Brooks Matthew Robbe (5lbs, 11 ounces // 18.5 inches)

Many of you have been asking me to share my birth story.  I thought I would do just that!  I looked back through my old entries and I saw that I had posted one when Ethan was born too.  It was so fun reading the details of that special day.  I want to be sure to jot down the memories now before anything fades.

On Oct 24, 2014 (an official due date of Dec 1, 2014), I awoke at 5:30am to my water breaking in bed (or so I thought - but wasn't too sure).  I started having contractions about 20 minutes apart so I assumed they were just Braxton Hicks contractions.  I actually cleaned everything up and went back to bed until about 9:00am.  I was still experiencing the contractions every 15-20 minutes so I decided to call the OBGYN to see if they thought my water had indeed broken or not.  I was advised to immediately go into labor/delivery.  Freaking out, I started frantically packing my hospital bag and an overnight bag for Ethan.  I jumped in the shower, got ready, threw a load of laundry in the washer, straightened up the house, dropped Ethan of Grandma's house and we headed to the hospital.  We actually didn't get to the hospital until 11:30am.  I am immediately checked into triage where they run some tests and tell me "You are having a baby today!"  Umm....what?!?!?!

So at this point we start contacting the rest of our family to let them know that we are indeed having a baby 5-6 weeks early!  Ethan stayed back with his Aunt Lauren and Mom came to the hospital to support me!

I get checked into my labor/delivery room around 1:30pm along with my super awesome, amazingly supportive mom and husband!!  They are seriously the best cheerleaders and support team during labor.    I was given some Pitocen to help speed up the delivery process since Brooks had not really dropped much.  Once that was given, my labor began to progress very quickly.  Around 4-5cm dilated, I got an epidural to help with the pain -- holy cow -- the pain.  I almost forgot what it felt like and then quickly remembered!!!  The epidural was GREAT and relieved most (but not all) of the pain.  With Ethan, I honestly didn't feel much pain at all.  Unfortunately, this go-around with proven a little tougher. Nevertheless, at 8:41pm Brooks Matthew Robbe was born at 5lbs 11 ounces and 18.5 inches long.

Since Brooks was a premature delivery, the NICU nurses were ready and waiting for his arrival.  We weren't sure whether or not he would be whisked away or if I would be able to snuggle with him.  Everything was unknown.  We didn't even know if Matt would be able to cut the cord.  All that that worrying was for no reason - Brooks was born healthy!  Matt cut the cord and I got to have him wrapped up on my chest for a while!!  It was an emotional, beautiful and surreal experience.  Seriously, the flood of emotions that come right after the delivery are incredible.  Tears filled the room and smiles were plastered all over.  We were so happy he was here and that he was healthy.  Brooks was still taken to the NICU for observation and Daddy followed.

The next day Grandma brought our sweet little Ethan by the hospital to visit his new little brother for the first time.  Talk about an amazing, emotional and unforgettable experience.  Ethan has been anticipating this moment (as much as a 2 year old can) for a while now.  He sat on the chair and held Brooks in his arms.  He was so gentle and spoke so softly to him.  He admired Brooks and pointed out all his different features.  "Mommy, he has 2 eyes and 2 hands.  Oh, look mommy...feet."  He has adjusted well to his new role as a big brother.  I knew he would!  He has such a soft and kind heart - and his sweet spirit really glows now that he is a brother.

Grandma got to snuggle with Brooks.  Aunt Lauren and Micah too!!  Did I mention that my dad and brother were in China when Brooks was born?  They were finishing up another service project and actually made it to the hospital prior to him being discharged.  I was so happy they were able to make it too!

