Charlie's birth story

On the days leading up to Charlie’s birth, I had a lot of contractions. They had a consistent pattern several times, but never lasted more than a couple hours at a time. We kept thinking we’d have a frantic hospital run, but Charlie decided to keep us waiting. The doctors recommended an induction, so we scheduled that for his due date, Thursday May 23. Pops and Granny arrived on Tuesday night and Bobel and Reenie got here on Wednesday. The night before Charlie’s birth we enjoyed time with both sets of grandparents. It was the first time we’d all been together since Carson’s birth almost three years before. We considered going out to eat. There’s a restaurant about an hour from us that serves eggplant parmesan that’s famous for putting pregnant women into labor, so that might have been fun, but with all of the contractions I was having, we decided it was smart to stay home and order pizza. It was a special night celebrating family and waiting for our sweet Charlie! We were all full of excitement, especially Carson, so we didn't sleep too much that night! After just a couple of hours of sleep, we woke up, loaded the car, and headed to the hospital. We had to be at there at 5:00 am!

5:00 am: We arrived at the hospital.

5:30 am: I was 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced and he was positioned at -2.

6:45 am: They stared the pitocin and contractions gradually got stronger.

I sat on a big exercise ball to help ease some of the pain of the contractions. I considered trying to go all natural without an epidural. Part of me really wanted to fully experience child birth, but as the contractions got harder, I decided I wasn't tough enough.

10:30 am: Amy broke my water. It was fairly painful with a big gush. I was now dilated 3cm and he was positioned at -1. The contractions intensified. I tried to stand up and what seemed like a gallon of water gushed out!

11:45 am: They started IV for epidural.

12:45 pm: The anesthesiologist got called to a c section which meant we would have to wait a while for epidural. I was now dilated 6cm, was 100% effaced and he was positioned at -1.

1:15 pm: I got epidural. It was really hard to sit still with such strong contractions and it took him a couple of tries to get it in the correct spot. I was now dilated 9 cm, 100% effaced and he was positioned at 0. So, they said it was about time to push. Bob brought Keith some lunch and the nurse told him to scarf it down so he swallowed his chicken strips in less than five minutes. The nurse and midwife stayed for a little while watching contractions on the monitor. They began easing up for me as the epidural took effect. They told me to scoot to the end if the bed and said to let gravity do its thing and left saying they'd return in about 20 minutes.

2:00pm: We waited. Grandparents came in for one more hello. My feet began swelling a lot as they dangled off the bed and as time passed; we began wondering when the midwife and nurse would return.

5:00pm: They finally returned and said it was time to push. As I scooted back in the bed, I realized my left side was numb, but my right side was not. I began pushing with each contraction. I only felt pressure in the left side, but the right side was in a lot of pain. It was clear that the epidural did not work correctly. Amy, the midwife, was reaching inside to feel for Charlie and discovered he was turned in an unexpected way and his shoulder was under my pelvis. She had me roll on each side while I pushed and she did her best to reposition him. As I pushed, Charlie's heart rate began to drop and they gave me an oxygen mask to use between pushes. Pushing was really intense and she was having a hard time getting him in a favorable position. His heart rate continued to drop, so they called the doctor and specialists from the NICU. I tried to remain calm and focused, but with the pain, hormones, and concern, I became quite emotional. Keith, the nurse, and Amy were all kind and encouraging to me, and before I knew it the room was full of specialists waiting for Charlie. After more intense pushing, pain, screaming, and crying, his head finally popped out, but that wasn't the end. He was still stuck so tightly that I had more hard pushing to do. I wasn't sure I could do it. I was pushing as hard as I could. She did an episiotomy.

5:54pm: Thankfully, with a few more hard pushes, he finally came. They quickly handed him off to the specialists to make sure he was okay after a traumatic labor and delivery. I was completely exhausted and full of emotion. I looked over and was able to get a peek at my precious bundle of joy. I heard a cry. Things seemed to be okay. I was so very thankful. Keith looked over as they put him on the scale and saw 10 pounds. He assumed something else was on the scale with him until they announced his weight as 10 pounds 15.3 ounces. Wow! Just shy of 11 pounds. No wonder that was intense!  He was also quite long at 22 1/4 inches. Amy began sewing me up from a 2nd degree episiotomy. With only half of the epidural effective, this was quite painful as well.

