Thursday, November 21, 2013
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Newborn Pictures {Mason} |
Just a few days after we got home, Matt took some newborn pictures of Mason. He took a TON of awesome pictures including some of Mom and Mason, the three generations (Mom, Mason and Me) and then Mom took some of just us three. Here are a few of Mason that Matt took. I LOVE THEM!! (more to come)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
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Mason's 1st Days |
I had hoped to write this post soon after Mason was born but as you know if you have children, life gets busy and time passes quickly. So, I'll do my best to remember everything I can.
November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were spend in the hospital. Most of the time was unremarkable except Mason began to have difficulty nursing/latching. In the hospital, I began pumping and we began supplementing formula. Mason met Granddad on November 2nd and he loved him. :) Mason was circumcised as well. We had some great nurses while in the hospital and we were discharged home on November 3rd.
GiGi was able to stay at our house with us until November 18th. We certainly miss her being around and her help during the first 2 1/2 weeks.
While in the hospital, we were able to FaceTime with Paw Paw and MiMi and Pop Pop and Grammy. Once we got home, we were able to FaceTime with The Canters.
When we got home, we gave Mason a pacifier. I had gone back and forth about whether or not I would give a pacifier. In the end, we decided to give it to him.
November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were spend in the hospital. Most of the time was unremarkable except Mason began to have difficulty nursing/latching. In the hospital, I began pumping and we began supplementing formula. Mason met Granddad on November 2nd and he loved him. :) Mason was circumcised as well. We had some great nurses while in the hospital and we were discharged home on November 3rd.
GiGi was able to stay at our house with us until November 18th. We certainly miss her being around and her help during the first 2 1/2 weeks.
While in the hospital, we were able to FaceTime with Paw Paw and MiMi and Pop Pop and Grammy. Once we got home, we were able to FaceTime with The Canters.
When we got home, we gave Mason a pacifier. I had gone back and forth about whether or not I would give a pacifier. In the end, we decided to give it to him.
On November 4th, we noticed that Mason was a little more fussy than he had been and he had not had a bowel movement since the hospital. We called the doctor and Matt and GiGi took him in. Turns out he had lost a pound since birth and he was not getting enough milk even though we had been following the hospital nurse's guidelines. The doctor gave us new guidelines for what to feed him.
On November 5th, we went back to the doctor for a re-check of his weight and he had already gained 7 ounces. We were glad we were on the right track and that Mason seemed to be much much happier.
Over the first 10 days, we tried really hard to get Mason to latch during breastfeeding. He was easily frustrated and it was hard on him, me and Matt. We eventually decided after lots of discussion and prayer that I will pump and we will feed him by a bottle and supplement with formula as needed. It is not what we had planned but it is working well and we all have a peace about the situation.
All of the other days were very similar to each other: eat, sleep, poop, nap for Mommy, etc etc etc :)
Mason is basically on a 3 hour schedule pretty consistently. There are times when he is hungry early and we work around that but for the most part, he is eating on that schedule.
On November 13th, the girls from my small group came by to meet him. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture! They brought us dinner and dessert and we enjoyed visit with them. Mason charmed them too!
On November 14th, we had his 2 week well visit appointment. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, measured 20.5 inches and his head was 14.5 inches. Our little guy is growing like a weed and we can see it in his cheeks and newly found double chin!
Mom and Dad went on a date to the grocery store one evening and also to run errands another day. We are wild and free! :)
On November 5th, we went back to the doctor for a re-check of his weight and he had already gained 7 ounces. We were glad we were on the right track and that Mason seemed to be much much happier.
Over the first 10 days, we tried really hard to get Mason to latch during breastfeeding. He was easily frustrated and it was hard on him, me and Matt. We eventually decided after lots of discussion and prayer that I will pump and we will feed him by a bottle and supplement with formula as needed. It is not what we had planned but it is working well and we all have a peace about the situation.
