In 2 days Macey Jo will be 4 weeks old. It has been such a wonderful four weeks and our family has been enjoying every single moment with our new sweetie.
Labor and Delivery
I was dreading labor and delivery with Macey Jo. My experience with Creighton was miserable. I tried to be optimistic though since this pregnancy was completely different. I hoped delivery would be completely different- in a positive way. It went so well and I have such good memories of the experience, for the most part...
Cason and I arrived at the hospital at 6:00 am, Saturday January 5th and I was progressed far enough I was admitted. They discovered Macey Jo was posterior so they had me bounce on the labor ball for about an hour and a half in hopes that it would change her position. It did not though and it had not helped me progress any either. Contractions were painful, but between them I was able to talk and laugh, even smile... Something totally different from labor with Creighton. I was administered some pitocin to speed up labor and my water was broke. Things moved quickly from there!
I had let my nurse know I wanted an epidural so she was contacting the anesthesiologist as soon as she could. However the pain control wasn't profound and I was beginning to feel so much pain the tears started to come... The anesthesiologist was called back twice and he was not too kind about it. My pain was never controlled and in the end my nurse discovered the catheter had come out of my back.
To try to change baby girl's position I alternated sides in the bed and eventually just before delivery she did come into perfect position. I pushed for only 8 minutes and there she was!
During the last few weeks of my pregnancy at each appointment my doctor would comment on how big my baby was going to be. When she found out Creighton was 8 lb. 8 oz. she said, at 37 weeks, "Oh, she (Macey Jo) will be at least that big!" And the morning I arrived at the hospital the OB asked the resident doctor and the nurse how big they all thought she would be. Everyone agreed very close to 9 lbs. When they laid her on my chest right after she was born I knew she was not as big as Creighton! I could tell she was much smaller. Obviously, everyone was very surprised at our 7 lb. 7oz. baby.
Holding her just after delivery was so special. It is the most incredible feeling of true joy and pure love. I am sure that those feelings cannot be recreated by any other experience in life. Cason remarked that he is sure that is what
eternal life is like- experiencing those feelings forever.
Creighton was so excited to meet his baby sister and came into the room already talking to her. He kept telling her, "It's ok... It's ok...." And he was happy to give her kisses.
Cason is such a proud daddy. He was so excited to have a daughter. He is such a great support during labor and delivery as well. A week and a half before she was born when we were walking the hospital halls... he told me how he was excited to give her her first bath with the nurse in the nursery. He had loved doing that with Creighton.
At the Hospital
The only part of her bath that she enjoyed was getting her hair washed. Daddy said that is because she is a girl and girls love to wash their hair. The nurse even gave Macey Jo her first bow.
Oh, she is so sweet and so precious. You always forget how tiny they are. Even if she had been 9 lb or even 10 lb she would have seemed tiny. Except for when you think about them being inside of you. Outside of the womb and arms flailing, legs kicking you think, "How did you ever fit inside of me?"
An afternoon birth was great because visitors came in the evening. My family had been at the hospital that morning and afternoon, but also came back in the evening and that is when the Chambers family arrived.
Of course everyone tried deciding who she looked like. I thought that she looked like Creighton did when he was born. And I think he is a pretty good mix of Cason and I. She has blue eyes and "brown hair with gold highlights" said her daddy. Her dad couldn't stop talking about her gold highlights. And when we sit in the sun with her the sides of her hair look red. She has lots of hair for a newborn. I took a photo of the back of her head so I would remember all that hair.
Now that she is home and a little bit older, sometimes I see a lot of Creighton in her and other times not at all. Sometimes I think she looks like I did in my baby pictures, and sometimes not at all.
I was so happy to come home less than 24 hours after she was born. Everyone was so nice and helpful at the hospital, but being home is so much better.
First Days at Home
I was able to take it very easy the first few days at home. I mostly sat in bed or on the couch and held Macey Jo. In fact we spoiled her by holding her so much. She is definitely a snuggler and sleeps much better while being held.
She had so many visitors and many people brought gifts and dinner to our family.
She is such a happy and content baby. She is fussy only when she is hungry or has a messy diaper. She is very sensitive to having a messy diaper. I don't remember Creighton being that way. She is a good sleeper at night. It didn't take too long to get her on a good schedule. Her head and neck muscles are so strong. She has been lifting her head since the day she was born. Her dad calls it "doing push-ups" on his shoulder. She is so attentive and tries to wake up if she hears a new voice. She is so observant and loves to look around and take it all in. She will follow you with her eyes. She loves the light and bright colors. She loves to lay in her bed and see the bright flowers of her crib bumper and mobile. And she loves the fish swing! Laying in that cozy seat and listening to music, watching lights and fish circle around... that's the life!
The Big Brother
What an amazing big brother Creighton has been. I received lots of advice from others about how to try and teach Creighton about his new sister and try to help him make the "transition" easily. But he has been so wonderful and has welcomed her so lovingly. It hasn't really been any work at all to help him accept her. He loves to help with his baby sister. He knows her name is Macey Jo, and will tell people that when they ask what her name is, but he prefers to call her baby sister.
