Moving on.
    We made it to Temecula, CA! I absolutely love it here. Temecula is about a 55 minute drive to work for Adam, but our home is gorgeous. I can see the mountains from the kitchen window. We have a window seat in our kitchen that I sit on, sip my coffee, and watch Connor and Lilly run around our amazing back yard. The weather is incredible, and the beach really isn't that far. Not something we could do every day, but it won't be a problem for day trips. I'm just genuinely happy here so far. I wanted to go back to Lejeune, but now that we are here I am happy. The trip here was actually not bad at all. The boys did fantastic. Minus the fact that Austin got some random bug the night before we left. Waiting for TMO wasn't awesome either, but it's all kind of a blur now that we are settled. I will get pics up soon. I haven't really been on the computer much or anywhere besides enjoying the weather and settling in.
    Adam checks in to his unit Wednesday, and I know he is nervous but ready to get back in the grind. It's been nice having him home, but we all thrive on routine, so it'll be good to get back to the routine we were in before. Except, maybe he'll actually be home before 9 p.m.?
The boys are great. Connor is loving the yard and space in the house. He runs and runs and runs. His cuddling at bedtime phase is finally over. Well, I say over, but really I had to work at it. Literally, every single night for FOUR months, we had to "cuddle" with him. Eventually, he didn't just want us to lay with him, but he wanted to lay ON TOP of us. Uhm, no. I love my children, but I also love my husband, and sometimes it would take Con hours to fall asleep. And on top of that, he would wake up several times a night because he lost the ability to fall back asleep without us. Last week, Adam and I had enough, so I started slowly by just kneeling by the bed and holding his hand. The next night I sat on the floor without touching him, and then the next night I told him I was just going to sit outside of his door. He wasn't thrilled the first couple of nights I sat outside of his door, but now I can just leave with a kiss! I also started a strict routine of brushing teeth, reading "Goodnight Moon," and he has a giant Mickey and Lilly in his bed. I also have a song on my phone I play while we read, and then I put my phone outside of his door with the song playing.. because I'm sitting there ;) Whatever works.
Austin is teething. I mean, he's been teething for like a month. He got one fang, and then he got his big front tooth, and now he has the other front tooth and second fang coming in. Really, though? he can't catch a break, he's miserable, and so are the rest of us. His naps are about 30 minutes, BUT he started sleeping through the night! Say, what?! It is fantastic. He crawls, pulls up, says "dada" and "mama" and blabbers all day long. His personality is so sweet and funny. He tries so hard to keep up with Connor too. I can't wait to see them play more.
I joined a gym, and I'm trying to be healthier while still "living." I want to work out and eat right, but I also want to enjoy myself... and have some cake. ok ok, beer. I like beer. :) I feel better already though, so that's a plus.  I have started tracking and counting my macros, which is basically flexible dieting. I eat healthy the majority of the time, but there's room for a cheeseburger if I'm feelin it.
Anyway, I'll try to keep the blog updated more!

What we've been up to..

   While we are STILL working on getting our computer(s) to work,Yeah, we have multiple computers that hate us, this post is being typed on my iPhone. Wonder why I haven't updated in forever? Because typing up a blog post on my phone is all kinds of obnoxious... Yet here I am. Everyone is in bed, so I just figured I would update our life. 

     Halloween and thanksgiving have come and gone. Austin is 6 months and Connor is 2.5. These boys are amazing. Halloween was so much fun this year.A was tigger and C was Peter Pan. I wish I had been more creative. Every year I say im going to get creative, and then it sneaks up on me. C could have cared less if he was a princess as long as he got candy. It was absolutely adorable to see him say "twick or tweet!" A just fell asleep in the Ergo! Ha. Thanksgiving was nice. Just the 4 of us! Adam cooked our entire meal. Including the 2 pies with homemade pie crusts. Uhm, keeper? :) yes. We are staying in Houston for Christmas as well. Kind of sad we won't see family, but looking forward to new traditions. We are moving to Cali in February and it would just be too much. Adam gets promoted to staff sergeant in January too :) yay! So proud of him. I am so looking forward to Cali and NOT being on recruiting duty. 