6:30pm: We finally got to hold our precious Charlie! Our hearts overflowed with joy, love, and thanksgiving! All four grandparents were able to come meet their new grandson. Keith called Carson and told him Charlie was here and Carson was so excited!  I fed him for the first time. It was so special to hold him close and begin getting to know him.

7:00pm: Carson spent the afternoon and evening with Brian, Kathy, and Miles, so after the phone call with the good news, they headed back up to the hospital. We were all looking forward to seeing the brothers meet for the first time. Keith had the camera, Reenie had the video camera, and I had Charlie. Granny brought Carson in. He was beaming with joy and love. He crawled up on the bed with Charlie and me and immediately started talking and singing to his baby brother. His touch was sweet and gentle. Then, he moved to a chair so he could hold his new baby brother. Seeing my precious boys together for the first time is a memory I will hold close and treasure always.

 8:00pm: Brian and Kathy met Charlie and then helped us move to our new room.

We spent the evening recovering and getting to know our precious baby boy. We loved our sweet Charlie so much already! He spent the days with us and the nights in the nursery. The nurses were so sweet and took such good care of us. That night, they had to check Charlie’s blood sugar every time he ate to make sure it wasn’t too low. It dropped about midnight, but thankfully it increased enough over the next few feedings, that by morning, they were no longer concerned. 

Carson, Pops, Granny, Bobel, Reenie came to visit on Friday, as well as several friends from church. Everyone was excited to meet our sweet Charlie. We rested and snuggled. They discharged us around noon on Saturday. We made a quick stop by the Kroger pharmacy before heading home. We were greeted with lots of love by Carson, Pops, and Granny. We took a couple of family pictures and then had a special lunch of pigs-in-a-blanket and cinnamon cake, planned by Carson! It was good to be home and surreal that we now had two children! What a blessing!

Carson's birth story

Sunday, August 1

We had dinner with all four of our parents and both of our sisters! What a treat it was to spend one last evening together with our family of eight, all anxiously awaiting the miracle the next day would bring! Knowing it would be a while until I would be able to eat again, and since it was my last guilt-free pregnancy meal;), Mama cooked my favorite meal, homemade chicken strips, and they were yummy! We all had a wonderful time visiting! As the night went on, I got really silly and excited about meeting my sweet son the next day! Finally everyone convinced me to calm down and try and get some rest for a couple of hours before it was time to get up and head to the hospital.

Monday, August 2

3:00 am We woke up, showered, loaded the car with way too much stuff, and headed to Columbia

4:00 am I had good conversation with my sweet husband! Our hearts were full of so many emotions!

5:00 am We checked in at the hospital, too bad I didn’t get a picture of Keith carrying all of our stuff and me and my big belly waddling in beside him! What a sight we must have been! We settled into our labor and delivery room, and they made Keith go to the waiting room while I answered questions and got hooked up to an IV.

6:00 am I was still only dilated to a one, but I was fully effaced. Dr. Pelletier came in and broke my water and they started my potocin to induce labor. Breaking the water was painful, but only for a second. Lots of water poured out!

7:00 am-10 am Keith and I enjoyed visiting. He read me encouraging texts and facebook notes throughout the morning. Our sweet families were in the waiting room and took turns coming in the room to say hello. Each time I got up and went to the restroom, more water flowed onto the floor! I was feeling contractions, but they were bearable.

11:00 am The contractions intensified. After experiencing some of the pain, I decided to request the epidural, and it was a good thing I did, because just before they gave it to me, I was dilated up to a six. The anesthesiologist was very nice and informative. The injection hurt, but only for a moment, and that tiny pain was worth it, because I could no longer feel the contractions!! Very nice! During the injection, Keith got a little bit woozy, and realized it was time for him to get something on his stomach, so his dad brought him a burger and fries from McDonalds, and he felt better.

