4 month check up

I absolutely CANNOT believe that our little baby will be 4 months in a few days. Her pediatrician said we could start her on solids now. I thought to myself, "No! It's too early. My baby isn't big enough for that yet!" But...she is. I think back to when Taylor was finally old enough for solids. I was jumping for joy hoping some solid food in her diet would help her sleep better. Thankfully Ashlyn doesn't have any of the problems that Taylor (and her momma and daddy) suffered.

At Ashlyn's 4mo check up she was 14.4lbs (77th percentile) and 25in (87th percentile). We have been putting cereal in her bottle since she was about 2 months old. She had slept through the night several times. She even slept through the night 4 nights in a row about 3 weeks ago. Now she is getting up at around 1am and then again around 5am. She usually sleeps till about 7:30am. She takes 3 naps a day in her swing. I have tried a few times getting her to nap in her crib but she just wakes up after about an hour, awake for 2 hrs, and napping again from about 4-5pm. Her bedtime is 7pm if I can get her to stay awake that long.

She is such a good baby. She only cries if she's hungry, tired, or cold. Other than that she is ALL smiles. She is so happy and just laughs and laughs. I have really enjoyed her. We all have, even Taylor. She wakes up in the morning and runs to her sister and says, "Hi Baby Ashlyn!" It is SO SWEET! I mean just melt my heart why don't ya! Taylor does so well with Ashlyn, when she pays attention to her.

But Ashlyn is getting so big, so fast. I put away her newborn clothes and brought out her 3-6mo clothes. For some reason we just didn't have a lot of 3-6mo clothes. Then it was brought to my attention that Taylor was so big at 4 months (2lbs & 2in over Ashlyn) that we all but skipped 3-6mo clothes and went straight to 6 month clothes!

Unfortunately, we are all coming down with sore throats. Taylor picked it up from somewhere, then Ashlyn got it, Daddy started feeling bad 2 days ago, and today the coodies finally made themselves my way. Ugh, being a mom and being sick just DO NOT jive well.

I am going to try to upload some dropshot pix now. Have a nice week!

14 Weeks

Just a quick update. It's 10:20pm and I'm exhausted so I'm keeping it short.

We've had an exciting weekend. Ashlyn rolled over Friday night (2 days ago.) She has been trying for a few days now and it didn't take her long to get mad enough to roll on over. It was so funny! I didn't get it on video but I will get her doing it again later this week.

Taylor has her upper 2 year molars coming in. She already has her bottoms. This is what I am attributing her attitude problem to! LOL! Potty training is a learning curve for us both. She was getting to the point where she didn't wanna sit on the potty anymore so I have backed off a bit. I'll put her big girl undies on her in the mornings but I usually leave her in a diaper in the afternoons. I was tryin' to keep her in big girl panties all day and it was just too much for us both. This is gonna take a while! She is just SO strong willed. If she doesn't wanna sit on that potty then she's NOT GONNA DO IT! She'll use the potty if she's sitting on it, but she won't go sit on it if she's playing or something and needs to go. She'll just have an accident and we were getting way to many OOPS's. I think it was discouraging her. So, we've taken a step back and I am going at her pace. (which is driving me nuts but not so much as hearing her scream NO! when I tell her to sit on the potty)

On a more personal note. I think we have FINALLY found a church where we feel comfortable and that has a good nursery for the girls. It's called Parkview Baptist and it's about 5minutes from home. They have been without a pastor for 2 years now and the congregation is getting frustrated, but all things in His time, right. I have started a Community Bible Study with some friends of mine at their church and I am enjoying that as well. It feels good to be back in church. I've been out for so long. It feels good to have my children in church, even if it is only in the nursery. And Brodie feels comfortable there - my prayers are being answered. I have wanted this family in church since Taylor was born.

Well, I have to go let the dogs out and get my tired body in bed. night-night...

Pottty Training - 23 Months

Well, it's about time I guess. I had started tryin' to train her before Ashlyn got here but everyone told me to wait. The odds of her reverting to a diaper would go way up. So, Ashlyn is 3 months now, Taylor will be 2 next month, so I made up my mind today that we'd start potty training.

We started after her nap. I put her big girl undies on, sat her on her little pottty in front of Barney with a bowl of Doritos. It worked! She sat there until she tee-tee'd. YAY! TAYLOR!!! WHAT A GOOD BIG GIRL! The next couple of times i caught her when she started and plopped her down on her potty. Then her daddy came home. She showed of her new panties and got a big hug for going tee-tee in the potty.

She's gonna kill me for posting this next part!

