Max Dee Lowder

For two months now we have enjoyed every minute of having our lovable little max in our lives and in our home. He came on Friday the 21st of October at 2:05 A. M.  Thursday made for quite the adventurous night. But maybe I should go back a bit since I have been terrible about recording anything about this pregnancy at all. This one has been very different than my fist pregnancy, not so mention a little bit harder on me. I was more sick for longer at the beginning. Instead of the morning sickness going away seemingly the day my second trimester started, this time it lasted a few weeks into the second trimester. And soon after that began the Braxton hicks contractions and pelvic pain that I never experienced with my first. With Adilyn I only started to dilate after my water broke but this time I had been dilated for at least a week before little man came. Which brings me to the night of Thursday the 20th at 6 P. M. We had dinner in the oven and 4 loads of laundry that needed to be folded including our bedding. It had been a busy and normal day here with chores and extra kiddos running around the house. I sat down because I was having a contraction and Adilyn decided that was the perfect time to climb on me. As her knee poked my belly I felt what seemed like a ballon popping inside of me and immediately felt fluid start to gush then drip out of me. I stood up quickly and told Caleb I thought my water just broke. I waddled to the bathroom to clean myself up and there was already blood coming out with the fluids. (Sorry for the overshare and the visual). When it continued to leak out of me I knew for sure that it was time. After the last experience of waiting for Adilyn in the hospital for like nine hours I wanted to wait a little before we went to the hospital and try to labor at home. So I calmly took a shower and put on my makeup on and pack the few things I hadn't yet. Caleb in the other hand was running around the house franticly grabbing things and packing the car and getting things ready. My contractions had kicked in but I still felt like we could take our time. I started to feel like I couldn't walk very easily, like there was something between my legs and that's when I started to agree with Caleb that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get in the road, considering we still needed to drop Adilyn off at his parents house which added some time to our already considerably long drive to the hospital. The drive to the hospital to deliver Adilyn was not fun at all feeling those painful contractions but this one was more mild. In fact my contractions seemed to slow down from about 4 minutes apart to more like 6 or 7. When we arrived at about 9:00, I was still loosing a considerable amount of fluid and was so grateful to be there. However when we arrived we were taken to our room and were told our nurse would be in shortly. She popped her head in long enough to say she had to leave to deliver a baby and we were left alone again. Before she left she asked me when I wanted my epidural and I assured her I could wait a bit and tough it out. When the nurse finally came back it had been about an hour after we arrived and by then my contractions we already considerably more painful and close together then when we arrived. I told her as soon as she could get me that epidural it would be appreciated. The anesthesiologist shortly arrived and we got started. At this point my contractions were about 2 minutes or less apart and more painful than I had experienced ever before adding to that the severe anxiety I have when getting an epidural I tried my best not to have a panic attack and hold still even through the pain. After what seemed like way too long he was finally done and preforming tests so make sure it was in the correct spot. It wasn't. He informed me that he was taking that one out and starting all over! I was less than amused. Sidebar: I have failed to mention that the BYU vs Boise State game was on and my husband was lucky enough to have something to distract him from the painful hand squeezing and everything that was going on. Although it was, from what I hear, a pretty good game, he still was right next to me helping me through the worst of it the whole time. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to help me so he might as well be watching the game. I think the some of the nurses and the anesthesiologist were grateful we had it on in our room. In fact after installment epidural number two the anesthesiologist sat down and watched it while waiting for this one to kick in. It didn't. We waited and waited. He kept asking "how about now?" He injected me with two syringes full of pain meds into the port in my shoulder that ran down my back and into the catheter in my back. Nothing. He pushed the booster button on the drip. Still nothing. Not sure where all do that medicine they pumped into me went. And, you guessed it, the contractions were getting even more painful and even closer together. Before attempt number three the nurses checked me to make sure I wasn't too far along to attempt number three. I was about a 4 so I had time. So yet another go at getting the epidural in finally did the trick. For half of my body. My left half was completely numb leaving my right side to still feel everything! The nurses rolled me onto my right side in hopes that would coax the medication to flow to my right side. This was when the anesthesiologists shift ended. Eventually a new guy came in and yet another syringe full of pain meds went into the port and down my back. Which is cold, by the way. And a few minutes later I finally was numb on both sides. Hooray! So thinking we had plenty of time to settle in for the night, it was after midnight at this time three hours after we arrived, we turned the light off, the game was over and we thought we would try to sleep. I think we both dosed off a few times. While laying there I was listening on the monitor to my little ones heart beat and I noticed that every time I had a contraction his heartbeat got slower. Soon the nurse came in and said she noticed the same thing on the monitor at the nurses desk and thought she'd come to check on me before she took her lunch break. And to our suprise I was dilated to 10! And ready to go. We called the doc and he was there within 10 minutes and I was pushing. I pushed through 6 or 7 contractions and he was here! 6 lbs 3 oz 20 inches long and so adorable. It's hard to put into words the feelings over overwhelming joy that sweeps over you when you see your baby for the first time. Only another parent would understand the joy. Of course all the pain was worth it. I basically felt all of labor and got the medication to work within an hour of delivering. And I have to say that although I admire any woman who can make it through the whole thing pain med free, it's not for me. I was so grateful to have the medication for the worst part of it. However if our children keep coming faster and faster I might not have time for medication in the future. From the time my water broke to when Adilyn was born was 16 hours. Max was 8. If we keep this trend our next one (assuming there will be a next one) will be only 4! Wow. 