Matt and I feel so very blessed to have my family so close.  It was such a comfort knowing that Ethan was spending time with his family.  Knowing that he was having a blast with them really helped to put us at ease.  It allowed Matt and I have to also have special alone/bonding time with Brooks.  I will never forget those trips down to the NICU with Matt.  Sitting there, weeping and thanking God for this beautiful miracle boy - who surprised the heck out of us!!  Brooks looks so much like his Daddy!!  Dark hair, olive skin....but still has the newborn baby blue eyes.  He also has the Robbe stamp...the dimple in the chin.  Just like Daddy!  He is absolutely beautiful and we couldn't be happier or filled with more joy.  We know that each child is a gift from God and we will treasure this gift!

So on with parenthood we continue.  A mother of two precious and awesome little boys!!  Brooks is the most calm mannered baby.  I haven't heard a full cry out of him. I don't even know if I would recognize his cry at this point - I haven't heard it enough to know! I guess that is a good thing.  He sleeps so well and has adjusted into our family perfectly.  This next year is going to be so fun - I can't wait to watch it all unfold.

Until next time. xo

Who said being a parent was easy?!

I recently read an article (and posted it to my FB page) that put my thoughts into written word.  In case you didn't have the opportunity to read the article, I wanted to post it here.

I'll be honest...I was quite judgmental prior to having a child.  I remember having these same thoughts and would think, "I do laundry, pay bills, clean my house and grocery shop...all while carrying on a full time job.  What's the issue?"  It wasn't until after I had Ethan that I discovered how warped my thinking really was....and I only have ONE child. I can't imagine how swamped mothers with more are.  

I remember having all these thoughts of, "Wow when I'm a parent I will NEVER..."  Here are some of those thoughts I used to have...that have since changed.

1).  When children would start crying in a restaurant I remember thinking...."Please get up and take your child outside so you don't ruin my meal."  WOW - looking back that was such a selfish thought.  Obviously I didn't know what it was like to go out to eat with a child.  Now that I'm a mom, I recognize that going out to eat takes quite a bit of effort.  You have to come prepared with....well, everything.  Food, diapers, wipes, toys, bibs, burp cloths, extra clothes...etc.  You never know if your child is going to rest quietly or have a random emotional breakdown.  You may have spent the entire day at home with a screaming, teething baby and your sweet hubby wants to take you out to eat as a treat.  Then all hell breaks loose.  People don't know the background story.  They don't know that all you want to do is enjoy just a few more bites of your lukewarm meal before you have to get up, walk out of the restaurant and bounce your baby up and down until he finally (if ever) calms down.  Or your baby might not even be crying. He might just be squealing because recently discovered his vocal cords.  In which case, I don't WANT to get up and walk out of the restaurant for no reason at all.  It's crazy.  Now when I hear a child screaming in a restaurant, I give the mom a, "I totally understand" smile/nod.  You know that smile....it's the Fellowship of Mom's, smile.

2).  When I would be out in public...say a grocery store, I remember seeing children with spit-up, drool and dirt all over their clothes.  They looked a wreck.  I remember thinking, "Don't you wash your child's clothes."  WOW - I was so blinded.  It's amazing how quickly your child's clothes can become disgusting.  Seriously, I put a cute outfit on Ethan and before I can even get out the door, he has puked everywhere.  A puke so large that not even the biggest bib could've prevented it from going everywhere.  You have things to do, places to go, appointments to make and the last thing you have time to do is run upstairs and change him into ANOTHER outfit.  You wipe it off as best you can and head out the door. By the time you get home (which might only be a few hours), your child looks like a hot mess.  Yes, I wash his clothes.  I wash them all the time.  I'm actually washing a huge load of his laundry while writing this blog entry.  Kids are just hard to keep clean.  

3).  In direct relation to the above article...this was my #1 misconception.  I always thought that friends with children were just making excuses.  They were making it seem like it was SO difficult.  I mean you feed, change and rock your baby...what else is there?!  HAHAHAH...warped thinking, huh?  The most trivial tasks take FOREVER to complete.  Yes, tackling a few loads of laundry for the day is a huge accomplishment.  Tackling a few loads of laundry, grocery shopping and making a nice dinner by the time my hubby gets home...well, I feel like I deserve a gold medal.  Not really...but kind of :-).  It's hard work.  Children are unpredictable.  Simple tasks aren't so simple when a child is thrown into the mix.

