Catch up

Wow! I am WAY behind on an update. Life has been pretty crazy the past couple of months. So, here is a little update on where our little family is at right now.

Bryce got orders to go to training for a new job in Georgia and he was ordered to arrive on April 27th. About 3 weeks before this, we decided to pack up our house and put everything we own in storage and me and the kids would stay at my parents house in Texas for the summer. So, we got busy packing! With our cars loaded down, we left Cheyenne on April 17th and stayed with Bryce's parents for a few days. We spent Easter there and finally got to relax after the busy 3 weeks we just had.

Then, we drove to Sherman and Bryce stayed for a few days and then drove on to Georgia for his 4 1/2 month training. While Bryce was in Sherman, we got to go see a movie while my parents watched the kids. It was so nice!! We also went down to Denton to see my BIL's presentation of a project he had been working on his whole college career. It was so fun to spend time with my family that weekend.

Now, Bryce is in Georgia learning how to be a special agent and me and the kids are spending our days at my parents house in Sherman and we are loving the warm weather. We went shopping in Canton this past weekend and this coming weekend, we will be going to Tyler for my sisters graduation from SFA.

Calum: 1 Month

I am a bit late on this post but its better late than never, right?

Calum's weight is uncertain but its probably around 8-9 pounds. He nurses every 2-3 hours and sleeps all. the. time. I forget how much newborns sleep! He wakes up by himself for every feeding unlike Ava was when she was a newborn. I had to wake Ava up for almost every feeding. Calum wears newborn diapers and newborn clothes.

Calum sleeps in a cradle next to our bed. He is such an easy baby. He is always so content and only cries when he is hungry or tired. He has insanely strong head control. He loves his baths and he is a big fan of his paci.

Pictures from Calum's first month...

Calum Brooks Stringer

Photo Credit: Julie Livermore Photography

Calum Brooks Stringer

Born: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 5:09am

7 Ib 7 oz

20 inches 

Birth Story: On Monday, March 10th, my mom and sister decided to go ahead and come up to visit in hopes I would have the baby within a few days. I was SO excited to have them in town. They arrived late on Monday night. On Tuesday, we all went to my 38 week doctors appointment. I found out I was dilated to 4cm and 60% effaced. After my appointment, we went to Walmart and Target to walk this baby out. I was having mild contractions all day but nothing consistent and I was super uncomfortable. 

I woke up Wednesday morning at 3am having horrible contractions so what did I do? Made sure everything was packed and ready to go and while I was putting a little makeup on, my mom walks in and tells me to GO TO THE HOSPITAL! ha! Her babies came fast so she was worried I would have a fast delivery, too. My mom and sister stayed behind at the house until Ava woke up while Bryce took me to the hospital. My mom ended up coming to the hospital shortly after we arrived. 

I got into my lovely hospital gown and they got me all hooked up to the monitors. Then, it was time for them to put in the IV... I was stuck 8 times by 5 different nurses before they were finally able to get it in. It took almost an hour. That was by far the worst experience EVER with needles! By the time they got the IV in, I was ready to push. The doctor came in to check me and I was complete. I pushed 3 times and the baby was born! It all happened SO fast!!!! I was in shock but totally grateful for a healthy and fast/drug free delivery. Next time, I might opt for a home delivery though.  

Calum (pronounced with a short vowel "a" like Calvin) came out with a head full of dark hair. He is the sweetest baby and loves to snuggle. Right after he was born, my sister brought Ava up to the hospital to see the baby. It was really early in the morning so Ava didn't show much emotion but I think she was excited to see Calum. My mother-in-law arrived at around 5pm. We stayed in the hospital 24 hours so we went home on the 13th around noon. 

36 Weeks

Wow! I can not believe that I am almost full term! This pregnancy has FLOWN by!!

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How far along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: Honeydew Melon. About 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long. 

Total weight gain: 21 pounds 

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Sleep: Some nights are good. Some aren't. Last night was good. I only got up once. 

What I miss: Being able to move easily.

Cravings: Ice water!

Symptoms: Heartburn, nerve pain!!!, exhaustion, restless leg syndrome. 

Best moment this week: Getting (almost) everything ready for baby's arrival. 

What I am most looking forward to: Holding my baby boy!!! 

At my doctors appointment a few days ago, I found out I am dilated to 3cm and 50-60% effaced (WHOA). So, this baby could make his arrival any day now. Of course I want this baby to stay in for as long as he needs to be healthy but man, I am ready to not be pregnant again. I usually have several contractions a day but nothing consistent or anything to worry about. I go for another appointment next week and I will be getting an ultrasound to make sure the baby is still growing okay because I haven't gained any weight in the past few weeks. This baby is VERY active and I feel like he is a big baby so I am not concerned. 

Gestational Diabetes update: Since tracking my progress, my blood sugar levels keep getting lower and lower. I ate pasta, bread, and dessert the other day and my BS was 72! I am so thankful!