      As for Austin. He's doing awesome. At his 6 month appt, he was 16.5 lbs and 26.5 inches long. He's between 35-45 percentile. Smaller than Con, but also breastfed. Yep, we are still breastfeeding and lovin it! We just started solids. He really loves sweet potatoes. I have been making his food and also doing baby led weaning. He seems to enjoy food, but is definitely a boobie baby. He is sitting up and saying dada! He is so happy and sweet, and he loves to be worn. My next post is going to be a post all on babywearing. I've had a lot of mamas ask me questions, so i think I'm going to dedicate a post to it for some information :) it can be a bit overwhelming, so id love to help if i can. That pretty much sums up the life of the hills lately! Nothing super exciting. Just lovin our minis and enjoying the Holidays :)

4 months!

Okay, I am blogging!? Our computer charger broke, so I haven't been getting on the computer. Yeah, this is being typed on my iPhone so bare with and don't expect a long post.

  The other day I was breastfeeding while babywearing my cloth diapered baby, and I was cooking dinner with coconut oil. I had to stop and say,"who the hell am I?" Really.. I did that. I have gotten really awesome at multi-tasking and being weird, I mean crunchy. Okay, weird.
  I am very proud to announce that we are still breastfeeding, and Austin is super healthy! At his 4 month appt he was 15 lbs and 25 in long. It is amazing to know that he is growing because my body is providing the nutrition he needs. As I LOVE it! It is an incredible bond, but really it is so easy! Here is a boob. No bottles or formula to pack in the diaper bag. I have nothing against formula, I just love the convenience of my boob containing the milk. Getting through the first couple of months is key to success. I swear Austin nursed constantly, not to mention our rocky start. But I haven't pumped in weeks! I did give him a bottle to make sure he took one the other day though. My mom is coming for the USMC ball and he needs I take a bottle. He takes it! Looks at me like wtf, but drinks it! I pumped a lot in the beginning so I have over 200 oz in the freezer. I was worried about over supply tho, so I just stopped. Plus, pumping sucks. My goal was to feed from the tap and we are doing it ad doing it well.
  As for the babywearing shenanigans. Yep, I'm obsessed with wearing my kids (Connor likes it too) and I love the pretty wraps! We are having so much fun with it. I am positive that I am so annoying, but I don't even care. Wearing A allows me to do fun things with C. We bake cookies, dance, have pillow fights, read.. All the while A is passed out on my back! L-o-v-e. Love.
  Connor is potty training still. This is hard. If he's naked, he will go potty, every time. If he is wearing underwear, guaranteed poopy pants. So, he's naked all day. I'm trying to come up with something to prevent poopy pants, but For now he just runs around with no pants on. I think our trip to VA kinda threw him off too. Meh. As long as he is potty trained before kindergarten!
  I will update more on our lives later, tho I'm sure the copious amounts of pictures I post on FB and Instagram are enough! 😊

Austin is 2 months!

    Austin was 2 months old on Sunday, and today we had his 2 month checkup! First off, I cannot believe he is already 2 months (9 weeks today)! I feel like I just had him, and the time is flying even faster than it did with Connor. I am very happy and proud to say that we are still breastfeeding. Yeah, I know it has only been 2 months, but that is our first milestone! I stopped breastfeeding Connor around 5/6 weeks for a bunch of different reasons, but this time we are still going strong, despite our difficulties in the beginning. Breastfeeding is hard, ya'll. I haven't met one mom who has said it has been easy peesy from the start. Austin was 11 lbs 8 oz and 22.5 inches long today :) That is 2 lbs gained and 1 inch growth from his 1 month appointment. Technically, 30 ounces, but whatever. That is about 1 ounce a day which they said they like to see them gain about 1/2 an ounce to 1 ounce a day. SO, Austin is right on track! He is about in the 40th percentile for everything. Height, Weight, Head size. Perfectly proportionate! I stopped pumping and bottle feeding right after his 1 month appointment, and he has obviously been an efficient eater. I pump once a day, at night, since he goes longer in between feedings, and I want to drain the girls. So, I have stored over 200 oz of breastmilk... that I have hardly used at all. Yikes. Saving a lot for the Marine Corps ball in November though, since we are staying over night.

