One Month: A Letter

June 28, 2014

Dear sweet Molly,

I can't believe it's already been a month!  What an exciting month it's been:)

It's been such a range of emotions for Mama.  You've made me so happy, worried, excited, scared, confused, and content all at once!  You've fit right in, but we've definitely had some adjustment period too.

You're brother is infatuated by you!  He loves to look at you; especially when your eyes are open!  He puts your paci in when you fuss and he loves to lay by you and look at you when you're on your mat!

You went to the doctor just a few days after we got home and you had gained 4 oz since we left the hospital!  The doctor said you looked wonderful and that made us so happy:)

Mommy was nursing you and you seemed to be doing okay, but you fell asleep while sucking almost every time:)  My milk seemed to be coming in on one side more than another and you seemed real fussy, so I called and we went back to the doctor on Wednesday and to see the lactation consultant.  You had lost a little bit of weight since Monday, so the doctor told us to supplement 1 oz of formula after every feeding.  This seemed to work better:)

We were still trying to figure out how much you were eating, but we put you on more of a schedule and the lactation consultant taught mama a few tricks, so you were starting to sleep pretty good.  The doctor wanted to see you again in one week.

We had lots of fun with you figuring out your quirks.  You take your paci really well, you like laying on your belly when you're fussy, you like to be swaddled under the arms, you put your arms above your head when you sleep just like your brother, you're a sleepy eater and you don't like to work very hard while eating, you curl your toes and clinch your fists when you really start sucking, and you love your room!  

We took you for your newborn pictures and we got some amazing ones!

You also experienced a lot of firsts this month.

You met your first friend, Jordan.  Jordan's daddy is friends with your daddy and Jordan's older brother Campbell is friend's with your brother.  Campbell is 6 days older than Lucas and you are 2 days older than Jordan.  We will see them and hang out with them a lot:)

You went to church for the first time and have still yet to go to the nursery.  You're such a good girl and usually sleep all through service.  I'll take you in there soon, but now I love snuggling with you during church!

Your Aunt Cassie and I took you, Lucas and your cousin Boston to Mama's hometown of Pryor to surprise Mimi at work.  She loved having all three of you there and you got some snuggle time in with Aunt Cassie too:)

Your cord stump fell off, so you finally got your first bath and you loved it!  You loved looking at the running water and seeing yourself in the mirror:)

We took Lucas to the park and you and I had a good time sitting in the shade watching:)

We got to celebrate Father's Day with Daddy:)  His first as a father of two!  He loves you and Lucas so much!!!!  You've got a good daddy.

We went to one of Daddy's baseball games.  Lots of people got to hold you and love on you and I'm excited for you to see more of those!  It's a sport your Daddy loves and he can't wait to teach you all about it:)

And you got to meet your second cousin Daisy!  You guys are less than a month apart and I can't wait to see your friendship grow:)

We spend our days cuddling with you on the couch, laying on a quilt in your room, swinging in your swing, being outside watching Lucas swim and ride his tricycle, getting to know your grandparents, aunts and uncles, and figuring out where you like most to nap!

You eat 3 1/2 oz every 3 hours during the day.  At night, you sleep really good the first go-round; usually 4 hours.  Then after that, it's very inconsistent.  Sometimes you'll only sleep two hours after that feeding and sometimes it's 3-4.  Also after that first feeding, sometimes you stay awake for awhile and sometimes you fall asleep after only eating 2 oz.  That's our toughest time right now.  We want to make sure you're comfortable and satisfied and sometimes we don't know how to do that.

You are on sensitive formula right now and after a day of fussiness while you got used to the formula, you seem much more content after each feeding.  Mama nursed you for 3 weeks and she's grateful she got that time, but you started needing 2 1/2 oz of formula after Mama would nurse you, so you were getting more formula than you were breast milk.  It's easier because now Daddy can help feed you and you eat a lot faster.  You are growing too because when we went back to the doctor for your 2-week check-up you were 1 oz shy of your birthweight and Daddy weighed you the other day (with you on the scale and without you) and you weighed 9 1/2 oz!!!  You are in 0-3 month clothes now and size 1 diapers.  You are starting to get chubby thighs and rolls on your arms, knees and back!  I love it:)  More to squeeze that way:)

I want to remember your strawberry blonde hair, your big, dark blue eyes, your dainty fingers, your chubby cheeks, and your little mouth:)  I also want to remember the way you smile when you start to fall asleep and the way you always throw your head back, just like it was in the womb:)

You are so sweet and fun and we are so thankful God gave you to us.  We promise to teach you to put Him first and love Him first.  We also promise to love you and take care of you:)

Thanks for joining our family and making us a family of four!

