Going back and catching up...gives me time. Time to reflect back and thumb through my pictures from a year ago. Time to remember all the tiny moments and sweet memories. I can't believe I am sitting here 15 months late in my blogging, wondering where time has gone. Yet, I push ahead, still blogging when I can to create my blog (journal story) for my boys for a keepsake one day.
Last August, Griggs turned one month and we made the big transition to big boy underwear with William. We spent lots of time just hanging around the house, snuggling and giggling together. Some of my favorite moments...all the smiles from my two boys and watching William love and cuddle with his baby brother. William and I made lots of pallets on the floor for extra snuggle time. He loved to pile up pillows and make "soft beds" he could crawl in while Griggs slept nearby on his baby boppy lounger pillow. I loved watching this little love grow. We also started letting Griggs hang out in his bouncy seat and swing a bit. He seemed to enjoy both. William always wanted Griggs nearby and would sing sweet songs to his baby.
I loved doing mini photo sessions with Griggs, capturing hischubby, chubby cheeks and those tiny feet and hands in pictures. I loved snapping pictures of him while he slept. I loved taking silly pictures of William while he and I played during Griggs' naptimes. William seemed to be adjusting quite well to being a big brother. It was such a fun and special time. We also would occassionaly go down to the beach together to let William play in the sand while we cuddled on Griggs and enjoyed sunset. There were several nights both boys would end up in our bed and I'd sleep so soundly right between the two. I could go on and on describing the simple life. I could talk endlessly about how much I love my children and love spending my days being just that...a mommy! I love watching my husband as a daddy to two boys. I love my family and cherish moments together. In a way, it is a blessing that I am this far behind in my blogging...I have a reason to spend time reminiscing and drifting back through my thoughts of Griggs as an infant and my William becoming a big brother. I am loving that as I thumb through pictures and play slideshows here on my computer remembering these moments, William sits beside me or plays nearby and will come over and ask me to tell him stories from the pictures, smiling so proudly! And, how sweet his little voice sounds when he asks me to please pull out his baby pictures and tell him his stories. Music to my heart!!
Here's a recap of August 2010 in pictures...there's lots! and they all capture my heart in motion!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
A glimpse back to tiny, tiny toes...
One of my favorite pages in the baby book...
The "little hands and little feet"!
I can remember this day so vividly in my mind. Late August, 2010...only 6 weeks old! We put William down for his nap so we could have one-on-one time with Griggs to do his special keepsake page together. I often look back to this page in his baby book, reflecting back to how tiny his little hands and feet were. It makes my heart skip a beat every time, knowing how fast time goes and how so very blessed we are to have our wonderful bundle from above...
Hope you like the pictures :)
The "little hands and little feet"!
I can remember this day so vividly in my mind. Late August, 2010...only 6 weeks old! We put William down for his nap so we could have one-on-one time with Griggs to do his special keepsake page together. I often look back to this page in his baby book, reflecting back to how tiny his little hands and feet were. It makes my heart skip a beat every time, knowing how fast time goes and how so very blessed we are to have our wonderful bundle from above...
Hope you like the pictures :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
August 2010...Griggs Meets Aunt Babs! A day trip to Navarre
Looking back, still catching up...it's an excuse to trail down memory lane, to flip through pictures from last year and have those moments where I can sit and just remember. Just relive some special moments and cherish them in my heart. A chance to count my blessings...
This post is a brief glimpse back to a special day trip with my moma and 2 sweet babies of mine...a reflection to one of my favorites... to My Aunt Babs! Aunt Babs is my great-aunt on my dad's side. She is Grannymart's sister. I love her dearly. She's always been so loving and such a bright joy to me. I can remember so many memories of my childhood that included trips to see Aunt Babs with either my parents or my grandparents. She is one special lady and I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with her. She lived in Navarre Beach most of my life. Around my college years, she moved off the beach and up the road to Holly (but it still was Navarre to me!) I can remember childhood trips to visit her at the beach as well as high school and college trips. In fact, that's where I went right after high school graduation! My parents and I and a few friends went down to spend the weekend with her at her beach house :) Now, when Philip and I started dating, I loved that she was only about an hour and 15 minutes from Seagrove!! When I moved to Florida, the year we were engaged, I got to see her more often! I can remember those first few years of mine, living in Florida, when I would call her up and we'd plan a date for me to come over and visit, and most times spend the night. It was a good feeling to know that while I was missing my parents and my grandparents, she was right there for me. We'd spend afternoon visits just chatting and talking about life and catching up. When Philip proposed, after our parents and grandparents had been told, I made my family promise not to call her b/c I wanted to tell her in person! He proposed on my birthday, the same year Hurricane Ivan hit. We called her and said we were bringing her some dinner since her power had been knocked out and to check on things for her due to the storm. After a little chatting, I finally said "We have some news...!" She was tickled and said "it's about time!"
Anyway, through the years, I knew she wanted to move back to Shreveport to live nearby her daughter, Aimee and her family, and I supported that dream. I knew there would be an answer to prayer for her and that she'd sell her beautiful home and make the big move. I just wanted to enjoy as much time with her nearby as I could, so quite often, either Philip and I would go over with William or just William and I would go over to visit. We'd most always have lunch at our favorite spot "Sailor's Grill"! William loved playing in her kitchen with her little baskets of kitchen gadgets while we chatted. A few of my favorite memories included the night she babysat William when he was 4 months old so we could have a date! She said they rolled on the floor and sang and bounced the night away. Another fun memory was a weekend visit when Grannymart was down to see her. We drove over to have dinner with them at "Gator's"...a well known local hole in the wall. We even taught them a domino game that night! I know I sound extra sentimental, but I can't help it! This post is about the last visit to her home in Navarre that I made with my boys. Griggs was only 5 weeks old. My mom had come down to see me and I asked her if she would ride over with me to see Aunt Babs so she could Griggs.
I couldn't wait to see my Aunt holding my new baby!! We had a splendid day together! Even had lunch at Sailor's Grill! It was wonderful to spend the afternoon, soaking up family time. I loved the pictures from this visit! It was a short visit, but a perfect visit, nonetheless! This was August. Only 2 months later we heard the WONDERFUL news that she'd had an offer on her house and would be moving to Shreveport soon!! She was tickled! We were so happy for her! She'd be moving to be near her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren!! I knew a piece of my heart was leaving my "area", but would always be a phone call, text or email away. I was extra happy when she said she'd be up in Dothan for Thanksgiving! That meant I'd get to see her and she'd get to see my boys again! After Thanksgiving, time moved so quickly and before I knew it, she had moved...
I miss her being just down the road. I miss my impromptu drives over to Navarre to spend the day with her. But, I am so thankful for the years I had to have her nearby and I am so very happy for her to be with her daughter. God is wonderful and as you can tell, has blessed me with family beyond measure. Having such a wonderful great-aunt that could tell me stories about my grannymart and my daddy as a child and just to share her life with me, well...I am blessed. I'll always consider her a best friend of mine. I can't wait to see her soon...
I wonder what Philip would say if I said I was thinking of making the drive to Shreveport...hmmmm :)
This post is a brief glimpse back to a special day trip with my moma and 2 sweet babies of mine...a reflection to one of my favorites... to My Aunt Babs! Aunt Babs is my great-aunt on my dad's side. She is Grannymart's sister. I love her dearly. She's always been so loving and such a bright joy to me. I can remember so many memories of my childhood that included trips to see Aunt Babs with either my parents or my grandparents. She is one special lady and I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with her. She lived in Navarre Beach most of my life. Around my college years, she moved off the beach and up the road to Holly (but it still was Navarre to me!) I can remember childhood trips to visit her at the beach as well as high school and college trips. In fact, that's where I went right after high school graduation! My parents and I and a few friends went down to spend the weekend with her at her beach house :) Now, when Philip and I started dating, I loved that she was only about an hour and 15 minutes from Seagrove!! When I moved to Florida, the year we were engaged, I got to see her more often! I can remember those first few years of mine, living in Florida, when I would call her up and we'd plan a date for me to come over and visit, and most times spend the night. It was a good feeling to know that while I was missing my parents and my grandparents, she was right there for me. We'd spend afternoon visits just chatting and talking about life and catching up. When Philip proposed, after our parents and grandparents had been told, I made my family promise not to call her b/c I wanted to tell her in person! He proposed on my birthday, the same year Hurricane Ivan hit. We called her and said we were bringing her some dinner since her power had been knocked out and to check on things for her due to the storm. After a little chatting, I finally said "We have some news...!" She was tickled and said "it's about time!"
Anyway, through the years, I knew she wanted to move back to Shreveport to live nearby her daughter, Aimee and her family, and I supported that dream. I knew there would be an answer to prayer for her and that she'd sell her beautiful home and make the big move. I just wanted to enjoy as much time with her nearby as I could, so quite often, either Philip and I would go over with William or just William and I would go over to visit. We'd most always have lunch at our favorite spot "Sailor's Grill"! William loved playing in her kitchen with her little baskets of kitchen gadgets while we chatted. A few of my favorite memories included the night she babysat William when he was 4 months old so we could have a date! She said they rolled on the floor and sang and bounced the night away. Another fun memory was a weekend visit when Grannymart was down to see her. We drove over to have dinner with them at "Gator's"...a well known local hole in the wall. We even taught them a domino game that night! I know I sound extra sentimental, but I can't help it! This post is about the last visit to her home in Navarre that I made with my boys. Griggs was only 5 weeks old. My mom had come down to see me and I asked her if she would ride over with me to see Aunt Babs so she could Griggs.
