Mckayla Lynne

Stop the press… my blog is actually being updated.

I did have a baby & survived it.

But as far as surviving 2 kids- the jury is still out on that.

Needless to say, I have lots of updating to do but I will just keep posting every few days until I get all caught up.
First, it is all about baby Kayla and her birth story… Cristina writes about it from her perspective here.
(yes she was in the room and witnessed the whole thing...poor girl)

The last update I posted was when I got to the doctor and had dilated to a 4... well that didn't last too long. I think that same day I posted, I ended up going back to see my doc because I was having some contractions but more back pain. When he checked me I was already dilated to a 5, so he figured it was time to check into the hospital and get this show on the road. Because I had hit my 36 week mark that Sunday, they weren't too concerned about having her come 4 weeks early... neither was I!

me and the girls at the hospital waiting it out

ready to be uncles for the 2nd time!

As I had mentioned before, my labor and delivery with Austin was pretty much a miracle baby- no pain. And I had hoped to experience the same with Mckayla... ha, didn't really happen that way.

I checked into the hospital in the afternoon and it wasn't until the evening that I got my epidural after enduring minor contractions for a few hours. I hate getting the epidural, whoever says it doesn't hurt- you're a liar.

The rest of the night went by pretty normal, no pain from contractions but things were progressing pretty slowly. Around 1:15am the nurse came in to check me again and I was getting pretty close by my water hadn't broke yet. That is the last memory I have of my peaceful labor experience..

My water broke almost immediately after she left the room and all the sudden I could feel EVERYTHING. It was like I never had an epidural. The nurse ran back in the room and baby Kayla was crowning away, while I am yelling that it hurts and hitting the handheld epidural button over and over again..until the nurse took it away and said it doesn't work like that.

The pain was almost unbearable and all your body wants to do is push.. in the worst way possible. But you can't, not until the doctor gets there. So for a good 10 mins I just sit there sobbing and asking where the doctor is and at one point yell at the nurse to, "Get Duc in here!!" Dr. Le's name is Duc.. I kind of love it.

He shows up and 2-3 pushes later Mckayla comes out!

Mckayla Lynne

born on September 30th

1:54 a.m. at a petite 5 lbs 15 ounces

she has a serious diva cry

our little cheeseball.

I think all newborn babies look funny for awhile, but when it's yours.. you could just eat them up!

such a sweet picture of Daddy and his little girl.

proud Nana

Papi and Uncle Houston

sweet Aunt Cris'nana'

I love those mischievous eyes...something new to torture, besides me.

morning after and I am in love with her!

Goals for Baby #3... if we ever get to that point.

1. find the doctor that gave me Austin's epidural, because that one actually worked.

2. Have the baby in the afternoon. Austin was born in the middle of the night too, at 1:50 am . Having a baby during the day & not be dead tired sounds magical.

3. stay in the hospital until they kick me out. I always beg to get released and go home.. and I immediately regret it when I step in the house and have no nurse call button on my bed.

Seriously hard to believe that was 2 months ago and lots has happened since then. She is so wonderful and I can't imagine our family without her!

Mckayla's Baby Shower

I have lots of things that I want to post about after having our little Mckayla, but first I realized that I never even had a chance to post all about the beautiful shower that was thrown for her... it was the most adorable thing ever.

My sister-in-law Cristina headed up the shower (not sure what I did to deserve her!) but not without lots of help from Sarah and some of our sweet friends.

p.s. they are both pregnant :)

We had the shower about a week and half before she came and before that I didn't have time to get pictures to post, so I will share the few I copied from Cristina....

the party favors, 'Cowgirl Cookies'. so yummy

one of the food tables. Jess and Wendy did all the flower arrangements, they were so beautiful!

probably the most adorable diaper cake I have ever seen made by Jacquelyn and her momma- and it was packed full of sweet little gifts!

loved the cake and all the desserts

all the gals in my family plus my Grandma that flew in for the occasion.

Here is Cristina's full post about the shower on her blog with more pictures.

I feel so grateful to have all my family and friends around me that constantly support and love me, what more could a girl need?

