Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Grayon - 2 months old
My last post on Grayson was in June! Yikes! That just tells me that July was INSANE! I hardly had time to even think about posting a new blog, let alone writing a few new blogs. Life with 3 kids is just so much more full and busy.
Grayson is such an amazing little baby; he takes great naps and sleeps at least one 6-7 hour stretch per night now, including a 3.5 hour stretch on top of that. So that means I am only getting up once during the night and it's generally around 4:30 or 5am. We're all a little happier, a little more content and more rested.
Letting Grayson cry himself to sleep a few times and getting into a routine of soothing himself has been the biggest helper. I can lay him down for naps or bed time and within 5 minutes he is out like a light.
He is really starting to get interested in everyone around him, especially Joshua and Saray. While nursing he'll stop to listen or strain his neck to see if he can spot them. It won't be long before he's off running with the twins.
Saray has taken a real interest in Grayson, especially now that he's smiling more and "talking". She thinks it's absolutely hilarious when he smiles and coos. She even will lay down on the play mat with Grayson and point out things on a certain toy. Grayson just soaks it all in. It's amazing to watch their friendship grow.
Grayson and Joshua are starting to develop a bond as well, it's been a little slower, mostly due to the fact that Joshua is a bit more of "doing my own thing" kind of kid. But he does really enjoy giving Grayson a good push in the baby swing, sometimes a little too good. And at that moment you can hear me saying from across the room, "BE GENTLE! Not sooo hard!" At that moment I feel bad for everyone involved; Grayson cause he has no control of the situation and for Joshua cause learning about differences and opposites.
At Grayson's 2 month check up he weighed 11lbs 7oz and 22 1/4 inches long. When Joshua was 2 months old he weighed 7lbs 11 oz and Saray weighed 8lbs 2 oz. No wonder I felt like the twins were in preemie, newborn and 0-3 month clothing for long! Josh at 4 months old was still in 0-3 month clothing! I have already had to pull out some 3-6 month clothing for Grayson.
Such a happy little camper (literally)
The kiddos :)
Saray helping Daddy burp Grayson.
Saray and Grayson
Daddy and Son
Grayson and Joshua
Where in the world did he get those dimples?
He's settled on the two middle fingers on his left hand.
Working out...
Enjoying an evening stroller ride with the family.
Grayson is such an amazing little baby; he takes great naps and sleeps at least one 6-7 hour stretch per night now, including a 3.5 hour stretch on top of that. So that means I am only getting up once during the night and it's generally around 4:30 or 5am. We're all a little happier, a little more content and more rested.
Letting Grayson cry himself to sleep a few times and getting into a routine of soothing himself has been the biggest helper. I can lay him down for naps or bed time and within 5 minutes he is out like a light.
He is really starting to get interested in everyone around him, especially Joshua and Saray. While nursing he'll stop to listen or strain his neck to see if he can spot them. It won't be long before he's off running with the twins.
Saray has taken a real interest in Grayson, especially now that he's smiling more and "talking". She thinks it's absolutely hilarious when he smiles and coos. She even will lay down on the play mat with Grayson and point out things on a certain toy. Grayson just soaks it all in. It's amazing to watch their friendship grow.
Grayson and Joshua are starting to develop a bond as well, it's been a little slower, mostly due to the fact that Joshua is a bit more of "doing my own thing" kind of kid. But he does really enjoy giving Grayson a good push in the baby swing, sometimes a little too good. And at that moment you can hear me saying from across the room, "BE GENTLE! Not sooo hard!" At that moment I feel bad for everyone involved; Grayson cause he has no control of the situation and for Joshua cause learning about differences and opposites.
At Grayson's 2 month check up he weighed 11lbs 7oz and 22 1/4 inches long. When Joshua was 2 months old he weighed 7lbs 11 oz and Saray weighed 8lbs 2 oz. No wonder I felt like the twins were in preemie, newborn and 0-3 month clothing for long! Josh at 4 months old was still in 0-3 month clothing! I have already had to pull out some 3-6 month clothing for Grayson.
Such a happy little camper (literally)
Daddy and Son
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
22 months
We entered into the 22nd month with sickness wearing us down. Josh and Saray caught a nasty flu like bug nearly 2 weeks ago, and it has yet to leave our house completely. Joshua has been hit the hardest; he has been sick just over two weeks. He spent a 24 hour period in the hospital for dehydration and also for his electrolytes being a bit off. That was only the 3rd day into the sickness. He has lost so much weight that it makes me sick. Before getting sick, he weighed 19lbs 10oz, and on the 30th of June he weighed in at 18lbs. And I am sure he's still losing weight has he has very little desire to eat or drink much of anything. We have seen our share of doctors (mostly due to the fact that our normal doctor has been out of town for most of this spell of sickness), we have also been into the ER, mostly cause we're worried that he's getting dehydrated, etc. He really has little or no energy; even walking looks like its a big chore for him. He'd rather be held or lay on the couch.