All of the other days were very similar to each other: eat, sleep, poop, nap for Mommy, etc etc etc :)
Mason is basically on a 3 hour schedule pretty consistently. There are times when he is hungry early and we work around that but for the most part, he is eating on that schedule.
On November 13th, the girls from my small group came by to meet him. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture! They brought us dinner and dessert and we enjoyed visit with them. Mason charmed them too!
On November 14th, we had his 2 week well visit appointment. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, measured 20.5 inches and his head was 14.5 inches. Our little guy is growing like a weed and we can see it in his cheeks and newly found double chin!
Mom and Dad went on a date to the grocery store one evening and also to run errands another day. We are wild and free! :)
Mason is sleeping well in the night and going down easily after each night time feeding. During the day, he is still very interested in lots of attention when it's nap time and he isn't quite ready to just fall asleep in his crib. :)
We are enjoying our little guy so much. We are enjoying snuggling with him and enjoying just looking at him when we can. We definitely got ourselves a sweet, handsome little boy.
**I'm sure I forgot MANY MANY MANY details but this is what I can remember. :)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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Mason's BIRTHday |
I cannot believe that our little one is here! We are so in love with our son, Mason, and are enjoying our first days weeks at home with him.
I wanted to share his Birth story on the blog as well as the days following his birth (another post). It's a long story so if you aren't interested, pass this blog post up. :)
On October 31st, I went to my scheduled appointment (38 weeks, 2 days). I had been noticing a great amount of swelling in my feet and legs over the 24 hours prior to the appointment so I was a little nervous about what the doctor might say. When the nurse checked my blood pressure, it was 152/98 and I was shocked. My blood pressure has been perfectly normal the whole pregnancy. The doctor checked me and I was still not dilated. She then rechecked my blood pressure and it was higher at 164/104. She then asked for an ultrasound to measure the baby's size etc.
The ultrasound showed baby weighed closed to 8 pounds but when the ultrasound tech tried to measure "practice breaths", the baby didn't show them what they needed to see. After the ultrasound, we went in to see the doctor and both of us kind of expected what came next. She told us that she wanted me to be admitted to the hospital that night to prepare for induction the following day. Her justification was that my blood pressure was high, the practice breaths were not WFL (not bad but not great) and that she really just didn't want to risk it.
We were a little sad because we had planned to have natural delivery etc. However, we also wanted baby to arrive safely no matter what. We ran home to get some things. The bags were already packed, Matt just had to load them up. We got to the hospital at about 3:45 that afternoon and by that point, my eyes were a little blurry and my blood pressure was even higher. The nurses started me on some fluids and had me resting/reclined to bring my pressure down. They ran some blood work to check for pre-eclampsia and then we waited.
The blood work came back normal and they started me on Cervadil which is a medication that works to prepare the cervix for induction. I had that in place from 6:15 p.m. to 6:15 a.m. the next morning. At this time, we started calling family and close friends to update them on the details. Matt got me my "last meal" from Subway at 8:15. The night was rough because they had to check my blood pressure so often and I had a hard time getting situated in the bed. By the next morning, I was in bad shape fatigue wise just from the rough night/little sleep but I got to get up, shower, and prepare for our little one to arrive that day!!!
The nurses removed the Cervadil at 6:15 am and we think I must have been somewhat allergic to it because it caused irritation and a good bit of pain. At 7:15, they started pitocin to begin the induction. The nurse was still measuring contractions, baby's heart rate and my blood pressure. All was measuring well and I was having TONS of contractions, none of which I could feel. At about 10:00 am, the doctor came in (my favorite doctor of the practice, by the way. He was concerned about the irritation from the medication and then he checked my cervix. I wasn't thinned much and I wasn't dilated at all.
At that time, he sat with us and discussed some of our options. He said that it was clear that my body wasn't necessarily ready for delivery which wasn't surprising since baby wasn't due for 11 mores days but that my blood pressure issues had really forced their hand and inducing labor. He gave us three options to discuss and consider.
