Thank you mama!

Keegan was born on the first day of Ter’s week long Thanksgiving vacation-perfect timing! My mom stayed a couple nights with us to help out and then left since Ter was home for the week. Then she came back on Monday and stayed with us until Wednesday to help ease me into the transition of being home all day with not 1 but 2 little munchkins! I feel so incredibly blessed to have a mom who would just put everything on hold to come and help me. She gave Bryke her undivided attention which Ter said might have been a bad thing because after she left boy was he a handful! But I don’t know how people have babies without their moms to help them! I am so thankful for her example of what a mom should be! I wish I was a better writer so I could truly express just how thankful I am for her and how much she means to me. The only thing better than having you for my mom is that my boys have you for their grandma! You’re the greatest mama-I love you!

Welcome to the World!

I walked out of the Dr.’s office in a kinda freaking out daze-we we’re going to have little man #2 that day! I made about 10 calls on the way home and then when I got home I just hugged Terry and was like are you freaking out a little cause I am! It’s a weird feeling to schedule the delivery. I don’t know what is worse, waiting for labor to start or knowing that it’s going to start in just an hour!

It all worked out perfectly though. We got Bryke down for a nap and then just hung out and packed last minute things until Cheryl and Kenny got here and then we headed out. I don’t know anything different but it really is nice to leave the house not in awful pain or frantically trying to get to the hospital.

Dr. Burton got there right when we did {1 p.m.} and took us up the secret Dr. stairs. He was joking the whole way up and then started telling us how cool his card that opens the door is-that the scanner can scan through wallets and even pants. Then he said I can even just put my butt up to the scanner with my card in my wallet in my back pocket but I wouldn’t do that with you guys here. But he did :) after that we were pretty relaxed.

They got me all hooked up and asked a million questions and then Dr. Burton checked me and I was at a 6! Then he broke my water-such a weird feeling! After that I was able to get up and walk. We did 3 or 4 laps down the hall and by the end of that (about 20 min) the contractions were bad enough that I couldn’t walk or talk through them. I had to tell Ter to stop because he didn’t realize I had stopped and the line to my IV was getting just a little tight! So we made it back to the room and they checked me again and I was between a 7 and an 8. With the AMAZING nurse we decided that we would go with a spinal block instead of an epidural {this was right around 3 p.m.}. It was a stressful decision though because the spinal block only gave us 2 hours to the baby here before it wore off and that made me more than a little nervous! But the nurse (I can’t remember her name :(…) was such a good help in deciding and I’m really glad that’s what we went with as it kicked in immediately. But getting it oh my goodness was awful, awful, awful!  

So now came the waiting part. We hung out for awhile and then they checked me again and I was ready to go {around 4:30}! I was barely starting to feel the contractions at this point so we were still good to go on our 2 hour time line. I started pushing and then half an hour later at {5:04 p.m. on November 19th} Keegan Karl Darrington was here! I remember so much more about Keegan’s first few minutes than Bryker’s. I think with Bryke I was just so exhausted and they took him away pretty quick that everything is kind of a blur. But with Keegan it was like the movies, they put his gooey little body right on me and it was like the Grinch when you can see his heart getting bigger. I swear I could feel my heart expand and just fill with love for this new little treasure that was all ours. Giving birth is a miracle-plain and simple.

Little Keeg was just perfect-except for the complete knot in his cord that was a little scary. But besides that it really was a super good experience. After Bryke was born I was like I’m not so sure about this giving birth thing but after having Keegan I think I can handle it a few more times if it goes like this again :)

This is the part where I can’t say enough good things about my amazing husband! Once again I’m positive I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him by my side-I love you sweetie!! Thanks for being the absolute best hand holder, IV pusher, coach and comforter! You truly are the best husband ever and the greatest dad ever-me and our boys are lucky ducks to have you!

We got all cleaned up and I fed Keeg for the first time (he is a little champ nurser) and then it was time to meet big brother! It really was one of the sweetest moments I have ever had. He ran right in the room asking where mommy and baby were. He was a little concerned why mommy couldn’t get up but he was so sweet with Keegan. I want so badly for them to love each other and have a good relationship! To ensure that this would happen I bribed Bryke right from the beginning with a present “from” Keegan. Keeg got big brother an awesome lego backpack full of goodies. I’m pretty sure this did the trick :) Bryke got restless pretty fast so as he was leaving he was saying bye to everyone and he said love you baby-pretty sure everyone got a little teary-eyed!

So grateful that these 2 little munchkins are mine forever and always!

 We stayed one night and then we headed home Tuesday evening to our life as a family of 4! I am so grateful that everything went well and that me and Keegan are healthy. We love you Keegan and are so happy that you are ours!

38 weeks and forever to go!

