Sawyer - 2 months old

Weight & Length: He weighed 15 lbs even and measured 24 1/2 inches at his doctor's appointment today. He is in the 95th percentile.

Sleeping: He is still waking up once or twice at night to eat and then he goes back to sleep. He likes to nap during the day as well, usually a long nap in the morning, then little cat naps throughout the rest of the day.

Eating: He doesn't have a set schedule yet, so each day varies and can be totally different than the day before. He usually eats every 2-3 hours. We have been lucky when we have went out to do some Christmas shopping he has slept the whole time and waits to eat till we get home.

Diapers: He just moved up from his size 1 diapers to a size 2. I can't believe that he wasn't in the size 1 diapers no time. I have a feeling he will be in the size 2 diapers for a while. They are a little big on him, but the size 1's were too tight. They should really make a size 1 1/2.

Clothing: He has grown out of all of his newborn clothes. His 0-3 month outfits are a getting snug on him. I have already washed all of his 3-6 months clothes and he has started to wear some of them. Some are a little big, but most fit comfortably. I have really enjoyed shopping for his clothes. There is so much cute stuff out there!

Hair: His hair is really starting to grow. He lost most of the peach fuzz he had when he was born, so I was happy to see it growing back. In the very top of his head he has several sprigs that are super long, like 3 inches. They are so cute when they stick up. His hair color is the same as when he was born, dark blonde. I am hoping it stays this color.

Eyes: Medium blue, lighter than when he was born.

Personality: He is still a very happy baby!!! I cannot get over how perfect he is. He rarely cries and it isn't a full out cry when he does. And he is basically just letting me know it is time to eat momma!! He still enjoys going new places and looking at lights. He loves, loves, loves to cuddle and so does mommy and daddy. I could sit all day with him and cuddle. He has gotten better about diaper changes and laughs and smiles now.

Milestones: He smiles, laughs, and coos all the time!!!! This melts my heart, it is the sweetest thing! I have so many videos of him cooing and laughing :) He is responding to us when we talk to him, he laughs and coos back. The doctor said he has excellent head control and is able to hold his head up on his own. He can follow an object or person with his eyes. He loves watching us, especially when we are in the kitchen cooking. He can grasp a toy in his hand. He can also bring both of his hands together and tries to suck his thumb, but mommy tries to replace it with a paci. When we are holding him he can bear weight on his legs and can stand for a little while. 

Firsts: He went to Sunday school and church for the first time. He also went out of town shopping a few times. He had his first Thanksgiving at my nanas, then my dads, and at Jody's parents. We are extra thankful for our sweet baby this year! He attended his first Christmas program and slept through the entire thing.

 Adventures this month: We had a family get together with my nana's side of the family. Sawyer got to meet lots of his cousins and great aunts and uncles. We also visited my place of work and everyone there loved him. It was nice to see everyone, but I dread going back because I will have to leave him!!

 

Carrying on our Christmas Traditions

Every year since me and Jody have been dating we have bought each other a Christmas ornament. At first, we would pick each other an ornament out and then exchange on December 1st. However, this year we had a new addition to our family and wanted to make it a family affair. This way we could pick out Sawyer's ornament together until he is big enough to choose one on his own. This is one of my favorite traditions and I enjoy looking at the ornaments from years past. I hope that one day Sawyer will do the same.

This is the ornament we picked out for Sawyer. It says "Baby's 1st Christmas" on the bottom and Lil' Peanut on the flag.

This is my ornament. It says "Baby makes three!". Which is absolutely PERFECT for this year!! And on top of that I love penguins!

 

Here is Jody's ornament. It fits him perfectly because he loves to hunt. I usually get him the B.A.S.S. ornament from Hallmark, but for some reason they did away with them this year, so we were a little bummed.

 

Here are a few pictures of our other decorations. We didn't decorate as much as we usually do because we have limited space due to all the baby things :)

 

Our family hodge podge tree with all our ornaments from past years plus many more. I love this tree because there is such an array of different ornaments. I know that Sawyer will enjoy them in the years to come. This year he has enjoyed looking at the shiny lights. I usually put this tree in our living room and put our what I call department store tree in the dining room, but with the pack n play and swing in there it doesn't leave much room. Hopefully next year I can put them both up.