1. continue with pitocin for 8-10 more hours in hopes of dilation progressing
2. have a c-section
3. wait until the next day and retry the cervadil/pitocin over again
Matt and I had already talked about the fact that we wanted the baby there that day to reduce fatigue for both of us and also to ensure no further blood pressure issues etc. At that point, we said that if I wasn't progressing in dilation at next measurement, that we would strongly consider c-section. By 1:00 we were waiting on the doctor to come back and the nurse came in and said she had spoken with our doctor and that if we were leaning toward c-section that he was in line with that given the events of the day. We then expected to talk with the doctor prior to any final decision being made.
About 15 minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in and began asking questions, the nurse brought in something for Matt to wear during the c-section and about 5 other people came in. I immediately started crying because it caught me (and Matt) off guard because we didn't realize the "final" decision had been made. The doctor came in and was concerned and answered all questions we had. We told him that we knew the c-section was the right decision but we didn't know it would happen so fast. He said we could have as much time as we needed. Matt and I had a moment in the hospital room together. We prayed and then we called them in to get started. It was about 2:15 at this point. Within 15 minutes I was back in the OR prepping for the section.
At 2:30 p.m., the doctor began trying to place the spinal to numb me for the c-section. I learned during this time that, apparently, I have very small spaces in my back for a spinal to be placed. Over the next HOUR, the doctor tried to place a spinal having to stick me TEN times!! It was one of the hardest hours of my life because I wasn't sure that they were going to be able to get the spinal in, I was worried about Matt because I knew he was waiting to come in AND I was just ready to meet my baby!
Thankfully, we had one of the best anesthesiologists and she kept trying because the alternative would have been a complete sedation and I wouldn't have met the baby for at least an hour and Matt wouldn't have been able to be in the room. We avoided that and despite the pain it caused me later, I was incredibly grateful.
The spinal was successfully placed about 3:30 and the c-section was ready to begin. I was so glad to see Matt and we couldn't hardly believe we were about to meet our son or daughter. The c-section was without issue and at 3:52 pm, Mason Matthew Morgan entered the world!! Matt and I had both felt toward the end of the pregnancy that our baby was a boy so it was wonderful to have that confirmed. Matt was able to be with the baby while he was cleaned up etc and he was able to hold him right by me while I was being closed up etc. Mason had the sweetest little cry and the doctors and nurses all said "He's ready to be in the opera!". The best part was that he immediately calmed when Matt began talking to him. It was pretty incredible.
I was wheeled to recovery and Mom was able to come in. She literally arrived at the hospital as the c-section was finishing and other than Matt and myself, she was the first person to meet Mason. This was something we prayed for over the course of the pregnancy because we knew it was important. Mason was glad to meet his GiGi!
The rest of Mason's first day was uneventful. He got a bath from the nurses and got to visit with his Great Grandmom. Mom got to eat her favorite meal from Wade's and we all spend the night in the hospital.
Wow, what a day it was!!
I wanted to share his Birth story on the blog as well as the days following his birth (another post). It's a long story so if you aren't interested, pass this blog post up. :)
On October 31st, I went to my scheduled appointment (38 weeks, 2 days). I had been noticing a great amount of swelling in my feet and legs over the 24 hours prior to the appointment so I was a little nervous about what the doctor might say. When the nurse checked my blood pressure, it was 152/98 and I was shocked. My blood pressure has been perfectly normal the whole pregnancy. The doctor checked me and I was still not dilated. She then rechecked my blood pressure and it was higher at 164/104. She then asked for an ultrasound to measure the baby's size etc.
The ultrasound showed baby weighed closed to 8 pounds but when the ultrasound tech tried to measure "practice breaths", the baby didn't show them what they needed to see. After the ultrasound, we went in to see the doctor and both of us kind of expected what came next. She told us that she wanted me to be admitted to the hospital that night to prepare for induction the following day. Her justification was that my blood pressure was high, the practice breaths were not WFL (not bad but not great) and that she really just didn't want to risk it.