I tell you what, I am so ready for this sickness to be gone (in Jesus' name!). I am so over cleaning up puke, nasty poo diapers, poo covered crib sheets and floors (sorry for the gross details, but it's currently my life).
It's been two weeks and 3 days since this sickness crap all started. Joshua still has no real energy or strength to even hardly walk. We did finally visit with our own doctor this morning. She didn't want to run anymore lab tests (other than the tests that have already been done, example: test for rota-virus, c-viv and bacterial bugs). She did put him on some anti-acid medication that Josh will be on for the next two weeks. Hopefully we can get his tummy back to a normal state so he has the desire to eat and drink more than what he has been.
The twins are keeping me extra busy these days (especially with Josh wanting to be held all the time and needing extra measures of love). Saray is really beginning to use her imagination these past few weeks. She cares for her dolls. Elmo and bears with such tender care. She says "Oh, I hold you, (insert name)." Then she proceeds to bounce her baby or bear and say, "Shh, shh, shh, shh..." Then today she was even offering her baby (which used to be my baby doll) some cheese..."Here baby, eat cheese." She is becoming such a constant talker. Oh then this morning she stood at the door and started to knock (inside the house) and said, "Come in, Kitty, come in! Ooooh, good morning, Kitty!" (Even though the new little Kitty was still outside." She is so full of energy and character.
Josh is starting to talk a little more, still using mostly one word sentences but he has a few two word sentences like "Hold you" and "All done." He is a bit more reserved when it comes to using words. Although, he does absorb everything that goes on around him. Soon enough, he'll be a talking machine like Saray. He does use some signs, which helps me understand what he is needing or saying. Although, his signs aren't always super clear so I have to guess or watch him very closely while we watch the "Signing Time" videos.
What a joy it is to watch them grow into more independent little toddlers. Both kids have become more interested in trying to dress themselves. Saray says, "Try it" and then takes her pants or shorts and tries with all her might to get them on. Josh just grabs the pants or shorts from me and tries to put them on.
Once we get beyond these nasty diapers, we plan on trying to potty train the twins. We'll see how that goes.
I'll post another blog with just pictures of the twins. Hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July.
I tell you what, I am so ready for this sickness to be gone (in Jesus' name!). I am so over cleaning up puke, nasty poo diapers, poo covered crib sheets and floors (sorry for the gross details, but it's currently my life).
It's been two weeks and 3 days since this sickness crap all started. Joshua still has no real energy or strength to even hardly walk. We did finally visit with our own doctor this morning. She didn't want to run anymore lab tests (other than the tests that have already been done, example: test for rota-virus, c-viv and bacterial bugs). She did put him on some anti-acid medication that Josh will be on for the next two weeks. Hopefully we can get his tummy back to a normal state so he has the desire to eat and drink more than what he has been.
The twins are keeping me extra busy these days (especially with Josh wanting to be held all the time and needing extra measures of love). Saray is really beginning to use her imagination these past few weeks. She cares for her dolls. Elmo and bears with such tender care. She says "Oh, I hold you, (insert name)." Then she proceeds to bounce her baby or bear and say, "Shh, shh, shh, shh..." Then today she was even offering her baby (which used to be my baby doll) some cheese..."Here baby, eat cheese." She is becoming such a constant talker. Oh then this morning she stood at the door and started to knock (inside the house) and said, "Come in, Kitty, come in! Ooooh, good morning, Kitty!" (Even though the new little Kitty was still outside." She is so full of energy and character.
Josh is starting to talk a little more, still using mostly one word sentences but he has a few two word sentences like "Hold you" and "All done." He is a bit more reserved when it comes to using words. Although, he does absorb everything that goes on around him. Soon enough, he'll be a talking machine like Saray. He does use some signs, which helps me understand what he is needing or saying. Although, his signs aren't always super clear so I have to guess or watch him very closely while we watch the "Signing Time" videos.
What a joy it is to watch them grow into more independent little toddlers. Both kids have become more interested in trying to dress themselves. Saray says, "Try it" and then takes her pants or shorts and tries with all her might to get them on. Josh just grabs the pants or shorts from me and tries to put them on.
