Parker's Birth Story: Part Two

The first time I remember seeing my baby, this is what I saw.

This picture is so hard to look at. I lost it when I saw Parker in his NICU bed. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. I was supposed to be snuggling my baby in my hospital room, peeking in on him in the nursery when I was doing my laps around the floor, and introducing him to a stream of visitors. I was supposed to be wheeled out of the hospital with a newborn in my arms.

But that was not our beginning. Our life with Parker began in the NICU at Texas Children’s Hospital. He was diagnosed with TTN (transient tachypnea of the newborn). It happens to about 1% of newborns and because of my gestational diabetes and c-section, Parker was more prone to TTN. It basically means that he had rapid breathing from excess fluid in his lungs. So, we had to wait for him to regulate his breathing on his own. This usually takes up to a couple of days after birth, but it took Parker eight days. It’s something he had to do on his own, and it’s certainly something we didn’t want to rush, as badly as we wanted him home.

A lot of tears were shed during Parker’s NICU stay and a lot of prayers were spoken. Being home without my baby made me feel so lost. I didn’t feel like I belonged home, when my baby was not there with me. And don’t forget, I was recovering from a c-section and had trouble getting around. I couldn’t get on the floor and play with my toddler like we were both accustomed to. It broke my heart every time he said “Mama, up” for me to hold him and I couldn’t. I was an absolute emotional wreck. For the first time in two years, I didn’t feel like a mom and it was devastating.

We spent long days up at the hospital with Parker and our evenings at home attending to Connor, basking in the sweet innocence that he had no idea what was going on with his baby brother. During those days, we got to know the nurses and wore them out with questions as we eagerly waited for our doctor to round and give us news about our baby’s progress. One of the first days when we were in the NICU, a sweet nurse started giving us maps of the hospital parking garages and tips on how to save on parking fees. All I could think was, “Does she know something I don’t know?” and “Just how long are we going to be here? Long enough to need to know this information?” I felt so helpless. I still couldn’t believe this was happening to us.

When I get lost in thought, I can still hear the beeping machines and the overwhelming smell of hand sanitizer that surrounded us each day at the hospital. I can still see my baby with wires all over his body and a cannula in his nose. On some level, I’m afraid we will have to return there, where our tender little boy's life revolves around the numbers on the screen and his saturation levels. But for now, I will cherish each and every day that we have our baby at home with us.

I’m so thankful our story has a happy ending. Holding Parker for the first time without any wires was such a joyful moment.

Receiving the news that we were able to take him home was another big moment for us. I couldn’t contain my excitement when the doctor told us he could go home! It was everything we had been praying for. We could bring our car seat into the hospital and take our baby home!

Fast-forward ten weeks, and Parker is a happy, healthy, chunky baby! Not a day goes by that I don’t give thanks to God for our little boy.

He had a rough start in this world. Our story reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes. "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most."

How thankful I am to be living in our middle!

Parker's Birth Story: Part One

Whether we admit it or not, we all have a plan for how we want our child’s birth to happen.

We had a date. A perfectly planned out date that we hand picked. And, I’m a planner – both by vocation and lifestyle. So, I like my plans to fall in to place, thank you very much. But as we all know, the best laid plans so often fall through.

Our date was scheduled exactly two weeks and two days after Connor's 2nd birthday (maybe I like the number two?). This was two weeks I had planned to devote myself to big brother Connor, making sure he felt so loved by me before I had to turn my attention elsewhere. Two weeks for last minute appointments, wrapping things up at work, finishing the nursery, and deciding on a name (finally) for the baby. Two weeks for a mani/pedi, highlights, errands. But, I never got those two weeks. God had other plans.

Parker arrived at 37 ½ weeks gestation. 2 ½ weeks early and 2 weeks before our scheduled c-section.

It was on a Wednesday, the day after Connor’s second birthday. We had so much fun celebrating Connor on his birthday. We made his favorite meal – hot dogs – and had a special birthday cupcake just for him. They fussed over him at school, we played choo choo’s at home and did everything we could to make sure he felt so special. It was a sweet day for our little family!

The next day, I woke up with tremendous stomach pains. I’d had some before, but these had me doubled over in pain. I didn’t have time to sit and rest because I had to get Connor to the pediatrician for his two-year checkup. After his checkup, we headed into school. I was still in so much pain, I was crying (and I'm not a crier). I called the doctor’s office and they told me to come in for monitoring. I called Jeremy to meet me at school and after I dropped Connor, we headed up to the hospital.

Sure enough, I ended up being in the early stages of labor. Through an IV, they gave me fluids to try and stop the labor, but I ended up progressing over the next couple of hours. During those hours we were in triage, we were productive and picked a name for our baby! Better late than never, right? I had back labor this time, and that was pretty painful. WOW. That is no joke. My labor all happened so quickly (and unexpectedly). When the doctor came in and said, "It's baby day!" I cried. How could it already be happening? It's not time! 