We were a little sad because we had planned to have natural delivery etc. However, we also wanted baby to arrive safely no matter what. We ran home to get some things. The bags were already packed, Matt just had to load them up. We got to the hospital at about 3:45 that afternoon and by that point, my eyes were a little blurry and my blood pressure was even higher. The nurses started me on some fluids and had me resting/reclined to bring my pressure down. They ran some blood work to check for pre-eclampsia and then we waited.
(Girl with high blood pressure!)
The blood work came back normal and they started me on Cervadil which is a medication that works to prepare the cervix for induction. I had that in place from 6:15 p.m. to 6:15 a.m. the next morning. At this time, we started calling family and close friends to update them on the details. Matt got me my "last meal" from Subway at 8:15. The night was rough because they had to check my blood pressure so often and I had a hard time getting situated in the bed. By the next morning, I was in bad shape fatigue wise just from the rough night/little sleep but I got to get up, shower, and prepare for our little one to arrive that day!!!
(Subway delivery man)
The nurses removed the Cervadil at 6:15 am and we think I must have been somewhat allergic to it because it caused irritation and a good bit of pain. At 7:15, they started pitocin to begin the induction. The nurse was still measuring contractions, baby's heart rate and my blood pressure. All was measuring well and I was having TONS of contractions, none of which I could feel. At about 10:00 am, the doctor came in (my favorite doctor of the practice, by the way. He was concerned about the irritation from the medication and then he checked my cervix. I wasn't thinned much and I wasn't dilated at all.
(Baby day)
At that time, he sat with us and discussed some of our options. He said that it was clear that my body wasn't necessarily ready for delivery which wasn't surprising since baby wasn't due for 11 mores days but that my blood pressure issues had really forced their hand and inducing labor. He gave us three options to discuss and consider.
1. continue with pitocin for 8-10 more hours in hopes of dilation progressing
2. have a c-section
3. wait until the next day and retry the cervadil/pitocin over again
Matt and I had already talked about the fact that we wanted the baby there that day to reduce fatigue for both of us and also to ensure no further blood pressure issues etc. At that point, we said that if I wasn't progressing in dilation at next measurement, that we would strongly consider c-section. By 1:00 we were waiting on the doctor to come back and the nurse came in and said she had spoken with our doctor and that if we were leaning toward c-section that he was in line with that given the events of the day. We then expected to talk with the doctor prior to any final decision being made.
(our hospital room view)
About 15 minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in and began asking questions, the nurse brought in something for Matt to wear during the c-section and about 5 other people came in. I immediately started crying because it caught me (and Matt) off guard because we didn't realize the "final" decision had been made. The doctor came in and was concerned and answered all questions we had. We told him that we knew the c-section was the right decision but we didn't know it would happen so fast. He said we could have as much time as we needed. Matt and I had a moment in the hospital room together. We prayed and then we called them in to get started. It was about 2:15 at this point. Within 15 minutes I was back in the OR prepping for the section.
At 2:30 p.m., the doctor began trying to place the spinal to numb me for the c-section. I learned during this time that, apparently, I have very small spaces in my back for a spinal to be placed. Over the next HOUR, the doctor tried to place a spinal having to stick me TEN times!! It was one of the hardest hours of my life because I wasn't sure that they were going to be able to get the spinal in, I was worried about Matt because I knew he was waiting to come in AND I was just ready to meet my baby!
(Let's do this!)
Thankfully, we had one of the best anesthesiologists and she kept trying because the alternative would have been a complete sedation and I wouldn't have met the baby for at least an hour and Matt wouldn't have been able to be in the room. We avoided that and despite the pain it caused me later, I was incredibly grateful.
The spinal was successfully placed about 3:30 and the c-section was ready to begin. I was so glad to see Matt and we couldn't hardly believe we were about to meet our son or daughter. The c-section was without issue and at 3:52 pm, Mason Matthew Morgan entered the world!! Matt and I had both felt toward the end of the pregnancy that our baby was a boy so it was wonderful to have that confirmed. Matt was able to be with the baby while he was cleaned up etc and he was able to hold him right by me while I was being closed up etc. Mason had the sweetest little cry and the doctors and nurses all said "He's ready to be in the opera!". The best part was that he immediately calmed when Matt began talking to him. It was pretty incredible.