Don't get me wrong.  I LOOOOOOVE my baby....I mean, I only post about 10 pictures a day on Facebook. Obsession?  Maybe, but I don't care!  I love and adore him...and I want more! I want a whole house filled with loud, crazy and spontaneous children.  As difficult as it is, I love the chaos.  It wears me out but it's awesome. I just realize how much work it really is.  It's hard.  It's rewarding.  It's the best job I could have ever asked for!

I love being a mom.

I never knew parenthood was this much fun!

Ethan is an absolute BLAST!  I never knew how much fun having a child would be. Of course, it's a lot of work...that's obvious and inevitable.  But I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about the other 99% of the time...the F-U-N!!

This weekend we reached a new milestone in parenthood....Santa!!  Since Ethan is only 3 months old, this trip was obviously much more fun for me and Matt.  We headed to the Easton TownCenter where I knew they had a fabulous-looking Santa.  Seriously, this guy was a spitting image of the guy from the modern "Miracle on 34th Street."  We arrived while Santa was "feeding the reindeer" so we hit up Sbux (of course) and did some Christmas shopping!!!  The crowds were bustling and the stores were decked out in decor.  While we were shopping we heard some glorious singing in the distance.  We followed the music and in the middle of the shopping square was a gigantic 30-foot Christmas tree and some of the best Christmas carolers I have ever heard.  Sitting there all bundled up, with my hubby next to me, my baby on my lap, sipping a tasty hot peppermint mocha and listening to the gorgeous melody of Christmastime was a memory I will never forget.  It truly doesn't get any better than that. My heart was in heaven.

After the music, we headed back to see Santa.  This is one popular spot...let me tell you.  There were nearly 50 people in line by the time we got there.  All the adorable outfits, the little children holding their letters, all the parents with their cameras...it was AWESOME!  Ethan was dressed in his fashionable, "My First Christmas" outfit with a reindeer on his butt!!  He was an absolute trooper and loved it.  I'm pretty sure he enjoyed sitting on Santa because his outfit felt similar to the "fuzzy wuzzy" blanket at home.  He sat down (didn't cry) and immediately put his fist in his mouth.  As you can tell, Ethan recently discovered his fist and is hooked. HAHAH.  He typically sucks on the right fist so I think we may have a right-hander in the making. Santa was so sweet and pulled his fist out of his mouth so we could snap a few photos.  Ethan's expression was priceless.  Santa even commented on how cute he was:)  Well let me be honest and brag here for a moment...everyone was stopping and telling me how precious and adorable he was.  Duh...you don't have to tell me :)  I already know this!

Having children really does allow you to relive those cherished childhood memories.  While I was growing up, I adored visiting Santa.  I recognize there are many parents who are on the fence with the whole Santa deal but I have no qualms with it.  I grew up with the whole Santa/presents idea and fully understood, recognized and celebrated the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ.  I believe you can do both!!  I am also convinced that the Lord rejoices in all the love, gift giving, tree decorating and family time during season...as long as we focus on Him too.

Here are a few fun photos that we captured from the day!!

 

A bee, pumpkin and a 2 month check-up

This halloween was very eventful.  Ethan and I started the day early and had his 2-month check-up at 8:00am.  I have a love/hate relationship with these visits. While I love finding out Ethan's growth, I hate the shots and tears that come with it.  Ethan is 24 inches and 14 lbs!!  He is getting sooooooo big!!

The pediatrician's office is adorable.  The waiting room has a train circling the entire room.  There are so many toys, games...and there's even a gigantic fish tank to gaze at.  There is never a dull moment there.  Visiting the doctor's office is especially fun when it is Halloween.  The secretaries, nurses and even his pediatrician were dressed up for the occasion.  When "Dr. Pooh" walked into the room, I died laughing.  I was lucky enough to capture a picture of him before he left.