Luckily, my mom was able to get to the hospital pretty quickly. Her excitement over meeting her fifth grandbaby made me feel less anxious about everything that was happening. We called Jeremy's parents in Baton Rouge, and they got on the road as quickly as they could.

Before I knew, it, I was taken into pre-op where I was asked what seemed like hundreds of questions by several doctors, nurses (even one of my sorority sisters, which was a fun surprise!) and the oh-so-important anesthesiologist. It really was baby time.

It seemed like one minute Jeremy and I were making lunch plans, and in the blink of an eye, we were getting ready to have our baby.

Once in the operating room, everyone jumped into action. I was so thankful that my doctor was there with me through all of that chaos. It was nice to have a familiar face during an unsettling time. Then, I felt so much better once Jeremy came into the operating room. It felt like I was in there without him for such a long period of time. At one point, I reminded a nurse to go get my husband! 

Once I was deadened and ready to go, Jeremy and I talked nervously and took a selfie (aren’t we so hip?). We were so excited to meet our baby boy!

After what seemed like an eternity, we heard that sweet sound – our baby boy crying! The nurses said he came out crying, kicking (sounds about right, based on all those belly kicks!) and peeing! The crying stopped and they took him to the side to get all of his measurements done. He was over there for a really long time, and I kept thinking, “Why don’t they bring him over?” “When can I see my baby?”

And that’s when we realized something was wrong.

My 2014

My highlight of 2014 was this:

Meet Parker Henry Ford. Born on Wednesday, November 5th at 5:47 p.m. This little nugget weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and he was 21 1/4th inches long. He came out kicking, crying and peeing!

We found out we were expecting Parker in March. This was a huge HUGE surprise to us. I feel like life just kind of happens to Jeremy and me. We don't really make a lot of big plans (besides a weekly dinner menu, if that). We go about our day to day routines and big things happen along the way -- a trip, new house, new car, babies. This is probably why we are so good together. We just take things as they come our way.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2014:

This kid. He makes everyday fun. In the car, he loves for us to play "round and round and round and round" also known as "Wheels on the Bus." He does the motions to "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "Happy and You Know It" (and taps his chin for "and your face will surely show it"...hilarious) and "Skinny Marinky." Never a dull moment in the car!

He was an LSU football player for Halloween (you aren't surprised). We had trunk or treat with our Sunday School class and our trunk tied for first place for the decorations. It was a fun tradition we started with our littles as they went from car to car getting candy and goodies!

Stop it. He's saying "cheese" and he's dressed like an Indian. Can't even handle this cuteness.

Connor and his baby Par-ka on Christmas Day. What a special Christmas we had in Baton Rouge with these two sweet ones.

This summer we took a trip to Hunt, TX, with friends and spent a long relaxing weekend on the Guadalupe. It was a fun vacation and we enjoyed playing outside, the Crider's rodeo and late night games! 

Love doing life with these people. This is our Sunday School class...and they have so richly blessed our lives.

Parker man at just 3 weeks old! Filling out his 3 month clothes already. I sure loved being home with him every day during maternity leave. 

LSU didn't have a remarkable season, but Connor loved tailgating and going to a game. His favorite part? The band performance at halftime! "More band" he kept saying!

Before pregnancy really kicked in (and the summer heat) I spent three mornings a week running with these girls. They were worth waking up at 5 a.m. for. We ran several 5K's and enjoyed pushing each other and staying in shape together. Hopefully I can get back in the running game again in 2015!

We moved! We have a bigger home in a darling neighborhood that is perfect for our growing family. We've really enjoyed making our new house into our home and settling in. We are enjoying the extra space and the YARD!

Connor turned 2 by doing his most favorite thing - riding the choo-choo! This year, he fell in love with choo-choo's! There's nothing sweeter than seeing your child get so excited for something! He had the best time at his birthday party riding the train at Hermann Park. He would move his arm up and down and say "choo-choo!" and say "Mama ride choo-choo; Dada ride choo-choo; I ride choo-choo!" 

This was definitely an unforgettable year! Here's to 2015!

Facing a Big Decision

Maternity leave has been nice in so many ways. I’ve lived in my yoga pants. I’ve hardly fixed my hair. And, I get to watch my favorite daytime shows – “Kelly and Michael,” “The Chew” and “Ellen” almost every day. I also try to nap as much as possible. Yep, I’ll miss these days.

But it hasn’t been all peace and quiet. Parker cries and screams. A lot. At first we thought it was reflux, so we made several trips to the pediatrician and started him on zantac first, followed by previcid. He was taking each medication twice a day, which seemed like a lot for a baby not even a month old. We waited a couple of weeks for the right dosage of the reflux medications to sink in and kept holding out hope that he would get better. He still screamed at night (nope, wasn’t colic), seemed constantly gassy and his stomach was always so tight like he was really struggling. There’s not a feeling as helpless as when your baby is in pain and you have no idea how to care for him. I have never felt so lost.