Then it was time to feed Ashlyn and she hadn't gone #2 yet and I knew she'd go in her panties if I didn't watch her like a hawk. Well, she went into the kitchen and I wasn't paying attention. Then I heard a little grunt. I said, "Baby, go check Taylor and make sure she didn't have an accident." Yep, she did! He just looked at me and knew that I couldn't get up. He said with a helpless look on his face, "What do I do?" LOL! I told him to take her to the bathroom, remove the rug, and VERY carefully take her panties off and clean her up. They weren't back there 1 minute and I heard, "Taylor, no. No. NOOOOOO! Don't eat that!!!!!" I just busted out laughing...quietly of course. When he came back in here I couldn't contain myself. He said very upset, "Oh yeah, she's eating her poo. That's REAL funny!" LOL! God love him. He did the best he could and she still managed to reach back there before he got her cleaned up. I think he's the only person who doesn't know that every kid eat's poo at least once!

Well Taylor, when your 15 and reading through the stories of your life and you get to this post...just remember...I LOVE YOU AND YOU'D HAVE POSTED IT IF YOU WERE ME!!! IT WAS SO FUNNY! Just wait till you bring home your first serious boyfriend.

p.s. Bedtime was horrible tonight. It has been so good now for about a month. I guess all the changes today were kinda tough on her. Daddy had to go lay with her till she fell asleep. Ashlyn is also doing a better job of sleeping now that we are putting some cereal in her bottle before bed. Instead of waking up at 12am and 3am. She's only getting up at 4am and her bedtime is 7pm. Not too shabby! She's up for the day around 7am.

Easter 2011

Happy Easter Everyone!

Today was a big day. It was Ashlyn's first Easter. This was Mommy and Daddy's first Easter trying to get the whole family ready and on time for church! My day started at 6:30am with Ashlyn's first feeding. Taylor woke up at 7am. Daddy rolled outta bed around 8am. I cooked biscuits and gravy for breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and got everyone ready for church - with a some help from daddy. The girls did great in the nursery, so thankful for that. Then, we came home and I cooked lunch. After lunch we all took a nap. Taylor slept for 2 hours which she NEVER does. After our naps daddy cut the grass and I took the girls down to a neighbors where a few of the neighborhood kids gathered for an Easter Egg hunt.

Taylor was so funny. The eggs were just lying on the ground so she didn't have to work hard to find them. But they had candy inside. So, she'd pick up one egg, crack it open, get the candy and spend 5 minutes trying to open that one piece of candy. There were like 100 eggs and she was picking one up at a time trying to dig the candy out. I finally convinced her to to just pick up the eggs and we'd get the candy later! She's so funny! So much like her daddy.

And that was pretty much it for that day. Oh, the Easter bunny brought Ashlyn some candy (which was for daddy), a coloring book (which will be Taylor's) and some purple bubbles. Taylor got some markers, sidewalk chalk, coloring book, sketch pad and a coloring box. They both got cute little bunnies.

All in all the day was a complete success!!!

12 weeks & SSTN

Well, the girls and daddy were sick this week. At first we thought it was allergies but our pediatrician said it was a cold. Who knows... Thankfully they are all getting better. (Knock on wood - I never got sick!)

The girls had bad runny noses, sneezes, and coughing but were otherwise fine. Yesterday morning when Ashlyn woke up her left eye was crusted over so I called the Pediatrician to see if there was anything thing I could do for my baby. He said that a crusty eye on a sick baby could mean an ear infection so he wanted to see her. I am so glad we went.

She did not have an ear infection. Her poor little sinuses were so blocked that the fluid was coming out of her eye. In order to look down into her ear he had to clean her ears, so that was awesome. And we got her weighed. She weighed 12lbs 12oz. At her 2 month check up she was 10lbs 13oz. So basically she's gained 2 pounds in a month! What a chuncker!!!!

P.S. ASHLYN SLEPT THRU THE NIGHT (SSTN) FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER LAST NIGHT! I PUT HER DOWN AT 6:30PM AND SHE WOKE UP AT 6AM. I WAS SO PROUD! FINALLY, A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP - MINUS TAYLOR NEEDING MILK AT 2AM. ;)

11 Weeks Old & T's Molar

So sorry I haven't been updating like I need to but things are a little hectic around here. Getting on the computer during the day is out of the question thanks to curious little fingers who like to take over the computer when mommy is on it. So that leaves from 8:30-10pm and you can forget it after that most nights cause I'm just exhausted. Most nights I try to get in bed around 9 or 9:30 and I'm still exhausted when I wake up. I had a Dr.'s appointment today to talk about my Fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed about 1987 (i think) when FMS was virtually unheard of so I want to revisit my condition after all this time. They drew 9 vials of blood today. Yuck. Thankfully a neighbor kept Taylor for me so all I had was Ashlyn and she slept the whole time. What a sleeper that little girl is. She is a great eater and sleeper. Completely opposite of her sister at that age, THANK GOD!!! I enjoy Taylor during the day but Ashlyn just makes it that much more fun because she is all smiles and bubbles. I say bubbles because she slobbers like a drunk person and it comes out in little tiny bubbles. Check dropshots for cutie pix. I guess her teeth are already starting to rise up because she's chewing on her fist as well. Taylor also got her first 2yr molar in this week. It is her bottom right one. The girls are just such a joy these days. Taylor is so smart. She is using two and three word sentences. Brodie was gone for 2 weeks and she would ask me, "Daddy, where go?" Oh, it'd just crush me. Charlie has also slept with her for a few nights here and there. They both seem to love that. Brodie and I are good now that we are at least getting to spend an hour or two together each day. That part sucks. I miss my hubby! I tell ya, our next station better be close to family b/c Daddy and Momma need a vacation...ALONE!!! I see white sand beaches, crystal blue ocean, and no kids screaming, "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!" Of course I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't hear that every 20 seconds or so. Okay, I hope this was enough of an update. Ashlyn doesn't go for another check until 4 months so you'll get her stat's then but she is a chunky monkey!