(Mason's 1st picture)
I was wheeled to recovery and Mom was able to come in. She literally arrived at the hospital as the c-section was finishing and other than Matt and myself, she was the first person to meet Mason. This was something we prayed for over the course of the pregnancy because we knew it was important. Mason was glad to meet his GiGi!
The rest of Mason's first day was uneventful. He got a bath from the nurses and got to visit with his Great Grandmom. Mom got to eat her favorite meal from Wade's and we all spend the night in the hospital.
Wow, what a day it was!!
Monday, November 18, 2013
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Cardstore -- Christmas Around the World |
Laura from Cardstore sent me an e-mail letting me know about something really cool that Cardstore has this holiday season. They have created an infographic which you can find at this link. The graphic shares information about how Christmas is celebrated around the world.
I've checked it out and find it really interesting. I think it would be great to share with your children too!
Let me know what you think and I'll pass your feedback along to Laura!
I've checked it out and find it really interesting. I think it would be great to share with your children too!
Let me know what you think and I'll pass your feedback along to Laura!
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Quilts of Love KINDLE FIRE HDX Giveaway |
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman
- Aloha Rose by Lisa Carter
So grab your copies of The Christmas Quilt and Aloha Rose and join Vannetta, Lisa, and Lynette on the evening of December 10th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the books, don't let that stop you from coming!)
Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on December 10th!
Aloha Rose: I really enjoyed this book. A book about finding out where you belong. The personalities in the story are fun. The way the book is written is fun and easy to read. And the setting? Hawaii...perfect!
Friday, November 15, 2013
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A Sisterchicks' Devotional, Take Flight {A Book Review} |
I received this devotional for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
Read more about the author here.
When I saw this devotional for review, I was intrigued. I have done several devotionals over the years and honestly, I've never stuck with them fully. At times, it was because of my lack of commitment but other times it was because the devotional got boring to me. Maybe the topics were cheesy. Maybe they were too wordy and not efficiently written. You name it.
This devotional, honestly, was different. Each day included a story from a woman's real life. A brief encouraging message accompanied it. Scripture was provided and then there was a place to write your own thoughts.
I really enjoyed this devotional and I would recommend it to any woman who wants to do a daily reading. It's simplistic and easy to read and VERY encouraging. Check it out!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
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Dr. Scholl's Active Series Review {Influenster} |
Several weeks ago I received the Dr. Scholl's Active Series VoxBox from Influenster. I was so excited to receive these because I knew they would be helpful to me in my 9th month of pregnancy. I wore them for several weeks in my tennis shoes while I was working my last little bit before the baby was born.
I LOVE THEM!!
I had every intention of making a video, taking pictures etc etc etc BUT then I had a baby and you know, life suddenly had more meaning in other areas. :)
Let me just say, in short, if you need to have more support and comfort in your tennis shoes for work or play, these insoles are the perfect purchase for you! I am looking forward to continuing to wear them.
Thanks, Influenster!
I LOVE THEM!!
I had every intention of making a video, taking pictures etc etc etc BUT then I had a baby and you know, life suddenly had more meaning in other areas. :)
Let me just say, in short, if you need to have more support and comfort in your tennis shoes for work or play, these insoles are the perfect purchase for you! I am looking forward to continuing to wear them.
Thanks, Influenster!
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Mason Matthew Morgan is HERE!! |
The newest addition to the Morgan family arrived on
November 1st, 2013
at 3:52 p.m.
He weighed 7 pounds and 10 ounces
and he was 20 inches long.
We weren't expecting him to arrive in the manner he did
but we are grateful he is here and happy.
His birth story and details of his first day are coming.
For now, here are a few pictures!
HELLO, WORLD! :)
Wide Eyed Boy
We realize that we look awesome here, no need to tell us. ;-)
You talking to me?
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