Mylee Paige

 

 

Our sweet baby girl finally made her appearance November 13th, 2012 at 12:32pm! She weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 19in. This pregnancy felt like the longest one I've been through by far. Being pregnant with a 4 and 2 year old at home was not easy. Not only was I tired a lot, but for some reason I was so much more emotional this time around. Towards the end I started feeling very anxious to meet Miss Mylee like I felt with Peyton and Jax, but this time I felt like I was missing her and I hadn't even met her yet. Weird right? The Dr. decided to induce me and scheduled everything for the 12th of November, but the birth center ended up being really busy that day so I went in on the 13th at 6am. They started pitocin at 7, my Dr. broke my water at about 8:30 and by 9:30 I was getting my epidural. My contractions were getting stronger and they were about 3-5 minutes apart so by then I was ready for it. The guy putting it in though kept hitting a nerve in my back that shot a sharp pain through the right side of my body. He had to start over once because where he tried the first time wasn't going to work. I was freaking out in my mind thinking that this guy was going to paralyze me because the sharp pain hurt soo bad and he kept hitting that nerve. It didn't help when I looked up at Derek who was sitting in front of me watching everything and seeing the worried look on his face. It took about 45min to an hour to get it in. Afterward I kept waiting through every contraction for the pain to stop, but the epidural didn't seem to be working and I told my nurse(who had already hit the button for the extra boost twice) that I wanted to lie to her and say they were better because I didn't want that guy to come back and have to do it all over again. She ended up calling him in and he just up'd the dose straight into my back and about 5 minutes later I was completely numb from the waist down. My mother in law showed up about that time and since I was only at 4cm Derek decided he was going to get something to eat from the cafeteria. While he was gone the nurse came in to check me and told me that I was at a 6! We were excited because that was progress! Then not even 5 minutes later she showed back up and told me that my baby's heart rate was going a little haywire so she wanted to reposition me and when she went to turn my body she saw a little blood and decided to check me again. I was at a 9 and the baby was coming! She started frantically getting everything ready and calling for the Dr. and nursery staff. Derek came into the room and his mom told him that I was at a 9. He flipped out because he was just coming back to get money for a soda thinking it was still gonna be a while! The Dr. came in with a student who was observing her. I was having a little anxiety attack and crying to my doctor, telling her that I was so worried I wouldn't be able to push because I couldn't feel anything. The nurse told me to just pretend to push. I tried and they started telling me what a good job I was doing which made me start laughing because I knew I wasn't doing anything at all. Apparently my laughing was making her come out so they told me to keep laughing. I asked the doctor if she ever had anyone laugh out their baby and she admitted it had only happened once in her whole career. The student looked shocked like she expected to see a full blown delivery with screaming and pain. Instead everyone in that room was laughing. Finally with one more laugh she was out and in my arms. I felt like since I was numb I was able to focus all of my attention on this precious angel they just handed me instead of everything the Dr. was doing. It was this second in time that I will never forget. She was screaming the loudest I've ever heard a newborn cry and Derek was standing to my right telling me the exact thought that had just crossed my mind... that she looked like Peyton.

 

 

No matter how many times I've gone through it having a baby has been the most amazing experience every time. I feel so blessed to have had three healthy pregnancies, deliveries and babies. There are so many stories out there of people less fortunate and although I feel I don't deserve it I'm so grateful for what I have been given.

 

 

 

 

I love my family with all my heart and it was the best feeling to see my children meet their new sister! The excitement had been building for so long and when the moment finally came it was amazing. Peyton was so excited! Jax was just trying to figure everything out.

 

Sisters :)

 

 

I love having a big family that wants to be part of all the special things that happen!

 

 

 

Uncle Brad and Aunt Hannah

 

 

Uncle David, Aunt Janeane and cousin Lauren

 

 

This picture made me think, "they have us outnumbered"!

 

 

Our hospital stay was a nice little break that I took full advantage of. We opted to stay an extra day because I felt that I needed that time to bond with Mylee before bringing her home and having her blend in with the mix.

 

 

 

Mylee got to meet Harlow when we went to pick the kids up at Audrea's before taking her home. This picture melts my heart. They were about the same size! I'm glad our pregnancies are over and although Harlow was early and went through a lot they are both healthy.

 

 

My babies were excited to be home. Finally our family is all together in the place we love.