I couldn't wait to see my Aunt holding my new baby!! We had a splendid day together! Even had lunch at Sailor's Grill! It was wonderful to spend the afternoon, soaking up family time. I loved the pictures from this visit! It was a short visit, but a perfect visit, nonetheless! This was August. Only 2 months later we heard the WONDERFUL news that she'd had an offer on her house and would be moving to Shreveport soon!! She was tickled! We were so happy for her! She'd be moving to be near her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren!! I knew a piece of my heart was leaving my "area", but would always be a phone call, text or email away. I was extra happy when she said she'd be up in Dothan for Thanksgiving! That meant I'd get to see her and she'd get to see my boys again! After Thanksgiving, time moved so quickly and before I knew it, she had moved...
I miss her being just down the road. I miss my impromptu drives over to Navarre to spend the day with her. But, I am so thankful for the years I had to have her nearby and I am so very happy for her to be with her daughter. God is wonderful and as you can tell, has blessed me with family beyond measure. Having such a wonderful great-aunt that could tell me stories about my grannymart and my daddy as a child and just to share her life with me, well...I am blessed. I'll always consider her a best friend of mine. I can't wait to see her soon...
I wonder what Philip would say if I said I was thinking of making the drive to Shreveport...hmmmm :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 2010 (videos)...sweet words about a fun cake
Yes, these are from A YEAR AGO!! I am steadily working on getting caught up on my blog for my family. I felt it was perfect timing that as I've been trying to get caught up, here I sit a year later, and come across these videos of William last year decorating his Flag Cake! I can remember how sweet my 2 year old baby was as he sat up on the counter, enjoying most of the fruit decorations on his cake :)
Happy 4th! Always!
Lauren
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
early video moments with William and Griggs
2 of my favorite videos from the first few months with our 2 little ones :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Big Boy Underwear!! WPJ--August 18, 2010
Bye-bye diapers...Hello Big Boy Underwear! Our William was so ready to ditch the diaper and move on to big boy underwear! By the time he turned 2, he'd shown interest in the potty and on occasion would take off his diaper to sit on the potty and pee-pee, so during the second trimester to end of my pregnancy, we slowly worked more on talking about the potty and letting him practice. We didn't push him at all, just simply followed his interest. I didn't have the energy to fully tackle potty training, nor the heart to completely have him "grow up" before the baby came. I also knew he would most likely regress once the baby came, so again, decided to be relaxed about it, but make it fun and exciting to practice. We praised dry diapers and slowly talked more and more about once baby came and he became a big brother, that meant soon, we'd say goodbye to diapers for him...b/c babies used diapers and big brothers had really cool underwear! I never minded changing the "extra set" of diapers once Griggs came. In fact, changing William's diaper meant his was still somewhat a baby, yet, all to fast growing up and ready for the change.
We decided around 6 weeks, once that last package of size 5 diapers dwindled down to the last few remaining diapers, we were ready to take William shopping for his NEW BIG BOY UNDERWEAR!! We loaded up and went shopping! Target was the location. Griggs slept peacefully in his carseat while Philip and I shopped with William in the UNDERWEAR aisle! He was beyond excited!! We let him pick out three packs...CARS, MICKEY MOUSE AND THOMAS! He was absolutely adorable and precious taking time to look through the different packs. He hugged on the package and held tight! We also walked down the (pull-ups) BIG BOY BEDTIME UNDERWEAR aisle and waved bye-bye to the diapers. We let him pick out a small package of pull-ups, explaining they were underwear for night time that were just extra soft. He picked out TOY STORY pull-ups. We made a big deal about them being underwear b/c they had pictures and were blue all over, not white like diapers. (He bought the idea!) We let him tell the cashier what he was buying and why he was buying them. He was so funny and so happy about his big deal!
Once at home, we had him throw the last 3 diapers in the trash can and tell them bye-bye! We had every pair scattered on the couch before he decided on which pair to wear first! How funny! Well, that night, he had determined accidents so that he could wear EVERY SINGLE PAIR! We were firm, yet understanding. We told him that he could not do that and b/c he no longer had a diaper, when he pee-peed, he HAD to go in the potty so he would get GERMS all over him and everything. It took only a few days before the initial excitement of changing pairs wore off. Once he realized all the pairs were truly his and that he could wear any he wanted, he quit having those "accidents".
Over the next few weeks, he seldom had wet accidents and only once had a poo-poo accident. That accident happened at a friend's house because he couldn't find the potty and once he did find it, couldn't get his pants down fast enough. Lesson learned. MAKE SURE he know right away where the bathrooms are!
He was officially potty trained 2.5 months before he turned three! Sometimes, I look back and think, where did my little bay go..., then I remember, he's right here, always, regardless of diaper or big boy underwear! Ha! I think overall our potty training days were well played and a fun chapter.
We decided around 6 weeks, once that last package of size 5 diapers dwindled down to the last few remaining diapers, we were ready to take William shopping for his NEW BIG BOY UNDERWEAR!! We loaded up and went shopping! Target was the location. Griggs slept peacefully in his carseat while Philip and I shopped with William in the UNDERWEAR aisle! He was beyond excited!! We let him pick out three packs...CARS, MICKEY MOUSE AND THOMAS! He was absolutely adorable and precious taking time to look through the different packs. He hugged on the package and held tight! We also walked down the (pull-ups) BIG BOY BEDTIME UNDERWEAR aisle and waved bye-bye to the diapers. We let him pick out a small package of pull-ups, explaining they were underwear for night time that were just extra soft. He picked out TOY STORY pull-ups. We made a big deal about them being underwear b/c they had pictures and were blue all over, not white like diapers. (He bought the idea!) We let him tell the cashier what he was buying and why he was buying them. He was so funny and so happy about his big deal!
Once at home, we had him throw the last 3 diapers in the trash can and tell them bye-bye! We had every pair scattered on the couch before he decided on which pair to wear first! How funny! Well, that night, he had determined accidents so that he could wear EVERY SINGLE PAIR! We were firm, yet understanding. We told him that he could not do that and b/c he no longer had a diaper, when he pee-peed, he HAD to go in the potty so he would get GERMS all over him and everything. It took only a few days before the initial excitement of changing pairs wore off. Once he realized all the pairs were truly his and that he could wear any he wanted, he quit having those "accidents".
Over the next few weeks, he seldom had wet accidents and only once had a poo-poo accident. That accident happened at a friend's house because he couldn't find the potty and once he did find it, couldn't get his pants down fast enough. Lesson learned. MAKE SURE he know right away where the bathrooms are!
He was officially potty trained 2.5 months before he turned three! Sometimes, I look back and think, where did my little bay go..., then I remember, he's right here, always, regardless of diaper or big boy underwear! Ha! I think overall our potty training days were well played and a fun chapter.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Road trip...Griggs' 1st Lake Trip (August 2010)
Looking back, boy were we busy and on the go with our 2 little ones. But, we love it. It is fun to stay busy and fun to relax. August was a busy whirlwind a bit, but full of memories and great times. Griggs was just a month old (5 weeks) when I made my second quick trip to Dothan overnight by myself. It's not a big deal for me to pack up and head to Dothan to see my parents for a night or two here and there, so, naturally, I wanted to continue doing so with my new bundle. After Gram, Grumps and Mema's visit, I packed back up and off to Dothan I went for the night. Philip would come up a day later to join me up at our lake house on Lake Eufaula for our first family vacation as a family of 4!! We were so tickled to escape to the lake with both boys!!
When I got to my parents we had a family cookout on the back patio that night. William entertained everyone with his artistic drawings with sidewalk chalk. Maggie and Grandaddy loved on Griggs and giggled with William. I had fun hanging out with my brothers and watching the family enjoy time together. Poppi came by for a few quick snuggles with baby Griggs. The best part to me was sneaking in the bedroom later that night to find my angels sound asleep from all the fun...all tuckered out. You'll see in the pictures :) We also discovered that while it was too hot to be outside, Maggie and Granddaddy's brick floor made the perfect canvas for more sidewalk chalk drawings! William was a happy, happy boy!! I'll never forget his sweet face! He was tickled beyond belief that he could actually draw on the floor, then Maggie could clean it right up!! Thanks to Maggie for her creative thinking on a hot, hot day!!
Once Philip was on the road to the lake, I headed on up to meet him and get us all settled in for the extended weekend visit! I couldn't wait!! I love our lake house. I love how tucked away I feel and removed from all cares. I love how still I become and how relaxed everything becomes. I love watching Philip and William disappear on walks through the woods, down to the water, knowing W will be gathering sticks, leaves and rocks, as all little boys do! I love waking to sunrise over the lake and watching sunset over the pasture. I love to hear the crickets chirp and the boats whizz past. I love to hear the trickle of the lake water. I love the smell of the lake. I love to hear the trees crackle and rustle in the wind. I love to watch William throw rocks in the lake. I love to watch William swim and splash in the lake. I love how he is so natural around the water and nature. I love watching Drake, our yellow lab, run full speed down the hill and go bouncing off into the water to retrieve a stick, and most often watch him lose interest to just splash around. I love watching him wander around the yard. I love rocking on the porch late at night with Philip, just listening to the night. I love the naps on my college couches! I love the sound of the AC as it clicks on b/c it always sounds like a "click" from Philip. I love watching movies during the day and at night. I love sunbathing at the lake! I love fishing. I love walking at the lake. I love knowing that just down the street I can go buy a famous "Wilson's (baker's) hotdog" from my childhood! I love knowing that William and Griggs are getting to experience part of my childhood just as I did by coming to Lake Eufaula! I love my time at the lake with my family. I love how truly away from the world we become and how we do slow down when we are there. I love the lake!!
