Levi's birth

(4/22 40wk appt)

(4/23 walking)

(4/23 planting trees)
On April 22 I went to my 40 week appointment thinking for sure we would have a baby soon! I had been having contractions for over a week and every time I would start timing them they would become further apart and inconsistent :( pretty frustrating as I was kind of miserable. It was also still fire season so josh was gone most of the time. Which meant I was taking care of sully alone and completely exhausted!! So at my 40 week appointment I found out I had gained 1lb, 19 total, was at 3cm and everything looked great! My dr also did a membrane sweep and said she would see me Wednesday (my duedate) at the hospital bc she felt certain he was coming in the next few days! We also discussed induction and she said for us to discuss it and get back with her because she didn't want me to go past 41 weeks. We left feeling excited and nervous all at the same time. That night after very little discussion we decided it would be best to go ahead and schedule an induction for the end of the week. That way we knew my mom could be at home with sully and we wouldn't have to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night with sully. The following day I called her office and asked to have an induction dye. To our shock the only available induction was the next day, Wednesday 4/24 :) a little hesitant we went ahead and scheduled it for 5am. We notified family and friends of our plans and soaked up our last night as a family of 3. it was a little bittersweet as we discussed with sully what the next few days had in store for him. in true sully fashion he was happy to finally get to have baby brother here. josh and i were anxious and restless as we waited for the alarm clock early Wednesday morning.

Last night as a fam of 3
Getting up that early and traveling to the hospital was a little eery and josh felt like he was going hunting. Our nerves were not bad but we were a little worried about the induction just because you never know how things will go. But off we went and checked in at 5am with contractions five minutes apart lasting about a minute each for over an hour :) induction or by he was definitely on his way!

Ready to get started
At 6am they started the pitocin and the contractions were still coming every few minutes but they were manageable. At 7am my dr made her rounds and broke my water and checked me I was still at a 3 and he was pretty high so she thought breaking my water would help him move down. My sweet nurse asked if I wanted to go ahead and start iv fluids so that I could get the epidural in an hour. I politely declined and said I was good and that I would wait. Once she walked out the door the contractions got worse and quicker!! She came back in to check on us after what felt like the most painful, longest 15 minutes of my life and I agreed that we should go ahead and start the fluids!! By around 10am I was given the epidural and was at a 5 and he was still high.

Lunch time came and went and I was starving!!! The couple in the room next to us came in at the same time we did to be induced and had their baby by lunch. Boo :( I was really thinking he would have been here by then. But we continued to wait as everything progressed. Every hour I would swap positions and we noticed his heart rate would drop when i was on my back so we just kept swapping sides. It was around this time they thought he was sunny side up which would explain why he wasn't dropping. By 1pm i was at a 7-8 and by 3pm I was 10cm!!! But since he hadnt dropped we spent 45 minutes pushing in various positions to get him rotated. I was completely exhausted and had no idea how tiring it was to push for so long. With sully I pushed for maybe 5minutes and he was born so this was completely new to me. It also didn't help that I was so hungry i could have eaten my shoes!
Our dr came in at 450pm and delivered our sweet Levi at 4:59pm he was 7lb 11oz and 20 3:4 inches long. Turns out he was in the perfect position for delivery the issue was his cord it was maybe a foot long, the shortest cord the dr and nurses had ever seen. There was nothing wrong with it or Levi it was just short, she couldn't even put him on my chest without having josh cut it first. Once the cord was cut he immediately began nursing. This was one of my biggest anxieties bc we had such a great experience breastfeeding sully. I was so afraid this go round would not be as easy, but thankfully it has been a breeze!

