Once we get beyond these nasty diapers, we plan on trying to potty train the twins. We'll see how that goes.
I'll post another blog with just pictures of the twins. Hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
1 Month Old
What a huge difference it is to only have ONE baby (minus the fact that I now have two toddlers and a baby, all under the age of 2...). Even though he wakes up every 2.5 to 3 hours at night (hopefully this will change soon) , I feel as though I am still getting sleep. I remember feeling like a zombie the first 6-8 weeks with the twins, mostly due to that fact that it took forever to nurse two babies and get them back to sleep. And just when I'd crawl back into bed they would wake up and the crazy routine would start all over again. At least I was determined to have them both on the same schedule (even if one woke up, we'd wake the other baby in hopes that we'd get some good sleep.)
Grayson had his one month appt the other day; he is doing fantastic in all areas. He now weighs 10 lbs! He has gained a little over 3 lbs since leaving the hospital. Amazing! I thought that he'd be in 0-3 month clothes for the summer, but I think I may have been wrong, as it's only June and he is in 0-3 month clothes already. At the rate he is growing, he'll be in 3-6 month clothes in no time. He may actually catch up to Saray and Joshua in the weigh department, as Joshua and Saray only weigh 20 lbs. Grayson is already half of what they weigh. Crazy!
I have been desperate to get the kids in sync, at least at nap time, so that I have at least a little time to eat lunch, shower or at least brush my teeth. I have had maybe 7 days where all 3 kids have napped at the same time. What a huge accomplishment that is! It takes a lot of thinking through the schedule of the twins and trying to get Grayson on a schedule that enables me to put him down right around the time I put the twins down.
Overall, Grayson is a happy baby. Although, he doesn't tolerate diary product at the moment, so if I have any of diary at all he turns into a fussy, tummy achin' baby. I am hoping that he'll adapt soon to diary as it's been a struggle for me to think outside of the diary diet.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Baby #3 - My Birth Story
Let me begin with saying that Grayson's birth was such an answer to prayer. I'd say it was a supernatural childbirth for sure, especially after what I experienced when I had the twins, Joshua and Saray.
Just a little history:
When I went into the hospital to have Joshua and Saray at 37 weeks and 5 days, it was a scheduled induction. We arrived at 7am in the morning on August 29th. I had one pill put next to my cervix to help me dilate as I had not yet begun to dilate. That was all it took and things were underway.We did lots of walking cause I really didn't want pitocin. I opted for an epidural, as the idea of delivering two babies and two placentas was enough to make me say yes to as much of a pain-free delivery as possible. I was so happy and quite relieved once the epidural was in place and the medication was flowing, especially after all those hard and long contractions. Joshua was born vaginally at 10:50pm on August 29th, 2008 after a full day of hard labor, with contractions that were 1-3 minutes apart, and often times overlapping towards the end. 3 pushes and he was out. He weighed 4lbs 13oz. Then Saray arrived at 12:10am on August 30th, 2008 via an emergency C-section, due to her heart rate dropping into the danger zone, and she also went transverse and then breech. She weighed in at 5lbs 7oz. When I was rushed down to the OR for my emergency C-section, I asked to be put under as the epidural medication was wearing thin and I could feel the cutting. I think that would make anyone say, "Please, enough! I'll see my baby when I wake up." I walked out of that experience feeling quite sore in all sorts of places. I also walked away knowing what I wanted for my next birth.
The whole pregnancy with Grayson was so easy, and quite different compared to having twins. One baby is so much easier, period. I felt from the very beginning that I was being carried by God's grace and that I could walk out each day with confidence that this little one would be full-term, be in perfect health and that fear of death would have no place in my heart. (Having this confidence was so important, especially after experiencing 3 miscarriages, 1 at 16 weeks and 2 at 8 weeks.)
On May 10th, 2010 I had the sudden urge to finish cleaning my house (like shampooing the kids' bedroom carpet), pack the twins' bag, and packing our bag for the hospital. That night I even managed to make dinner. With still no real signs of the "real deal", I continued on with my evening. After putting the twins down for the night, Jer and I sat down for dinner and a movie; at that time I noticed that my contractions were a little more regular, but not painful, so, I started keeping track of my contractions via Contraction Master (super great tool.) At 8pm my contractions were anywhere between 5-7 minutes apart. But that wasn't good enough for me. I thought to myself, "This can't be it. I'm not ready yet." Plus, I was still 8 days away from my due date; I thought for sure I would make it to my due date. I decided to get up and take a shower, and finish packing our things. My contractions continued! At 10pm I monitored my contractions again; this time they were about 3-5 minutes apart. I still couldn't believe that this was the real thing, it was too easy! Finally at about 11:30pm I called my Mom to let her know that she may want to prepare herself to come over as I was pretty sure I was in labor. We finally decided to head to the hospital at 2am, as my contractions were getting stronger, and were 2-3 minutes apart.