Ashlyn's 2 month checkup

The first checkup I was late, the second one I was right on time, today I was 10 minutes early! YAY, MOM!!! Okay, now that I have given my super-duper mom skills major props, let me tell you about our day.

Ashlyn weighed 10lbs 13oz. She is 6weeks, 3days old. She is in the 60th %tile for her weight and the 74th%tile for her weight. She was 22" long. To put it in to perspective, when she was born (7lbs 4oz) she got down to 6lbs 12oz, and she was 21" long. She got 3 shots :( but she did very well.

After her check up we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. Tay had a blast. Then we went shopping at Babies R Us. We had a great girls day out! I did all this buy my self! Whew, I'm exhausted and I bet my girls are too. Hopefully we can sleep late in the morning. YAWNNNN......night, night.

3 weeks old yesterday

Yesterday was my first day alone with the girls. Granny Mary was gone and dad went to work. The day was FABULOUS!!! Taylor was pretty good (relatively speaking) and Ashlyn only woke to eat all day. I was able to get Taylor down for a 1.5hr nap (which never happens) so I snoozed on the couch while Ashlyn dreamed away in the swing.

Taylor had a Dr.'s appointment at 2:30 and I was only 6 minutes late! Super Success!!! The doc told me I was giving her WAY to many fluids during the day. So, we have cut back and hopefully that will help her appetite and sleeping.

I managed to keep the house in great order and get some laundry done (and put away). I also cooked supper, cleaned the kitchen, and pumped on time! Whew...I was in bed at 9pm! What a great day!

The night however was something totally different. Ashlyn woke up at 3am to eat. Somehow Taylor instinctively knew that I was up so SHE WOKE UP. But since I was nursing I couldn't just put the baby down which meant Dad had to get up. He tried several times putting her back in her bed but that didn't work. After Ashlyn was asleep I took over putting her back in bed. An hour later she was still getting out of bed. B was furious and had to get some sleep so he took Taylor into the spare bedroom and slept with her until it was time to get up then he brought her in bed with me. This is now our night life. We are both unbelievably aggravated and have no idea how to stop her from doing this. I was being very consistent for 2 months putting her back in bed and she didn't get it. Now that the baby is here Dad has to help and he also needs his sleep so it is just easier to do it the way we did last night. You would think that after 2 months of the same routine she'd get it and stay in bed. Nope. And now that she's getting what she wants, it's just getting worse. Please pray for us because this will soon take it's toll on everyone and it won't be good.

Today we went to Walmart again. It was much better this time! LOL! I needed a few things and decided to go because Taylor was driving me insane this morning. There were no playgroups or anything and she HAD to get out of the house. Yep, so we went to Walmart. I spent $120 and I have no idea what I got, other than 1 pack of diapers. Which by the way costs $20!!! No wonder I cloth diaper!!! She is in her chair now eating lunch and is acting much better. I am debating on letting her take a nap. Hopefully if she is exhausted she'll sleep a little better. But then again if she is TOO tired she won't sleep well either. Oh, will SOMEBODY please call the Supper Nanny for me! How can I be so off with helping my daughter sleep! The crazy thing is that thousands of parents in the U.S. are going through the exact same thing and NO ONE has any answers! If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE EMAIL ME OR BRODIE! We are totally open to advice and welcome it! What are we doing wrong? What have we done wrong since the beginning? Please don't let me make the same mistake with Ashlyn.

Well, I need to go figure out what I bought at Walmart so I can justify my purchase to my husband when he comes home!

P.S. Ashlyn lost her button stump today!!!!

Our First Girls Outing

I decided I had to get the ball rolling on getting our lives back to normal so the girls and I went to Walmart for the first time all alone. OMG! What a BAD IDEA!!! LOL!!!

First off it took us like 3 hours to all get ready. The last thing I did was pump and feed the baby. She usually goes 2hrs between feedings, plenty enough time to pick up 4 things, right? HA HA!!!

I have been drinking LOTS of water to keep my milk production up so I made sure to use the bathroom before we left. When I got in the truck, my garage door remote was missing. Great! So I had to go back in the garage, let the door down and leave through the front door. When we got to Walmart I put Tay in the big part and sat Ash down in her carseat in the toddler pull-out part.