Okay, after that little cry....yes, I cried thinking of the blessing of the lake and what it means to me....
How excited we were to be spending some time at the lake with our two little ones! Sleeping in and napping always find us at the lake. William loved showing his baby the lake. William loved the outside time he and Philip had while Griggs and I stayed tucked away inside, snuggling and sleeping some. I would wonder out with Griggs and find them down by the water and head down to find them. Sitting on the shore, rocking Griggs while watching my husband and child play was just priceless. The gentle waves rippled at my toes. William had a blast collecting stones and rocks from the lake, not to mention all the sticks!! A little boy is so very happy collecting rocks and stones...asking his mommy to hold them! I pray I will always have open hands to "hold" his collections and that he will have that sweet, innocent spirit about life!
Another favorite from that weekend was getting out with my new double stroller and walking with my boys! I just loved walking up and down our road, pushing my double stroller, full of blessings while my beautiful yellow lab walked nearby. William just loved having Drake-Drake with us! He would call him over, giggle with every sniff from Drake and then squeal with excitement watching him run off. I loved being outside getting back into my walking!
It just so happened that my Poppi's side of the family the "GRIGGS" side, was having our annual "Griggs Family Reunion" that weekend! I was beyond excited to attend b/c of having a son and naming him Griggs! We drove down on Saturday to Oak Grove Baptist in Shorterville to join the reunion. It was great! We even were able to get a picture of the youngest (Griggs-5 weeks) and the oldest member! The food was great...endless vegetables, which everyone knows are my favorite!!! I was thrilled to show off Griggs and see some of my family that we hadn't seen in a few years. Poppi was very proud to have all 4 of his kids there! We did miss having his sister, Sara, with us though. She and her children and grandchildren had to miss due to her son Lyn's passing away. It was bittersweet to be together, knowing one of our family was hurting so. We lifted special prayers for her to carry her and the rest through the hurt. So, after all the eating and visiting and catching up with everyone, we headed on back to the lake. My mom called and said she wanted to drive some of my aunts/uncles and cousins who I've always called "aunts" up. They came on up to get extra hugs on baby Griggs before heading back on the road. William so sweetly shared his homemade chocolate chip cookies with them :) He is such a sweet little host and loves to "welcome" everyone! It is a moment I love to cherish as I watch his little manners mature and his little heart continue to grow with hospitality!
We wrapped up our time at the lake quietly spending time together as our little family of 4. We cooked together and watched some movies, just soaking up our time away from home. William had fun drawing all over the front porch with his sidewalk chalk. It's always fun to watch his imagination develop when he's drawing. Another favorite of his lately has been making puppets! He loves to create puppets with me and we create the most exciting stories to go along with our new puppets. I included a few pictures of him enjoying his puppet time! As we left that afternoon, we decided I would stay the night in Dothan so I wouldn't be driving home at night. Well, the next morning, when I woke up in Dothan, my head was spinning beyond belief! I couldn't walk straight, couldn't even sit up and hold my head straight. I was very dizzy and spinning. My mom quickly called the ENT for me and then she sent me right back to bed...but that made me spin even more. I pretty much spent that morning curled in her arms as much as I could. Poppi came over to drive me to my appointment so she could stay home with William and Griggs. I felt so silly and ridiculous, but I could not walk straight! Dr. Tim Gannon was able to squeeze me in that afternoon. I was so relieved when I began describing my symptoms and he knew right away what I had and how I felt! He shared that he had recently had the same thing and that it does come out of the blue and knock you down! He prescribed me some medicine and said to just take it easy. That meant I should rest :) Well, I tried to rest some. Later, my parents drove me home, moma driving my car with me and the boys while daddy followed in their car. I slept most of that drive home and was so happy to crawl in my bed. I was so thankful for my parents and for their help while I was feeling so awful after such a wonderful mini-vacation!
Now, I can look back at the pictures from our weekend vacation with Griggs for his first trip to the lake and smile, knowing we had a blessed weekend!
Oh, I just love life! I just love being a mommy!! God is so good.
When I got to my parents we had a family cookout on the back patio that night. William entertained everyone with his artistic drawings with sidewalk chalk. Maggie and Grandaddy loved on Griggs and giggled with William. I had fun hanging out with my brothers and watching the family enjoy time together. Poppi came by for a few quick snuggles with baby Griggs. The best part to me was sneaking in the bedroom later that night to find my angels sound asleep from all the fun...all tuckered out. You'll see in the pictures :) We also discovered that while it was too hot to be outside, Maggie and Granddaddy's brick floor made the perfect canvas for more sidewalk chalk drawings! William was a happy, happy boy!! I'll never forget his sweet face! He was tickled beyond belief that he could actually draw on the floor, then Maggie could clean it right up!! Thanks to Maggie for her creative thinking on a hot, hot day!!
Once Philip was on the road to the lake, I headed on up to meet him and get us all settled in for the extended weekend visit! I couldn't wait!! I love our lake house. I love how tucked away I feel and removed from all cares. I love how still I become and how relaxed everything becomes. I love watching Philip and William disappear on walks through the woods, down to the water, knowing W will be gathering sticks, leaves and rocks, as all little boys do! I love waking to sunrise over the lake and watching sunset over the pasture. I love to hear the crickets chirp and the boats whizz past. I love to hear the trickle of the lake water. I love the smell of the lake. I love to hear the trees crackle and rustle in the wind. I love to watch William throw rocks in the lake. I love to watch William swim and splash in the lake. I love how he is so natural around the water and nature. I love watching Drake, our yellow lab, run full speed down the hill and go bouncing off into the water to retrieve a stick, and most often watch him lose interest to just splash around. I love watching him wander around the yard. I love rocking on the porch late at night with Philip, just listening to the night. I love the naps on my college couches! I love the sound of the AC as it clicks on b/c it always sounds like a "click" from Philip. I love watching movies during the day and at night. I love sunbathing at the lake! I love fishing. I love walking at the lake. I love knowing that just down the street I can go buy a famous "Wilson's (baker's) hotdog" from my childhood! I love knowing that William and Griggs are getting to experience part of my childhood just as I did by coming to Lake Eufaula! I love my time at the lake with my family. I love how truly away from the world we become and how we do slow down when we are there. I love the lake!!
Okay, after that little cry....yes, I cried thinking of the blessing of the lake and what it means to me....
How excited we were to be spending some time at the lake with our two little ones! Sleeping in and napping always find us at the lake. William loved showing his baby the lake. William loved the outside time he and Philip had while Griggs and I stayed tucked away inside, snuggling and sleeping some. I would wonder out with Griggs and find them down by the water and head down to find them. Sitting on the shore, rocking Griggs while watching my husband and child play was just priceless. The gentle waves rippled at my toes. William had a blast collecting stones and rocks from the lake, not to mention all the sticks!! A little boy is so very happy collecting rocks and stones...asking his mommy to hold them! I pray I will always have open hands to "hold" his collections and that he will have that sweet, innocent spirit about life!
Another favorite from that weekend was getting out with my new double stroller and walking with my boys! I just loved walking up and down our road, pushing my double stroller, full of blessings while my beautiful yellow lab walked nearby. William just loved having Drake-Drake with us! He would call him over, giggle with every sniff from Drake and then squeal with excitement watching him run off. I loved being outside getting back into my walking!
It just so happened that my Poppi's side of the family the "GRIGGS" side, was having our annual "Griggs Family Reunion" that weekend! I was beyond excited to attend b/c of having a son and naming him Griggs! We drove down on Saturday to Oak Grove Baptist in Shorterville to join the reunion. It was great! We even were able to get a picture of the youngest (Griggs-5 weeks) and the oldest member! The food was great...endless vegetables, which everyone knows are my favorite!!! I was thrilled to show off Griggs and see some of my family that we hadn't seen in a few years. Poppi was very proud to have all 4 of his kids there! We did miss having his sister, Sara, with us though. She and her children and grandchildren had to miss due to her son Lyn's passing away. It was bittersweet to be together, knowing one of our family was hurting so. We lifted special prayers for her to carry her and the rest through the hurt. So, after all the eating and visiting and catching up with everyone, we headed on back to the lake. My mom called and said she wanted to drive some of my aunts/uncles and cousins who I've always called "aunts" up. They came on up to get extra hugs on baby Griggs before heading back on the road. William so sweetly shared his homemade chocolate chip cookies with them :) He is such a sweet little host and loves to "welcome" everyone! It is a moment I love to cherish as I watch his little manners mature and his little heart continue to grow with hospitality!
We wrapped up our time at the lake quietly spending time together as our little family of 4. We cooked together and watched some movies, just soaking up our time away from home. William had fun drawing all over the front porch with his sidewalk chalk. It's always fun to watch his imagination develop when he's drawing. Another favorite of his lately has been making puppets! He loves to create puppets with me and we create the most exciting stories to go along with our new puppets. I included a few pictures of him enjoying his puppet time! As we left that afternoon, we decided I would stay the night in Dothan so I wouldn't be driving home at night. Well, the next morning, when I woke up in Dothan, my head was spinning beyond belief! I couldn't walk straight, couldn't even sit up and hold my head straight. I was very dizzy and spinning. My mom quickly called the ENT for me and then she sent me right back to bed...but that made me spin even more. I pretty much spent that morning curled in her arms as much as I could. Poppi came over to drive me to my appointment so she could stay home with William and Griggs. I felt so silly and ridiculous, but I could not walk straight! Dr. Tim Gannon was able to squeeze me in that afternoon. I was so relieved when I began describing my symptoms and he knew right away what I had and how I felt! He shared that he had recently had the same thing and that it does come out of the blue and knock you down! He prescribed me some medicine and said to just take it easy. That meant I should rest :) Well, I tried to rest some. Later, my parents drove me home, moma driving my car with me and the boys while daddy followed in their car. I slept most of that drive home and was so happy to crawl in my bed. I was so thankful for my parents and for their help while I was feeling so awful after such a wonderful mini-vacation!
