Clara June Turns One!

When I was pregnant with Skip, all I could think about was having a sweet baby girl. I just knew that I would be an outstanding girl mom. I thought for sure Rusty would spend his life with all women.

Then we opened the envelope and it was a boy. Total and utter shock.

A boy was never on my radar. Like, at all.

What do you do with a boy? What do boys even like? What do they wear? How do I change a boy diaper? Just to name a handful of thoughts that crossed my mind.

When we became pregnant a second time (not planned and a huge shock), from the start I was 100% confident it was a girl.

In fact a friend commented on Clara's nike shorts the other day to which I replied, "I bought those for her before we even knew we were having a girl." That is how sure I was.

We planned to do our gender reveal (just Rusty, Skip and I) at home but due to Rusty being delayed getting home from a business trip I had to wait another 24 hours for the surprise. Utter suspense and slight irritation with Rusty. Hey, just being honest.

When we threw that confetti, well you can see my overjoyed reaction here. God was faithful.

Clara June turned one a few weeks ago and it was such a great day. We thought our family was complete with Skip but little did we know that we needed this firecracker.

Clara loves everything that her brother has. She already has an obsession with shoes (honestly, she didn't get this from me). She wakes up talking and smiling. She loves to dance and adores music. She will eat practically anything you give her. She sleeps like a champ (from the beginning - praise the Lord)! She is hysterical and 10 minutes around her every knows why we call her Toots. She is a handful in the best way.

Clara June, may you never change baby girl. You are such a blessing. You make everyone happy. You make everyone laugh. You make everyone feel loved. You are our bright light!

Our 4th of July at the Lake!

It is official. Fourth of July is now one of my favorite holidays.

I feel like I have neglected it my whole life. Possibly not realized how fun and memorable this holiday can be.

We made plans to spend the long weekend at our family condo on the lake with no real agenda. It was four full days of family time, boat rides, patio time and good eats.

Both of our children are fish but Clara is beyond brave! It makes me a tad nervous but in the same sense very excited to have a water baby. She hates being in the raft we bought her. She wants to float, kick her legs, put her face in the water and even be dunked. She l-o-v-e-s the water y'all. I think it is time for swim lessons for both babies!

We spent a great deal of time at the pool. Pool time looks so different these days. We take turns chasing Clara and swimming with Skip. Skip is such a strong independent player. You don't have to do much to entertain him. I absolutely love seeing his imagination come to life. While I adore this time in life, don't think I don't reminisce on the days when we sat by the pool reading, taking naps and having lighthearted conversations.

These two had the best time in the pool together! A few times during our stay, I would take Toots back to the condo for nap time and Daddy + Skip stayed to swim. It makes me happy. Putting this picture on the official it is time to print out new pictures list.

This is a picture of Clara telling me that I am smothering her and that I am no longer a cool mom. Totally kidding but she wasn't happy. Again, she wants to swim and not be held.

One to make you smile. We are really into picking our nose these days. :)

We have a few weekends at home and we are looking forward to this! This is such a memorable time of year friends! Let's enjoy it.

Oh, and happy weekend!

Skipisms Y'all

Chatting about school.

Mommy: Skip did you have a good day at school?

Skip: Yes.

Mommy: Did you get in time out?

Skip: Yes.

Mommy: Why?

Skip: Push.

Mommy: Who did you push?

Skip: Callie Gurl.

Boba: (Grandma - R's mom) What did Mrs. April say when you pushed Callie?

Skip: NO SKIP NO!

After praying for family, friends and loved ones.

Mommy: Skip, who do you want to pray for now?

Skip: (in one breath and really fast) Omie, Diddy, JaneMar, Mar, Diddy, Omie.

Skip has two bad scraps on his face due to falling off our back steps. This was his conversation with his Sunday school teachers.

Shay: Skip what happened to your face?

Skip: Push.

Shay: Who pushed you?

Skip: Mommy and daddy. 

(Seriously kid? Haha)

Trying to fight sleep and stay up later.

Mommy: What are we not going to do at school tomorrow?

Skip: Push.

Mommy: Yes. Good!