Well, in the 5 minutes it took to get from my house to Walmart, that song started playing in my head, "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!" So, I hauled tail inside to the back bathroom for "families." Thank goodness I hurried because just ahead of me was an employee walking in that bathroom. (I HATE THIS BTW!) I yelled out, "Oh please don't go in there." This poor lady turned around to see a gray cart barreling towards with Taylor screaming in the front and a huge poof of strawberry blankets piled so high that the only thing she could see of me was my forehead! I peeked around my new life and screamed out, "I gotta pee and I NEED that room!" She got that "deer in the headlights" look and said, "O.K.!!!" as she was falling backwards while I zoomed past her. Whew, just did make it! Thank You God!!!

First, we had to go to the vitamin supplement isle. Well, if you ever wanna spend all day in Walmart, take a newborn! Every woman (and a lot of older men) have to know how old she is, how old Taylor is, etc. I guess 10 grandmothers and 4 granddad's must have stopped me. P.S. This is also the area where all the Nanny's and Papaw's are if you ever wanna know! LOL!

Then we went to the baby section, one lady in the bottle isle wanted my opinion on which bottle to get for her daughters shower. So, I had to answer all her questions about each bottle they carried. Then she wanted to talk about how to pack for the hospital. Right about this time Ashlyn started fittin'. Oh Lordy. So, I got outta there as soon as I could. I knew she was hungry and it was 45 minutes early but she didn't eat much at her last feeding. So, I rush up to the front where now every cashier was backed up 5 carts deep. Of course, this figures! So, the one line that wasn't too bad was of course the ones filled with the Nanny's and Papaw's. While in that line a Nanny tried to give Taylor a snickers bar! Really???

So, by now Ashlyn is screaming her head off, so I decide to run back and get some ready-made formula. I run back up and check out, and run out of the store towards my car. My diaper bag falls out of my cart. A cart-boy yells, "Hey, you dropped something!" I stop and turn around. I see this guy holding my bag and a Range Rover headed right towards me because I stopped right in front of the store! He dodges me, I get my bag and we make it to the car. I leave Ashlyn in the cart while I put Taylor in the 3rd row! (Good idea Brodie!!! NOT!) As I am half way through I hear Ashlyn screaming again. I look out to see the guy starring at her. I scream out from inside my truck, "I'm right here! She's fine!" I thought he was wondering where this poor screaming baby's mother went. Nope, my cart was blocking his car door! Wonderful!!!

On the way home Taylor falls asleep. Great, now I am really in a pickle. I can't get her out cuz I'll wake her up and she won't go back to sleep. I have to leave her in the car while I go inside and feed Ashlyn. What kind of mother leaves her child unattended in a car! Me...oh my gosh!!! I did lock her inside though. After feeding Ashlyn the ready made formula for the first time I go to put it in the fridge. I see on the outside it says, "MIX WITH WATER!" OMG! WHAT! I DIDN'T DO THAT. She got straight concentrated formula. No wonder she only drank 1.5oz instead of 3oz. I have been waiting for her to either puke or scream out from a tummy ache, thankfully she's sleeping peacefully! Tay is still sleeping so I start pumping, it takes about 10 minutes. After I'm done with that I look out and Taylor is awake. I go to get her out of the truck and her face is red, she's been crying for a while, almost about to puke, crying! OMG! I get Taylor back in and Ashlyn is crying! OMG GOSH, WHAT DO I DO!

Thankfully I finally got both girls calmed down. Ashlyn is now sleeping like a princess and Taylor is playing in her kitchen and watch Barney, of course! I'm starving, it's time for supper, Ashlyn needs to be fed, I need to pump, the living room is destroyed, the dishwasher needs to be emptied and refilled, my bottles and pump parts need to be washed, the dogs (oh yeah, Charlie almost ran out the front door that I accidently left open earlier) are miserable, and Dad is at an all day meeting with breakfast and lunch catered by high-end restaurants. Niiiicee.....

I WANT A RAISE!!!

10 Days Old

Well, I have come to the realization that I absolutely hate breastfeeding. Both of my girls nurse for 45min-1hr and that is just too long for something to be stuck on me. I also have problems getting Ashlyn to latch on correctly. This is VERY painful.

For now I have started pumping and that is working for now. I realized last night that when I was giving the baby a bottle that I enjoy watching her eat with a bottle, but not when she's breastfeeding. I have an enormous amount of guilt about this. I feel so guilty that I feel this way but I have to realize that breastfeeding has to work for everyone, not just Ashlyn. Taylor doesn't do well when I am nursing either (which I remind you last about an hour). She acts out since she doesn't have my ultimate attention. This just isn't working well for any of us.

Pumping on the other hand takes 10 minutes max. Feeding her from the bottle takes 5 minutes. This, I enjoy. It frees up so much time for everything else that is on fire in our day. Sure there are bottles to wash but I wash dishes everyday anyway so what's a few more.