11:30 am The dilation increased to nine centimeters soon after the epidural. Our parents and sisters came in for a quick hello and hug before it was time to push!

12:00 pm It was time to push! Keith and the nurses were really sweet and encouraging. Pushing was intense. I can only imagine what it would have been like without the epidural.

12:30 pm It wasn’t long until they started telling me that they could see a head full of dark hair!! Wow!!! This was really happening! How crazy and exciting! I continued to push as Keith and the nurses continued to encourage and coach me through it. After about an hour of pushing, I heard the nurses whispering to each other that the baby was not going to fit and that it was time to call in the doctor.

1:15 pm Dr. Pelletier arrived and did an episiotomy so that Carson could fit! With one more big push, I felt a blub blub, and there he was!!!!

1:43 pm My baby boy was born!! Wow!!!!! I cannot put into words how amazing it was to see him! Keith cut the umbilical cord. Dr. Pelletier was trying to lay Carson on my chest, but Carson grabbed the tie on his surgical robe and would not let go! Finally, Dr. Pelletier just cut the tie and laid him on me!! Wow, wow, wow!!! It was the most amazing miracle I’ve ever experienced!

2:00 pm After a couple of minutes, the nursery nurse got Carson cleaned up and weighed. Keith took lots of pictures of our sweet baby while Dr. Pelletier got me all stitched up. Keith was so sweet and excited. Carson weighed in at 8 pounds 11.8 ounces, and he was 21 inches long! Keith got to hold Carson for a few minutes and then handed him back to me. What a special time it was for our family of three. After a few minutes together, Carson’s sweet grandparents and aunts came in to celebrate with us! They were all so happy, too! Kaye and Lloyd were in the waiting room, and they came in to see us next! When everyone left, I was able to nurse Carson for the first time! It was such a sweet moment that I’ll never forget.

3:00 pm They took Carson to the nursery for his bath and shots, while Keith and I were moved to another room. Our parents and sisters had fun watching everything through the nursery windows. Keith and I had a chance to visit and settle into what would become our home for the next few days. I had some water and crackers. All of the nurses that cared for Carson and me were wonderful! I could not have imagined them being any sweeter or more helpful. We were so thankful for that.

4:00 pm The nurses brought Carson to our room and our families took turns coming to see him and hold him. He was our precious miracle, and we all loved him so much already!

Carson spent the nights in the nursery and the days in the room with us. During our time at the hospital, we rested and snuggled with our baby. Carson and I had to figure out breastfeeding and Keith was so sweet and supportive. The nurses and lactation consultants were outstanding.

Because of the positive results of the beta strip test, we were supposed to stay in the hospital for 48 hours. On Wednesday morning, they discovered that Carson’s left clavicle was broken, so we ended up staying until Wednesday evening. Thankfully, the broken bone did not seem to bother our sweet boy. We just had to be careful picking him up and changing his clothes. We were a little nervous to leave all of the support at the hospital. The last three days had gone by quickly, but we were looking forward to taking our baby boy home!

Before heading home, we stopped at Sonic to grab some dinner. We were greeted at home by Granny, Pops, and Aunt Misty. Aunt Misty even made a welcome home sign for the front door. Just after we got home, Kaye brought over some posters they made for us at church! It was good to be home!

daddy loved you before he'd even met you:)

August 1, 2010

Carson,

After more than nine months, we’re in the last several hours of preparing for your arrival. It’s hard to believe the time has finally come. Your mom and I have enjoyed so much our time together as a couple, but now we are so excited for you to join us in the adventure of life.

When I think about your joining us soon, I think about how much I am anxious to share with you. I’m excited to be able to read to you. I’m excited to share my love of music with you. I’m excited to share my life’s work as a minister with you. I have so many wonderful memories of time I spent with my dad growing up, and I hope that when you are my age, you’ll have equally wonderful memories of the time you and I spend together.

I want you to know how thankful I am for your mom. You do not realize how wonderfully blessed you are to have her as your mom. She is unconditionally loving, faithfully supportive, infinitely caring, and incredibly kind. She has prayed for you since before you were even conceived and has done everything she can to take care of herself and take care of you while she’s been pregnant with you. I hope I will demonstrate for you clearly just how much I love her.

