Jack's Birth Story

Jack Porter Hemming was born November 2, 2016.  I was set to be induced one day before my due date, November 3rd.  Around 6:30 that night, I started getting contractions, painful and intense.  I guess third pregnancies skip the prep pain and move right on to PANIC MODE.  I had made a gourmet dinner (pork verde tacos) and after Tim got home, we ate, and I laid down on the couch.  I thought a warm bath might help, but even in the tub, I started to worry that this was it.  I called my mom and about 15 minutes later, my parents came.  We rushed to the hospital, but had to sit in the triage for 45 minutes to see if I was progressing; luckily, I was admitted after that (I tried to tell them I was progressing since I felt like I had a 30 pound weight in my pelvis, but monitors are more reliable I guess).  

My contractions kept getting more intense and closer together.  The nurse suggested spelling words to get my mind off the pain, so Tim got the job of coming up with words to spell.  Most of them were baseball related since the last game of the World Series was on and it was the bottom of the 9th inning (whatever that means).  I finally got an epidural when I was dilated to 6+ and the feeling of numbness starting to move up my legs definitely compensated for the horrible sting of the needle.  

I was progressing without the need of pitocin, so I was pretty happy to know that Jack was coming all by himself - he was ready.  As soon as I felt the pressure, I called the doctor and nurses in.  I pushed 4-5 times and he was here.  The cord was wrapped loosely around his whole body, but they quickly untangled him and laid him on me.  Jack cried and cried and cried.  I was a little worried that I was getting a second Bridger (Bridger is absolutely wonderful now, but he was NOT an easy baby).  While Jack was getting his vitals done and I was getting stitched up (2nd degree tear), I felt pretty detached from the whole scene.  I started getting nauseous and threw up my dinner (no Mexican food before labor is good advice).  I felt lousy - I think it was partly from the nausea and partly from the time of night - Jack was born at 11:58 p.m.  Once I got some meds, I started feeling better.

The hospital stay was great, despite being in serious amounts of pain.  Afterpains (when my utererus started shrinking) were really hard to deal with - I think I cried more from those than actual labor.  Retraining myself to go to the bathroom is always an adventure, and getting accustomed to little sleep is exhausting.

Four days after Jack was born, I had a minor breakdown.  I was tired (no change there), guilty and angry with my kids, and seriously questioning my sanity.  I didn't want a new baby, didn't want to be feeling horrible still (stitches and milk coming in), didn't want this challenge.  Now he is a week old (I never thought I would make it this far) and I am feeling better and better each day.  I don't want to kill myself anymore and I am feeling really grateful.  

My mom has been taking the boys on fun adventures each afternoon so I can get a few things done (like take a nap), and Tim has been a superstar.  He wakes up around 4 am and works until the boys wake-up.  Then he feeds them, gets them dressed, and takes Bridger to pre-school.  He gets home from work early and makes us dinner, cleans up the mess, and gets the boys ready for bed (tub, jammies, songs, prayer), all the while being his happy, positive, sexy self.  That man.  

Jack is precious.  He is generally an easy baby, but does not want to fall asleep by himself.  He eats all the time and lets everyone know that he is hungry - he's got this high pitched monkey-like cry.  I'm not totally sure who he looks like yet, but he's a good mix I think.  I've just decided to take one day at a time and keep my sights set on the next thing (like his circumcision next Wednesday)  instead of hoping I will blink and Jack will be 6 months.  Everything will be ok (I repeat this every other hour), and in 6 months from now, it will feel like a blink.

Pregnancy #3

Before this pregnancy ends, I wanted to write some of my thoughts on another pregnancy, in hopes it will make me stop and think before I decide that growing another fetus for nine months is a piece of cake. IT IS NOT.  This has been thee worst pregnancy ever.  Normally the last two weeks are ridiculous - no sleep, big as a whale, swollen, emotional, etc.  This time around, I've experienced all of these things starting at month 6 and it has only gotten more intense with each passing week.

1 - Varicose Veins - so much worse and they keep rising up my legs.  I don't think they will be disappearing this time (thanks mom).

2 - Weight - I have one more month and I have gained 40 pounds.  40 POUNDS!!!  I have rolls of fat that I never knew could grow on those parts of my body.  Nothing fits me - not even maternity clothes anymore.  Do you know how hard it is to lose all of that weight?!  I can't even fit boots over my calves. Because of nursing, there's no way I can lose it as quick as I would like.

3 - Emotions - Angry most of the time, crying the rest of it.

5 - Contractions - I never had Braxton Hicks or contractions with my other boys until a week before I was due and they never really hurt.  This time around, I feel like I am going into full on labor every night around 10.  This has been going on for a month and it is only getting worse. 

4 - Sleep.  Between Bridger, hip pain, baby kicking, and Charley horses, there is no sleep.

5 - I guess I've forgotten, but I get medical bills every other month for one shot or another.  Having a baby is expensive, stressful, completely uncomfortable, and downright miserable.  The one and only positive about this whole experience is the replacement of a baby instead of a period.  However, when the baby does come, you bleed more in two weeks than you ever did in 9 months.

I know I will think it was all worth it when Jack comes, but for now, my attitude about pregnancy is very apparent.