Yesterday I was pumping about 3oz but last night I was only getting about 2oz. I am increasing my water intake today in the hopes that it produces more milk because Ash needs 3oz/feeding. I could supplement with formula if I don't produce enough milk.

I would like to continue pumping for as long as possible. But I am sure that after a while we will switch to formula. I was really worried about this financially. We are already spending an extra $100/mo on diapers and formula would just add another $100+. But, my husband reassured me that he would pay thousands of dollars extra as long as we were all happy. (What a great guy!) This really took a lot of guilt off of me. I am so thankful for such a great husband!

So, I will continue pumping until I don't have anymore milk, after that, formula. And if some of you are wondering why I am posting about breastfeeding on our blog, it's so that I can have a record of what's going on and when.

Thanks!

P.S. Happy Early Birthday Daddy-Feb. 10th

Day 5 - Update

Hi,

Today is Day 5 and we are all still alive! WooHoo!!!! Because I was dehydrated my milk came in really slowly, this caused Ashlyn to lose more weight than the doctor wanted. She was 7.4oz when she was born, 6.15oz the next day when we left the hospital, 6.12oz on her 3rd day. We went back today for a weight check and she weighed 6.13.4oz. So, the good news is that while she hasn't gained her birth weight back, she is no longer losing weight. We have another weight check in a week but I'm sure she'll be fine by then. My milk is in and she is eating like a champ. Breastfeeding is going great, and often!!! Because she was dehydrated too and my milk hadn't come in yet, she was very hungry and eating every hour. This was very concerning to me but once I figured out that she was under weight it all made sense. So, I just feed her ALL THE TIME now. Doc said to keep doing that until she got back up to her birth weight, at least.

Now she is eating about every 2-3 hours which is just right. She is a sucker so she is taking a paci. That makes for fun nights when her paci falls out of her mouth. The good thing is that after she is in a deep sleep, if her paci falls out, it's okay. It's just going to sleep that she really needs it. Also, she does NOT like sleeping in her bassinet all alone. Now, this makes complete sense since 5 days ago she was all warm and snug inside me. So, the transition to sleeping in a swaddle in a bassinet is going to be difficult for her. Last night, in an effort to try to get some kind of sleep, she slept with us. I had to wake her up to eat!!! This was awesome. I actually got some sleep last night! Whippadee Pow! But, we can't keep doing that. I really don't wanna co-sleep with my kids but I also don't wanna make the same sleep mistakes I made with Taylor. So, we will get back to trying to let her learn to soothe herself (with mom's help) in her bassinet. I just needed a break last night. The only problem is that Ashlyn cries bloody murder when I put her down and I am afraid she'll wake the sleeping giant, Taylor!

But, Taylor has done great adjusting. The one thing I have learned is that Taylor is really, really loud. I never noticed that before Ashlyn got here. She gets really wound up right before bed and runs all over the house screaming like an insane person and we can't get her to use her "inside voice" for anything! But, again, we are all in a transition. She does love her little sister and wants to hold her all the time. We did have one little problem yesterday. She was patting her sister on the head very gently and doing a great job. But then all of a sudden she just hauls off and smacks her right on top of her head! OMG, TAYLOR...NO!!!! Daddy let her know right away THAT was UNACCEPTABLE! Since then she's been great.

Okay everyone, I'm exhausted. Instead of sleeping I have been updating you. So, I'm taking some Mommy time now. My head is hurting so bad it feels like my eyeballs are going to explode.

Ashlyn Kristin Brodie 1-30-2011

So, here's the story.

On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 29, 2011, we attended a birthday party from 3-5pm. I noticed that I had had a few contractions while getting ready and on the way there. This seemed somewhat promising. That night they started to get more regular and by bedtime I was timing them. They were about 6 minutes apart but the intensity was so mild it was barely worth mentioning. Through the night I woke up and noticed that the intensity had increase a little, then a little more, then a little more. By 7am I was convinced I was in labor. Contractions were anywhere from 3-5 minutes apart and were significantly stronger than when we went to bed. I knew we had a while so we got dressed, got all of our bags together, and headed to Ruby Tuesday's for a nice breakfast before we dropped Tay off and headed to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at 11:25am. By 12pm I was admitted and hooked up to the monitors. They told me that my pulse rate, as well as Ashlyn's was too high, probably because I was dehydrated. So, they gave me a lot of water hoping that would bring our rates down. The nurse also insisted that I was probably in early labor due to the dehydration and that if I hadn't dilated 1cm in an hour that they would most likely send me home.

After drinking the water and our pulse rates were within acceptable ranges, she checked me and I was 3cm. Oh, and she kept saying that my contractions were "mild" and my body was just handling labor harder than my first baby because it takes 3 years for our bodies to heal from labor. After she left the room my husband informed me that he didn't like that nurse and she didn't know what the hell she was talking about! LOL! Well, he was right. I informed that nurse that my contractions were almost unbearable and that I was not leaving. I walked the halls for another hour in excrutiating pain. Mild contraction my foot! She checked me again an hour later and said I was still 3cm. So, she called my OB who decided to admit me anyway and would break my water when she got to the hospital. We got into L&D Room #1 at 2pm.