Now, I can look back at the pictures from our weekend vacation with Griggs for his first trip to the lake and smile, knowing we had a blessed weekend!
Oh, I just love life! I just love being a mommy!! God is so good.
Monday, June 6, 2011
When Mema met Griggs...and Gram and Grumps to visit us!
Here I am, still trying to find time to go back and capture all the special moments throughout the past year. I try to find time to spend devoted to this blog, journaling our family time to have as a keepsake one day...I am doing my best! I am determined to get. caught. up!! It's been almost 11 months...where has time gone...
Anyway, to go back...
Our August started with a trip to Dothan (which I blogged about last post). Next on our agenda, was a visit from Gram, Grumps...and Mema! It had been just over a month since Gram and Grumps were up with us and Mema had not yet met Griggs :) They came up to spend a weekend with us. Mema was just tickled to get to hold Griggs and snuggle with him. Gram and Grumps were too. We just spent the weekend quietly around the house. One afternoon we decided to head down to Seaside to get some frozen yogurt together, which is a favorite of William's! He loves it and thinks everyone should love it just as much. Griggs was so sweet and tiny and went along for the ride. William and Mema were the cutest eating their frozen yogurt. We let William run around in the grass for a while (another favorite of his) and show off his tricks for them. I strolled around Seaside for a short walk with Griggs while they all watched William. I love days like this! We enjoyed some time at the house, visiting and chatting and letting Mema, Gram and Grumps get caught up on snuggles.
We did decide to have another date night for the two (3) of us while they were up. It was a nice treat to get dressed up and dress Griggs in his fancy date outfit (well, what I call his fancy, soft pajama set). Gram, Grumps and Mema babysat William for us. They had a great time playing and entertaining each other while Philip and I took Griggs on a date. We went to one of our favorite spots here on 30A (Basmati's) and while we enjoyed the date, we were a bit let down with the service and feel of the place that night. Griggs slept the entire time, yet we felt they were upset we had a baby with us. Needless to say, it's been a while since we have been back. It's a simple thing like attitude in some people that can cause such a bad taste. BUT, they couldn't cause us to regret taking our baby with us!! He was so very adorable and precious and we were thankful for our date night and alone time with just Griggs.
We enjoyed our visit with Gram, Grumps and Mema, although it was short and sweet. Spending time with family is always a favorite. It is so valuable to spend time with family and build memories. Thanks, Gram, Grumps and Mema for making the trip up to visit us and give a date night too!
Anyway, to go back...
Our August started with a trip to Dothan (which I blogged about last post). Next on our agenda, was a visit from Gram, Grumps...and Mema! It had been just over a month since Gram and Grumps were up with us and Mema had not yet met Griggs :) They came up to spend a weekend with us. Mema was just tickled to get to hold Griggs and snuggle with him. Gram and Grumps were too. We just spent the weekend quietly around the house. One afternoon we decided to head down to Seaside to get some frozen yogurt together, which is a favorite of William's! He loves it and thinks everyone should love it just as much. Griggs was so sweet and tiny and went along for the ride. William and Mema were the cutest eating their frozen yogurt. We let William run around in the grass for a while (another favorite of his) and show off his tricks for them. I strolled around Seaside for a short walk with Griggs while they all watched William. I love days like this! We enjoyed some time at the house, visiting and chatting and letting Mema, Gram and Grumps get caught up on snuggles.
We did decide to have another date night for the two (3) of us while they were up. It was a nice treat to get dressed up and dress Griggs in his fancy date outfit (well, what I call his fancy, soft pajama set). Gram, Grumps and Mema babysat William for us. They had a great time playing and entertaining each other while Philip and I took Griggs on a date. We went to one of our favorite spots here on 30A (Basmati's) and while we enjoyed the date, we were a bit let down with the service and feel of the place that night. Griggs slept the entire time, yet we felt they were upset we had a baby with us. Needless to say, it's been a while since we have been back. It's a simple thing like attitude in some people that can cause such a bad taste. BUT, they couldn't cause us to regret taking our baby with us!! He was so very adorable and precious and we were thankful for our date night and alone time with just Griggs.
We enjoyed our visit with Gram, Grumps and Mema, although it was short and sweet. Spending time with family is always a favorite. It is so valuable to spend time with family and build memories. Thanks, Gram, Grumps and Mema for making the trip up to visit us and give a date night too!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Griggs' 1st visit to Dothan (8/2/10)!!
As one month came and went with our new baby, I decided to make a trip up to Dothan with the boys all by myself! I missed my family up there and wanted to go see them, so I packed up the car and on the road I was…driving the two hours all by myself, with both boys! I’d like to say it was a smooth trip, and for the most part, it was. Baby Griggs just didn’t like his carseat too much, and in his tiny little cry, would let me know it. This part was extremely hard, because he never cried much at home! Needless to say, I pulled over a few times on the side of the road to soothe him and then finally in a bank parking lot to nurse him and feed William a snack. William was so loving to his brother and would sing to him as he cried. It melted my heart!
We started our adventure driving to Enterprise to take my daddy out to lunch because he had recently been promoted and “pinned” and we had missed the ceremony. He was excited we were coming to the armory so he could show off his grandsons. He paraded them around his office, introducing me to some of the new guys and showing off William and Griggs. All the men were great and congratulated me on Griggs. He told them we were heading off to lunch on a lunch date and his boss told him he could “wrap up and call it an afternoon”., which I thought was extra nice. I insisted on buying, so he insisted on a simple place “Guthrie’s”… I wanted to take him somewhere nice and special, but he refused. It worked out because William loved the chicken there and ate a big lunch for me. After finishing lunch, we dropped my daddy (Granddaddy) back off at work so he finish up and hurry home.
I drove on home to Dothan, ready to see my mom (Maggie). She greeted us at the door with big hugs and jumped in the car and drove around the corner to Grannymart’s house for a visit. Grannymart was so excited to rock and love on Griggs. It was a special little visit together. William decided he’d play us some tunes on her piano, which we all loved and enjoyed. William loved singing to us and being silly while we talked and chatted about Griggs. After a while, we left and went back home to Maggie and Granddaddy’s to wait on Granddaddy to get home.
Poppi came over to visit and love on Griggs a while. He just beamed with pride, holding him in his arms. I could tell he was on cloud nine as he went on and on about how he’d been telling everyone about his new great-grandson and what everyone was saying. He also had saved his church bulletin for me where Griggs’ birth was announced. We passed the time just visiting and passing Griggs around, letting everyone love on him. At some point that night, we discovered that it was actually August 2nd! Griggs was one month old! I ran down the hall and grabbed my baby picture from one month to compare… let me tell you we were all cracking up at the exact resemblance! He’s a spitting image of me! We just laughed and laughed at the resemblance! It had been a good day and I was excited to be in Dothan with my babies, yet I missed my husband terribly. It is very hard to be away from him, but he is understanding of the times that I need to run up to Dothan to be around my family.
Griggs slept pretty well in crib (which, by the way, is my old crib!) and William and I snuggled in bed all night, in between feedings. The best part of this visit was at some point in the wee hours of the morning, my moma came in and heard me singing to Griggs to get him back to sleep and she sent the two of us to her bed, so we wouldn’t wake William. Well, around 11 that morning, Griggs and I finally woke up! WE were sacked out ALL MORNING LONG! Maggie kept William entertained while I caught up on sleep. Little did I know they had come in and checked on us several times, but I apparently was beyond exhausted, because I never heard them. Griggs slept so soundly, tucked in my arm and snuggled under the covers with me, that I passed out. I say this because I need to clarify. It’s not like I had not been getting rest the previous weeks, I think the escape to my parent’s house and the simple act of curling up in her bed, soft bed, knowing she was just a room away, I let my guard down and slept, and slept and slept. I’ll remember that morning for a while. How perfect for my mom to know just what I needed in those wee hours… wonderful., blissful rest, peacefully snuggled with my tiny baby!
Anna and some of her kids came over to visit while we were up. William loves getting to see his cousins! They all play so well together and have tons of fun. Of course we had to pull out the ever faithful sprinkler and let the kids run and splash. It was especially cute to me to watch Anna's youngest, Isabella, be a "little mommy" to baby Griggs! Too cute! I just love relaxing times watching kids play and laugh while we are all together making memories.
Holden decided he was ready for his "buzz cut" while we were up and this meant laughter (and a few tears). Moma and Hunter took turns cutting and buzzing his hair while I took pictures. It was an interesting night to say the least. I have included the pictures so you can see the before, during and after of his cut. Brave guy :)
As our first trip to Dothan came to an end, I kinda longed for more time with my mom, just to be around her and talk and visit, and somehow, my daddy knew that…and he didn’t want me driving home, alone, given my trip up here with so many unplanned stops for Griggs. They decided she could ride down with me in the car to help soothe Griggs, should he start crying, and he would follow behind, to pick her up. They drove 4 hours out of their way, just to make sure we were safe and sound. It’s the simple things that make everything special! Just being near my mom is reassuring to me. We talk constantly about everything, yet sometimes nothing at all. It’s wonderful, having her only a phone call away, or a short drive, when I need her. She guides me, comforts me, advises me, listens to me, encourages me, laughs with me, prays for me, drops everything for me and is there no matter what. And the same goes for my daddy. I will forever be a daddy’s girl. It didn’t really surprise me when I heard “little girl, I think I’ll follow you home this time.” He still protects me, comforts me, guides me, advises me, supports me, believes in me, etc. I am blessed with loving parents who are always so willing to do anything and be there for me.