Mr. Ty

Mr. Ty. Everything that baby does just endears me to him more and more.  It is such a delightful child - happy, copies everything Bridger does, a cuddler, and adores his mama.  I love having two boys close in age.  They are buddies and everything that comes with that; they play together, chase the other around the apartment, hit and bite each other, scream, yell, hug, and drive me crazy.  While Bridger reminds me a lot of myself (maybe my dad even more), Ty is all Tim - sweetness and playfulness combined.  Some of Ty's favorite things right now: doing anything that Bridger does, cherry yogurt, Popsicles, pretending to be a puppy or a lion, walking outside, reading tons of books, making messes, and sitting in mom's lap.  Ty is very bashful, even with his dad sometimes.  He rubs one eye with his hand whenever he is feeling shy.  He's got the cutest dimples on the planet, and the funniest walk/toddle.  He is pretty good about entertaining himself.  Sometimes, he will just throw a ball around the house and run after it, giggling with pride when he catches it.  He loves the little basketball hoop in the front room and plays with that on his own.  I think he will be a very sporty boy.  He still doesn't say much, but I'm not too worried yet.  Ty is my favorite 18 mo. old, and I love watching him play, learn, and grow.   I thank Tim all the time for giving this baby to me - I owe Ty's darling personality all to my husband. We are beyond blessed to have him in our little family.

Bridger O.

I love my Bridger O.  He is in such a fun/funny stage right now.  Yesterday, he asked me the date of his birthday (August 7fh) and then told me what he wanted: "A red cake with red cream on top, with sprinkles.  Oh, and bawoons."  He is really looking forward to his birthday.  I want to throw him a little party, but we don't know many people in our ward, so maybe next year.  Bridger is becoming more and more observant everyday.  Its a little bit frightening actually - I need to be more careful around him.  He is and has always been ultra-sensitive to my different moods, but now he is picking up on Ty's as well.  The other day, Ty was crying, and Bridger said, "Mom, Ty is tired.  You better put him down, and I'll watch a movie."

He is still a very intense little guy, and I wonder if, as his body grows, the intensity will have more room to spread out, letting him relax a little, or will it grow right along with him?  I hope the former, because I still see him struggling to  contain all of the energy inside.  Everything is very dramatic for him.  If he falls and scrapes his knee, someone nearby might think his leg was being chewed off by a monster scorpion - Bridger cries and cries and screams and cries some more.  If Ty even tries to bite him, Bridger yells as if hes already been bitten, and is bleeding.

He still wakes up every night, and if its a good night, he will quietly come into our room, and fall asleep on the spare bed.  Other nights, he screams and screams until I come and get him.  Right now, he has a bizarre fear of manikins.  He passionately hates all bugs, except roly polys.

Bridger is a very happy boy and loves to be busy.  He talks to everyone.  We looked at a rental house the other day.  When Bridger saw the land lord (first meeting), he took her hand and said, "Well, lets see the vacuumyard."  He loves to go to Church each week, and especially loves primary.  He loves the little kids in his class, but too much noise during singing time makes him nervous.  He will say to me and Tim throughout the day, "Mom/dad?  Do you know how much I love you?"  We do know and I hope he knows how much we love him.

We hiked Emerald Pools in Zion a month ago - Bridger kept going and going.  He never wanted to stop.

Bridger does a States'puzzle everyday and is learning (mostly by himself) all the names of the states.

He gets dressed all by himself now.  This picture shows his first attempt.  He was so proud.

Bridger made pancakes for us a few days ago - very serious business.

18 Weeks Pregnant

That is right.  I am pregnant....again.  Even before we conceived, I was absolutely positive this baby was going to be a girl.  We had all the girl names picked out - Hazel if she was blond, and Bonnie if she was a redhead (and of course, Faye for both middle names).  I shopped for darling dresses, and already started worrying about how she would deal with nystagmus.  At 16 weeks, I picked Tim up from work and we headed to the ultrasound with the boys.

 

As we were looking at the moving baby on the screen, I spotted it even before the technician gave the verdict:

A boy.  Another wild, rambunctious, energetic boy.  I wish I had handled the news a little better.  I cried off and on most of the day, and was still somewhat despondent the next day.  Tim, who has wanted a little girl from the get-go, was actually excited about a third boy.  He now has his basketball team, father&sons will be a party, and he gave me a bunch of other plus' that I can't remember.  I am slowly getting more comfortable with the idea of another boy.  I just keep saying over and over to myself "I can handle it.  I can handle it.  Please let me be able to handle it."  I think what helps the most is knowing that Tim was the third boy in his family, and he is a winner through and through.

Disneyland 2016

We had always planned on taking Bridger to Disneyland when he was five.  However, when Paige and  Bryce told us they were going, my parents decided to join in the fun and offered to take us with them.  Tim, of course, had to work and I absolutely did NOT want to take Mr. Ty -  so on a whim, Tim asked his mom to fly from Texas to watch Ty a few days so that Bridger and I could go.  Guess what, she said YES.  I was shocked, to say the least.  What kind of person drops everything to pay for a horrible flight to babysit a very energetic baby?!  Only someone celestial - my mother-in-law.

So Bridger and I got to go to Disneyland two years early.  We had the best time.  Bridger absolutely adores his cousins, and was in heaven.  My parents took such good care of us.  My mom let me ride shot-gun the entire way there and back (pregnancy nausea is no joke).  My dad took Bridger swimming, waited in the longest, shoot-me-now, lines, and spoiled everyone.  Bridger was completely worn out at the end of each day, which only Disneyland could accomplish. 

It was a fun few days, and Bridger has not stopped talking about it since we got home (a month ago).  Next time, Tim will definitely come with us.  Next time, we will try to go on a low-crowd day (NOT during Spring break for half the country).  Next time, we will have tons of money and be able to stay at the Grand California, right in the park.  Next time, we will still be taking parents and cousins, because they were the highlight of our trip.