It took about an hour for the doctor to get to the hospital and just before she got there the nurse checked me again...still 3, maybe 4cm. 10 minutes later my OB check me...yeah, 6-7cm! WHAT! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!!! The OB said she's seen it happen before, Brodie whispered, "I told you I didn't like that nurse, 4cm HA!" It took another hour for them to do my blood work, get the IV in and get the room ready. She broke my water at 3pm. It took about 10 minutes for Ashlyn to come down. I pushed about 5 times and there she was, at 3:18pm. 7lbs, 4oz, 21" long and healthy as a horse. I felt like I was Sissy Spacek in the movie Coal Miners Daughter (life of Loretta Lynn) when her husband told her, "I think we finally found something you're good at!" I was at the hospital for 4 hours when we had her. We were home the next day.

She's beautiful. Her peditrician said when he first saw here in the nursery that he knew exactly which one was the Brodie baby! We think she all favor's Taylor with a little bit of me mixed in. But, time will tell I guess. She hardly has any hair at all on top of her head. Just sandy-brown fuzz. It looks kind of like an emu! LOL! The back of her head has hair that is a little longer and darker brown. We can hardly see her eyebrows or eyelashes. Today is day #2 and we are all doing great.

(For some reason my spell check isn't working so forgive/overlook the mispellings. Thx.)

39 Weeks

Well, hello again! We are still here...waiting...patiently...still waiting...waiting still...

My checkup went good today. I am back to 1cm which I guess is normal. I could have been 2cm last week just because of the way the baby was laying or something. But, the even better news is that I am even more effaced than last week and the doc said that my cervix was very soft. This means much more than dilating as far as impending labor. With that said, there just isn't an equation for labor that states "A + B = C", meaning that it could still be another week or so. This is the one good thing about a C-section in my opinion...there is no wondering when it will happen. Sure, there is still anticipation. But I have to strategically plan when to go to Walmart!!!! LOL!

So, that is it for today. Good news but still no baby...check back later for updates.

*UPDATE: Wednesday - So, I woke up to tell B bye this morning and he said, "OMG! Look how low she is today!" I hadn't even noticed it. I looked down and my tummy was pointed toward the floor. It is so weird how I can go to bed and my belly looks one way and then I wake up a few hours later and it's completely different. And this is not just how she is laying.

I had a HORRIBLE night last night. I saw every single hour. Taylor woke up at 6:30 b/c her diaper had leaked so she and I got in the spare bedroom together and she slept till 8:30am. WooHoo. She feels awesome. I feel okay. I fixed some 3/4 caffeinated coffee this morning and that has helped. Wish me luck!!!

38 Weeks

Hi Everyone,

Well, I am pleased to know that the "excitement" that we had in week 37 didn't go unrewarded. I have dilated to 2cm/50% effaced and getting just a little closer to meeting my daughter than I was last week.

We were really worried about what we would do with Taylor if Ashlyn didn't wait until Granny Mary got here but the Doc said that she thought she would wait (but of course she doesn't have a crystal ball, so...)

Taylor's bag is all packed and I have her pack-n-play stuff ready to go should she need to stay with a neighbor. My bag...still not packed! LOL! Denial, maybe? We need to get some gas drops, Tylenol, etc. but I guess that can wait until she gets here and needs it. I am sure Brodie will be looking for any excuse to get out of the house. ;) It's amazing how laid back we are compared to when Taylor was born. Shoot, at 4 months we were ready for Taylor. We had EVERYTHING POSSIBLE needed for a newborn, and then some. With Ashlyn, we have 2 packs of diapers, some cotton balls, and a place for her to sleep. I did eventually get Tay's old clothes washed and put away in Ashlyn's room.

Well, it's nap time. I'll update next Tues after my 39 week appointment, unless something else happens between now and then.

(update) Monday - Well, I have my 39 week checkup tomorrow. For the last two days I have had contractions on and off. They have been anywhere from 20-13 minutes apart. Nothing consistent. My doc calls this a "dress rehearsal" and says that the more of these that I have the faster my labor will be because my body is doing a lot of work before hand. I have felt really sluggish and weak the last two days. My feet are killing me. They aren't swollen, they just hurt so bad. I feel like I am walking on my bones and that in any minute they will just explode. Sitting at a 90 angle is also very painful. Standing for any length of time is painful b/c the baby is so low and it feels like my muscles are ripping apart. Don't get much sleep at night. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. Now, if she can just wait 5 more days!!! Hurry, Granny!!!

More in week 37

So, Tuesday was my 37 week appointment and I was 1cm dilated and have been having Braxton Hicks contractions for some time, which is totally normal.