Skip: Push, April, Callie Gurl, No Skip No!, Go Cats!, Purple, White (quite literally rambling in one breath and with a fist bump at the end for Go Cats!)

On seeing his sweet cousin Nate.
Mommy: Skip, are you going to see Nate this weekend?
Skip: Yes!
Mommy: What are you going to do together?
Skip: Eat cheese.

Holding my big boy and walking past sisters room at night.
Mommy talking.
Skip: (tapping my shoulder) Shhhhh! (finger to mouth) Sissy sleeping.
Mommy cheesy grinning.

Saying prayers before bed.
Mommy: Dear God.
Skip: Dear God.
Mommy: I thank you for...
Skip: I thank you for...
Mommy: Now tell him what you are thankful for.
Skip: Catch (his best friend), puppies and... MUFFINS! AMEN!

Needless to say this stage is fun. He is the sweetest boy ever.

Images by BLC Photography

Clara at 7 Months

When I found out I was pregnant the second time around I immediately started praying for a baby who is laid back and slept all night. My prayers were more like pleas. Please Lord let this baby sleep all night. Please let this baby and I connect instantly. Please let this baby be relaxed. All these things and I promise to stay within my coffee budget each month.

Totally kidding on the last line but you get the idea.

Boy did God bless me abundantly. Clara June is the sweetest little soul. I don't know if I can put into words how much I adore this child. She is sweet, smiles non-stop and loves just watching everyone. She talks SO much. We joke that she is taking after her name sake (my grandmother June Rose). She is a pure delight. While she use to be a good sleeper turned not so good lately, we are getting adequate rest through the night. She loves to cuddle and is reaching for everything. She is currently pushing up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. 

We joke that she doesn't know her name though because we never call her by it. Any given day she is referred to as: Tooty, CJ, Clara June, sister, sissy guuuuurl (Skipper), baby girl, Clara. 

She loves to eat: sweet potato, applesauce, butternut squash, bananas and carrots. She really loves the veggies the most. We have tried some puffs but she isn't a huge fan. I am hoping to introduce her to avocado and water in a sippy cup soon. While her cheeks are chubby she is pretty little. She wears clothes that are right in line with her age and even her six month clothes still fit. They are starting to get too short though.

Her favorite person is still Skip with Daddy quickly closing in. Skip loves her to pieces but he is ready to wrestle with her versus sit next to her. She is starting to yell/cry at him when he overdoes it. She is already telling him to leave her alone. In fact this morning I got tickled because it was the first time I told Skip to leave his sister alone as Clara squawked at him. (hello parenthood!) She loves her brother though and you can tell that she is trying to keep up with him. She doesn't want to sit in the baby toys like her saucer chair anymore when she can sit on the floor with her brother instead.

Like I mentioned she is becoming a Daddy's girl. She sees Daddy and just lights up. She loves to cuddle Daddy and he will hold her until his arm falls off. She also knows that and takes advantage. :)

She has the prettiest blue eyes and blonde hair that is starting to curl which makes me so happy! We just adore her. I have heard my friends say it but the greatest thing we ever did for Skipper was give him a sibling. While it isn't always easy, their bond is already forming and a true joy to watch.

Thank you Lord for this sweet as pie baby! I cannot believe that in a few short months we will be celebrating her first birthday. Annnnnnnd I just got emotional so go look at pictures of my pretty girl.

Clara's Birth Story

Hi and welcome to the longest post ever. But so worth it because I finally made time to blog Clara's Birth Story also known as the day I became a mom of two.

Incredible. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of Clara's birth. First let me say that Clara is an absolute gem. She is laid back, sweet and a doll baby. She loves to be held so this post is brought to you by solly baby wrap. It has been my saving grace when it comes to getting anything done. We absolutely love CJ and it is hard to believe that she is one month old.

If you read the blog when I was pregnant with Skip or his birth story (part 1 and part 2) you know how dead set I was on having an unmediated childbirth. I researched, practiced breathing, made a playlist, read stories, took notes... All of it when it came to his birth. This time around I was open to letting things happen with no plan in mind. I hope to write a post one day (hey two kids) about both an unmedicated childbirth and one with modern medicine aka an epidural. One warning is that below is a picture of a fresh baby cord still intact so if that isn't your thing then close out now. I totally get it if it isn't your up of tea. Let's go...