Family is essential. I’m thankful for my family and count them each as a blessing daily!
We started our adventure driving to Enterprise to take my daddy out to lunch because he had recently been promoted and “pinned” and we had missed the ceremony. He was excited we were coming to the armory so he could show off his grandsons. He paraded them around his office, introducing me to some of the new guys and showing off William and Griggs. All the men were great and congratulated me on Griggs. He told them we were heading off to lunch on a lunch date and his boss told him he could “wrap up and call it an afternoon”., which I thought was extra nice. I insisted on buying, so he insisted on a simple place “Guthrie’s”… I wanted to take him somewhere nice and special, but he refused. It worked out because William loved the chicken there and ate a big lunch for me. After finishing lunch, we dropped my daddy (Granddaddy) back off at work so he finish up and hurry home.
I drove on home to Dothan, ready to see my mom (Maggie). She greeted us at the door with big hugs and jumped in the car and drove around the corner to Grannymart’s house for a visit. Grannymart was so excited to rock and love on Griggs. It was a special little visit together. William decided he’d play us some tunes on her piano, which we all loved and enjoyed. William loved singing to us and being silly while we talked and chatted about Griggs. After a while, we left and went back home to Maggie and Granddaddy’s to wait on Granddaddy to get home.
Poppi came over to visit and love on Griggs a while. He just beamed with pride, holding him in his arms. I could tell he was on cloud nine as he went on and on about how he’d been telling everyone about his new great-grandson and what everyone was saying. He also had saved his church bulletin for me where Griggs’ birth was announced. We passed the time just visiting and passing Griggs around, letting everyone love on him. At some point that night, we discovered that it was actually August 2nd! Griggs was one month old! I ran down the hall and grabbed my baby picture from one month to compare… let me tell you we were all cracking up at the exact resemblance! He’s a spitting image of me! We just laughed and laughed at the resemblance! It had been a good day and I was excited to be in Dothan with my babies, yet I missed my husband terribly. It is very hard to be away from him, but he is understanding of the times that I need to run up to Dothan to be around my family.
Griggs slept pretty well in crib (which, by the way, is my old crib!) and William and I snuggled in bed all night, in between feedings. The best part of this visit was at some point in the wee hours of the morning, my moma came in and heard me singing to Griggs to get him back to sleep and she sent the two of us to her bed, so we wouldn’t wake William. Well, around 11 that morning, Griggs and I finally woke up! WE were sacked out ALL MORNING LONG! Maggie kept William entertained while I caught up on sleep. Little did I know they had come in and checked on us several times, but I apparently was beyond exhausted, because I never heard them. Griggs slept so soundly, tucked in my arm and snuggled under the covers with me, that I passed out. I say this because I need to clarify. It’s not like I had not been getting rest the previous weeks, I think the escape to my parent’s house and the simple act of curling up in her bed, soft bed, knowing she was just a room away, I let my guard down and slept, and slept and slept. I’ll remember that morning for a while. How perfect for my mom to know just what I needed in those wee hours… wonderful., blissful rest, peacefully snuggled with my tiny baby!
Anna and some of her kids came over to visit while we were up. William loves getting to see his cousins! They all play so well together and have tons of fun. Of course we had to pull out the ever faithful sprinkler and let the kids run and splash. It was especially cute to me to watch Anna's youngest, Isabella, be a "little mommy" to baby Griggs! Too cute! I just love relaxing times watching kids play and laugh while we are all together making memories.
Holden decided he was ready for his "buzz cut" while we were up and this meant laughter (and a few tears). Moma and Hunter took turns cutting and buzzing his hair while I took pictures. It was an interesting night to say the least. I have included the pictures so you can see the before, during and after of his cut. Brave guy :)
As our first trip to Dothan came to an end, I kinda longed for more time with my mom, just to be around her and talk and visit, and somehow, my daddy knew that…and he didn’t want me driving home, alone, given my trip up here with so many unplanned stops for Griggs. They decided she could ride down with me in the car to help soothe Griggs, should he start crying, and he would follow behind, to pick her up. They drove 4 hours out of their way, just to make sure we were safe and sound. It’s the simple things that make everything special! Just being near my mom is reassuring to me. We talk constantly about everything, yet sometimes nothing at all. It’s wonderful, having her only a phone call away, or a short drive, when I need her. She guides me, comforts me, advises me, listens to me, encourages me, laughs with me, prays for me, drops everything for me and is there no matter what. And the same goes for my daddy. I will forever be a daddy’s girl. It didn’t really surprise me when I heard “little girl, I think I’ll follow you home this time.” He still protects me, comforts me, guides me, advises me, supports me, believes in me, etc. I am blessed with loving parents who are always so willing to do anything and be there for me.
Family is essential. I’m thankful for my family and count them each as a blessing daily!
A haircut, a visit with Uncle Hunter and a date night (end of July)
As July came to an end, Philip and I were ready to go on a date to celebrate Griggs. I was excited to have a reason to dress up and get fixed up, so we planned for my brother, Hunter and his girlfriend, Whitney to come down to visit. She hadn’t met Griggs yet, so we were looking forward to her meeting our new baby. They came down for the weekend to spend some time with us and hang out. That weekend, the boys went golfing while the girls went shopping (with the babies).
That weekend also was a special day for William! He was getting his 2nd haircut! He’s just growing up too fast, but we are loving every minute of it. I couldn’t believe he was already needing another haircut! I love his hair, with the blonde color and the sweet baby curls that come out as wisps now. Having to cut it did make me a bit sad, but I knew he would look absolutely adorable with it short and cleaned up! We had Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Betty Sue come over again to do his haircut. Mrs. Betty Sue came over to help hold Griggs while I tended to William and his haircut. Dr. Taylor did another fantastic job with William for his hair cut. William was a wiggly little fellow, full of laughter and a few tears. Whitney and Hunter helped with pictures and distractions when the tears began. It really was a fun afternoon and the finished product was an adorably handsome, grown-up looking little boy!
If you are ever in the area, you really should enjoy a date to Caliza in Alys Beach!! It’s a beautiful pool-side restaurant in Alys Beach. It took my breath away as we walked up to our date. It’s just that good. The atmosphere is very calm and secluded. The place is gorgeous. It may sound silly, but I felt like I was dining somewhere in the Caribbean, miles away from everyone. As much as I was looking forward to our date, I was not ready to leave Griggs, so we brought him along. He was so peaceful on our date. The wait staff came over and made all over him, mentioning how beautiful he was, which I, of course, already knew, but enjoyed hearing. We wined and dined together, celebrating our one month old and time alone. It was a spectacular date! I fell in love with Caliza and can’t wait to go back! The food was out of this world! Words would not do justice to try to describe. Take my word for it, or better yet, just go! All in all, the best part of our date to me was how wonderful and peaceful Griggs was, just sitting there beside me. He was the reason we were out celebrating! Date nights are always fun and refreshing. I remember that night feeling extra special. It was a perfectly wonderful evening together, with our new baby
That weekend also was a special day for William! He was getting his 2nd haircut! He’s just growing up too fast, but we are loving every minute of it. I couldn’t believe he was already needing another haircut! I love his hair, with the blonde color and the sweet baby curls that come out as wisps now. Having to cut it did make me a bit sad, but I knew he would look absolutely adorable with it short and cleaned up! We had Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Betty Sue come over again to do his haircut. Mrs. Betty Sue came over to help hold Griggs while I tended to William and his haircut. Dr. Taylor did another fantastic job with William for his hair cut. William was a wiggly little fellow, full of laughter and a few tears. Whitney and Hunter helped with pictures and distractions when the tears began. It really was a fun afternoon and the finished product was an adorably handsome, grown-up looking little boy!
If you are ever in the area, you really should enjoy a date to Caliza in Alys Beach!! It’s a beautiful pool-side restaurant in Alys Beach. It took my breath away as we walked up to our date. It’s just that good. The atmosphere is very calm and secluded. The place is gorgeous. It may sound silly, but I felt like I was dining somewhere in the Caribbean, miles away from everyone. As much as I was looking forward to our date, I was not ready to leave Griggs, so we brought him along. He was so peaceful on our date. The wait staff came over and made all over him, mentioning how beautiful he was, which I, of course, already knew, but enjoyed hearing. We wined and dined together, celebrating our one month old and time alone. It was a spectacular date! I fell in love with Caliza and can’t wait to go back! The food was out of this world! Words would not do justice to try to describe. Take my word for it, or better yet, just go! All in all, the best part of our date to me was how wonderful and peaceful Griggs was, just sitting there beside me. He was the reason we were out celebrating! Date nights are always fun and refreshing. I remember that night feeling extra special. It was a perfectly wonderful evening together, with our new baby
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Moments in the 1st weeks with new baby and big brother
As I sit here and reflect back on the first few weeks with Griggs, my heart is just bursting with emotions. It was a very special moment in time and full of memories. I can remember falling deeper in love with my husband, as I watched him care for me and our two sons. The sweetest thing he did during that first week was taking William to the pool for some “daddy time”. I do remember being a bit sad, that first day he took W to swim without me because I was a bit afraid he would think I didn’t want to go. This is silly. I do realize it, but at that time, I just didn’t want him to feel replaced in my heart. I spent some time with just William that first morning, getting him dressed and ready for the pool. I talked with him about how much fun he was going to have swimming with daddy and helped him pick out his favorite pool toys and towel to take. Once his bag was packed and he had snacks in hand, out the door my guys went. It was a new experience for me to be sending William off for some time away from me. You have to remember, we were (and still are) very attached and it is very rare I’m away from him (them). Anyway, back to my story. Philip and William had a blast every day that week at the pool for some “daddy time” while I stayed at home with Griggs, catching up on sleep and snuggles and being lazy with my mom! I was enjoying this special quiet time with my tiny new baby, while missing William. I couldn’t wait for them to get back home and hear him tell me all about his fun morning with daddy! He would come in, water-logged and sun-kissed cheeks, just laughing and so proud of himself for going with Daddy and having fun at the pool. I also loved watching Philip beam with pride. It was so fun, this little routine we had created. I knew it was good for all of us and appreciated the desire Philip had to make sure we all had the time we needed, doing just what we were doing.