Well, then Wednesday night I started cramping in my lower abdomen and lower back. I just felt a lot of pressure on my tailbone. (lost mp). I got no sleep last night.

Today, I have continued cramping. I decided at 3:30 last night that I would get my bag packed. So I have washed clothes and packed our bags. I made arrangements for Taylor to stay with a friend/neighbor if we went into labor during the night before Mary got here.

I still have have 20 days until my due date. I will be 38 weeks on Tuesday, which is also my next checkup. I think I'm gonna have her on Wednesday, the 19th. I cramped like this for 3 days before I had Taylor so I know what early (even very early) labor feels like. I know I could still go past my due date but things just seem to be happening so quickly now. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? LOL! I still hope that she waits until her due date. I would love Mary to be here when she is born and to have her on my dad's birthday would be so special to me. But, I just don't think this little girl is gonna wait. Now, just cause I am saying all of this stuff (and basically mentally freaking out) she"ll be late just like Taylor.

But anyway, that's an update on us in our 37th week!

Sunday - I have been taking it easy the last few days and THANKFULLY things have calmed down. I feel like a volcano that was about to erupt but then all of a sudden went quiet. Unexplainable, but eruption is eminent! LOL!

37 Weeks

Hi Everyone.

We had our 37 week appointment today and the awesome news is that I am 1cm dilated. The baby is VERY LOW. This is causing some "minor discomfort"! LOL!

• My lower ab muscles feel like they are already ripping apart.
• My hips are literally separating from my tailbone as you are reading this! This does not allow me to put much pressure on my left leg...I walk like an car wreck patient now!
• Oh, and the newest "discomfort" is a sharp, electrical shooting pain from my tailbone around to my tummy. This makes me gasp very loudly and it scares the daylights outta Brodie because it happens so randomly.

When I called Brodie at work after my appointment, I told him I was 1cm. It was so funny, he got so worked up. "So, so, so, what does that mean? Did she say how much longer it would be? Are we gonna have her early? What else did she say?" LOL! I managed to calm him down and explained to him that I could stay this way until the day Ashlyn was born. All it means is that we are getting there, just calm down. With Taylor I was 1cm dilated at my 35 week appointment but she was no where near as low as Ashlyn. I was also a week late with Taylor!!! So, the fact that I'm dilated now doesn't mean much. She'll come when she's ready...and frankly I would like to get a few more things done around the house.

However, I do need to start taking it easy now. I realized today after my dr.'s appointment and a grocery shopping trip with an 18month old, then putting the groceries away, that I was absolutely DRAINED! I guess it's time to have "The Talk" with my hubby. You know the one. "Now dear, I know all I do is lay around the house all day but my body is working very hard so I can't do as much as I used too. It is now time for you to really start doing your part and some of mine...even though all I do is lay around all day!" {wink!!!}

I am getting so excited. I also need to pack a hospital bag. I haven't done that yet either. Actually, we haven't done hardly anything. I have only bought 1 pack of diapers. I need to wash her clothes. I do have the changing station set up and I guess that is about all that is really necessary. Thankfully we are going to have Granny Mary here for 2 weeks!!! Oh Hallelujah!!! I'm gonna realize when we bring Ashlyn home just how much I should've done before she was born. (Oh, nice little Braxton Hick's contraction!!!)

Well, Taylor has been napping for an hour now. It's time for her to wake up so I should wrap this up. I just wanted to give everyone an update. We love you and miss you all!

The Brodie's + one more little baby girl very soon!

18 month sleep regression. YAY!!!

God knows I love my child. She is so pretty, so smart, and such a joy in our lives. But our poor girl just has bad sleep problems and always has. Before a child makes a developmental leap, they can go through something called sleep regression - something I have talked about before. 18 months is no exception. She is making huge developmental leaps now. She is learning so quickly, interacting better with children her age, figuring out puzzles, etc. Because she has so much going on in her brain, she just doesn't want to sleep. She wants to stay up and play! Of course, who wouldn't?

Two nights ago she didn't go to sleep until about 8:30. Her bedtime is about 7:30. This means it took us an hour to get her to go to sleep. Not just leaving her in her bed and letting her cry, I mean actively dealing with her trying to get her to sleep. This is exhausting. Then, at about 1am she woke up again WIDE AWAKE, ready to play! It took Brodie and me 2 hours to get her to go back to sleep. We were exhausted. She was up, ready to start her day at 7am. We were dead!!! She didn't go down for her 12pm nap until almost 3pm.

For those of you who never had any kind of sleep issues with their kids...THANK GOD!!! The good thing is that I know this is a phase and it will pass, eventually. Although I still don't have the patience that I need, I have much more compassion than ever before. That alone helps me stay calm and better in control of the situation. I KNOW that this will pass and that too helps sustain me.

I pray that this won't last long. I pray that God will give me the energy that I need when I need it. I hope that this is harder on me than it is Taylor. And I love my husband for doing the best that he can with both of us when we are going through these trying times.