   Austin has been SO interactive lately. He really coos and giggles at my voice. I love that little smile, and I love that his personality is really starting to shine through. I think he is going to be more laid back but goofy like his big brother. Connor is 'go, go, go' constantly, so I'm curious to see how Austin is. He loves Connor, and Connor absolutely loves Austin. He calls him "brudder" and still says "Aushtin." It is precious. It is still hard with 2, haha, and I am not sure when it gets easier. I really feel stretched thin between the 2 boys. I am trying to balance the time, but Austin is super demanding where Connor is really independent. Though, Connor still wants me to play and watch him do things. Nursing sessions have gotten better, Austin typically goes 2 hours, sometimes 3 in between feedings, so I can play more with Con. Getting out of the house is quite the challenge. Last Friday we went on a playdate with our friends Kelly and Brady who is Con's age. They had a blast, and I was able to leave the house and have Austin sleep the whole way. He nursed in the ring sling during the playdate, and he did great during lunch too. But, it took us OVER AN HOUR to leave. It was an hour away from home, and I tried to feed him before we left, but he was tired and fussy. It was super stressful sitting in the car for over an hour trying to feed him and then get him to sleep. I definitely forgot how hard road trips are with a little baby.Yeee. But, we are figuring it out, and each week gets a little easier.

   Connor is doing awesome! He is SO big. He holds conversations with us, and still LOVES his daddy, or Adam, as he calls him. Haha. Adam hates it, but what can ya do? Connor has really good manners, and is a really good kid. He is so so busy, but I love it. His favorite things are Mickey Mouse, building things, his motorcycles, singing songs and his daddy. He loves to swim and play outside, and he is just such a fun guy. FULL of personality. I love this kid! We haven't officially started potty training yet. I haven't decided if I want to start now or wait until after our 2 week visit to Virginia in August. I might go ahead and buy big boy underwear and start introducing the potty more. He has gone a lot on the potty, and he knows what it is for, but he still likes those diapers. Ugh. I am over changing his big butt, though! haha.

Well that's how our life has been going this past month :) Enjoy some sweet pics of my boys!

A new adventure.

   Quite a lot has changed in my life since the last post! Austin is now 7 weeks old and such a little joy. He is a really happy baby with a lot of gas! Better out than in, I say, but really, I am nervous he is going to rip one in public. I don't think anyone will believe it is him. haha. He has been sleeping really well for the most part. He sleeps from about 7 or 8 - 10 or so, and then he goes back to sleep until about 2, and then sleeps until about 5 or 6. So, I'm only technically getting up once at night. I roll over to nurse him in the morning (so convenient). Breastfeeding is going really well. Better. Austin has gotten really efficient with his feedings. He can eat in about 20 minutes and eats about every 2 hours during the day. I've been out in public quite a few times with him and have gotten really comfortable nursing in public. Now that he is getting older, I am more comfortable going out with the 2 boys. Today we had a play date with my friend Tressie and her kids, and next week we are going to meet up with Kelly & Brady. I, of course, feel super guilty that Connor has been stuck at home all summer. Adam and I went and bought him a big pool last weekend and he loves it! I know that the guilt is something all moms go through, but I am getting much better with dividing my time. At only 2, Connor is really understanding. He understands when I need to hold/feed/console Austin. He helps as much as he can, and he just loves his brother so much. I knew he would be a great big brother, but he surprises me daily with how incredibly sweet he is to Austin. I love them more than life. It is really an amazing thing, how your heart expands when you have your second child. I never knew I could love 2 tiny humans as much as I do. After Connor, I couldn't imagine loving another child as much as him, and you just do.