Then last Monday (Parker was 5 weeks old) I was taking Connor to the doctor for a fever virus and I happened to show the pediatrician this rash Parker was developing (see below). It was red and bumpy and started on his face and then spread to his neck, abdomen and eventually to his legs. Our doctor said to treat it with some cream and if it’s not better in four days, bring him back. Sure enough it was not better, in fact it was worse, so I brought him back in. The doctor said that he thinks it is a dairy and soy allergy, so I need to eliminate all of those proteins from my diet for a week and see if he is any better.

Tomorrow I will call and tell the doctor that Parker is better. Actually, his rash is almost all cleared up. He is starting to do less screaming (my ears are so thankful) and we have even seen a couple of little smiles.

And now I’m faced with a big decision. Eliminate all dairy and soy from my diet completely (not even a cheat day here and there) or switch him to an allergy free formula.

This is a big decision.

Chopped Beef Sandwiches

This is a great week to pull out the crock pot and let it work its magic. The crock pot is probably the most under utilized gadget in my kitchen, which I hate to admit. Nevertheless, it's perfect for this easy weeknight meal. This recipe is based on my mother in law's recipe she uses at Ford Family Tailgating parties, just modified to work for our family (and my MSPI diet).

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pre-chopped creole mix veggies (in the produce section at the grocery store)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your choice of sauce; I use Stubb's or homemade)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I use A1 so that it's MSPI friendly)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of creole seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama)
• 1-2 pounds of boneless chuck roast
• Burger/sandwich buns

Mix the first eight ingredients together in the crock pot, and then add the meat. Turn the crock pot on high and cook for 6-7 hours, until the meat is tender. When you are ready to serve, shred the meat and serve on a burger bun of your choice. It goes great alongside grilled veggies!

Valentine's Dinner Party

We celebrated Valentine's Day at home this year, and had two of our favorite couples over for dinner! My husband is a fabulous chef and prepared an amazing meal for us. It was a great evening with friends, and allowed us to have meaningful conversations without the chaos that comes with dining out on the "most romantic night of the year."

Since we were just at home, I wanted to give the dinner an extra touch with a simple, but elegant tablescape. I pulled my grey chevron table runner I had made out of the drawer to start with. I knew I had to use red as my corresponding color versus pink, since red would pop more on the grey runner. Added in some votives, and we have the table ready to go!

For the silverware, I wrapped it up in red dinner napkins and then twisted a red and silver heart wire strand to keep it together. Very simple!

On the menu: homemade hush puppies with a side of creole butter, grilled veggies, salad, garlic mashed potatoes and flat iron steak topped with New Orleans style BBQ shrimp. It was as delicious as it looks!

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!
B

15 months!

Little man is 15 months old. At his checkup this week, he weighed 30.5 pounds and was 33 1/2 inches long. He wears 24 months/2T clothes and he still only has 6 teeth. He's growing so quickly, and time is passing by too fast! Since I'm not updating the baby book monthly anymore (and I'm a little thankful for that, let's be honest) I need to still keep up with documenting what Connor is up to these days! His favorite thing to do is walk around, no matter where we are (parking lot, restaurant, etc.)! He is so busy! He walks and shrieks and screams happy sounds. So fun!

His favorite toys:

Balls

The Fisher Price dog that he can pull

Wooden knob puzzles (really just so he can bang the pieces together)

Toilet paper

Wooden spoons

The sprinkle shakers from Connor's own shelf in the pantry

His words:

Dada (first word)

Mama (my favorite word!)

Ball

Dog

Bye-Bye (with a wave toward himself)

Up (he usually says this while he's laying on the ground and he puts his legs up in the air!)

Nana (as in banana)

Out-ide (outside...his favorite place to be)

No (he usually says it when we are reading the Find Spot books)
All done (and he puts his arms out to the side like he's motioning "I don't know"
Hello (and pretends he's talking on the phone by putting whatever object he's holding up to his ear)

Connor is a busy little man, and he keeps us on our toes! Not many quiet moments around our house anymore. But, we wouldn't have it any other way. I'm amazed at how smart he is and how much he understands. What a blessing to watch him grow up and discover his world!

Here are a few recent pics from the past couple of months!

Sliding at the park...I think we did this 20 times that day!

Celebrating our friend Preston's birthday! Blurry picture because he was SO busy walking all over the place!

During the first Houston "snow" day we went to Wonderwild to get some energy out!

Think he has enough bath toys?

First trip to the Zoo in January. He loved the petting zoo!

What a fun age! We are having a blast!
B