Trunk or Treat

Today I was able to go to Syd's school and participate in Trunk or Treat. I usually do not get to do these day time activities due to my work schedule. I took Griffin in the wrap and we had a great time.

Sydney in her classroom getting ready to go out to Trunk or Treat. She did not want to look at me for some reason.

Sydney and Griffin at home in the am.

Isn't she an adorable lion!

Pantry #1

So this is my pantry under the stairs. I should have taken a picture before I took the wooden shelves out of the back and also the bakers cart that had all my kitchen gadgets stacked on top. The shelves in the back did not come all the way out to the end of the supports so it just was not that efficient. With the bakers cart I could not walk into the closet and get to anything at the back. So we decided it was time to remodel the pantry. So this is what it looks like empty.

I gave it a coat of fresh paint.

Bill put these shelves up.

Here it is with everything back in minus the cart. I am getting rid of the cart. What do you think? Now I can actually walk in and bend over and get to stuff. Next is the pantry in the laundry room which is where I keep canned goods, cereal, paper products etc.

Stampin Saturday

Saturday was my first day with both kids all day! Of course it was cold and rainy so I was challenged to keep Sydney entertained. I decided to get out some of my stamps. I have bins of stamps that I have collected the last several years for card making and scrap booking. Sydney enjoyed stamping!

Pumpkins, apples, lady bugs, little chicks, flowers and more. It was fun but a bit messy. Later we colored in some of the things we stamped.

Pumpkin Carving

We decided that Sydney was old enough to help carve her pumpkin this year. Bill actually did most of the work. She enjoyed getting all the "sloppy pulp" out of the pumpkin. Actually at first she did not want to stick her hand inside the pumpkin but with a little coaxing she tried it and decided it wasn't too bad. Our pictures of the finished product were all blurring, sorry.

Decoration or Dinner

Is this all just decoration or is part of this display dinner?

Yes, part of the display is dinner. Did you recognize the green acorn squash? I am making a roast tonight and I bought this squash to have along with the traditional sides to a roast. I was getting ready to cut into the squash and noticed the beautiful colors. So many things in nature are beautiful if we just take a moment to observe.

Invitations

Yesterday and today I worked on Sydney's birthday party invitations. Wow, I cannot believe I am planning her third birthday party. We are having a small party this year due to having a new baby and wanting to keep germs at a minimum. Sydney wants balloons and cupcakes so she is easy to please. I have made it a tradition to always make her party invitations. I enjoy the craft and I think it makes her birthday extra special. Here is a sneak peak.

12 Days

Have you ever fell in love with someone in 12 days? Do you believe in love at first sight? I cannot believe Griffin is 12 days old. I already cannot imagine my life without him. I have been loving my baby boy since he started growing inside me, so really I loved him before I ever saw him or held him. I do not think there are words to describe a mothers love for her child. I feel so blessed to have two healthy, beautiful children.

Who's who

Do you think they look alike? Could you tell who was who? Griffin is on the top and Sydney is on the bottom.

They have several of the same features. So cute.

Winners

Finally I am going to announce the winners of the predictions please posting. My mom actually won by the date, she guessed that Griffin would arrive on the 10th and he arrived on the 9th so she was the closest. The second winner is Michelle Mowat who guessed that Griffin would weigh 7 lbs 6 ounces and he weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces! Both winners will receive some great scrap booking goodies. Michelle let me know if you do not scrapbook and we can do some fun art supplies and crafting stuff for you and your kids.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we ventured out to the pumpkin patch with our friends. We went to a different patch than last year because it was way out in the country and I did not want to go that far in the car with an eight day old baby. It was cold....probably mid 50's. Quite the change from previous years when we have worn shorts and tank tops. Griffin was snug as can be in my new Moby wrap. They had pumpkins, a jumping pillow, a cow train for the kids and also Bill (he really is just a big kid despite our age difference). Also kettle corn and carmel corn, a spooky woods and a 4.5 mile corn maize. We did not do the corn maize or the spooky woods. We had a wonderful time despite the cold.

Doctor Visit

Bill and I took Griffin to the doctor on Monday for a routine check up. Dr. Riley said he was doing great but wanted us to come back in 3 days to check his weight. On Monday he weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. My milk had just come in on Sunday night so we were not surprised by his weight. Well we went back to the office yesterday and he gained 6 ounces in 3 days!! Typical weight gain is between .5-1 ounce per day at this age. My little man is quite the eater and I must have enough "mommy milk". With Sydney I never had enough milk and had to supplement, I was hoping this time would be different. Griffin is also a great sleeper. I know I can here the groans from some of my friends that have children that have never slept well. I do think I know a few tricks but I may also just be blessed with good babies. It also may be too early to say for sure but so far so good. Dr. Riley says I do not need to wake him up at night to nurse but boy when I wake up feeling more than full sometimes I just have to wake him. Last night he went to bed at 1030 and he was stirring a bit at 330 so I went ahead and got him up. He went back down at 5 and he is still sleeping and it is almost 9. He is so precious and so calm and content. We are all in love with him and just want to snuggle him all the time.