It’s often tempting for parents to dream dreams for their children, and I suppose there is a time and place for that. But rather than dream all kinds of dreams for you, I simply hope to teach you to dream for yourself and to equip you to pursue those dreams with all of your being. But there is one dream I dream for you, one which will serve as a paradigm for all your other dreams: I hope that you will choose to follow Jesus, that you will live your life in selfless service to others, that you will commit yourself wholeheartedly to what you will come to realize is the upside-down ethic of the kingdom of God, and that you will dedicate yourself to loving God and all of God’s children, both those like you and those different from you. I pray I will be a faithful example of such a commitment to you. I promise you I will do everything I can to equip and empower and support you, whether that means cheering you on or offering constructive criticism. I want you to know it doesn’t matter whether you feel like you’ve done great things or insignificant things, what matters is that you have been faithful.

As we welcome you into this world we call home, we do so with eyes wide open. We have seen both some of the best this world God called “good” has to offer and we have seen some of the worst this world has to offer. Sometimes it seems as though the evil outweighs the good. But we believe God is still at work seeking to make right all that has been gone wrong in the world, and we are convinced God desires us, including you, to participate, in whatever ways possible, in the pursuit of that mission. So we welcome you boldly. We long to model for you a way of living that is captive not to fear but to the hope with which this mission of God has filled us and we pray humbly, therefore, that you will imitate us as we imitate Christ.

Carson, may the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and give you peace. And may you live your life in gratitude to the God who has so graciously blessed our lives with your presence and company and called you to be a Son of God.

I love you so much and can’t wait to share life with you!

Dad

your first picture with daddy

It was very special to see the two of you together!

You looked so comfortable together from the very beginning!

You have the very best daddy in the world!

since daddy met you, he loves you even more:)

i loved you before i'd even met you:)

July 29, 2010

Dearest Carson,

Your daddy and I have been thinking about and praying for you for a very long time. We could not have been more thrilled or more thankful on December 1, 2009, when we found out that you were an itty bitty baby growing inside me! We had lots of fun telling our family and friends about you! March 25, 2010 was another fun day, because we found out that you are a boy! It has been an answered prayer and an absolute joy to carry you with me for the past nine months. Each time I feel you move inside me is such a special treat! It has been lots of fun preparing your nursery and shopping for you. Even the queasy stomach, sore back, swollen ankles, and sleepless nights have been sweet reminders of becoming your mama!

After carrying you for all this time, I cannot believe it is finally time to meet you. I will miss having you inside me, but I know that having you on the outside will be even more special! I’ve dreamed about what your sweet face will look like. I can’t wait to see those tiny fingers and toes that I’ve felt wiggling inside me! I’ve imagined cuddling, reading, and playing with you, and in four more days, I get to do just that! I can’t wait to see you, feed you, and learn how to take care of you.

I have wanted to be a mama for as long as I can remember. It is a dream come true, but I have a lot to learn along the way. Please be patient with me while I figure out how to be your mama. I am thankful that your sweet daddy loves you as much as I do and that we get to work together to learn how to be your parents. Throughout the pregnancy, he has taken such good care of us! We could not be more excited that you’re becoming a part of our family. We are thankful that you have four loving grandparents, two precious aunts, and many friends that love you and will be important to your growing and learning.

It will be such an honor to watch you grown and learn. It will be exciting to watch you develop various gifts and use them to glorify God and imitate Jesus. Carson, I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

I love you more than you know, sweet Carson Robert. See you soon!

--Your mama

Our first picture together!