Clara was due on July 6th but each appointment leading up to her birth resulted in no progress. I wasn't too discouraged because the same thing happened with Skip. My prayer was that when the time came my water would break so I would 100% now I was labor. I really did pray that which makes me laugh because contractions hurt aka I would know no doubt.

The day of the 5th we decided to be crazy and let a crew come in to rip up our floors and install new floors throughout our main living spaces. We felt it was better to do it before the baby and since she was in no rush to make her debut we gave the crew the go ahead. That evening the house was so dusty and dirty after the old floors were removed that I decided to stay at my moms with Skip while Rusty stayed at our house to get other last minute things done before CJ came.

Around 3 a.m. (on the 6th, her due date) I was woken up to pretty painful contractions that felt different than before. I tried going back to sleep but they kept getting stronger. Around 4:30 a.m. I went in to my parents room and told my mom I thought I was in labor. She jumped up and was immediately excited. I didn't time them at this point because I truly thought she wouldn't come especially not on her exact due date. My mom stayed at her house with Skip while I called Rusty to tell him I was coming home and I was pretty sure I was in labor.

When I got home (keep in mind we live about three minutes apart) Rusty was already up, showered and dressed ready to go to the hospital. I made him pump the breaks! I needed a shower and was starving. He made me toast with peanut butter while I got in the shower. After I got out I laid down for a few minutes to see how I felt and of course the contractions stopped. I was so disappointed not because I wasn't in labor but I thought I have had one baby I should know labor. I got everyone up and excited for nothing. This is one of the many times in life that I have to learn grace for myself.

The following day (July 7th) I went to the doctor for my 40 week appointment. She checked me and told me I had finally made a little progress. We decided that we wanted to wait on her to come versus induction and agreed to meet again the following Monday (which would put me at 40 weeks and 4 days). If we were going to meet on Monday and she hadn't come we would then make a plan for induction (which we had with Skip). Before we left our doctor told us she was on call all weekend and she had a feeling she would see us sooner rather than on Monday at the appointment. When we left Rusty started encouraging me and reassuring me because I had been so upset with no baby the weeks before. I don't encourage people to have their floor replaced but it really helped me towards the end. I told Rusty I was so glad she wasn't here yet because the house was a mess (not ready for a baby) and our floors weren't done. Again, I don't encourage it but it does help with distractions past your due date. ;)

Friday morning (July 8th) I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and was wide awake. I picked up my phone and like the old soul that I am started doing crossword puzzles on my phone. I had no contractions and felt really rested. Around 4:30 a.m. I needed to pee and got up out of bed to realize my pajama shorts were soaked. My immediate thought was I PEED MY PANTS! Ha As I walked to the bathroom liquid started running down my leg making me run to the potty because I thought I was still peeing on myself. As I was using the restroom I realized that it could be my water. Then I thought my house is a wreck! It is dirty! I have furniture everywhere! My hall bathroom is under construction! I can't have a baby today. She is suppose to hold off through the weekend! After that initial panic passed I got up to change my pajama bottoms still in denial that I was having a baby.

I changed pants and walked back to bed when a huge gush rushed down my leg. Clara was coming!! I knew then that God had answered my prayer. My water had broken and I immediately prayed for God to take away my anxiety of having a baby with a home in such disarray. I begin getting excited! I walked over to Rusty and woke him saying my water had broken! He was much calmer this go around. He was excited, emailed work quickly and began tending to me. I took a shower and painted my nails (priorities) while R made me breakfast. After showering and getting my bag together, I called my mom to tell her. Since Skip was still asleep she was going to come over to watch him while we waited for my mother-in-law to make it in to town to watch him.

My mom came over and we all kind of danced around so excited to meet Clara June! By this time it was about 6:30 a.m. and normally when Skip wakes up. We went in to greet him and love on him. We gathered our things and told Skip we would see him soon. As I got in the car I started bawling. I was thrilled to have CJ but I truly adored our life with Skip and knowing it wouldn't be the same again made me sad.