After settling in, Jer and I played the card game "Monopoly Deal" to help pass sometime while we waited to hear if I was actually in labor. We were smiling and laughing so I am sure the nurse thought that there was no way I was in active labor. But sure enough, my contractions continued and I was dilating (thank goodness!). At 2am I was at 3cm, at 5am I was at 5cm. Still feeling good and feeling no real need for any medication. However, since my last labor and delivery was hard I felt it was necessary to get an epidural lined up. Little did I know that our baby Grayson would show up in just a few short hours and that I wouldn't have time for the epidural to really take effect.
By 6am my contractions were about a minute apart and they were often overlapping, so there wasn't much time to relax, there was only time to just breathe through each wave of contraction. At that time the Anesthesiologist arrives, and wow was I glad to see him! About the time he arrived, I was dilated to 6cm. I had to sit up on the edge of the bed for the 30 minutes it took him to prep and place the epidural. During this time my contractions were relentless! My contractions were right on top of each other and towards the end of the 30 minutes I felt a ton of pressure and the desire to push, even though the epidural was not ready. Finally, the epidural was placed and taped, and the initial doses of medication had been given. Finally I was able to lay back down and I asked the nurse to check me because I had felt all that pressure. She discovered I was now dilated to 9cm and went to go get Dr. Brewer. Since things were progressing so fast the anesthesiologist decided not to administer the rest of the epidural medication since it takes a while to take effect and most likely the birth would be over by the time it really started to kick in. Luckily the initial doses I had already received would be enough to take the edge off the worst of it.
Our Doctor arrived at 6:45am. I was checked again and was fully dilated and ready to push. 3 good, hard pushes and our little baby Grayson made his journey into our arms. On Tuesday morning at 6:59am (May 11th, 2010) our little Grayson Carl Chapeau was born (via VBAC). Immediately after Grayson being born he was placed upon my chest; what a perfect, beautiful baby! He had lots of dark hair like the twins had when they were born. He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. It all happened so fast! I could hardly believe that that wait was over.
What a moment! How does one even put those feelings into words? In that very moment of Grayson being born I felt a wave of such emotion, a jumbled mix of love, the need to protect and to nurture this little one, along with an overwhelming outflow of thankfulness to my Father God. I couldn't stop thanking my Father God for such a wonderful, quick labor, delivery and healthy baby boy. My tears were from a deep well of thanks to my Heavenly Father and love for my son. I am sure that is exactly how our Heavenly Father God feels each time one of us is born into the Kingdom. Wow, what a glimpse of His deep love for us.
I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband. Jeremiah was so amazing, just him keeping his cool helped me keep calm. He massaged my feet, let me squeeze the life out of his hand and he cheered me on every step of the way. Thank you Jeremiah, you're the best!
After having a VBAC I felt like a normal person. Even a few hours after having Grayson, I didn't feel like the walking dead. I felt quite awesome actually, compared to last time. Being able to have a VBAC was such an answer to prayer. Thanks everyone for praying with us. The Lord is faithful.
Just a little history:
When I went into the hospital to have Joshua and Saray at 37 weeks and 5 days, it was a scheduled induction. We arrived at 7am in the morning on August 29th. I had one pill put next to my cervix to help me dilate as I had not yet begun to dilate. That was all it took and things were underway.We did lots of walking cause I really didn't want pitocin. I opted for an epidural, as the idea of delivering two babies and two placentas was enough to make me say yes to as much of a pain-free delivery as possible. I was so happy and quite relieved once the epidural was in place and the medication was flowing, especially after all those hard and long contractions. Joshua was born vaginally at 10:50pm on August 29th, 2008 after a full day of hard labor, with contractions that were 1-3 minutes apart, and often times overlapping towards the end. 3 pushes and he was out. He weighed 4lbs 13oz. Then Saray arrived at 12:10am on August 30th, 2008 via an emergency C-section, due to her heart rate dropping into the danger zone, and she also went transverse and then breech. She weighed in at 5lbs 7oz. When I was rushed down to the OR for my emergency C-section, I asked to be put under as the epidural medication was wearing thin and I could feel the cutting. I think that would make anyone say, "Please, enough! I'll see my baby when I wake up." I walked out of that experience feeling quite sore in all sorts of places. I also walked away knowing what I wanted for my next birth.