I will never forget finally getting to meet you! It was a holy moment!

since i met you, i love you even more:)

just the two of us

As we anticipate our sweet Carson's arrival, we've spent time reflecting on our life as a family of two. Keith and I met and became friends in March 2002, began dating in April 2002, were engaged in June 2003, and married in December 2003. So, we've been married for six and a half years and have been dating for over eight years! I am so thankful for our time as a family of two. We have had so much fun getting to know one another and growing as a couple. We've laughed and cried. We've traveled and stayed home. We've stayed up late and slept in. We've worked and played. We've talked and listened. We've taught and learned. We've gone on dates and done chores. We've waited and prayed. We've prayed and leaped. It's strange to realize that things will never again be the same. We will continue to love one another fully and spend time as a couple, but we will never again be a family of two. We are thrilled to meet our baby boy and could not be more thankful for the blessing and privilege of raising him, but we'll always remember fondly our time as a family of two! Here's a picture walk down memory lane:)

March 2002. ACU Spring Break Campaign. Eugene, Oregon. New friends.

2002. Dating. What fun we had getting to know one another and falling in love!

2003. We had a beautiful wedding ceremony and promised to God and our family and friends to always love one another! It was the most special day!!

2004. Newlyweds. Making our first house a home in Abilene, Texas. Keith was finishing his undergraduate degree in Christian Ministry at ACU and I was embarking on my first year of teaching at Bonham Elementary.

2005. We were hanging out with friends and enjoying life. Keith started graduate school at ACU, studying ministry and theology. I continued teaching first grade at Bonham.

2006. More grad school and first grade. Keith started preaching at Maryneal every Sunday. We had great time for conversation and reflection as we made the hour drive each week. What a blessing this little church family was to us!

2007. Abilene was still home. ACU, Bonham, and Maryneal filled our time. We had fun traveling to visit friends and family on spring, summer, and holiday breaks. We loved our similar school schedules.

2008. After hours and hours of learning through relationships, practice, reading, lectures, and conversation, Keith graduated with his Master of Divinity degree. We knew our time in Abilene was coming to an end. We began to pray about what was in store. We celebrated five years of marriage and took an amazingly relaxing and fun vacation to the beach!

2009. After much prayer and conversation, we said goodbye to our life in Abilene, Texas and moved to Hohenwald, Tennessee. Keith got a full-time ministry job and I began teaching sixth grade. We will always love Abilene, but Hohenwald has become our new home. Our church family has loved and welcomed us warmly.

2010. We've savored our remaining time as a family of two and anxiously prepared for and anticipated our baby boy's arrival. I have loved being pregnant. Carrying our baby has been an honor and privilege. What an exciting year this has been!

roby baby shower

Our dear friends in Roby threw us a grandma shower, since it's too far for me to travel at this point in the pregnancy. How sweet and thoughtful! My mom was the guest of honor and opened lots of sweet gifts for little Carson! I really wish I could have been there, but I was thankful to be able to talk to several sweet women on the phone! We're excited for Carson's first road trip to Texas to meet all of you!!

hostesses

I have so many special memories with these precious ladies from my years in Roby, and I'm thankful to have been able to keep in touch with them over the years.

the gift table

Thank you all for being so generous!!

Mama sent me pictures of all the sweet gifts!

sweet picture of Aunt Misty and Granny!!

church baby shower

Our sweet church family showered us with lots of love and thoughtful gifts for baby Carson! We were overwhelmed by their support and encouragement as we enter the exciting journey of parenthood! We are thankful to be part of such a special group of people and are anxious for our sweet boy to meet everyone soon!

the sweet hostesses and me

the beautiful cake!

the gift table

Keith joined me for the shower and helped open so many sweet gifts!

both of Carson's sweet grandmas were there!!

Aunt Misty was there, too!!

maternity pictures!!!

Our sweet friend from church has an artistic eye and is really good at taking pictures. This morning, she took maternity pictures for us, and we've already gotten them back!!! We had so much fun and are really happy with how they turned out! What a fun way to document such a special time in our life!!

Click on the link to see more of Kendall's creativity at Bristles, Brushes, and Bows Boutique! She sells lots of adorable, hand-made, personalized gifts.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

growing belly

It's been a while since I've posted a picture of my growing belly, and it is certainly growing! So, here are some pictures of the last several weeks. Things are going really well. I'm enjoying being pregnant. My favorite part is feeling my sweet boy move and kick inside me! It is absolutely wonderful!!!!

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

(my photographer was at Pepperdine!)

27 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

31 weeks