I do want to include that one afternoon, I decided Philip needed some alone time with Griggs, so my crazy self decided to take William to the grocery store to pick up some groceries and let him ride in the super cool buggy with the steering wheel so he could get his cookie and balloon. Well, it was a good outing overall, but boy, did I overdo it a bit! William was great in Publix, but I was hurting! I don’t know why I thought I could get out and shop 5 days after having a baby!! My heart was hurting thinking about Griggs at home while I was at the store. My BODY was hurting with every step. But, somehow, I smiled through it for William and sang songs with him while we shopped and then drove home. As soon as we got home, I crashed in my rocking chair and scooped up Griggs. I was wiped out! That showed me that I need to stay home!! And that’s what I did for the next few days!! Crazy Lauren.
One of the “firsts” we celebrated during that first week was “Baby’s 1st Bath!” William was excited to help with his baby’s 1st bath, so he quickly jumped in the tub to swim and play while we bathed Griggs in his little infant tub. And, as you would expect, Griggs DID NOT like being in the water! NOT ONE BIT! He screamed and cried and held tight to our fingers. We did the best we could to capture the keepsake pictures and sponge him off, but quickly wrapped him in his sweet new baby towel. There is just something so very tender and sweet about new baby smells…the powder, the baby magic lotions, ahhhh, the never ending sweetness! So, so priceless! I loved every diaper change and outfit change b/c it meant that sweet aroma of that heavenly BABY MAGIC!! This scent brings back memories. It makes me remember stories of my mother and grandmothers oohhing and ahhing over me, as well as my brothers, and now my two babies. I always think of their smiles and giggles with the smell of baby magic. I also loved starting our little routine of the baby massage after baths/diapers and getting ready for bed. I love to spend a few special minutes with Griggs (like I did with William) doing a little baby massage and stretching, while lathering him in the always refreshing and sweet, sweet baby lotion! My heart just leaps with excitement at a simple whiff of the scent…ahhhhhh, I can smell it now! There is just something about the scent of a baby!!
Next on the agenda was Griggs’ first newborn well check with our beloved Dr. Susie! Maggie stayed with William that afternoon while Philip and I took Griggs to his check-up. Actually, Philip met me there. I remember as I turned on to hwy 98, I thought to myself, “I’m driving, alone with my tiny baby boy!! This is crazy!” I was a bit nervous driving for some reason! He was an angel in the car, sleeping the whole drive. Philip and I couldn’t wait to introduce Griggs to Dr. Susie! She is a great pediatrician and we feel blessed to have such a loving and attentive doctor for our children. She was excited to meet our new one and find boy or girl… I was just so happy to be holding our sweet little baby boy and filled with such joy! Dr. Susie was very pleased to meet Griggs and go over the “newborn care” information with us (although she winked and said she knew we really didn’t need a refresher! Just then, she was paged on an emergency call to the ER, so she had to quickly leave, and we finished our visit with her partner, Dr. “V”. He was very pleased with Griggs and with us and gave us the all clear for the one week well check. We left and drove back home for the afternoon. As we arrived home, we waited on William to wake up from his nap. I remember those days being so calm and comforting, just being home with my family.
During the first few days and weeks at home, we had such an outpour of love from our friends and family. Several of you brought meals and snacks over to stock the fridge and pantry for us. We were well fed for days! Having the comfort of friends who took the time to prepare meals for us to take that responsibility off our plates for a few weeks was a true blessing. William especially loved having everyone over so he could introduce his baby brother! He just loved being a little host and welcomed everyone…and all the goodies!
We also made our first trip back to church when Griggs was three weeks old. We missed our church family, and were ready to get back to worship and to hear our new pastor preach. It pleased us that when we told William we were going to go to church that weekend, he giggled and said “yippee!” We are blessed with a wonderful church family. We are spiritually fed during the worship, and are surrounded by fellow believers, who support us as young parents. Leading up to Griggs’ arrival, the church members who sit near us in big church, as well as our Sunday School class members, loved to joke with me about “not going into labor during church!” Funny, the Sunday before Griggs was born, I sat through the service, having contraction after contraction, trying to enjoy that particular service because it was our former pastor, Dr. Ken Taylor, last service before his retirement. Anyway, back to the story…I carefully dressed Griggs in his beautiful outfit, (the outfit he wore home from the hospital), his keepsake bonnet and booties from my mother and wrapped him in a special hand-me-down blanket from his brother. William wore one of his shortall outfits that had his initials. I thought my two boys looked adorable. William was over course, without shoes J It was a pleasant drive to church that morning. Philip did take some pictures of me with my boys at church to celebrate our outing. I have a very similar picture of me with William on his first trip to church. That morning, William went into the nursery and we made it to both Sunday School and Big Church. Everyone ooohhed and ahhhhhhed over Griggs. All the ladies wanted to know all the details about his arrival and how we were doing at home, adjusting to our new family of four. I felt very proud to share our sweet blessing with everyone. I would like to say that he was a perfect little angel during both SS and church. It felt good to be back together in church, worshiping our Lord with our new baby in our arms.
Yes, I sit here almost 9 months later, typing this blog post. Yes, to you it might seem silly to try to catch up, but this blog is very special to me. I’ve been keeping little notes and a journal of the past 9 months so I could update my blog. I enjoy blogging and the time spent typing up the entries (journals), knowing everything is all here. I keep this blog as a running story of our lives, as a gift to William and Griggs. I find myself in thought many of times, creating just the perfect blog entry for whatever “event” we might be enjoying! It brings joy to my heart to fill the pages with the details for W and Griggs, knowing one day, they will look back over this, and can picture completely how we spent our days. So, yes, I might be 9 months behind (right now,) but I’m still working on it, getting caught up.
Until next time,
Lauren
“Give Thanks to the Lord; For He is Good. His Love Endures Forever.” Psalms 107:1
I do want to include that one afternoon, I decided Philip needed some alone time with Griggs, so my crazy self decided to take William to the grocery store to pick up some groceries and let him ride in the super cool buggy with the steering wheel so he could get his cookie and balloon. Well, it was a good outing overall, but boy, did I overdo it a bit! William was great in Publix, but I was hurting! I don’t know why I thought I could get out and shop 5 days after having a baby!! My heart was hurting thinking about Griggs at home while I was at the store. My BODY was hurting with every step. But, somehow, I smiled through it for William and sang songs with him while we shopped and then drove home. As soon as we got home, I crashed in my rocking chair and scooped up Griggs. I was wiped out! That showed me that I need to stay home!! And that’s what I did for the next few days!! Crazy Lauren.
One of the “firsts” we celebrated during that first week was “Baby’s 1st Bath!” William was excited to help with his baby’s 1st bath, so he quickly jumped in the tub to swim and play while we bathed Griggs in his little infant tub. And, as you would expect, Griggs DID NOT like being in the water! NOT ONE BIT! He screamed and cried and held tight to our fingers. We did the best we could to capture the keepsake pictures and sponge him off, but quickly wrapped him in his sweet new baby towel. There is just something so very tender and sweet about new baby smells…the powder, the baby magic lotions, ahhhh, the never ending sweetness! So, so priceless! I loved every diaper change and outfit change b/c it meant that sweet aroma of that heavenly BABY MAGIC!! This scent brings back memories. It makes me remember stories of my mother and grandmothers oohhing and ahhing over me, as well as my brothers, and now my two babies. I always think of their smiles and giggles with the smell of baby magic. I also loved starting our little routine of the baby massage after baths/diapers and getting ready for bed. I love to spend a few special minutes with Griggs (like I did with William) doing a little baby massage and stretching, while lathering him in the always refreshing and sweet, sweet baby lotion! My heart just leaps with excitement at a simple whiff of the scent…ahhhhhh, I can smell it now! There is just something about the scent of a baby!!
Next on the agenda was Griggs’ first newborn well check with our beloved Dr. Susie! Maggie stayed with William that afternoon while Philip and I took Griggs to his check-up. Actually, Philip met me there. I remember as I turned on to hwy 98, I thought to myself, “I’m driving, alone with my tiny baby boy!! This is crazy!” I was a bit nervous driving for some reason! He was an angel in the car, sleeping the whole drive. Philip and I couldn’t wait to introduce Griggs to Dr. Susie! She is a great pediatrician and we feel blessed to have such a loving and attentive doctor for our children. She was excited to meet our new one and find boy or girl… I was just so happy to be holding our sweet little baby boy and filled with such joy! Dr. Susie was very pleased to meet Griggs and go over the “newborn care” information with us (although she winked and said she knew we really didn’t need a refresher! Just then, she was paged on an emergency call to the ER, so she had to quickly leave, and we finished our visit with her partner, Dr. “V”. He was very pleased with Griggs and with us and gave us the all clear for the one week well check. We left and drove back home for the afternoon. As we arrived home, we waited on William to wake up from his nap. I remember those days being so calm and comforting, just being home with my family.