34 Weeks!

34 Weeks? How can it be?

This week was an eventful one as far as my pregnancy goes. We had a couple of scared moments where we thought I was going into labor. One evening at dinner, after shopping all day, I started having consistent contractions every 6 minutes. They eventually went away after a few hours. A couple of days later, I woke up from a nap with contractions every 2-3 minutes and they lasted for about 3-4 hours. I didn't call my doctor and didn't go into the hospital because they weren't painful and I had a feeling they would just go away...and they did. Thank the Lord.

The next morning, I woke up thinking I was leaking amniotic fluid. Sorry if that's TMI. I called my doctor and they had me come in a couple hours later. Turns out, I wasn't leaking fluid but I did have an infection that causes pre-term labor which explains the contractions. So, I am on antibiotics for that and hopefully I will have this baby boy inside me for a few more weeks!

Bryce has a feeling the baby will come within the next two weeks and he is usually right about that sort of thing so we shall see. I'm hoping to make it to full term but with my gestational diabetes, it may not happen.

Speaking of the gestational diabetes, that hasn't been fun. I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day but I have been able to keep my levels low. The only thing that raises my blood sugar is fruit so I try to stay away from that.

Anyways, here is a pregnancy update...

How far along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: A Cantaloupe- about 4 3/4 pounds and 18 inches long.

Total weight gain: 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: For the most part. All my pants are maternity but I still wear some of my long shirts.

Sleep: I have had bad restless leg syndrome so that interferes with me getting to sleep but once I get to sleep, I sleep pretty good.

What I miss: Bending over and not having as much energy.

Cravings: Ice water

Symptoms: Heartburn, restless leg syndrome, Braxton Hicks contractions,

Best moment this week: Getting some of the babies clothes washed and finally ordering a carseat!!

What I am most looking forward to: Meeting our baby boy and seeing Ava interact with him.

31 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 31 Weeks!! 

Size of baby: Pineapple

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes! 

Gender: Boy!! 

Movement: All the time! I feel like he moves more than Ava did. 

Sleep: Good for the most part. Some nights I get bad restless legs but once I fall asleep, I am out for the night! 

What I miss: Being able to get around like I used to and not feeling as energetic. 

Cravings: ICE! I am borderline anemic. Its not bad enough to take supplements but its enough to where I crave ice! 

Symptoms: Heartburn, lower back pain if I am on my feet all day, Braxton Hicks contractions, and gestational diabetes (more on that below).

Best moment this week: Getting a few more baby clothes that I need. Its been a rough week. 

What I am most looking forward to: Getting all the baby stuff that we still need and getting it set up and my baby shower next weekend! 

After finding out that I (barely) failed my first glucose test, I had to go again for the 3 hour test. Thankfully, Bryce had Monday off for MLK holiday so I was able to go by myself. I fasted for 12 hours and went in at around 8:30am on Monday morning. I had to drink this horrible drink that tasted like straight up syrup. I had nothing in my stomach and then had to drink that horrible drink so it made me very light headed and nauseous. I was able to stay in the room with my Route 44 Sonic water and a recliner with a tv for the whole 3 hours. So, it wasn't that bad. The nurse came in every hour to draw my blood. Once it was all over, they said they would call me the next morning for the results and I went home to EAT! This girl was hungry! 

The next morning, I found out I had failed the test. My score was 170 and its supposed to be below 140. Ah! I am scheduled to see a diabetes specialist on Friday and a nutritionist on Tuesday. I am praying they don't make me check my blood sugar 4 times a day. If you know me, you know I do NOT like any kind of needle. Even talking about it makes me want to pass out. I am just hoping and praying this process isn't as bad as I am expecting and it goes away soon after the baby is born. 

29 Weeks- Baby #2

Whoa, so much for trying to do weekly pregnancy updates. At this rate, I will have monthly updates! Sorry, baby #2! Hopefully I will have a picture to post soon.

Ava and I went home for the holidays and we were in Texas for over a month. It was awesome spending the holidays with family but it is great to be back in my own home. I went for a check up a couple of days ago and baby boy is growing right on track and is healthy as can be..praise the Lord!! I am so grateful.

Weight gain: I have gained 20 pounds so far (AH!!) but feeling good. I only gained 10 pounds at 29 weeks with Ava. I eat non-stop because I am always hungry!! Baby brother likes to EAT!! Heartbeat is 158.

Maternity Clothes: My new maternity jeans from H&M are my new best friend. I just love that store! Can I get an amen?! I usually wear maternity clothes but there are a few tops that I can still squeeze into.

The baby moves all the time and I feel like his rolls and kicks are so much stronger than they were with Ava. Maybe I just forgot how it felt but I am loving every minute of it. I love being pregnant but I can not WAIT to hold this sweet boy in my arms!

Cravings: ICE!!! I go for my glucose test tomorrow so they will also test for anemia. I craved ice with Ava but it wasn't bad enough to take iron supplements.

Symptoms: Acid Reflex like nobody's business! Tums are my best friend right now. And I feel like I have completely run out of room. How can I possibly grow any larger?

What am I looking forward to? Holding this baby in my arms! I miss having a newborn! I wish I was looking forward to setting a room up but we might be moving before the baby is born so everything is on hold until we know for sure what our plans are.