Love,
Mama and Daddy

Molly's Birth Story

So, my pregnancy with Molly was 100% different than my pregnancy with Lucas.

With Lucas, it was pretty easy.  Besides having gestation diabetes, I wasn't ever sick or even really uncomfortable.  I worked until the day I had him, with no issues besides my feet swelling.  I could've been pregnant forever with Lucas.

With Molly, it was an adventure from the beginning.  They couldn't get my due date right for a little while.  I experienced a small bout of morning sickness.  I bled a little bit toward the beginning, so I was put on a few restrictions for about a week.  We did 3-4 ultrasounds before they could for sure tell me she was a girl.  I started getting really light-headed around Christmas and almost fainted on stage at church, so I went to the doctor and found out I was anemic.  I found out I had gestational diabetes again.  I experienced another small bout of morning sickness.  My hands started going numb and my doctor told me I had arthritis, so I had to wear braces every night.  Then, the last few weeks I had a rash called PUPPP that basically covered my entire body in scales and itched uncontrollably!

Needless to say, I knew Molly's delivery would be different too.  And boy was it!  My doctor wanted to induce at 39 weeks because of my diabetes and because Molly was measuring a week ahead, so May 28th at 4am, Nick and I headed to the hospital.

I was a 4 the day before at the doctor and I was having a few contractions on the way to the hospital, but inside I had a weird feeling about this day ahead.  I was just a little uneasy.  I got all hooked up and they started Pitocin and I was having some pretty big contractions, but I didn't really feel them.  My nurse and Nick were amazed!  I was still a 4, but feeling overall okay.

At about 7a, my contractions started to get pretty strong, so I went ahead and got my epidural.  I was still a 4, but hurting...

My mom got there at this time and I started to feel a little queasy.  I was still hurting and feeling all my contractions and my catheter (TMI), so they gave me some more anesthesia.  I then started vomiting.  I was still a 4, but when they checked me my water broke, so they knew things would start to happen quickly now.

I received shots in each arm for nausea, but kept on vomiting.  My nurse came to check me at about 10a and immediately left the room without saying a word.  I knew something was up when she brought in another nurse to check me.  I heard the word hand and feared the worst.

They told me they were feeling her fingers, not her head so I would have to have a c-section.  They thought she was transverse.  I immediately started crying.  I don't know why, but when you go into labor you have an idea of how you want things to go and things weren't going as planned.  I was fine with a c-section, just worried and scared.  They said they'd bring in my doctor to do an ultrasound and give me more details.

My doctor came in about 11a and did an ultrasound.  She determined Molly was indeed head down, so she was a little confused.  When she checked me, she said they weren't feeling fingers, they were feeling her nose, lips and chin.  They were feeling her face!  She was head down and her body was facing the right way, but she had her head tilted up looking out!  I would be having c-section.  I would never progress past a 4 because her head wasn't pushing her down into my birth canal!  What a wave of emotions!  It was not an emergency c-section, so that was good.  I was scheduled to go back at 12:30.

I was still vomiting at this point and still feeling everything!  My epidural wasn't working, but they assured Nick when they took me back it would only take about 10-15 minutes to get me numb since I'd already had so much anesthetic.

This part was so sad and scary.  I was saying goodbye to Nick and Lucas going in for a major, albeit routine, surgery.  You never know what could happen and I watch entirely too much "Grey's Anatomy",  so I was a nervous wreck.  So was he!  Especially when I was back there for almost 40 minutes, not 10-15.  They had a hard time getting me numb.  They kept upping my epidural dosage and telling me to wiggle my toes and pinching my stomach and I could still feel everything.  So, after they got me all prepped, they had to undo it and give me a spinal.  It hurt and I jumped, so they had to do it again.  My nurse had to hold my head down and my doctor was helping keep me still too.  She was even rubbing my feet to help me relax.  She was amazing and they finally got the spinal to work!  For the first time all day, I felt immediate relief!  It was lovely!

They finally brought Nick back and they made the first cut at 1:10p and I heard her cry at 1:16p!  It was such a wonderful sound.  I had waited 9 hard months for that cry and I was so grateful for the Lord for this perfect gift!  They took her over to weigh and measure and Daddy got lots of pictures while they put me back together.  That was strange...I could feel lots of tugging, but it didn't hurt.  So weird!

Then the nurse brought her over to meet me.  I was still getting worked on and behind the curtain, but I could see her and touch her and smell her and I couldn't help but cry!  That was the only thing I could muster.  She was absolutely perfect and she was mine!

Nick took her back to the room and they wheeled me out about 10 minutes later.  I held and nursed her for the first time and I couldn't get enough of her.  Neither could Daddy.  He was already wrapped around her finger!