   In other news, Adam got his orders. Camp Pendleton, California. He called me on Tuesday and asked me if I was in a good mood. I said, "sure.." and he proceeded to tell me that he got orders to Camp Pendleton. We have a house in Camp Lejeune, NC, and we were told that after recruiting duty, he got his pick of where his next duty station would be. LIES. Talking to him I tried to hold my shizz together. That's what we military wives do. Never let our husbands see us fall apart. He could hear my voice crack, and I told him I was okay and would talk to him later. I got off the phone with him, cried for a few minutes, put my big girl panties on, built a bridge and got over it. The more we talk about it, the less dread I feel and the more excited I get. I have only heard wonderful things about Camp Pendleton. 60s/70s all year round, tons of stuff to do for us and the kids, and the beach! Yes, we are literally an entire country away from family, but we knew it was a possibility. And in good news, I am closer to my bff, Lauren and my godbaby :) But, yeah, that is huge news. We will be pcs'ing in late February/early March. Adam getting his orders means that recruiting duty is almost over. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel!! What a relief.

Oh. I signed up for Weight Watchers as well. Going good. Down 5 lbs in the first week and can zip and button my pre- pregnancy jeans!! Yeehaw!

Ill leave you with some snapshots of my boys! Enjoy the sweetness.

Life with two

     I'm still figuring out this mom of 2 thing. Juggling a 2 year old, a newborn, diaper bag, and keeping my sanity is no easy task. Yesterday, I locked my keys in the car at Kroger. Luckily I had both boys out of the car though. It was 100 degrees outside, so inside my car it was way hotter. I would have busted a window if I had to, but they were both safe with mommy. Thank God. Today, I had my 6 week postpartum checkup. I don't know what I was thinking, but I figured it would be a quick, "hey look your scar is fine" and we'd be done. No, I had an exam. With both boys in the room with me. Getting there alone was enough hassle. I didn't allow myself enough time to get ready. Word of advice: allow at least 2 hours to get ready and out of the house. I needed to leave the house at 9:45. Austin woke up to nurse at 7:30, Connor woke up to eat breakfast around 8:15. I got in the shower at 8:30.. Austin was crying&Connor was crying b/c he wanted me to open a bottle of lotion (while I was in the shower), so I showered in all of 5 minutes, opened the bottle of lotion? and grabbed Austin. He was hungry, so I threw on the ring sling and nursed him while I started blow drying my hair. When I went to get Connor's clothes for the day, I heard him cry because he touched my straightener even though I told him not to because it is hot. He knows what that means. He has been burned before when he climbed up Adam's motorcycle while it was still hot. Anyway, I changed him, burped Austin and quickly finished getting ready. Which resulted in me looking half homeless. Leggings, blouse, hair in a bun, shoes half on, and funky makeup. Oh well! The boys are ready. I learned my lesson on allowing more time to get ready. Finally, we were off. I kept my cool b/c I know kids feed off of your energy and acting stressed would only make it worse. Luckily, I snatched the Ziploc bag of lactation cookies I made last night. I took the umbrella stroller for Connor and carried the car seat b/c the doctors office is too small for the double stroller, and wearing Austin wasn't an option given the dr apt was for me. Talk about hands full of kids. We were only 5 minutes late, and I'm glad we were late b/c we had wait 20 minutes in the waiting room. When we finally got back to the exam room Connor was 4 cookies deep. I walked in and realized I was getting an exam. Oh God, seriously?? Austin was nursing, and Connor was 6 cookies deep when the doctor came in. I nursed the entire time, and Connor was a perfect angel since by the time we left he had eaten about 8 lactation cookies (the entire bag). By the time I gt home, I wanted to pass out on the couch, but it was only noon. NOON. Con and Austin both were hungry, so I fed them both, got Con down for a nap, & scarfed down lunch before Austin wanted to eat again. And now he is eating while I write this post.

Austin isconstantly nursing still, so I had to figure out a way to nurse him hands free-ish. I ordered a ring sling, and if you are a mom of 2 with a toddler and nursing, I highly recommend one. I can throw on the sling, and throw Austin in it to nurse without feeling like I'm going to lose an arm. I typically hold his head just to give him some comfort, but it takes the weight off of my arm while I am making Connor a sandwich or chasing him down. Con has been really good with "Aushhtin" still. He is a big help, and if Austin is crying he says, "It's okay baby, it's okay." Despite the craziness each day brings, I am constantly reminded of my blessings. Thank God for my boys. All 3 of them.