We made it to the hospital around 7 a.m. and I was beyond excited to see our nurse who helped deliver Skip. Lisa, all the praise hands emojis to you sister! I got checked in to the hospital and changed into my lovely gown. I explained how my water had broken but since I had waited so long to go to the hospital no fluid was coming out at the time. Lisa did a swab test to make sure it was fluid while my contractions started picking up. After about thirty minutes and a confirmed yes to my water breaking I got my iv port and we put on our walking shoes. We started walking the halls of the hospital. I was the only one on the floor so the nurses got to chat with me and really welcomed us. Rusty went to go get a late breakfast/early lunch around 9 a.m. and Constance (my other favorite nurse) took me outside to walk around. My contractions were picking up but nothing worth writing home about. I was starting to swell from all the walking so I came went to my room to sit and be checked. I was at a 3 and not progressing at all. With 2+ hours of walking and squatting I had progressed 1 centimeter. My nurse brought in the dreaded pitocin. With my water breaking outside of the hospital and me taking so long to come in the risk of infection was getting closer so I got pitocin put into my iv. (With my first birth I was anti pitocin but again another post!)

Every told me that your contractions with pitocin are worse but I felt zero difference between contractions with pitocin (Clara June) and contractions without pitocin (Skip). It hurt. It hurt bad y'all. When I was in labor with Skip and the contractions began getting close together I yelled. Truly, yelled at the top of my lungs or more like a moan but it was loud. This time around I tried picturing my body riding to the top of a wave (height of contraction) and then riding down. It helped until I got to a 6. I lost my mind then. I began fighting nausea and had uncontrollable shakes. My body would not stop convulsing and I was freezing cold. Again, none of this happened with Skip. My mom got my attention and asked me if I wanted an epidural to which I replied no. I had done this once before so I could do it again. Rusty and my mom started begging me to get one (seeing me hurt isn't high up on their list) so just like that we made a pro/con list while I labored through more contractions. I finally relented even though I was more petrified of the epidural than unmedicated labor. My mom fist pumped. It made me laugh while riding the waves of contractions. She is a really good fist bumper.

At this point I was still a 6 and was not progressing. The anesthesiologist came in to go over everything with me. He was exceptional at his job and quite comical. He explained the process, side effects and sensations I would feel all while I was having convulsing style contractions (which has to be weird for him or are they use to it?) Jonathon prepared everything and the needle being inserted didn't hurt at all. The hardest part for me was being still through contractions bent over a bed while wanting to vomit. When he started pumping in the epidural I felt a terrible burning sensation on my right side. It hurt but again nothing like the contractions.

My mom and Rusty came back in as the epidural was starting to kick in. Within minutes I felt truly incredible! No pain. No shakes. No freezing temperatures. I was felt so relaxed and peaceful. Crazy enough I went to sleep for an hour and would have kept sleeping but the nurse came to check me. No one told me that your legs are limp noodles so when the nurse checked me she lifted my leg for me. It made me laugh. You guys I cannot explain what it was like to laugh and joke with my family and the nurses. With Skip I was miserable. Again another post but my labor really picked up. Epidurals typically slow labor but it helped progress mine.

Around 4:30 p.m. I started pushing. It felt so good and familiar to push. It also brought the excitement to an all time high because we were so close! The buzz in our room was contagious and everyone was overjoyed. It was such a wonderful birth and experience. It felt so good! After pushing just a few times our sweet Clara June made her appearance at 5:02 p.m. About 30 minutes later Skip came waltzing into our room with flowers for his sister and flowers for his mommy (thanks Grandma Gena!). Of course I lost it. He climbed into bed and wanted to check out all the monitors and tubes. We placed CJ in his lap and it was truly one of the best moments of my life. I am weepy just typing it. One of the greatest gifts I could ever give my son is a best friend in his sister. Skip truly loves Clara and helps anyway he can. Our family feels complete and whole. Thank you Lord for your ultimate blessings!