I was so happy to finally get to purchase these stockings this year! It is something I have looked forward to for a long time. I am proud to have a stocking that says "Mom"!! I bought these from Land's End. Incase we decide to have more children, I can easily order another one and know that they will all match.

My precious baby boy!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Jesus is the reason for the season.

Sawyer - 1 month old

I am going to try to start blogging more since Sawyer has been born as a way to help me record the memories made and to be able to share them with close family and friends. Just for the record I am not a writer by any means, so bare with me :)

Weight & Length: He weighed 9 lbs 15 oz at his last doctor's appointment, so I think it is safe to say he is over 10 lbs now. The last time he was measured, he was 23 inches long.

Sleeping: The first two weeks he woke up maybe 3 times a night to eat, then the next week he would only wake up 2 times, and now we are down to only once a night :) He likes to nap during the day as well.

Eating: He doesn't have a set schedule yet, so each day varies and can be totally different than the day before. However, he does generally eat about every 2 hours in the morning, then takes an afternoon nap, then once 5 o'clock hits, he eats almost every hour until he goes to sleep for the night around 10.

Diapers: He moved up from his newborn diapers to a size 1. At first the size 1 diapers looked so big on him, but now they seem to fit fine. It was hard for me to move him up because he is growing so fast.

Clothing: He has grown out of a few of his newborn sleepers. Some of his 0-3 month outfits are a little big on him, but most fit comfortably. Daddy dressed him to go vote and he wore his little cardigan that sported the eagle and American flag, very patriotic.

Hair: Same as when he was born, dark blonde.

Eyes: Medium blue, lighter than when he was born.

Personality: So far, he seems to be a very happy baby unless of course he is hungry. He likes to eat and sleep. He also enjoys going to new places and taking in the new scenery. He loves, loves, loves to cuddle and so does mommy and daddy. I could sit all day with him and cuddle. Sometimes he dislikes having his diaper changed or clothes changed, just depends on the day.

Milestones: He smiles all the time, a lot of the time it is while he is sleeping. He also laughs/chuckles when he is sleeping. He must have some good dreams. He can lift his head while on his tummy. 

Firsts: Of course, he had his first bath. His umbilical cord fell off at 10 days old and then he was able to enjoy real baths. At first, he could not stand baths, but now that he is able to take real baths he enjoys getting in the water and floating around. Sawyer celebrated his first Halloween and dressed up as a minion from the movie Despicable Me. Although we didn't go anywhere, we got lots of cute pictures.

Adventures this month: He had many, many visitors to come see him this first month. Sawyer went with mommy and daddy to vote for the first time. He also went out to eat for daddy's birthday.

Sawyer's Birth Story

*TMI Warning*

One month ago today, my doctor told me that it was time for Sawyer to come out. I was 41 weeks and 4 days. I had been out of work since 40 weeks and personally I was tired of sitting at home with no baby. So we were to wait on the call from the hospital to let us know when we were to come in for induction. I was hoping they would say Monday and give me to at least 42 weeks, but nope they said come on in!!! So on October 11, 2012 at 6:30 we headed to the hospital. We stopped at Bojangle's on the way for a quick dinner because I knew I may not get to eat a real meal for quite a while. We arrived at the hospital around 8 and we began the check-in process. I changed into the very fashionable hospital gown and got cozy in my hospital bed. I had debated on wearing my own clothes throughout the labor process, but I figured the less I had to wash when I got home the better.

Right from the beginning I loved our nurse (who I will refer to as Nurse K). We had an instant connection and she made me feel very comfortable as well as the doctor on duty (Dr. G). When Dr. G checked me I was 2-3 cm dilated and she suggested that we start with the Foley bulb, it is like a catheter that they put in your cervix and then fill with saline solution that helps you dilate to 4 cm. It wasn't a medicine and was virtually painless, so I agreed. She put this in around 9 pm and told me to rest and she would check it in a few hours. I tried to rest, but not sure that I got more than an hour before she came back at midnight to check it. She said that it worked better than she expected and that I was now dilated to 5 cm.