I also am so grateful for my sweet BFF Cristina, not only were we best friends in high school but she decided to make it official and marry my oldest brother Houston. To this day he asks us if she married into the family so that we can hang out forever... we will never know for sure :) She has always been there for me these past 7 years & seen me at my most memorable (and not so memorable) moments, but yet she still sticks around. I love her so much and don't know what I would do without her!

Looking Back

Being so close to delivering my 2nd baby, I think a lot about how my delivery with Austin went & realized that I never documented the experience... it is one of a kind.

Family photos December 2008

But first, today I went to the doctor and he was shocked to tell me I had gone from being dilated from a 1 1/2 to a 4. I was shocked to hear that she had also dropped even more, didn't think that was possible since it feels like she is crowning at all times. As much as I am done being pregnant, I thought of a few things I will miss about it:

1. Being able to blame anything not so dainty or princess demands on the baby. "It was the baby."

2. Having the ability to pee twice in one trip. This would be even better if it cut down on the number of bathroom runs, but it doesn't. Just a useless pregnancy talent.

3. Never being able to tell if you are having a fat day since all your pants are elastic at the waist.

4. Having random strangers stare at me and laugh at my waddle... they think I don't see.

But I think I am ready to have this baby, I just hope the labor goes well... I really just hope I make it in time to get my drugs. I am no natural kind of girl.

When I was pregnant with Austin I got, well, largo. Not only was he a huge baby but I was a huge pregnant woman. The doctor offered to induce me over a week early and I jumped at the offer. Here I am the night before I went into the hospital...

not my most beautiful moment, but we can't erase history. I went in at 6am to get the IV's started and settled but it wasn't until 8am that they started to induce me. After that, I was having consistent contractions all day and this is what I did

colored these cute little file folders for Austin to do at church (managed to start before he was born and I still never finished them!). No epidural yet because I wasn't in any pain. I managed to dilated to a 4 by dinner time and the nurses offered the epidural & I figured 'why not?'. I got my drugs, visited for awhile longer and then fell asleep around 9pm. It wasn't until 1 am that I woken up by the nurse telling me the baby's head was coming out and not to push... um, okay? Totally confused and delirious we waited for the doctor to come; I pushed 2 times and out came my big baby.

Austin Scott Weaver

February 8, 2008

9lbs 3 ounces

It was so easy and painless, I couldn't have had it any better.

(already wrapped in his BYU blue)

I just hope Mckayla comes into the world just as easy.. probably not, things like that just don't happen twice for one person.

We are excited to add one more little baby to the family!

Nursery Chandelier

Remember back in this post when I talked about my obsession with getting a chandelier in the baby's room?? Well Nick was using his 'veto' power on that one and said absolutely not...no way....and if I bought it he refused to hang it for me. I guess a chandelier in Mckayla's room was too over the top for him.

Well I just can't help it that Cristina and Chelsea loved the chandelier as much as I did....

and that they decided it would be the perfect shower gift!

So here you go, my adorable chandelier they bought me

when Nick saw the box as we unloaded my shower gifts, I told him not to worry... I already called my Dad to come hang it. :) I guess 'veto' power didn't work out on this one.

Here are a few other favorites from the shower. This blessing dress from my Mom and Dad:

I love it so much (especially the pearl details) and plan to hang it on her wall in a frame I found and painted white, like this picture....

There are so many other things I want to post from the nursery, it's almost done! I made the bed skirt like this one

with lots of help, but it turned out so perfect!!

The bedding it getting started tomorrow and with the left over fabric I am making this:

I already have all the letters cut out by my sweet father-in-law, they are just waiting to be covered and placed on her shelf.

I need to take pictures of some of my other great finds, crafty projects I have done & adorable presents for the nursery... soon.

As for how the baby is doing in my belly... really good. Maybe too good. I have a sneaking feeling she is going to wait this one out. I haven't dilated anymore since my preterm labor and that was over 3 weeks ago.

I will be 36 weeks on Sunday, which makes it perfectly safe to have her anytime after that. I am still not allowed to exercise, but after 36 weeks I think I can get the green light. The doctor plans to induce my October 15th (3 weeks from Friday) if she holds out, which he is doubtful... I wouldn't be surprised. But I have lots to keep my busy till then!

