Audrey's arrival

It's Mother's Day Mania with Mama M over at My Little Life.  Today is birth stories!  I have already shared the 'fun' around Leah's birth (I'll link at the bottom if you want to read about my emergency C-section), so now I want to share my youngest's birth.

I was so ready, oh my goodness so ready for her to come!  I had an appointment on my due date, but I wasn't dilated enough to go into the hospital.  The doctor gave me these orders:  "Next week, let's work on going into labor."  Really?

So the next night I started having contractions.  Well ... I'd been having a few for a while, but I started counting them then.  Most moms know the drill ... they are coming every twenty minutes...then for an hour they come every 8 minutes ... and all of a sudden you don't get a contraction for twenty minutes again.  It was so frustrating.  To cap it off, my sweet husband kept asking, "Have you had one yet?  Are they closer?  Is it time?"  We played Trivial Purist into the wee hours of the morning and finally just went to sleep.  Ok, let me change that ... Andrew went to sleep, lol!  I tossed and turned and starting timing contractions again around 7am.  When I was convinced they were coming about every 5-7 minutes I woke up Andrew.  I was going to call in a talk to a nurse, and then head in when she told me to.  Andrew ... no my sweet husband was up, grabbing the bag, waking his mom up (who was staying with us to watch Leah) and telling her we were heading to the hospital!

I called the nurse on the way in, and she completely phsyced me out.  I asked her if I should come in.  She was all like, well you know what it feels like just come in when you feel ready.  I was all like, but I don't know what it feels like (I was sick, sick, sick when I went into labor with Leah), and I asked if  I could just come in now.  Um yeah...we were sitting in the parking deck of the hospital, lol!

I got checked in, settled in the delivery suite and found out I was 5cm dilated!  I got an epidural.  They insert drugs into your iv to kinda calm you down before they insert the epidural.  Oh, that is good stuff...Andrew said it was the first time I smiled all day, lol!  The epidural slowed down labor a bit, so they broke my water and dude ... that did the trick!

Soon after I started shivering.  I told Andrew I was so cold...could he please get a blanket.  But one blanket didn't do the trick, I was still shivering like a crazy person.  Before you know it, I'm feeling this pressure.  Andrew gets the nurse, she takes one look and tells me ... this baby is ready to come out.  Apparently shivering is a sign of labor ... hmmm ... who knew :-)

The doc rushed in and told me not to push until she was ready.  And then I started pushing.  My husband held my leg, this was all so new to us!  He coached me on breathing ... I watched through the mirror and an hour later Audrey was born!  I was amazed at the whole process!

Oh yeah, did I mention she was a vbac? It can be done ladies, if that's what you want!

Here are some fun pictures of Audrey's birth - day:

Audrey Anne was born at 3:40 PM on 11/20/2009 at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She is 8 lbs 13 ounces and 20 inches long!

I'm so excited about today!  I love birth stories!!!!!

If you want to read Leah's birth-story click here!

My Kids love me

3.) I know my kids really love me because…

Leah calls me her princess.  She will put one of her two treasured pink blankets around my shoulders and say "You're a princess now mommy."  She'll then wrap the other blanket around her and proudly exclaim that we are princesses together!

Audrey gets so excited when she sees me, or even hears my voice.  Like the kind of excited where she goes a bit spastic and shakes and cries for me to pick her up and cuddle and hold her.

For like a month after my birthday Leah would randomly come up and give me a big huge hug followed by "Happy Birfday Mommy!"  and then she would proudly run off to make my birthday cake in her oven.

Audrey smiles at me like this.  And I can make her giggle, like full out infant belly giggle!


These are just a few ways I know my girlies love me and I feel loved everyday!

Whoops ... plop

It's Mother's Day Mania ... a blog hop hosted by Mama M over at My Little Life.  I am so excited for this!  I really started blogging during her Valentine's week blog hop and it was amazing.  I'm looking forward to these next few days of Mother's day themes!

Today's theme is Whoopsie Wednesday.  Ummm...I've had a couple of whoopises.  There was this one time I sat my rolling infant in the middle of the bed at my in-laws house and turned to get something from the kitchen.  My husband asked where Leah was.  Oh she's fine...she's in the middle of the bed ... and cue cries.  Yup, she totally rolled off the bed.

And there was also the horrible, horrible experience of when Leah reached up onto the kitchen counter and knocked my hot water down her arm and got second degree burns.  She's fine, and the scars are almost gone, but it was horrific!

Well, I'll share with you about one whoops that hurt my pride and my bum.  We had just recently moved to Nashville and were just getting used to our new city.  And it was very different from tiny little Auburn.  We went grocery shopping at the Kroger up the hill on an overcast day.  While we were shopping, it started raining.  No big, right?  So Andrew grabbed the groceries, and I grabbed Leah, bundled her tight so she didn't get to wet.  We were walking quickly to our car in the rain...did I mention I was wearing flip flops?  Oh, and we were crossing on a crosswalk?  Did you know that paint they put on the concrete is extremely slippery, especially when you are wearing flip-flops?

You see it coming, dontcha?  Yes me and Leah slipped and I fell smack on my bum in the middle of the road going to the parking alot around all the other grocery shoppers.  In the rain...in the evening when everyone is shopping.  I swear I held Leah up when I fell down, but really all I know is one second we were rushing to the car and next second we were on the ground.  My new friends helped me up and no one laughed ... well at least to my face.

Ok, I told an embarrassing whoops ... now it's your turn!  Write yours out and then visit Mama M to feel a bit better about your whoops!