They then brought in the family and to see Lucas meet her for the first time deserves its own blog post!  It was so sweet.  This little baby I'd had for 3 years all the sudden looked like such a big boy!  He looked scared and happy and nervous and in awe all at the same time!  I never want to forget that moment.

Now with Lucas, they whisked him off from the delivery room and I didn't see him again for the next 6 hours, but they didn't take her away until late that evening.  They gave her a bath right there in the room and did all her stats.  

Molly Ann Maxson born via c-section on May 28th, 2014.  She was 8 lbs, 3 oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  Just perfect:)

And with her "Little Sister" jammies and her bunny from Daddy:)

We then had our first picture as a family of 4.  I sort of can't believe I'm putting this up for the world to see, but I want it documented!  So special!

Right after this, I started vomiting again, so the rest of the family meeting her, I don't remember much of.  They wheeled me to a delivery room and many more friends and family came by to see her, but I vomited until about 6p that evening, so I was a little out of it.  It was a hard day, but a wonderful day all at the same time!

I finally got some relief that evening and began really getting to know my baby girl.  Wow!  Just what I always dreamed of.  One of each...my dream had finally come true!  I couldn't ask for anything better.  The next few days were spent figuring her out, many attempts at nursing, many tests, bili lights for jaundice, a 3 year old who didn't understand much and a crying mama who wanted him to, hugs, snuggles, and a little bit of rest.

And then it was Saturday and time to take this precious baby home.  What an emotional day that was!  We were leaving with this little life and she was entrusted to us.  We were given the sweet opportunity by God to care for her and bring her up in the way she should go.  We were nervous and excited and ready to have the four of us under one roof again!

The Nursery

In an attempt to catch up and keep up with everything that's happened in the past few months, and especially in the past few weeks...I will be doing a lot of posting in the next few days:)

Life is going great with Molly Ann and I'll be sharing her birth story and all too soon her 1 month letter in the coming days, but I thought I'd start off with her nursery!

As most of you know, we moved into our new home on April 9th!  There was a lot of work to be done before we could even begin to think about the nursery.  We painted every room of the house (including the trim) in those first few weeks and got most of the house ready and organized by Easter Sunday, April 20th!  It was busy and crazy and tiring!  I knew Molly would be sleeping in our room those first few weeks anyway, so the rest of the house was my priority.  I wanted to get it done, but I knew we had a little more time.

There were several Pinterest rooms that were my inspirations.  I wanted mint, pale pink and hints of gold:)  I also wanted wallpaper on the crib wall.

Here are a few of them...

We used Lucas' old crib and we bought a dresser at an antique store and we sanded them and painted them white:)  It was a time consuming task; especially the crib.  Thanks to Nick for his hard work:)

Here's what they looked like before:

The crib with Lucas' bedding

And the dresser at the antique store

Mom also bought this and we used it as the "pink" color of the room.

We just couldn't figure out what we wanted to do with the bedding.  I didn't know if I wanted a bumper or what kind of sheet I wanted or dust ruffle or anything.  And then my mom found this at Pottery Barn and it was perfect.  

The colors wouldn't be "mint" anymore, but I loved this color of green!  I knew it would be perfect.  

It took awhile for me to pick the right color of green, but I finally settled on Apple Slice!

So the real work on the nursery could begin:)  The original color of the walls was this crazy bright blue!  I was ready to get it covered up!

And these were the beginnings of her three showers!  We are so loved:)

Then my wonderful Aunt Terri came and did the wallpaper and we could finally put the bed together!

I also got a wonderful ribbon/fabric mobile from a friend that was part of the decoration at my school shower and the colors were perfect!  This part of the room was done!

We got some wonderful cubbies from Nick's dad and step-mom and we filled them with some of Lucas' baby books, some stuffed animals that were mine (and some that were given to us) and other very special gifts!

And then the gorgeous dresser!  We bought the mirror off Craigslist and it was just the right fit!  We also used a lot of gold spray paint in the room.  We used it on the original pulls for the bottom drawers and it was just the look I wanted!

We bought the curtains at Target and I found an M at Hobby Lobby that we spray painted and hung in that beautiful pink frame.  I also bought the prints off Etsy for $5 a piece and printed them off myself.  We also found the chair sitting in a friend's garage when we took them dinner after they had their baby!  I asked if they wanted to sell it to me and they did for $30!

The final touch was a beautiful quilt my great-grandma Blanche made for me when I was little.  I have it hanging over the edge of the crib and she loves to lay on it!  

The room was complete!  And we actually got it done a few weeks before she came!  We couldn't believe it.  It was exactly what I wanted.  A perfect mix of all my Pinterest favorites, but with our own special touches and it was made just for her!  She loves it and it is just perfect.  We couldn't be any happier:)  

We so appreciate everyone who helped with the details and the furniture!  We have the best people!