Ethan received 2 shots and 1 oral vaccine.  He LOVED the sweet taste of the oral vaccine but hated the shots.  He got one poke in each thigh.  He screamed bloody-murder for a few seconds and once I picked him up, he started giggling. That's right, giggling.  Only my child would start giggling and cooing only seconds after receiving two painful shots.  The nurse remarked, "Wow, that has to be one of the happiest babies I have ever seen."  That's right, proud momma right here.

The evening was even more fun!!  Matt came home after work and said, "Sorry I'm late honey, I needed to stop at the store."  He held up a bag and said, "No halloween is complete without some candy corn."  We set out our candy corn, prepared for tick-or-treaters and dressed Sam and Ethan up in their costumes.  Ethan was an adorable bumblebee and Sam was our little pumpkin!!

Matt and I always enjoy carving pumpkins and this year, we decided to carve "LOVE" with an arrow pointing to Ethan.  I also got some fun glitter paint and wrote "2012" on the smaller pumpkin.  We set our little bee in-between the pumpkins and had a blast snapping pictures.  Once we finished with Ethan, we got Sam in on the action.

We had SO much fun watching Friday the 13th and stuffing our faces with candy!!  Who doesn't love halloween??  As you can see, Matt and I were enjoying ourselves, hahah.  I can't wait until next year when we take Ethan out trick-or-treating for the first time!!! :)

1 month check-up

Today Ethan had his 1 month check-up.  All I can say is....WOW!!  My tiny little baby has grown leaps and bounds.  At birth he was 6.13 and today he weighed in at 10.9!!!  He also grew over 2 inches!!  In addition to his check-up, he had to get his second round of the Hepatitis B vaccine.  While I know this is not his first shot, this is the first shot that I had to witness.  Talk about hard.  Ethan was laying on the doctor's table (peacefully) and the nurse said, "I am so sorry for what I am going to do to your son. Don't hate me."  She took his thigh and stuck the needle into his leg.  Immediately he went from a peaceful, calm state...to a blood curdling scream.  After about 10-15 seconds, he calmed down and was back to his normal self.  Matt snapped a picture to capture the moment.  I was so proud of my little Ethan.

Adjusting to mommy-hood

It's been 2 weeks since we welcomed our most precious Ethan into our family.  Since his birth, life has been a whirlwind.  I never realized how much work went into being a mom.  Keep in mind, I have a near perfect baby who only cries when he is hungry.  Seriously, he doesn't cry when he has a dirty diaper, when he has gas, when he gets a bath or even when we change his clothes.  He's perfect.  He allows us to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time and after we feed/change him, he immediately falls back asleep.

Even with a completely content and peaceful baby, there is still so much to do!!  Breast feeding, pumping, diaper changing (which is like 12-15 diapers a day when you breast feed), baths, outfit changes, extra laundry, bottle cleaning, etc.  Even taking a shower and getting ready for the day proves to be a challenge.  Don't get me wrong...I am enjoying every single second of this job and have prepared myself for these mommy-duties :)

Matt and I took Ethan on his first "out-of-the-house adventure" yesterday.  We had a laundry list of stuff to get at the store and decided to go together.  We bundled Ethan up and headed out.  I'm sure I will get better at this, but I was a nervous wreck the entire time.  I almost felt as though I was carrying around the Ark of the Covenant, LOL.  Hopefully I will get more comfortable at this as time goes on.  Regardless, it was a successful trip and Ethan slept the entire time.

I am one proud momma and couldn't be happier.  I am relishing in every moment...

Until the next update XOXO

Ethan Timothy Robbe (6lbs, 13 ounces // 19 inches)

Many of you have been asking questions about me, Ethan, the delivery...etc.  Rather than respond individually (100x), I decided to write everything out in a blog post for everyone to read :)  I have some downtime as Matt is sleeping on the cot next to me and baby Ethan is "burrito-wrapped" and cooing next to me.  Ethan keeps smiling in his sleep and I thought, "Wow, what a happy baby..." but realize he's probably just passing some gas...HAHAH!!