Having max in our home has been an adjustment but so much fun. He is already two months old! He is starting to smile and hold his head up very well. He was such a skinny scrawny little guy when he was born but is now outing some fat on his limbs. He's got these cute little chubby legs. His big sister loves him, a little too hard sometimes, she ingnores him most of the time but is right next to him whenever he cries. He looks like his daddy with a little of my moms dad and my brother mixed in. He is so handsome and I just love him so much. I'm so glad to be his mom and can't wait for the rest of his life so I can enjoy every minute.     

 

 

Better late than never!

I'm haven't posted in forever. Like months. It's awful. So much has happened and I'm going to do one huge post I guess. So here goes. 

Adilyn loves spending time with her cousins. Luckily Zoe lives just up the street and we get to see them all the time. Adilyn doesn't look happy in this picture but she is I promise.

Deanna has some puzzles at her house and the preices have little handles, since Addie was little she has used them as binkeys. Her cousins Ky Ky and Yo Yo (William and Kyrie) think it's so funny.

Adilyn is learning to use the potty. And she is also learning to fold her arms to pray. Sometimes she gets the two confused. She is really good at folding her arms when it's time for prayer and mostly good and letting me know when she needs to use the potty. It's a work in progress.

Addie, of course, loves to be outside. She would stay out there all day if she could. She loves the swing across the street and is learning to go down the slide all by herself. 

She also loves the water and would run in the sprinklers all day if I let her. So we got her a pool to play in and again she would play out there all day if she could.

First time with braided hair. She hasn't let me do it since...she would have to be asleep for me to do it again. 

Calebs biggest fan!

I'm late in more ways than one...yep we are expecting baby number two. November 9th is the due date. I am 23 weeks along and we are expecting a boy! Yep a little Caleb is on the way!

Since I've been pregnant I've spent a lot of time laying on the couch sick as a dog. Adilyn is a great imitator. 

April update

Adilyn loves to grab a bunch of toys and things and then she just carries them around the house. She reminds me of Steve Martin in The Jerk. If you have seen that movie you probably remember what I'm referring to.

Noelle, a girl I babysit sometimes brings her really fun tunnel to play in and Adilyn loves to sometimes sit or just lay down inside of it.

One of Addie's favorite thing to do is play in the lazy susan and take all the bowls and Tupperware out of it. Sometimes to keep her occupied and happy this is a battle I let her win and just let her have at it.

She has become quit a climber she climbs up on this toy and usually gets stuck. She climbs onto the coffee table, and the other furniture. 

Whenever Caleb lays down or sits down on the grown Adilyn usually isn't far behind and sits herself right on top of him. 

The Easter bunny found Adilyn and Mama and Papas house.

Two very tired Easter egg hunters.

Roseola

So one evening Adilyn had a fever before she went to bed. She acted like she felt fine and she slept all night and slept well. When she woke up she had broken out in a rash. This is what she looks like that morning.

Later that evening the rash had gotten worse and she looked like this. I called the Dr office and they said because she had just had her MMR vaccine (measles mumps and rubella) it could be a reaction to that and that she wasn't contagious and would get over it within a few days. 

The next morning she woke up looking like this.

Of course I was very concerned that it had gotten much worse over night and so I called he Dr office again and again they said she would be fine and to just watch her. Well later that day she started rubbing the back of her head like it was bothering her and there were little bee bee sized bumps in the back of her head. So again I called the Dr they finally told me to just bring her in. Turns out Adilyn had roseola. A rash that is a result of a high fever and breaks out after the fever breaks. It took her about a week for her skin to clear up and the next few nights she hardly slept at all because of the bumps on her head, which the Dr said were swollen nodes. She would wake up and just hit and run her head. It was a long few days before she started to sleep better. I may or may not have had a mini meltdown in the middle of the night when Adilyn wouldn't sleep. But she finally did clear up and is healthy and happy again. Thank goodness. Although I did think this would last forever and they were the longest few days and nights of adilyns life probably. One thing I remember thinking in the middle of a sleepless night was, this too shall pass, I'm sure it was a whisper from the spirit to help me endure. It did pass and we did endure.

Adilyn as she was healing, her little cheeks were so swollen. 

Growing fast

Catching up on the past few months. Adilyn is such a happy funny girl. We have so much fun with her, she keeps us laughing. 

I can never go to the bathroom without being interrupted. If I lock the door she will have a mini meltdown outside the bathroom door until I finally come out. And if I don't lock it and leave it cracked she will open the door to say hi. 

Birthday Girl!

Adilyns birthday celebration was (two months ago, oops) so much fun! My parents and brothers came and Calebs parents and Isaac and Josh and Lacey and kids came. We had Mickey Mouse cupcakes and Adilyn got her very own smash cake, that she didn't smash but just gingerly picked at. She got a new car seat from Mommy and Daddy and a Micky mouse toy from Mama and Papa. Grandma and Pa Lowder gave her some toys and a new outfit. And her aunt Lacey gave her a book and a new sippy cup. She is very loved and very spoiled.