Sully got to take Levi to the nursery where josh helped bathe him and take pictures:)





We can't say enough good things about the hospital and nurses we had! They were all amazing and it was a wonderful experience. Recovery the second time around is so much easier! I was up walking around at about midnight, once my epidural wore off. I began walking the halls the next morning and felt amazing other than some back pain from my epidural. Once we made it home on Friday we had the wonderful help of family. My mom stayed until Sunday and we had my stepmom and aunt help us the following week.
Levi was 7lb3oz when we checked out of the hospital on Friday and the following Monday we had his weight check at his pediatrician and he was over his birth weight and weighed 7lb 15oz!! The dr was completely shocked and over the moon and said it was extremely rare for a baby to gain so much. Josh and I of course thought nothing of it as sully was the same way. We are blessed to have such healthy babes!! We go back in a month for his well check :)







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Well today at my 38 week appt I learned i lost 2lbs since last week which is awesome considering between 34-36 weeks I gained 4lbs! I know it is just water weight but it was nice to know I didn't gain even more! So this means 18lbs gained so far. My bp was great today but this weekend I freaked out a little and it went up to 144/93 which is pretty high for me considering I usually stay around 115/65. After an hour of l&d triage at midnight none the less it went down and my sweet stepmom who came with me got to go home! I was freaked out bc I don't want Levi coming early ad it really hit home that you never know what can happen in pregnancy when I had to waddle in there this weekend! Thankfully mom had sully for the weekend and I didn't have to worry about disturbing him in the middle of the night. I also learned today my platelets are 117 which if they stay on track means I will still have the option for an epidural. Yay!! Even though labor does have an end and the pain doesn't last forever I still would like to be comfy!





34 week pic from earlier



38 week pic from today

I am soooo tired of hearing people tell me I am going to pop and that I won't make it to my due date!!! Even the sweet old people are getting on my last nerve!!!

Sully and I have been trying to enjoy this warmer weather but the pollen has been keeping me inside more than we would like. I finally remembered to ask my dr what I could take so I will be getting some allergy meds tomorrow! The weather has been beautiful and warm, 84 was the high today!








The boy loves water and jumped right in his water table this week! Josh got his pool out and we are going to clean it this week and start using it again. He was in it everyday last summer and this year will be no different! I would love to get a bigger one for this year though!


Going through all the Baby stuff has someone feeling a bit nostalgic :) he is having a blast rediscovering his baby stuff and makes it a point to discuss how baby brother will use it. Whenever we go shopping he wants to get brother something which is so sweet! He is such a loving boy as I can't wait to see him love on his brother!!











Easter was wonderful!! We got to see all the cousins and Sully was enjoying every minute with them!! I am really blessed to have the best inlaws!! Sully felt like such a big kid the whole weekend and looks forward to the next visit!

If you have a boy I suggest you get this book!!! We read it almost every night!!! It is definitely a favorite of Sully's!


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5 weeks to go!