He likes to feed his baby sister and likes to hold her. He is always willing to help mommy and daddy. Help us by getting a burp cloth, blanket, bottle, pacifier and so on. He likes to check on his sister when she is sleeping and climbs on the front of the crib to have a better look at her. When she cries he will tell her "It's ok baby sister." Or he will copy what Cason and I say. My favorite was when he said, "It's ok sweetheart." He does not like her to cry and suggests ways to help her stop, like putting her in the fish swing.
One evening after changing her into pajamas and wrapping her in a new, pink blanket, Creighton ran in her room and said, "She looks like a princess!" Times like that just melt my heart. He is such a sweet boy with a good heart.
He is also happy to share with his sister. He will hold her while we read stories so that she can see the pictures too and while he watches cartoons or movies. Of course just for a minute or two.
The hardest part for Creighton to adjust to has been staying home so much. He misses going to his grandpa's house like he does when I work. And he is not use to having mommy and daddy both home so much. Cason took off 4 weeks of work to be with us and it has been such a blessing and an enjoyable time. It will be another adjustment in a few weeks when things head towards "normal" as I go back to work.
This big brother is so wonderful. I love my two kiddos more than words could help me express.
The Daddy
Cason is the reason I have been able to take it so easy. I only started doing laundry again the last week. He has taken on a lot of responsibilities around our house and helps so much with the kids. He loves being a dad. He is sure busy with school, his internship, his church calling, work (he goes back tomorrow) but he always makes time for us! He didn't go to one of his meetings with the planning department (City of Pocatello) yesterday because he stayed home and took care of his sick family.
Sickness
A few days after arriving home from the hospital I got a sore throat. But that was about it. Then Creighton got a bad cold. I took him to the doctor with little sis (her two week appointment) and the doctor said there wasn't a lot he could do for Creighton, it would pass... but to keep him away from Macey Jo and hope she didn't get sick. But if she did, bring her in if her fever is 100.6 or higher. Well, she did get a cold just as Creighton was getting over his. Then daddy got sick. Then mommy got sick and daddy got over his... But Macey Jo is still sick. She is badly congested and has a cough. It is the saddest noise to hear. But she is very patient and deals well with it. She doesn't get too upset by not feeling well. She had a fever in the high 99's but never higher than that. We have debated whether or not to still take her in to the doctor though. I am grateful for prayer and priesthood blessings. It is so upsetting to have a sick child, especially an infant. But we are comforted that soon she will get over it.
Miss Arkansas and other Photos
I have two totes of clothes/toys and other items that were mine when I was a baby and a young girl that my mom saved for me. I lived in Arkansas until I was eleven and when I was just a few weeks old I had some professional photos taken in a red dress with this Arkansas Razorback collar and booties. It was fun to recreate the picture. Unfortunately right now that picture of me is nowhere to be found. But we will find it one day and it will be even more fun to compare them side by side. This collar and booties were given to me by my grandma Betty Jo, hopefully Macey Jo will get to meet her great-grandma soon.
It is said that the more children you have the less you take pictures of them. I have found that to be true. I haven't taken quite as many pictures of Miss Macey. Mostly because I realize that when she is sleeping, which she does A LOT, she looks the same no matter what she is wearing or where she is...
Motherhood
I got a lot of advice about how to deal with two children. But I had been telling myself for several months that I was going to do whatever it took to just enjoy the time with my two children. When Creighton was born I got the baby blues. Pretty bad. It took 6 months for me to realize I had post-partum depression and to talk to my doctor about it. During that time I was super emotional and sensitive and withdrawn. I had bad anxiety and worried a lot. It inhibited me from enjoying a lot of my time with Creighton as an infant. I did not want that to happen again. So I talked to my doctor about it and she put me on an anti-depressant weeks before Macey was born to try and prevent the baby blues. I have felt great this time around. A few emotional moments in the beginning... but with all the hormone changes I think a little crying is unavoidable. And with the help of my husband around the house taking on extra responsibilities I really have been able to soak in all of the moments with my two children and not worry about anything. Just being with them has been great.
Tomorrow Cason does have to head back to work and now he is on a 12 hour shift. I know it will be rough for me to adjust. A few times when he has been gone doing intern "stuff" I have realized why two children can be overwhelming in the beginning. One day, Creighton was throwing up and she was crying. So Macey had to be ignored while Creighton was taken care of. Then she needed attention but Creighton still wanted some, and laundry needed to be done and bathroom floors/counters wiped... It's hard sometimes to feel like you are ignoring the other child while you take care of one. But sometimes I have to tell Creighton, "No, not right now... please wait a minute." Or sometimes little miss just has to cry for a few minutes. But trying to recognize at the moment what is most important is key. Lots of things around the house have sat and not been taken care of for quite a while and I am ok with it because at the end of the day I feel so happy I decided to be with and take care of my children instead.
There have been some hours of organizing though. I didn't get very "nesty" towards the end of my pregnancy but I have had some nesting urges the past few weeks so sometimes while the kids are napping I will do some organizing. I have organized fabric, ribbon, cleaned out closets, made donation and throw away piles... I read a quote recently that said, "Celebrate the small victories in your home." I love it. Somedays the small victories are organizing my tote of ribbon or watching Creighton love on his sister or sometimes doing my hair... I try to find lots of things to celebrate.
We feel so blessed to have these two children. What a wonderful month we have had!
