2 weeks old today!

It is amazing how the days and weeks just dragged on while pregnant with little Stephen, and now that he's here I swear we must have blinked as 2 weeks have already gone by!

Stephen is honestly a WONDERFUL baby! Our only downfall at this point is that he is entering some "fussy" time each day we're beginning to struggle through. Unfortunately, that fussy time occurs between 9:30pm - 2:00AM!! Could he have his days and nights mixed up? We are starting to think this could be the case, but since he is still sleeping a good 20/24 hours a day, it's hard to tell!

He has found the Winnie the Pooh embroidered on his bumper pad to hold his attention when he's awake in the crib. It's so rewarding to hear his little squeaks and "baby noises" telling us he's awake and to check on him to find him staring at the bright-colored Pooh embroidery! I know he'll be "talking" to Pooh in a matter of weeks, but for now just seeing his beautiful eyes making contact is enjoyment!

Heidi is 13!!

Official TEENAGER in our house!!?? Definitely YES! Heidi turned 13 Saturday, September 25th and enjoyed the day relaxing and having lunch with her "Me-Maw" and Connor.

Sunday we celebrated as a family and enjoyed time with all of the extended family. She specifically requested a taco bar for lunch, so Brett fixed her the nachos, tacos and burritos with all of the fixins. Peyton, Camille, Nikki, Kallie, Heidi and Connor got to play together outside enjoying the beautiful day while the adults enjoyed watching the Chiefs get to another victory! Miss Jill made Heidi's special cake that everyone thought was fabulous!

Heidi received many nice gifts including a couple of outfits, jewlery and she was very happy with some monetary gifts! She plans on spending time with me going shopping for more clothes (definitely a teenage girl's wishes!) to spend her birthday money! It was a fun time for all as we got to celebrate my once "little girl" turn into a young lady!

Stephen is HERE!!!

Tuesday, September 14th, Brett and I checked into labor and delivery at 6:15am. I was immediately hooked up with pitocin and an hour later my doctor broke my water! Knowing the contractions would only get stronger the, I asked for the epidural. While not feeling any pain whatsoever was wonderful, and dilating from a 2 to 4 in a short amount of time was great, I was so completely numb I couldn't lift my legs or move at all!!

We had the anestheologist come in twice over the next couple of hours to decrease the epidural medicine, so finally by noon I was able to at least feel something! My doctor checked me just after 12:30 and said it was time!! Still in no pain at all, I pushed 3 times and Stephen was born at 12:58pm weighing in at 6.5 pounds and 19" long!!

Brett was absolutely fabulous through the whole 6 hours and I couldn't have asked for a better coach! The look on Brett's face when Stephen was born was a memory I'll hold dearest to my heart forever! Stephen is the most precious gift either of us could have given each other just a year after being married!!

Heidi and Connor met Stephen that evening after school and fell in love with their new brother! Heidi's fears of having another annoying brother seemed to immediately fade as she holds Steve as much as possible even a week after his birth, loves helping pick out his outft for the day, and even

assists with the dirty diaper changes! Connor kisses Stephen as much as possible and is always checking on him to make sure he's comfortable.

Brett and I have never felt more blessed than we do right now to have our family! We are excited beyond belief to watch all 3 of our kids continue to grow, change, and prosper! Stephen is a GREAT baby and the best addition to our family God could have given us!

The date is set!

Stephen has decided now that we're at the technical "full-term" definition of this pregnancy at 37 1/2 weeks, he's enjoying the ride! Therefore, we will be inducing beginning Monday, Sept. 13th with an appointment at the doctor's office to put a gel on my cervix to allow effacement to take place. This COULD send me into labor by that late afternoon/evening, but if not, then we'll go to the hospital at 6:30am Tuesday, Sept. 14th for the remainder of the induction - meaning the pitocin will be started, I'll immediately ask for the epidural, and the doctor will then break my water. We'll have our baby in our arms in only 6 more days MAX!

Of course, now that we've put the full plan in place, Stephen could still decide to come on his own at any given time. Since he's clearly shown his stubborn side (much like his Daddy - but did I say that!?), I'm almost expecting all the planning to be a moot point! As of yesterday, my cervix was still the same and he had not lodged himself in the birth canal yet. The doctor performed a sonogram and he looks so CUTE (what Mom doesn't say that!) with a round face, big eyes and a little nose! The measurements showed his growth has finally slowed down to be "right on track" and is guesstimated to wind up with a birth weight next week of around 6.10-6.11 pounds.

Needless to say, the whole family is more than ready for Stephen to make his appearance, especially since we know he's big enough and healthy enough to not warrant unexpected complications or worries. Each day that Brett has a "crazy day" at school he makes sure I know "Today would be a great day to have a baby!" so he can be off of work for a week! I keep reminding him that this is HIS son so he should be having conversations to my belly. :) Of course he DOES - but so far we're still planning on celebrating his birthday next week.