Anyways, here's the beautiful, miracle story (the quick version).  On Tuesday (8/14/12) around 5:00am, I started to feel some contractions.  We headed to the hospital around 7:30am and found out that I was indeed going into labor.  The contractions were bad, but tolerable.  Many of you know how worried I was about all the pain.  Well, here's the kicker.  I received my epidural around 10:00am and felt great.  In total, I was in labor for 12 hours (not too shabby).  I was awake, talking politics and having a great time up until it was time to push.  But then the story gets even BETTER!!  The nurse came in and said, "You are 10 centimeters, plus 2 dilated...you ready?"  I said "Let's do it."  She goes, "The doctor is down the hall but let's go ahead and try a practice push."  I pushed and everyone's eyes bulged!!  The nurse immediately said, "Get the doctor, she's crowning."  Apparently just one push and Ethan's head was exposed.  But wait...it gets even better!!  My wonderful doctor got there and after 2 pushes, Ethan was here.  I didn't feel any pain.  My doctor exclaimed, that in all her years of practice, that may have been the easiest, quickest and most Olympic 1st birth that she had ever seen.

Wow!!  Typically I am not one to brag, but I was pretty darn happy that things turned out this way.  Many of you know that I have been terrified about the pain.  When you are pregnant, everyone offers their most horrendous and nauseating stories of how their pregnancy went...or their moms...or their friends....or their friend's friend's mom's second cousin, LOL.  I have heard it all.  I have always embraced the stories and just taken them as good info...but many of them put a deep fear in me.  Luckily, I am one of the few that was blessed enough to experience an (almost) pain/stress-free delivery!!  PRAISE GOD!!!

When Ethan came out and I heard his cry and saw his face, an overwhelming emotion came over me.  I broke down into tears and couldn't believe that I had actually been carrying this sweet and most precious life inside of me.  He is perfect.  His skin is so soft and smells so good.  When he looks up at me, I melt.  I am just truly speechless...I feel so blessed to have this beautiful healthy boy.

Matt has been the sweetest and most supportive husband throughout this entire process.  Talk about falling in love all over again.  He has been there every step of the way and I couldn't have done it without him!!

Oh a few more things.  I had a few quizzes on my blog and here were the results:

- Ethan has BLUE eyes (only one person guessed this)
- Ethan came 8 days before my due date (nobody guessed he would come early)

...and the last thing.  Ethan has my nose but also has dad's dimple in the chin!!  So precious:

House and beebee update :)

Matt and I have settled into our new house and LOVE it.  We have so much more room/space!!  We have a 3-bedroom place with nearly 500 extra square feet of room.  Surprisingly, it doesn't feel like THAT much more to clean...granted, I'm saying that before my little womb-hijacker arrives:)

We have also found a great church and have already met some really fantastic people!  Matt and I had really been praying that the Lord would lead us to the right church.  Not only a church that aligns doctrinally, but a church where we can get plugged in and connected.  We have been attending Scarlet City Church in Clintonville and have been so overly blessed by the welcome we have received.  In Lynchburg, Matt and I had attended several churches where we just blended in.  We would continuously try to make an effort to meet people and reach out, but to no avail. This experience has been so much different and we feel 100% confident that this is where the Lord wants us to go.

I can finally say that all the boxes are unpacked, damaged items claimed and 95% of everything put in "its spot."  We officially completed Ethan's nursery and absolutely love it.  I already posted some pictures to Facebook but will post them here as well.

Matt and I also started our first "parenting class" last week.  We finish the class up this evening and have really enjoyed it thus far.  We were skeptical of taking any classes but signed up based on the recommendation from our doctor.  There is SO much more to a baby than I ever imagined.  I do not feel overwhelmed though...I feel ready!!!  With the help of many friends and family members, I am beginning to pack my hospital and diaper bag for the BIG DAY!!!  I cannot believe that the time is almost here....where did the time go??