38 weeks

I got checked at 38 weeks and what do you know I had progressed to a 4! Dr. Clifford told me he would write me down as a 3 and 70% effaced so that in case I started having contractions and went into the hospital and they checked me it would show that I was still progressing-at the time I thought this was the greatest thing ever because I thought I was going to have my little man any day! That didn’t happen though-I did have contractions all night long that were 4 minutes apart and we debated going into the hospital but I called labor and delivery and they told me if I could still walk and talk through the contractions I shouldn’t go in. Well then the next day was Thursday and I was freaking out because Dr. Clifford was leaving for a week. So I called and must have sounded  a little crazy because they got me in right away and Dr. C checked me and the first thing he says is, “oh ya you’ll deliver while I’m gone.” And then it was me trying not to bawl. The thought of delivering with a different Dr. really stressed me out! He said I was almost to a 5 and basically see ya later! I wasn’t a very happy camper after that appointment. Pregnancy emotions and hormones are rough!

So Monday the 19^th I went in for my 39 week appointment with Dr. Burton-whom I had only met once before. I was super nervous and really just expecting to be checked and then leave and wait to be induced on Sunday the 25^th. Well Dr. Burton walks in and says, “So what do you want to do?” I was a little taken back and just said well I want to have my baby! He says Ok I’ll go see if they can get you in and then left. He came back to me frantically texting Ter saying we might have our baby today! Dr. Burton told me I could go in right then and he would meet me to break my water! Holy smokes I was instantly in love with him! We talked some more about the game plan and he answered all my questions and I felt good and he felt good about it so we were off! Birth story to come!

Big Mama Update

Things are going great! I went in at 36 weeks and I was already dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced. I was super excited but then came home and checked back on the blog on found that I was pretty much the same as I was with Bryker which wasn’t very encouraging. One week later at 37 weeks I was at a 3 and 70% effaced that gave me lots more hope and he stripped my membranes so I am crossing my fingers that this little mr. is coming sooner than later! Dr. Clifford said that he thought I would go on my own and since he is leaving the 16^th-21^st I really hope he is right and that it happens before he leaves-it stresses me out to think about having another dr. for the delivery!

I think this pregnancy (at least the last part) has been a little rougher than with Bryke-probably because of the little B man (lots of back pain). It’s tough to be pregnant and chase a toddler around! But it has also kept me 20 lbs lighter this time around so I can’t really complain. And I shouldn’t complain at all I am getting another little man to join our family! I really am so grateful for the wonderful blessing of being a mother and getting to love and raise these children that Heavenly Father has entrusted to Ter and I. I really couldn’t ask for a better “job” in life-I love my boys! All that being said I really wouldn’t be sad if baby boy decided to come a little early-come out and meet your mama little Mr.!

32 weeks

34 weeks

37 weeks

·     Just a few things I don't want to forget about our sweet boy at 21 months:

-       Loves Bob the Builder and Thomas the Train 

-       Because of all the Bob the Builder which is full of tractors and trucks he put it together that both his grandpas drive tractors and trucks so therefore their names were Bob too :) it is pretty cute when he sees them and yells out, “Hi Bobby!”-especially in the middle of Sacrament when he saw my dad sitting on the stand.

-       Always calls things big in this deep throaty monster voice

-       Somehow worms his way into our bed every night-little rascal! This will    hopefully change or at least get better before his little brother comes.

-       Loves to crawl in his crib but thankfully hasn't started crawling out yet.

-       Whenever he says something with a p (especially play) put your rain coat on he spits it out with extra emphasis.
-   Doing SO much  better in nursery-just in time to move :(

                                                   We love you Bryker!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was pretty low key for us this year. Bryker was Bob the Builder and looked pretty darn cute if I do say so :) I needed a quick costume for Bunco night and went as a magic 8 ball and then we went to a little Halloween party and Ter “dressed up” as a sugar daddy. It was so fun to see Bryke start to catch on to everything. You could almost see the little light bulb come on oh if I say something they give me candy! He was so cute!

We did our trick or treating at the ward trunk or treat and the turnout was great but I just couldn’t believe that this how the majority of trick or treating is done now. As a parent I think it is great to go to one place and be done but it makes me kind of sad for the kids. I remember when my dad would drop us off in some neighborhood we didn’t know anyone and we would make the rounds. Now you just don’t do that for safety reasons and it seems like so many people don’t even turn their lights on anymore-kind of sad!

We attempted carving a pumpkin but between Bryke refusing to put his hand inside and then puking all over the place I think it would be considered a fail-there’s always next year! Happy Halloween!

Bryke took a barf break in the middle of carving :(

Is he not the cutest Bob the Builder you have ever seen?! Ter went as a Sugar Daddy (sugar in his carrier) and I was a magic 8 ball