Oh yeah... and my ankles have officially disappeared. My weight gain & water retention has been awesome this pregnancy and I was thrilled... not for long. It seriously happened overnight and POOF they were gone. I drink my body weight in water every day and elevate all night but it never fails, by mid afternoon my feet look like they belong to this guy

oh well.

Chelsea's Baby Shower

Here are a few pictures of the baby shower Cristina, Sarah and I threw for our good friend Chelsea a few weeks ago. Chelsea & Nate moved to Houston last December and it is so great to have them here! Plus, they are family- Nate and Nick are cousins. So does that make Chelsea and I cousins-in-law??

The shower was at Cheesecake Factory & I think we did a pretty cute job of dressing it up... if I say so myself!

cupcake favor boxes for the guests monogrammed with Sadie's initials

The party planners

Tamra, Jess, Jacquelyn & Chelsea

Heidi, Sally & cute Kate.

Kate was so excited to be invited to Chelsea's shower, she loved every minute of it.

Rachel, my Momma, Teresa, Sarah, Lisa and Sarah's mom

Chelsea got lots of really great gifts, but this one was my favorite. Her mom surprised her and mailed a gift to me to bring to the shower. This picture is just so sweet of her opening it- I think we all got a little choked up.

Baby Sadie should be arriving any day now!!

In Denial

I am still in denial that this has even happened to me.

My worst fear...

BED REST!

Since friday this is all I have been "allowed" to do

except she looks happy & somehow content with her bed rest.

This whole pregnancy I have loved the fact that my days are filled with exercise, errands, Target, swimming & all the other mommy duties around my house. (It isn't till you are told not to move that you get the strong urge to clean something.)

Here is how is all started.. the story is long, so feel free to skim.

Friday morning I went in for my doc appointment right after my morning workout I have been doing since Day 1. This pregnancy has been a little more difficult because of how low she is and it tends to get pretty painful, all things I told my doc & he reassured me that exercise was the best thing for me.

They ask me if anything had changed in the last 2 weeks, Nope. I am only 32 weeks, which is early to start dilating, but he checks me anyways because of how low she sits. My doc then quickly starts asking me if I have been having contractions... not that I know of! When I had Austin I didn't really feel any contractions either and then got the drugs, so I am kind of oblivious to the whole labor thing.

Apparently I was in pre-term labor, dilated to a 1 1/2 and 80% effaced. He told me to go straight to the hospital to stop it & if things weren't too bad than I would leave by that afternoon. So I hop in my car & drive to the hospital, a little confused by the whole thing & hoping I could still go swimming that afternoon.

After getting hooked up at the hospital, turns out my contractions were about 2 mins apart. That is when I figured they were serious. The weirdest part was I still had no idea, my belly just felt a little crampy but the nurses would have to say, "you're having a contraction right NOW." oh....

Long story shortened.. they admitted me, stabbed me with an IV and then stabbed me again with a fat steroid shot to help the baby's lungs develop faster and told me I was staying at least for the night. My doc came that afternoon and told me how lucky we were that my appt was on Friday because I probably would have gone the whole weekend in labor and had no idea. Once I get dilated past a certain point it is very hard to stop the labor & she would have come & spent 6 weeks in the NICU with IV's, feeding & breathing tubes.

I got released from the hospital Saturday afternoon after 1 more round of steroid shots- seriously hurt. I asked the nurse if it would give the baby back hair.. she didn't really laugh. I am on bed rest till 34 weeks, when the lungs are supposed to be fully developed. That means a week from Sunday & I can't even tell you how hard it has been. I am trying my best for the baby because when I have her, I want to bring her home with me.

The best news from this weekend was seeing her again on the ultrasound and having the tech tell me that she has HAIR! Oh- I was so thrilled. I don't make babies with hair.. but I saw it for myself and it was so cute.

So think of me when you are out and about.. and maybe pick up a good crossword puzzle & Diet Coke to drop by the house.

Visitors Welcome!

On the Hunt

I am on the hunt for the perfect, ugly vintage mirror for under $30 like this one...

that I can transform into one of these...

to hang in the nursery.

I have been looking at Goodwills, local thrift stores & even creepy Craig's List- no luck!

Keep your eyes out!