I had my 38-week check up today and things seems to be progressing nicely.  I am one centimeter dilated and my cervix is about 70% thinned out.  Baby Ethan has dropped and is slowly descending :)  I can sure tell...my lower half is SUPER heavy and I have to go to the bathroom nearly every hour.  No complaints though...I'm so happy to have my little bun still baking inside of me.

I am so excited to begin this journey of being a mommy!  I have had such a wonderful role model growing up.  If I can be half the mom that MY mom was was/is to me...Ethan will have a wonderful life :)  I am also so very excited to see Matthew become a father. Watching him changing diapers, holding and bathing a baby doll in our parenting class has already started to pluck my heart-strings.  He is going to be such a loving, gentle and compassionate father....he will definitely model the characteristics of our Heavenly Father and I cannot wait to see it happen.

Ok, enough rambling for now...I love you all and I will keep you posted on the progress!!

xoxox

Nugget to Ethan

It has been a while since my last blog post...I apologize for that!!  When I originally started this , I had the intention of updating it quite often.  The idea was to eventually print off the posts and combine them into a journal.  Unfortunately my morning/day-sickness had gotten the better of me. While some women never experience morning sickness, others experience it in full force for the first 3 months.  I am part the unfortunate group that will suffer through it for the duration of my pregnancy.  This seemed quite depressing until I caught a 24-48 flu bug earlier this week.  Matthew called into my OB and made an appointment to check me out. The nurse prescribed me to Zofran and ordered that I drink some regular Coke (which was quite a treat) and suck on some sugar-filled Popsicles.  The doctor was trying to get my blood sugar back up since it had been nearly 30 hours since I had consumed anything.  I stopped by Target and picked up my prescription. Wearily I took the medicine, assuming it would do nothing.  Let me just say....MAGIC PILLS!!  I had heard many women mention this anti-nausea prescription but it was never offered to me.  I guess it is not usually mentioned because it is so expensive.  Some have told me that each pill is $12/piece.  Praise the Lord for prescription plans!!  I got a pack of 20 with 2 more refills. I plan on using this until I deliver.  Needless to say, I am feeling FANTASTIC and am so happy!!

As you are aware, Matthew and I had my 21-week ultrasound earlier this month.  While everything checked-out fine, Matt and I will have to get another ultrasound on 5/14 so we can get a clearer picture of the hands, face and the 4-chambers of the heart.  As the ultrasound technician was snapping photos of the baby, she got some pretty good (and obvious) shots which pointed out his "boy-hood."  He is definitely a boy!!  Ethan Timothy Robbe...that will be our little nugget's name.  While Matthew and I were dating, we had talked about having children together.  We had actually already picked out our first boy and girl name before we tied the knot.  Premature? Maybe...but it sure did make things a lot easier.  His middle name has some significance as it is my dad's name.  My mother's maiden name was Patrick and she gave this as a middle name to my brother, Gabriel.  Since you cannot really use Wasson as a middle name, we decided to give him my dad's first name....plus, it sounds REALLY sharp and strong when you put it all together. I absolutely LOVE it.

I have really started to feel the kicking.  For a while, the flutters felt like gas.  Now that I am progressing along, I can feel actual kicks. I cannot imagine what this will feel like 10 weeks from now! :)

Now that the gender has been disclosed, we are in major purchasing mode!  Well maybe I shouldn't say "we"....it's more like, ME!!  I started shopping around and have found a TON of great things.  My sweet momma is throwing me a Baby Shower on June 23 so I have put a lot of stuff on my registry!  There is so much out there...I'm trying not to become the typical "new mom" and buy EVERYTHING that babydom has to offer.  We have also been getting small gifts and cards in the mail so our collection is growing.  I can't wait to see it all come together.

I will be taking a few more "preggo" pics in the near future.  I originally thought I would take a picture each week and would view them as a flip-book.  As my tummy started to grow, I decided that I didn't want to capture EVERY growing moment....you current or formerly preggo women will understand :)

Until next time....xoxo