The whole pregnancy with Grayson was so easy, and quite different compared to having twins. One baby is so much easier, period. I felt from the very beginning that I was being carried by God's grace and that I could walk out each day with confidence that this little one would be full-term, be in perfect health and that fear of death would have no place in my heart. (Having this confidence was so important, especially after experiencing 3 miscarriages, 1 at 16 weeks and 2 at 8 weeks.)
On May 10th, 2010 I had the sudden urge to finish cleaning my house (like shampooing the kids' bedroom carpet), pack the twins' bag, and packing our bag for the hospital. That night I even managed to make dinner. With still no real signs of the "real deal", I continued on with my evening. After putting the twins down for the night, Jer and I sat down for dinner and a movie; at that time I noticed that my contractions were a little more regular, but not painful, so, I started keeping track of my contractions via Contraction Master (super great tool.) At 8pm my contractions were anywhere between 5-7 minutes apart. But that wasn't good enough for me. I thought to myself, "This can't be it. I'm not ready yet." Plus, I was still 8 days away from my due date; I thought for sure I would make it to my due date. I decided to get up and take a shower, and finish packing our things. My contractions continued! At 10pm I monitored my contractions again; this time they were about 3-5 minutes apart. I still couldn't believe that this was the real thing, it was too easy! Finally at about 11:30pm I called my Mom to let her know that she may want to prepare herself to come over as I was pretty sure I was in labor. We finally decided to head to the hospital at 2am, as my contractions were getting stronger, and were 2-3 minutes apart.
After settling in, Jer and I played the card game "Monopoly Deal" to help pass sometime while we waited to hear if I was actually in labor. We were smiling and laughing so I am sure the nurse thought that there was no way I was in active labor. But sure enough, my contractions continued and I was dilating (thank goodness!). At 2am I was at 3cm, at 5am I was at 5cm. Still feeling good and feeling no real need for any medication. However, since my last labor and delivery was hard I felt it was necessary to get an epidural lined up. Little did I know that our baby Grayson would show up in just a few short hours and that I wouldn't have time for the epidural to really take effect.
By 6am my contractions were about a minute apart and they were often overlapping, so there wasn't much time to relax, there was only time to just breathe through each wave of contraction. At that time the Anesthesiologist arrives, and wow was I glad to see him! About the time he arrived, I was dilated to 6cm. I had to sit up on the edge of the bed for the 30 minutes it took him to prep and place the epidural. During this time my contractions were relentless! My contractions were right on top of each other and towards the end of the 30 minutes I felt a ton of pressure and the desire to push, even though the epidural was not ready. Finally, the epidural was placed and taped, and the initial doses of medication had been given. Finally I was able to lay back down and I asked the nurse to check me because I had felt all that pressure. She discovered I was now dilated to 9cm and went to go get Dr. Brewer. Since things were progressing so fast the anesthesiologist decided not to administer the rest of the epidural medication since it takes a while to take effect and most likely the birth would be over by the time it really started to kick in. Luckily the initial doses I had already received would be enough to take the edge off the worst of it.
Our Doctor arrived at 6:45am. I was checked again and was fully dilated and ready to push. 3 good, hard pushes and our little baby Grayson made his journey into our arms. On Tuesday morning at 6:59am (May 11th, 2010) our little Grayson Carl Chapeau was born (via VBAC). Immediately after Grayson being born he was placed upon my chest; what a perfect, beautiful baby! He had lots of dark hair like the twins had when they were born. He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. It all happened so fast! I could hardly believe that that wait was over.
What a moment! How does one even put those feelings into words? In that very moment of Grayson being born I felt a wave of such emotion, a jumbled mix of love, the need to protect and to nurture this little one, along with an overwhelming outflow of thankfulness to my Father God. I couldn't stop thanking my Father God for such a wonderful, quick labor, delivery and healthy baby boy. My tears were from a deep well of thanks to my Heavenly Father and love for my son. I am sure that is exactly how our Heavenly Father God feels each time one of us is born into the Kingdom. Wow, what a glimpse of His deep love for us.
I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband. Jeremiah was so amazing, just him keeping his cool helped me keep calm. He massaged my feet, let me squeeze the life out of his hand and he cheered me on every step of the way. Thank you Jeremiah, you're the best!
After having a VBAC I felt like a normal person. Even a few hours after having Grayson, I didn't feel like the walking dead. I felt quite awesome actually, compared to last time. Being able to have a VBAC was such an answer to prayer. Thanks everyone for praying with us. The Lord is faithful.
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