I hope that Ashlyn is a better sleeper than Taylor!

10 weeks to go

Hi Everyone,

We have 10 weeks left and have finally "pretty much" decided on a name. We picked...drum roll please....

Ashlyn Kristin Brodie

We picked "Ashlyn" from a list of 1,100 names. It came down to that and Payton, after Walter Payton, B's favorite football player and a Mississippi native. So, of course this was a great option. Ashlyn just seemed more unique and a little prettier.

I wanted her middle name to be after my sister, Kristin. Taylor's middle name "Renee" is after B's sister Kristen. I wanted to remember my sister in my children's name because she has made me so proud of her and I wanted to let her know it.

So, there you have it. Miss Ashlyn Kristin Brodie. Due 2-2-11, also Groundhog Day but most importantly my dad's birthday!!!

Love ya!

The Brodies

17 months - Still Hard

Taylor was 17 months yesterday (11-2-10). She had a very bad soar throat for Halloween and couldn't even put her costume on. It is still hanging in the closet with the tags on it. That started 4 days ago. Her throat is much better now. She is back to eating and drinking fine after going for two days without much of anything and a 103 degree fever.

All 4 of her canine teeth are coming in. That can't be easy either.

She still wakes up in the middle of the night, almost every night, and climbs out of bed crying for Momma & Dada. She wants us to sit beside her until she falls completely asleep. She'll even realize she's dozing off and pop her head up just to see if we are still there. THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY. At 1:30 in the morning I am in no mood to be playing a waiting game with my child who should be sleeping. I am 7 months pregnant now, utterly exhausted, and just can't do this.

I know this is my fault. I have been inconsistent with her sleeping habits and how I respond to her midnight wake-ups. I have to start reacting the same every time because my inconsistency is teaching her that she can win. The only problem is that I am so very tired and just don't have the energy to stay outside her door and put her back in bed every time she climbs out. I don't have the patience to listen to the crying/screaming because I am so fatigued. Most times it just seems easier (for me) to sit with her until she falls asleep and creep out of her room like a burglar or something! Naps are okay. I can do this at nap time. It's just bedtime, when I have nothing left, that things fall apart.

I have to find out why I am so tired. Why I don't have the energy to function an hour after I wake up in the mornings. My family needs me. My dogs need me. I need me!!! My mind yearns to get up and clean my kitchen, go grocery shopping, play outside with my child...my body just won't let me. I feel imprisoned. I feel like that if only my head were on a different body I'd be unstoppable!

The new baby (for lack of a name) will be here in 13 weeks and counting. I am scared to death. How can I take care of a newborn, Taylor, Brodie, Sandie, Charlie, the housekeeping, the laundry, the groceries, the meals, and me, in the state that I am in? I have no idea how I am functioning now but for utter determination to try to hold my home together in some sort of organized chaos. My only saving grace is an amazing husband and a few great neighbors that I know will help me with anything. I wish my family lived closer....

I went for the baby's 27 week checkup yesterday. I explained to my doctor what I have been going through and reminded her about the Fibromyalgia (FMS). She said my symptoms sounded more like Lupus than FMS and ordered some tests. But whether I have Lupus or not, I don't care at this time, they still can't cure the fatigue. Will I get better or worse after the baby arrives and my hormones stable out? I dunno. No one knows.

(I laugh at myself, this was supposed to be a post about Taylor!)

NEXT MORNING SIDE NOTE: Taylor went down beautifully, slept through the night, woke up at 7:40, and stayed in bed until Mom went in to get her at 8 a.m., just like she is supposed too. I got a full nights sleep and feel GREAT this morning! THANK YOU GOD!!!

Bedtime Seperation Anxiety - 16 months

I am writing this more for me, as a record for the next baby, than any other reason. But it'll let you also know what we are going through.

For a while now Taylor has been letting me rock her until she is very sleepy and then I will lay her down in her bed with no tears or protest. On a few occasions she would even tell me night-night as I was walking out of the room.

The last two night have been horrible. When we would start walking to her room she starts crying, "NO, NO! NO, NO! NO, NO!" She's literally scared out of her mind. Last night I couldn't even calm her down enough to rock her. I had to lay her down with me in my bed until she fell asleep. Tonight it took Brodie and me and an hour and forty-five minutes to get her to go to sleep. She's usually asleep by 7:45-8pm. Last night she finally fell asleep at 9pm and tonight at 9:45.

For the last two days she has been very agitated during the day. She's been very grouchy and argumentative. She has had a very bad tummy ache for the last two days but her tummy is much better tonight. We can't tell if all of this is due to her tummy ache or if she is going through some sort of behaviorial phase/growth spurt/anxiety seperation thing.

I am curious to see how long this last or what is causing it. We thought about letting her sleep with us for a few nights to help calm her fears of bedtime but have concluded that will probably only make it worse when it's time to get back in her bed. We have no idea what to do!!!