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa with the girls

 

 

Uncle Jay and Amanda

 

 

Great Grandma

 

 

Since we've been home our family has adjusted really well to having a baby. Jax took it a little rough at first, but seems to be used to it by now. Mylee hated her first bath until she put her feet right under the faucet and she loved the water running over them.

 

 

 

Mylee talked to Peyton first! Even though I tried to get her to talk to me soo many times the first time her little voice coo'd was for her sister.

 

We try to find fun little things that we can all do together. This was our popcorn and movie night that we had. The kids stayed in there sleeping bags for probably 15minutes before they were all over Mylee. So much for the movie.

 

 

 Mylee is 1 month old already and is so funny. She smiles all the time now and talks to us only when everything is quiet and your full attention is on her. I'm pretty sure she has red hair which surprised me because Peyton and Jax are both blonde. I love it though and I'm excited to have her in my life, to see her grow and to be able to experience everything with her that the future has to offer.

 

 

Halloween

 

The pumpkin patch!!!

 

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa's with the cousins on Halloween!

 

 

Harlow Claire Smith

Another little piece of Heaven entered the world September 23, 2012. She weighed 3lbs 13oz and was 17.3in long. Tiny right? That's because she came 8 weeks early. My sister had been feeling off her whole pregnancy and by almost month 7 she had a talk with her Dr. who decided it would be best to run some more blood work. When it came back the Dr. sent her to the hospital for more because her counts were definitely off. She went in and they decided to give her some steroid shots to help the baby's lungs develop faster because by the numbers she was producing they could tell something was up and the baby would more than likely have to be taken out early. Then they sent her home,but she ended up going back a few days later and they admitted her. Damon was down south harvesting pistachios and waiting for news to see what he should do so my niece Kinsley came to stay with us. They determined that Audrea had something called HELLP Syndrome which is kind of like preeclampsia, but way worse and way more serious. Damon came home for a couple days to make sure she was ok and the doctors said they wanted to keep her in the hospital until after the baby was born. They were going to push her as long as she could without it getting too scary before delivering the baby by csection. Damon went back down south to keep working. September is their busiest month and he couldn't leave his brother there alone to deal with everything so he kept his phone close and waited to hear how things were going day by day. Meanwhile Kinsley was having a blast at our house. We tried our best to keep her distracted from thinking where mom and dad were and she did really well. There were times though when things would slow down and you could tell she was a little homesick, but for the most part she was a happy camper!

 

 

The kids had a blast with her! They really seem like they see each other as brother and sisters because they've spent so much time together before all this happened so it really wasn't that much different. Kins fit right into our family.

 

 

One night Janeane and David went to go visit Audrea and my parents came over to help watch all of the kids. They had their own little cousin party.

 

 

They had no clue what was going on. Their worlds were peachy keen and they were totally happy!

 

 

 

Between my sisters and I Kinsley was able to go see mommy at the hospital a few times before the baby was born. I know this helped Audrea so much because I'm sure it was hard to be away from her for that long. She was in the hospital for about a week and her counts kept getting worse. Everyone was concerned. Finally they decided it was time. Damon came back and they went in for the csection.

 

 

The waiting room was pretty intense. Everyone was worried how things would go. We knew a baby born at almost 32 weeks would need help developing, but we were all hopeful.  

 

 

It was a complete relief when Damon came and gave us the news that things went as good as could be expected and that the NICU was taking good care of the baby and getting her situated and stabilized. We got to go in and see her that night and you could tell she was trying her hardest to breathe even with the help from the tube in her nose. She looked great for being so early and Audrea felt so much better. Even though she just had a csection you could tell her body was already recovering.

 

 

Damon was all over between checking on baby and mommy. He did such a great job! They kept Audrea a few days before sending her home without Harlow. I know she was happy about being able to come home and be with Kinsley, but I also know that leaving the hospital without the baby that you were carrying in your belly for all that time is such a hard thing to do.

 

 

Harlow Claire was kept in the NICU for about a month. She progressed so fast and everyday mommy went to visit her.

 

 

Kinsley was such a trooper about being shuffled back and forth between my sisters and I every day while Audge went to see her sister.

 

 

I was able to leave the kids with Derek and go with Audrea to see her a couple times. She was making progress and when they took her off the machine that helped her breathe everyone was so excited. She was still getting fed through a tube in her nose, but she was doing great!