with only 5 weeks to go I am getting so nervous! obviously I am nervous about how our family dynamic will change when Levi gets here but I am super nervous about labor and delivery! Since my water broke with no contractions with Sully I never had that whole labor contractions feeling. This past friday I was having lots of contractions and got pretty nervous especially since Josh was on call all weekend and could not come home. Luckily once I woke up Saturday they were gone, which means they were braxton hicks and not the real deal. At my appointment today she checked me to make sure and luckily there is no indication that the contractions did anything. my weight was great, 16lbs total gained as of today. I have had lots of crazy movements and got the dr to find out what position he was in, head down, YAY! Bc I was thinking he was sideways this whole time. Sully is still so excited but I dont think he realizes just how tiny baby brother will be. He tells me all the time that there will be two baby brothers, one in my belly and one in his. He said I have Hosuton Levi and he has Levi. He also has explained how baby brother will be born. apparently someone will push him out of my bellybutton and then my tummy will be small again. that is until I eat a whole lot and then I will have another baby in my belly :)
----ediT----
this post is a week overdue :) I started it and never finished.
Today I am actually 4 weeks until d-day! Last week we took Sully for the sibling tour at the hospital and he had the best time! Of course all the nurses loved on him and spoiled him and he ate it up! When we got to the laboring room the nurse pulled out a baby doll and showed Sully how to swaddle, diaper, hold and soothe "baby brother". sully had the biggest sweetest grin on his face the entire time! Josh and I were beaming from ear to ear to and so proud of our big boy for being such a good listener....even if he was running around the room half the time. We went to the window where you can look at all the babies and he could not get enough of them. He kept requesting we go back and look at the babies. During the tour the nurse asked where baby brother was going to sleep and Sully said "in the bed with screws". The nurse looked at us completely confused and Josh and just laughed! When we set up Sullys old crib we were missing a few screws and I have been reminding Josh to get the replacement screws. When ever sully tries to get in the crib I tell him we need the screws before he can get in. It is amazing what his little brain comes up with and proves that they are listening at all times. She also asked him what he needed to do when baby brother was crying to which he replied "teach him to talk". Wouldn't that be nice?! then we would not have to decode all those cries!
We had Sullys 3 year check up at our new Dr in town and she is so sweet! Sully is 36 inches tall and weighs 28lbs. He has been wearing 2t in jeans/pants and shirts but when I got out all of his shorts that I purchased the end of last summer they were way to big! So back to his shorts from last year, 18-24 months. Sweet boy has his daddy's build! We have to go back to the cardiologist this week for another exam for his murmur bc no one will sign off on him going to the dentist. apparently if you have a heart condition you have to take antibiotics before you go in for a cleaning or procedure.
Since I am a week late posting this I can update that we went back to the cardiologist to repeat the echo and everything was completely fine and we got the signature we needed to go to the dentist. Yay!

We went to the rodeo with my brother in law and his family as well as josh dad and stepmom and had the best time!! Sully loves John's girls and was in heaven playing with them. Also his spring proof came back and it is hilarious! They used a different company this go round and the pic is awful. I feel like it was definitely a coerced smile. Needless to say, we will be saving that $30.






I think this was my 34 week visit.....I could be wrong though it may have been 32 weeks. Now that the shop has closed this is the only place with a full length mirror so my pics are coming from my dr appointments now



Very cold day at the zoo!!!

















Loving his superman pajamas from nana! He is totally IMO superhero stuff now.


This is how we nap some days. He gets so snuggled up that I hate to move him. My energy level has been pretty low the last two weeks so most of the time I just go to sleep with him. We have been lounging more which has been nice to have extra snuggles. We will also have picnics inside and outside which make meals more fun for him. The last one was a late night strawberry picnic in my bed. We ate a bunch of strawberries while watching cartoons :) past bedtime. We are enjoying the last few weeks of just the two of us and I am certain they are flying by.

My baby turned 3!!!!

3 years have gone by in the blink of an eye! Our tiny little bundle of joy has grown into a bright, funny, witty, loving and oh so daring big boy! Everyday he surprises me with sweet conversations and humorous commentary on the things he sees in this big world! He loves to laugh and has the heartiest laugh of any 3 year old I have ever heard! He can be very serious at times and loves to help with grown up tasks like fixing things with daddy, taking care of the animals, helping cook dinner and clean the house and play the doctor when someone isn't feeling well. His heart is tender and kind and he loves to make people smile! Everyday he tells us he loves us about 100 times and loves giving big hugs. I will never get tired of hearing his sweet voice saying "momma, I love you". Big hugs are a must in our house and he squeezes us tight and says "ooh wee" when he gives us our big hugs.


Sully is into all things boy like tractors, monster trucks, bugs, construction equipment and tools, trains, playing in the dirt and whatever daddy is working on! Bugs are the latest interest and his recent birthday present from Mort and Poppa has allowed it to reach a new level! They got him a bug house that he is completely obsessed with and even took to MDO to show all his friends! He is so proud of his bugs!! I found a cute bug magnifying glass and he loves getting a closer look at his little pets! His birthday was so much fun and we had a party with family and friends to celebrate! We are blessed to have such a large family and needed a Great place to accommodate all our family and friends. our good friend and Sully's "uncle Gus" suggested we have it has his place...world famous Chris' hotdogs and what a great idea it was!! Sully was so excited to see everyone at Chris' and everyone had a great time! They handled everything and we just had to supply the cake and get everyone there! It was so nice getting to enjoy Sully and all of our guests!!