Now it was time to start the dreaded pitocin, although it was in my birth plan that I did not want pitocin. However if you are being induced it is usually inevitable. So Nurse K started me on pitocin around 1am. She continued to check on me throughout the night and would up the pitocin when needed. I was not feeling any contractions at this point, but could tell when I was having them from watching the computer screen. Now it was Friday morning and Dr. G and Nurse K's shift was ending :( Dr. G checked me before she left and said I had only dilated to 6 cm.

The new shift started Nurse E and a student nurse were taking over. They were both super sweet and were sure that I would have this baby before their shift was over. I was definitely hoping that I would have Sawyer in the next 12 hours too! Nurse E continued to increase the pitocin and Dr. H came in to check me and informed that I was still at 6 cm, I was so bummed. Dr. H said that I should consider having my water broken. Ideally, I did not want my water broken, but wanted it to break on its own. However things do not always go as planned and I had accepted that and agreed to have my water broken. So at 11 am, Dr. H broke my water. The first thing I wanted to know is if there was meconium in the water. No meconium! Praise the Lord! This was definitely one of my concerns since I was almost 2 weeks over my due date. Now that my water was broke, Nurse E told me I should begin to fill the contractions within a few minutes. Well about 15 minutes went by and I still could not feel them, I knew I was having them though because I could still see them on the computer screen. Then after a few more minutes passed I finally felt them, they felt like period cramps. They weren't unbearable, but they weren't pleasant either.

Around 2 pm, Dr. H came back to check me and now I had dilated to 8 cm, yay things were progressing! Finally!! The contractions were getting stronger and closer together. My hospital room had an amazing view and gave me something to enjoy during this phase of labor. I would look out the window and focus on something while Jody helped me breathe through each contraction. He did an amazing job!  I was starting to go through the transition stage of labor, things were picking up and I even threw up a few times. Although it was nothing but liquid because that is all I had been allowed to eat since I arrived.

Then at 4, I was checked again and Nurse E said it was time to push!! I was at 10 cm and the baby was at 0 station in my pelvis. I pushed for an hour and a half and got the baby to +2, but the back pain was unbearable. I tried to change positions, the nurses tried using counter pressure, but nothing relieved the pain. It was the absolute worse pain that I have ever experienced. It felt like someone stabbing me in my lower back. I tired some IV pain medicine, but it only dulled the pain for a few minutes. I told them I couldn't push anymore and asked for an epidural. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist was tied up because of an emergency c-section. I waited almost 2 hours in agonizing pain. Jody was by my side every minute, trying to comfort me in anyway possible. I know this was extremely hard on him because he hated seeing me in pain and feeling helpless. I know I cannot stand to see him or anyone I love in pain, it is almost harder on them then it is the one in pain.

It was now 7:30 and the shift changed, Nurse E left us. Even though I was in a lot of pain I was happy to see that Nurse K and Dr. G were back!!! And my doctor (Dr. A) came in as well (the practice I go to does not have an on call doctor, they only work certain weekends, so there is a very small chance that your doctor will actually be there for your delivery)! And the anesthesiologist came in! Things were definitely looking up. Once I got the epidural, the pain went away within minutes. It was amazing, I didn't feel any pain what so ever. I debated on taking a nap, but I was ready to meet my sweet baby! So, Dr. A said let's get to pushing. The epidural slowed down my contractions to about every 3 minutes. So when the contractions came I pushed and then I would rest till the next one. The only thing I could feel was some slight pressure.

Jody and Dr. A would tell me how much I was progressing and keep encouraging me. I would continue to push and rest between the contractions for about an hour. Then at exactly 9:00 on the dot, Sawyer Levi was born. He was born sunny side up, which explains why I had such terrible back labor. They placed him on my chest and my world hasn't been the same since! It was love at first sight. I just could not believe that he was finally here!! He was absolutely precious. He weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long.

Final thoughts: Although things didn't go as I had planned, I knew that God was in control no matter what. Before I even went to the hospital I had accepted that and just wanted a healthy baby in the end. Looking back on my 25 hours of labor, I would not change a thing even the back labor. Everything turned out perfect in the end. We had the most amazing nurse and doctors there for the delivery. I was so happy that my doctor was able to be there. He had been monitoring my progress all day from his office and was sure that by the time he got to the hospital that he would miss the delivery. And as much as I didn't want an epidural, I was glad that I got it in the end. I was actually able to enjoy the birth of my child. I was also glad that the epidural slowed down the contractions because I believe this helped me to have only a very small tear. Since the contractions were farther apart, it gave the area time to stretch.