During the first few days and weeks at home, we had such an outpour of love from our friends and family. Several of you brought meals and snacks over to stock the fridge and pantry for us. We were well fed for days! Having the comfort of friends who took the time to prepare meals for us to take that responsibility off our plates for a few weeks was a true blessing. William especially loved having everyone over so he could introduce his baby brother! He just loved being a little host and welcomed everyone…and all the goodies!
We also made our first trip back to church when Griggs was three weeks old. We missed our church family, and were ready to get back to worship and to hear our new pastor preach. It pleased us that when we told William we were going to go to church that weekend, he giggled and said “yippee!” We are blessed with a wonderful church family. We are spiritually fed during the worship, and are surrounded by fellow believers, who support us as young parents. Leading up to Griggs’ arrival, the church members who sit near us in big church, as well as our Sunday School class members, loved to joke with me about “not going into labor during church!” Funny, the Sunday before Griggs was born, I sat through the service, having contraction after contraction, trying to enjoy that particular service because it was our former pastor, Dr. Ken Taylor, last service before his retirement. Anyway, back to the story…I carefully dressed Griggs in his beautiful outfit, (the outfit he wore home from the hospital), his keepsake bonnet and booties from my mother and wrapped him in a special hand-me-down blanket from his brother. William wore one of his shortall outfits that had his initials. I thought my two boys looked adorable. William was over course, without shoes J It was a pleasant drive to church that morning. Philip did take some pictures of me with my boys at church to celebrate our outing. I have a very similar picture of me with William on his first trip to church. That morning, William went into the nursery and we made it to both Sunday School and Big Church. Everyone ooohhed and ahhhhhhed over Griggs. All the ladies wanted to know all the details about his arrival and how we were doing at home, adjusting to our new family of four. I felt very proud to share our sweet blessing with everyone. I would like to say that he was a perfect little angel during both SS and church. It felt good to be back together in church, worshiping our Lord with our new baby in our arms.
Yes, I sit here almost 9 months later, typing this blog post. Yes, to you it might seem silly to try to catch up, but this blog is very special to me. I’ve been keeping little notes and a journal of the past 9 months so I could update my blog. I enjoy blogging and the time spent typing up the entries (journals), knowing everything is all here. I keep this blog as a running story of our lives, as a gift to William and Griggs. I find myself in thought many of times, creating just the perfect blog entry for whatever “event” we might be enjoying! It brings joy to my heart to fill the pages with the details for W and Griggs, knowing one day, they will look back over this, and can picture completely how we spent our days. So, yes, I might be 9 months behind (right now,) but I’m still working on it, getting caught up.
Until next time,
Lauren
“Give Thanks to the Lord; For He is Good. His Love Endures Forever.” Psalms 107:1
Monday, March 28, 2011
4th of July with a new baby...and his big brother!
So, as I continue to go back in time to recapture and catch-up with this blog...
As we arrived home with our new bundle of joy, we were so excited to be home as a family of four! As we pulled in our driveway, William said "mommy, I made a surprise for you and colored something for Griggs and we put balloons everywhere!" He was so excited to show us his surprise for his baby brother. It was adorable. We noticed our Welcome Home banner on the front door and I began to cry a little as realized William truly was excited about his new baby brother. He (and Gram) had colored such a sweet banner for us and hung it on the door. I scooped William in my arms and held Griggs in the carseat in the other arm for a quick picture. We went on inside and William quickly and very excitedly showed us the balloons he'd picked out. He then pulled us upstairs to show us the banner he'd made for his brother. Again, I cried. He was just beaming! I held my tiny baby in my arms and hugged my other baby. I felt truly blessed. I was so ready to rock my newborn baby! I spent a while in the nursery rocking Griggs and singing to him while William ran off downstairs to play with Philip for a while. I finally put Griggs down in his crib and went to get William so I could put him down for a nap. I was looking forward to cuddling with him a while. He was happy to crawl in bed and read some books with me. We snuggled and sang until he drifted off to sleep. That's when I found Griggs with Philip and decided I needed to take a nap too. I crawled in my bed and fell asleep cuddling with Griggs. It was heaven! I slept like a log. I did not realize how exhausted I was. I slept for about 2 hours until Griggs decided he was hungry again :)
Once I woke up and finsihed feeding Griggs, I went down to visit with my parents and Mr. Jim and Mrs. Sharon. They'd all made it back over to visit. My dad had just come down to bring my mom b/c she was going to be staying with us to help me out with all the "girl stuff". (let's face it...sometimes you just need your moma!) Grandaddy (that's my daddy) couldn't get enough of Griggs. He held him for the longest time until he had to head back. Philip spent the afternoon cooking dinner for us. Maggie (my mom) and Gram and Grumps were going to be joining us for dinner. I spent the afternoon watching William play and snuggling with Griggs. I can remember walking around holding Griggs in one arm while doing things with and for William with the other. I remember wanting to make sure William knew I was still there for him and could still take care of him, while caring for his new baby brother. I was determined to focus my attention on both boys! haha!
That 1st night home, William wanted Mommy and Griggs to sleep with him. He gently wrapped his arm around Griggs and sang to him while he fell asleep. It was a very sweet moment! I loved snuggling with my boys!
The next day was July 4th! I love July 4th! It's a special day and full of relaxing times. We look forward to our local Seaside 4th of July parade every year. We can walk from our house to 30A and watch the parade. This year, Philip and I decided I would stay home while he took William. So, that morning, we woke up and got W ready to go to the parade. Philip and William were so cute walking down the driveway, heading out to watch the parade. I spent that time soaking in a bubble bath and napping while my mom took care of Griggs. They took a nap downstairs on the couch for a while then she walked him around the yard for a while. It was a relaxing morning for all! I think they were gone about 2 hours :) I loved hearing William come running back up the steps saying "Mommy, I got prizes at the parade and I saw lots of things!" He dumped his little goody bag on the bed and we plundered through all the candy and goodies. He wanted to tell me all about seeing the big firetruck and hearing the music and catching the candies! Philip said they had a blast! I knew they had a fun time together and I was so thankful for the extra quiet time to catch up with some rest.
After the parade was over and we all settled in from the excitement, we spent a little time visiting with Gram and Grumps before they had to leave. They came over for a short visit after the parade to get some more snuggles on Griggs. I can remember how relaxed she looked, sitting on the porch, rocking my sweet baby as he slept. She helped me do an impromptu photo shoot with the boys in their 4th of July red. William was just so very proud to be holding his tiny little brother.. He had the biggest smile on his face. We said goodbye to them and sent them on their way and all went in for a long nap. It felt so good to sleep and hold my baby in my arms. I was so grateful for having my mom there with me during the first few days to help with me because let’s face it, sometimes a girl just needs her mom! She was an angel and helped care for me as I recovered.
One of my most favorite things about the 4th of July are the fireworks!! Since Philip and I have been dating, we’ve not missed a fireworks display here on 30A. There is just something about a fireworks display on the beach that is beyond description. (on a side note, even when we’ve had friends in town on the 4th, Philip has gone down to the beach with me to watch the fireworks…knowing how much it means to me). So, this year, would be no different. Even though I’d just given birth 2 days ago and just come home the day before, I WAS DETERMINED to make it down to the beach! My mother was wonderful and helped make it happen. I also did not want to miss out on William’s experience of the fireworks, given this was truly the first year he would appreciate and remember them. So, after dinner, we sent Philip and William on ahead of us to walk down to the beach. Moma and I hung back and let Griggs finish his little nap so I could feed him again. Once he’d finished feeding, she and I loaded up in the car and drove the one block to the beach. Needless to say the parking lot was packed, so she laughed and said “I’ll park here in the handi-cap and dare anyone to say anything to me…I do have a daughter that just gave birth 2 days ago!!” We laughed and laughed and laughed. She’s something else and she means the world to me. We gathered our blankets and Griggs and headed down the boardwalk, with me leading the way with my 2 day old in my arms. She was right behind me, silently giggling at everyone’s comments…. “Look at that brand new baby”, “Wow, I can’t believe she’s out here with a baby” and the best “Hey, everyone, here comes a tiny baby, you better watch out”. I was oblivious to everyone. I was focused on getting down to the beach and finding William, whom I could hear laughing and calling out to his daddy. Once we made it down the long and winding boardwalk, Griggs was still sacked out in my arms. William saw me the same time I saw him and just burst into excitement! He screamed “Hey mommy, look at the sky!” I joined Philip and felt so thankful to be sitting on the beach, next to my husband, holding my new baby while watching my other baby run in the sand and roll in the sand, while fireworks went off over our heads. My mom just laughed at us and became the “instant photographer”. I was so very proud of myself for getting out of the house (in the severe pain I was in) and getting down to the beach to enjoy the fireworks with my family. I know it might sound silly, but it was a tradition I didn’t want to miss out on and wanted to continue right on with, even with our new bundle, our little Griggs!