While we were out yesterday we took a basket of baked goods to Dr. Brooks' and Dr. RJ's office to thank them and all the staff for taking care of us during the pregnancy. I was able to get a picture of Dr. RJ holding Griffin. I have a picture of Dr. Brooks holding Sydney when she was born and of course we have to scrapbook the big event. So here are a few cute pics.

Birth Story

I figured I would go ahead a post a blog about the story of Griffin's arrival. I worked all day Thursday with the plan being that I would work Friday and then start my maternity leave. I felt great Thursday with the exception of being tired. Thursday evening I started to feel some cramping type sensations but really no pain. Around 10:00 pm I was getting ready to go to bed and I thought the cramping was about 10 minutes apart but I was not having pain so I really wasn't sure whether or not to go to the hospital.
After walking around the bedroom and talking it through with Bill for 30 minutes or so we decided to go ahead and go get checked. I had been to the doctor Wednesday and I was 3.5 cm and 80% effaced so I did not want to wait too long and then have things go quick like last time and potentially not make it in time. I called my friend Ellie and told her that it may be a false alarm but we were going to go ahead and go to L&D. She of course said that she would meet us at the ER and take Sydney home and if it was a false alarm no big deal she would just take her onto daycare in the morning. We would feel bad if we woke Sydney up and got Ellie out and it was not the real thing yet on the other hand I did not want to deliver in the car or at home. So we headed in. Sydney was a trooper she did not fuss at all and just told us goodbye and headed off with Ellie.
Still I was in no real pain. Ellie told me the next morning that when Syd got in the car she told Ellie that she had already slept at her house and Ellie of course said well you are going to sleep again at my house. So we got upstairs to L&D and registered and the nurse checked me and said I was still 3.5 cm but on the monitor I was having contractions every 5 minutes. Bill and I talked for 1 hour and then the nurse checked again and she said I had changed but was not quite 4 cm. The nurse called Dr. Tosha Rogers-Jones to give her report, she came in the room with the portable phone and said "well this doesn't happen everyday, she wants to talk to you." I worked with Dr. RJ and Dr. Brooks for 6 months so I have a bit of an inside connection, plus it helps that I am a PA here in town. So Dr. RJ said I could walk for and hour and the nurse would check again but even if I had not changed if I wanted to stay because of how quick I went last time and I would feel more comfortable then she would go ahead and admit. Bill and I walked the halls remembering what it was like when I was in labor with Syd. The contractions were getting a bit stronger but as long as I was walking I felt great and really was in no real pain. Then nurse checked and I was a definite 4 so I decided I wanted to stay. I got situated in my room, the same exact room where Sydney was born and was monitored for a while. My contractions were picking up a bit so I asked to get out of bed and walk again. After a few laps my water broke (just after 3:00) so I then had to get in bed and stay. Now the nurses were hopping because I needed ampicillin since I am group B positive. Last time they got my IV in minutes before Sydney was born and it is supposed to be in for 4 hours so we had to stay an extra day.
The contractions were every 2-3 minutes and stronger now that I was stuck in bed. Bill and I talked in between contractions and he would talk me through the contraction while I focused on breathing. I was nervous to let Bill leave the room. Last time when I had Syd I had sent him down to the cafeteria to get breakfast because I thought it was going to be hours and the nurse had to go get him and he arrived at the room just in time. So Bill really needed to go to the bathroom and I was like hurry, he waited for the end of a contraction and ducked into the bathroom in our room and was out before the next one began. Then he wanted a cup of coffee from the waiting room down the hall and I was like hurry! Griffin was handling the contractions beautifully and I kept telling Bill to jiggle the mouse when the screen saver would come up so I could watch Griffin's heart rate on the monitor.
So now I was about a 6 and things were picking up. The nurses started getting the warmer ready and the surgical table. Very quickly I was an 8 and they called Dr. RJ. I was a bit nervous that she would not get there in time because I know where she lives and it is out a ways. Well she made it! Sometime around 5:30 or 5:40 I was complete and ready to push. I was not watching the clock at this time but Bill thinks I probably pushed for 10 minutes or less and he was out. Whew what work it is having a baby. I had a completely natural childbirth and I feel like a warrior. Bill and the nurses were so encouraging and I could not have done it without their encouragement. I would say I was really only in pain for 2 hours and only bad pain for 10-20 minutes. Griffin cried right away and was absolutely perfect! Griffin weighed 7 lbs 5 oz which is exactly what Sydney weighed! Also coincidental both my babies were born 8 days before the due date! He stayed in our room with us during our entire stay minus a trip to the nursery for a blood draw and hearing test. Bill and I both missed Sydney immensely and we were anxious to see her reaction. When Ellie brought Syd home she was so excited and immediately wanted to hold brother! We are so blessed and thank God daily for our healthy children.

Pictures

Happy Birthday Griffin Sawyer Hall

Griffin Sawyer Hall was born October 9th at 5:50 am.

He weighed 7 lbs 5.2 ounces and measured 22 inches in length.

He is doing wonderful and so is mommy.

Sydney met him for the first time this afternoon, she is enthralled!

More later.