 

Kinsley finally got to hold her sister! Little moments that are special about having a baby like this were 100x more special in my sister's case because they were long awaited.

 

 

 

 I also need to add that I do believe in the bond between mother and baby, but I was able to witness first hand the importance of this tiny little girl hearing my sister's voice and being held by her. You could tell how comfortable Harlow seemed when she was snuggled up with her mom. I know that Audrea being there for her everyday helped her more than anyone will ever understand.

 

After a little while Harlow was able to eat by herself every feeding! We were anxiously awaiting the day that they could bring her home.

 

 

The day finally came and everyone was so happy for them.

 

 

A few days later Peyton and Jax were able to meet their new cousin that they kept hearing about.

 

 

It's so nice for her to be out and free from the hospital! I love her so much! This little girl is a total fighter!

 

 

Peyton loves her too! I can't wait to have our baby so she can have her own little sister!

 

It's been over a month and a half since she was born and now she seems just like a healthy baby that could have been born yesterday! During the last two months there was a lot of emotions going on. The only thing I could think of to tell my sister in her dark moments was that soon this will all be something we got through and she would eventually have a healthy baby home and be able to start their life together as a family. That all this was going to be a memory that she would be able to look back on and say, "I'm glad that's over with!" Finally I think we've reached that point in time! I'm so proud of my sister and her family and the way they pulled through. I know there were melt downs and tears, but for the most part my sister was so strong and held it together very well. She is such a compassionate caring person that both of her daughters are lucky to call her mom. I'm very blessed to be a part of such a great family and to be able to watch them grow! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them!

The rest of summer...

Everything has been a little crazy the past few months. I figured I'd just post everything that we've been up to all at once with as many of my favorite pictures without overloading the post with them.

 

 

Jax turned 2!!!! This still amazes me because I feel like we just had him and he's so big now. :(

 

 

The big boy with his Grandmas!

 

 

And then his Grandpa...

 

His favorite birthday present was this vacuum from Audge. He still pushes it around the floor and loves it!

 

 

Derek had vacation so we went to Monterey with the kids. They loved the aquarium there. I could not believe how many things there were to see and explore.

 

My pretty girl...

 

Our hotel was right next to the ocean and I think just being on the beach was the kids favorite part of the whole trip.

 

 

They loved playing in the sand and running from the waves. Jax spent a lot of time carrying this bucket around with him and eventually set it down only long enough for a wave to come up and drag it into the ocean. The rest of the day he was whimpering, "bucket..." :( He was so sad that it got swallowed up. Daddy told him the fishies had a new toy to play with. To this day if I talk about the ocean he whines and says, "bucket" lol.





 



 

The kids at the aquarium discovering the textures of the ocean.

 

On the way home we stopped at the Santa Cruz boardwalk and let the kids ride some rides. They were so cute and looked like such big kids enjoying their time there.

 

 

Daddy had a birthday! Peyton and I made and decorated this cake. Not very professional I know, but we had fun making it.

 

 

We went out to dinner to celebrate.

 

Peyton got her first real haircut at almost 4 years old. Her curls seem to be more spiral now and they're very bouncy. It's almost like she's already ready for another one her hair is growing so fast now.

 

The kids love their cousins...

 

 

These were taken on a family day that we were just out and about.

 

My big girl started Preschool and loves it! She goes Tuesdays and Thursdays and is already into the routine of things. She's getting so independent it's scary!

 

The day after she started preschool she turned 4! She wanted a bike for her birthday!

 

and a dream lite pillow pet... she's so funny on her birthday she asked, "can I be 4 all day?" I told her, "you can be 4 all year until next year when you turn 5." Then she asked, "Well what about 3?" and I told her she was done being 3. Then she whined, "but I loved being 3!" I told her it isn't fun getting old is it? lol

 

One day after picking up Peyton from school we took the kids to the park next door and let them swing for a little while.

 

We had a birthday party for Peyton. Janeane got the girls matching outfits that are soo cute!

 

love them...

 

 

My princess and I

 

Father and son... this is probably my favorite picture of them right now!

 

I walked in on this one day and almost had a heart attack! luckily most of the polish landed on his leg, but thankfully the polish on the carpet came out with a little water and rubbing alcohol.

 

The kids had a play date not to long ago where they went swimming and had lunch at a friends house. It's soo much fun getting them all together!