All the pain is forgotten once you have that precious baby in your arms! As I type this today, my precious baby is asleep on my chest. He is perfect in every way. Thank you God for blessing me and Jody with this sweet baby boy.

Waiting on Sawyer

View from hospital room

Our sweet baby boy

Maternity Pictures

Jody, myself, and our yellow lab Dixie all loaded up and headed to a cabin in Ivanhoe, VA to stay for the weekend. We were meeting my family there and my sister had happily agreed to take some maternity pictures for me while we were there. It is a beautiful setting with a cute little log cabin and a big pond in the front. This would be the last time we would be able to go because the guy that lets us stay there sold the place :( Once we were there, I told Leah we should go ahead and take a few pictures that night and then do some more the next day. Well it was a good thing that I did. After we took the pictures a big storm hit and knocked the power out and we ended up coming home. We had lost power at home too! So instead of having a relaxing, fun weekend we ended up having a very hot and busy weekend. We had to hook the generator up in order to keep our food from going bad. Since it was over 100 degrees I also spent a lot of time trying to keep the dog cool by keeping her baby pool filled with cool water. Here are a few pictures that were taken by my wonderful sister!!

 

1 Samuel 1:27 ~ For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him

This is how I feel everyday!! I just want to dance and shout from the rooftops

"WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!"

I am so excited!!

I really wanted to get some with me and Jody, but hopefully I will be able to before Sawyer is born.

The cabin and pond, the picture doesn't do it justice!

 

Baby Ferguson

We are overjoyed to be expecting and so thankful that God has blessed us with a baby. We have wanted a baby for some time, but everything happens in God's perfect timing. On January 24, 2012 I decided to take a test since I was two days late, usually I would have waited but I was sure of the date that I ovulated and knew that something was different. I took the test and it came up very faint positive, I decided to take another the next day. On my way home from work the next day I stopped at our local Walgreens and picked up a test. I came home and took it and sure enough it was positive too, but darker than the test from the day before. I could not believe my eyes. I was super excited, but I was in shock and disbelief that I was finally pregnant. I called my doctor the next morning and he had me do 2 blood test to confirm that I was pregnant and that my numbers were increasing.

 

On February 9th, we went for our first ultrasound. Here is our little blessing at 6 weeks. We saw the heartbeat and the doctor said that everything looked perfect. :)

 

During the first trimester, I was tired most days and had bouts of nausea throughout the day. Luckily it was only nausea and no sickness.

On March 5th, we had our 2nd ultrasound and the doctor confirmed that the baby's due date was September 30th. It was so neat seeing the baby move around on the screen.

I had purchased a handheld fetal doppler monitor and found the baby's heartbeat around 12 weeks. I could have listened to that sweet, reassuring sound for hours. I would listen to the baby's heartbeat just about every night until I could feel the baby move on a regular basis. This was one of the best investments I have made, it helped me not to worry.

On March 23rd, we told both our families and friends. Everyone was so excited!!!

17 week belly picture

During the 2nd trimester, I have felt so much better. I have had more energy and no nausea. My only complaint is leg cramps at night and I miss sleeping on my back and stomach. That is a small price to pay for the blessings to come!

On May 1st, we had our 3rd ultrasound that confirmed that our little blessing was a BOY!!! 

I love looking at his cute little facial profile!!

20 weeks belly picture

Choosing a baby name: This had to be one of the hardest decisions we have had to make! We had a girl's name picked out and had some boy names that we liked, but nothing we were 100% sure on. After many weeks of deliberating, we have decided on the name Sawyer. No middle name yet lol, but hopefully soon.

We have finished the nursery. I knew I wanted to do owls for a boy and I found a mural on the internet that we both liked. We decided to paint 3 of the walls and light blue/gray and the 4th wall dark blue/gray. Then Jody painted the trees in 3 different shades of blue and I painted the owls. Then we moved the furniture in and put the crib together that we got from our wonderful friends Dee & Kelly!! The nursery turned out better than I could have imagined!

Here is a picture of the mural, I still need to take pictures of the finished nursery.