Josh made him a train table and we got him a new construction train set for his birthday. We have to finish staining it and then I will post pics bc it is pretty awesome! He got some great gifts and even got the Spider-Man bike he has been talking about since Christmas!


Sunday we spent the rainy day going to breakfast for my grandmothers 80th birthday then spent the rest of the day snuggled up in the house. That evening we went to dinner for my grandmother birthday and had a great time with her, my aunt and one of their friends.


It has been raining since Sunday but we haven't let that ruin our birthday fun! we had my 30 week appt (everything is going great) and the Sully said he wanted to have a birthday party at the fire station. My mom got him the cutest turnout gear and he wanted to wear it to the fire station. So we took him up there with cupcakes and he had the best time running around the fire station! Our fire fighters are so
Nice and I think they had just as much fun as he did!

Another big event the past week has been on the potty training front. He has been wearing big boy underwear for almost a year now and has not had any trouble going pee pee in the potty and no need for pull-ups at night as he wakes when he has to go. But getting him to poop in the potty has been a struggle. Not sure if it was because he knew he was about to be 3 or what but all of a sudden last week he started recognizing the need to go and has not had an accident since!! I had always heard it was harder for boys and never made it a big deal but let me just tell you now that he is going in the potty it is awesome and I am throwing a party every time! I have been giving him little potty prizes like dollar bin toys, stickers, tattoos and a few m&ms everyday he goes and gets so excited about it!

I am so excited to watch him grow And learn everyday and look forward to discovering the big world all over again through his sweet loving eyes! God has blessed us greatly and we are so thankful he chose us to be Sully's parents!!!




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Preggo 1 and!2

One more week and we will be celebrating Sullys 3rd birthday!! Everything is ready and so is he! He has been talking about his birthday party for a while now and gets sad when we tell him he has to wait a little longer. Not sure if I mentioned earlier but we are making this bday party pretty simple with a construction theme. Nothing spectacular but we are making the cake and cupcakes which I think will be cute. Josh is making his present that goes along with the theme and I am picking up his bday shirt i had made at some point this week. I can't wait to see it and sully is excited because he picked it out :)

Just for comparison I thought I would go back and match up my weekly belly pics. obviously this is more of a post for me so i can go back and look in years to come.


Sully @ 27 weeks




Levi @ 27 weeks

Sully @ 19 weeks



Levi @ 20 weeks

Based on these photos i would say they are pretty close in size. I plan on keeping this up the further along we get.

I passed my one hour glucose test and my platelets are fine too. Thankful neither came back with problems. I have heard more and more about kick counts. I never did them with Sully and Dr hasn't mentioned starting them so I am
Wondering if anyone else has been told to do them. I go back at 30 weeks and plan on asking if I should be doing them. I feel him move all the time so I don't really think it is an issue at this point. It is getting harder to sleep these days and when I do wake in the night it is even harder to fall back asleep. Pregnancy insomnia is cruel, especially when you have a very active child at home already!
I am a planner and a procrastinator all rolled into one and pregnancy makes it that much more confusing as to which I will give into. The past few weeks the planner/prepper has won. I have my hospital bag and diaper bag packed already and am getting ready to wash the infant car seat and try to hold off on putting it in the car. I have also been on the hunt for a little something for baby brother to give to Sully once he arrives. Like I keep telling Josh, I would rather get it all done now while I feel great!

Look forward to sharing Sullys 3rd birthday in the next few weeks.

Hope everyone has a great week!
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