Flashback Awesomness

My mom brought me some of my old photo albums via my dad who came to visit on his way to a business meeting in KY.  Well ... in less confusing terms ... my dad brought me my old picture albums and made my night!!!!!
Thanks Mom!

I would guess this picture is from somewhere in the mid-90's.  First off, check out our styling fanny-packs ... even my Dad has one!  I never could figure out why they where called fanny packs when you didn't wear them on your fanny?  Next, well ... you gotta love the outfits and our neon shoelaces. My little sister has her head buried in a cup, haha!  Oh and if you look really close, I have band-aids on not one, but both of my knees.  I showed my dad and he said 'well...if I remember correctly you were pretty much a klutz."  Thanks Dad...I won't talk about your blue jean shorts or flat billed hat, or the cup hanging off of your fanny pack.  Nope, won't mention it at all...

This photo cracked me up!  It is me and my little sister, again sometime mid-90's.  I guess it was dress-up day?  love it!  Great picture mom!

and this is one of my most cherised pictures.  It is me and my Papa...you can read more about my Papa and how I inherited his photography skills here.

Have a wonderful wednesday!

Linked up with sevenclowncircus, fiveminutesformom, two of a kind, live out loud, marvelous mommy

and life goes on...?

This happened this weekend:

Over 15 inches of rain this weekend ... already the record for the wetest month of May and it's only the 3rd.  There is this feeling around Nashville today.  It feels like a mix of sadness, nervousness, awe and fear.  I went to work, all dry for me.  I couldn't sit still.  I wanted to volunteer, but when I got an email all the spots were already full.  4,000 people joined Hands on Nashville to volunteer.  So I took a walk.  I took pictures.  Its calming and soothing to take pictures of peaceful nature.

Vanderbilt is preparing for graduation that will happen later this week.

and yet the Cumberland river continues to rise.  It floods over 2nd Avenue taking down the tourist district.  Some where, past the horizon, a river is inching closer.

Chairs are lined up in anticipation.  In a few days this area will be full of smiles and pride as the graduates hug families and cheer on classmates.

"State and Metro efforts are under way to sandbag the MetroCenter levee, which has become a concern today as the Cumberland River water level continues to rise.  The river, which is already above flood level, is now expected to crest at 52.5 feet at 8 p.m. this evening, according to new predictions from the National Weather Service." -- The Tennessean
Yet it still seems so perfect from above.  The beautiful day conceals the horror happening at the ground level.

Tents rise up around Vanderbilt, soon to be filled with happy family and graduates with dreams of the perfect future.  But will they be visiting the bars downtown.  Will they enjoy the Nashville we all love?

As I was walking this guy flew over.  Help is on its way ... but is it too late?

Sure, Nashville will recover ... at least that's what everyone says.  Yes the tourism will return.  Yes the Gaylord Opryland Hotel will rebuild.  But what about the families?  The ones who lost everything ... photos, valuables, items that can never be replaced.  The majority of families who do not have flood insurance because well this was never to happen.  Not here, not where people told them they didn't need the insurance ... they didn't need to worry about floods.  It definitely reminds me that you never know what is coming next, and you never know what you really value until it is taken away.

Photos from The Tennessean

You get a Cookie

The past week we have had some moments that go like this:

Leah: Mommy I went tee-tee in the potty!
Me: (dance around, act like a fool) Yay Leah!!!!
-flush, get star stickers to put on potty board, get high-fives and hugs, and then a cookie

We have also had the moments like this:

Leah walks out of her room crying pointing at her 'peepee'
Leah: Mommy I go tee-tee on my bed

Of course I expected this.  I expected the highs and the lows, and I am totally ready and able to deal with it all.  We have a hand-held carpet cleaner for carpet mistakes and extra sheets for the bed.  But Leah has thrown in a twist I did not expect...

Like many kids, she is having trouble pooping in the potty.  Instead she poops in the bathtub.  Yup, the bathtub.  And it sucks!  She doesn't get a good bath and I have cleaned the tub more than I wanted to because of poop in it.  She knows its wrong.  Last night all I said was..."Leah, why?"  and she looked at me and said "Princess potty mommy."  She knows she is supposed to poppy in the princess potty, but she doesn't.  I think she likes going in the bathtub.  Last night when my husband questioned her about it and she rather excitedly told him she poop in the bathtub.

I need suggestions!  How can I keep her from pooping in the bathtub?!?!?!

It's raining

It's raining

It's pouring

The old man is snoring

Hurry get the man out of bed

Before the flood comes closer

These pictures are from the facebook group I survived the Great Nashville Monsoon of May 1st


The only thing is ... it's not stopping.  Its still raining.  And this isn't just me saying, oh look on the other side of town this is happening...in this city close to us ... uh no, this is happening to me and my family!  Thank to Lord we live on a huge hill, but I'm describing it as if we lived in a castle with a moat around it.  My husband couldn't get home from work because any entrance into our complex is flooded.  These are some pictures I took of the tv as it was showing pictures of I-24 ... less than a mile from my house.  I drive it every single day coming home from work.

This video is amazing.  It is a water rescue happening on the same road that I drive down all the time.  This helicopter is probably flying over my house.

My MIL found this picture ... this is the road that leads to the entrance to our house!  See the cars?   That's where Andrew got to.  See the people?  That's where we live.  Looks like I may have Monday off ...

And it is still raining, and pouring outside my house right now!  Oh please pray for Nashville and my husband who is at work...