As we arrived home with our new bundle of joy, we were so excited to be home as a family of four! As we pulled in our driveway, William said "mommy, I made a surprise for you and colored something for Griggs and we put balloons everywhere!" He was so excited to show us his surprise for his baby brother. It was adorable. We noticed our Welcome Home banner on the front door and I began to cry a little as realized William truly was excited about his new baby brother. He (and Gram) had colored such a sweet banner for us and hung it on the door. I scooped William in my arms and held Griggs in the carseat in the other arm for a quick picture. We went on inside and William quickly and very excitedly showed us the balloons he'd picked out. He then pulled us upstairs to show us the banner he'd made for his brother. Again, I cried. He was just beaming! I held my tiny baby in my arms and hugged my other baby. I felt truly blessed. I was so ready to rock my newborn baby! I spent a while in the nursery rocking Griggs and singing to him while William ran off downstairs to play with Philip for a while. I finally put Griggs down in his crib and went to get William so I could put him down for a nap. I was looking forward to cuddling with him a while. He was happy to crawl in bed and read some books with me. We snuggled and sang until he drifted off to sleep. That's when I found Griggs with Philip and decided I needed to take a nap too. I crawled in my bed and fell asleep cuddling with Griggs. It was heaven! I slept like a log. I did not realize how exhausted I was. I slept for about 2 hours until Griggs decided he was hungry again :)
Once I woke up and finsihed feeding Griggs, I went down to visit with my parents and Mr. Jim and Mrs. Sharon. They'd all made it back over to visit. My dad had just come down to bring my mom b/c she was going to be staying with us to help me out with all the "girl stuff". (let's face it...sometimes you just need your moma!) Grandaddy (that's my daddy) couldn't get enough of Griggs. He held him for the longest time until he had to head back. Philip spent the afternoon cooking dinner for us. Maggie (my mom) and Gram and Grumps were going to be joining us for dinner. I spent the afternoon watching William play and snuggling with Griggs. I can remember walking around holding Griggs in one arm while doing things with and for William with the other. I remember wanting to make sure William knew I was still there for him and could still take care of him, while caring for his new baby brother. I was determined to focus my attention on both boys! haha!
That 1st night home, William wanted Mommy and Griggs to sleep with him. He gently wrapped his arm around Griggs and sang to him while he fell asleep. It was a very sweet moment! I loved snuggling with my boys!
The next day was July 4th! I love July 4th! It's a special day and full of relaxing times. We look forward to our local Seaside 4th of July parade every year. We can walk from our house to 30A and watch the parade. This year, Philip and I decided I would stay home while he took William. So, that morning, we woke up and got W ready to go to the parade. Philip and William were so cute walking down the driveway, heading out to watch the parade. I spent that time soaking in a bubble bath and napping while my mom took care of Griggs. They took a nap downstairs on the couch for a while then she walked him around the yard for a while. It was a relaxing morning for all! I think they were gone about 2 hours :) I loved hearing William come running back up the steps saying "Mommy, I got prizes at the parade and I saw lots of things!" He dumped his little goody bag on the bed and we plundered through all the candy and goodies. He wanted to tell me all about seeing the big firetruck and hearing the music and catching the candies! Philip said they had a blast! I knew they had a fun time together and I was so thankful for the extra quiet time to catch up with some rest.
After the parade was over and we all settled in from the excitement, we spent a little time visiting with Gram and Grumps before they had to leave. They came over for a short visit after the parade to get some more snuggles on Griggs. I can remember how relaxed she looked, sitting on the porch, rocking my sweet baby as he slept. She helped me do an impromptu photo shoot with the boys in their 4th of July red. William was just so very proud to be holding his tiny little brother.. He had the biggest smile on his face. We said goodbye to them and sent them on their way and all went in for a long nap. It felt so good to sleep and hold my baby in my arms. I was so grateful for having my mom there with me during the first few days to help with me because let’s face it, sometimes a girl just needs her mom! She was an angel and helped care for me as I recovered.
One of my most favorite things about the 4th of July are the fireworks!! Since Philip and I have been dating, we’ve not missed a fireworks display here on 30A. There is just something about a fireworks display on the beach that is beyond description. (on a side note, even when we’ve had friends in town on the 4th, Philip has gone down to the beach with me to watch the fireworks…knowing how much it means to me). So, this year, would be no different. Even though I’d just given birth 2 days ago and just come home the day before, I WAS DETERMINED to make it down to the beach! My mother was wonderful and helped make it happen. I also did not want to miss out on William’s experience of the fireworks, given this was truly the first year he would appreciate and remember them. So, after dinner, we sent Philip and William on ahead of us to walk down to the beach. Moma and I hung back and let Griggs finish his little nap so I could feed him again. Once he’d finished feeding, she and I loaded up in the car and drove the one block to the beach. Needless to say the parking lot was packed, so she laughed and said “I’ll park here in the handi-cap and dare anyone to say anything to me…I do have a daughter that just gave birth 2 days ago!!” We laughed and laughed and laughed. She’s something else and she means the world to me. We gathered our blankets and Griggs and headed down the boardwalk, with me leading the way with my 2 day old in my arms. She was right behind me, silently giggling at everyone’s comments…. “Look at that brand new baby”, “Wow, I can’t believe she’s out here with a baby” and the best “Hey, everyone, here comes a tiny baby, you better watch out”. I was oblivious to everyone. I was focused on getting down to the beach and finding William, whom I could hear laughing and calling out to his daddy. Once we made it down the long and winding boardwalk, Griggs was still sacked out in my arms. William saw me the same time I saw him and just burst into excitement! He screamed “Hey mommy, look at the sky!” I joined Philip and felt so thankful to be sitting on the beach, next to my husband, holding my new baby while watching my other baby run in the sand and roll in the sand, while fireworks went off over our heads. My mom just laughed at us and became the “instant photographer”. I was so very proud of myself for getting out of the house (in the severe pain I was in) and getting down to the beach to enjoy the fireworks with my family. I know it might sound silly, but it was a tradition I didn’t want to miss out on and wanted to continue right on with, even with our new bundle, our little Griggs!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
It's A Boy!! Griggs John Justiss (7/2/10)
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalms 106:1
Our newest blessing from above joined our family on July 2...Our second child, our second son. Griggs John Justiss! What a story to tell. As I sit here 3.5 months (well actually 6.5) later, finally finding the time to capture his birth story, I am in awe at God's love and grace. I am truly humbled. God is so good and faithful. His love does endure forever, through everything. I believe with my whole heart in God and count my blessings. The newest blessing from God in my life came the night my child was born...Oh, how I love my sweet tiny bundle from above!
Let me back up...
Philip and I found out we were expecting our 2nd bundle on Friday, November 6, 2009. We were overcome with joy! Our life was perfect with William, and we couldn't wait to have a new little one join our family! Time ticked away...and then the day finally came..
I can remember every detail of the days leading up to the baby's birth. I can remember soaking up every moment of just "mommy and William" and "our family of 3 time". I wanted to spend my days just enjoying William, knowing his little world was about to be rocked, but in a good way. I can remember planning EVERY detail for William. I remember being so nervous about the thought of leaving my first baby so I could go have another baby. Oh, that was rough. I was VERY torn, but VERY MUCH EXCITED. We made a big deal out of converting our guest room to W's big boy room so the baby could have the nursery. I can recall every detail of the time spent making sure everything was perfect and done for William, while staying up all night by myself, quietly making everything ready for the baby. I loved taking William to "shop" for baby. He had a wonderful time finding a teddy bear and lamb for his new "baby". William was truly excited about the upcoming arrival of his "baby". He loved giving kisses to baby in my belly and singing to the baby. The anticipation....it was wonderful!!
Like I said, I HAD to prepare everything for William! My nesting energy went directly into him!! Ha!! I planned every little detail...packed his overnight bag for him, with a very detailed note about what he was to wear when he came to the hospital for his visits. I basically included a "lesson plan" about his care!! Like my friend would not know how to care for him! I can look back and laugh! I had it planned to a "T" as to who would pick him up and bring him over to see us at the hospital, how Philip would get him in the parking lot and just the two of them would come in together to see me and meet baby...I only wanted our little family. I had William's gift ready for him to bring and had a gift to big brother from baby waiting, as well as big brother gift from us...I tell you, I had to cover EVERY basis! Yep, I was overly in control...but that's a pregnant mommy! Hahaha
Now, back to the story...I had been having off and on Braxton hicks and real contractions for several weeks. Knowing that I needed to time my contractions, and that I was too swollen to wear my watch, Philip was making me wear his watch...daily...I was such the fashion statement! William loved it! He loved telling me to "make sure to check daddy's watch"...can you tell his daddy had talked with him...
I had gone to the dr. for my check-up on June 22, only to learn that I was only dilated 1.5 and that my doctor, the same one who delivered William, the reason I was delivering over in Panama City, was leaving that weekend for his vacation...meaning, unless I delivered before the 25th (our anniversary) or after July 9th, MY DOCTOR WOULD NOT BE HERE! I was a bit heartbroken...I knew deep down there was NO WAY I would have the baby before he left, nor make it until he was back...I was terrified about not knowing the doctor on call... I tried lots of spicy foods that week, just in case, but nothing happened. My dear sweet husband came down with strep throat on June 23rd! I became even more terrified! I began praying that our sweet baby would stay put until daddy was healthy and ready! I knew there was no way I could go through this with out my husband. Prayers were answered and we made it through the strep throat scare and through the weekend. I had an appointment on Monday, June 28th with a new doctor. I was sure I would not like him. Philip and I went to the appointment, me with a closed opinion...I left, dilated 2 cm, and sure I did not like the new dr. Looking back, I didn't like him b/c he was not my Dr. Ingram...I was just stubborn. We talked about what to do if I went into labor over the week and scheduled my next check-up for the following week...July 8th..the day Dr. Ingram would be back...
Well, my contractions continued and the back pain intensified over the next few days and I had a feeling...I cooked the spicy jambalaya recipe from Mimi (the one that brought on labor with William), had Philip cook a spicy meal, then I cooked another spicy meal...I ate tons of pineapple (read it brought on labor), drank tons of water...walked as much as possible, did lunges and even bounced on my exercise ball. I soaked in hot baths every chance I had...I just knew...the time was coming... Wednesday evening I began to really hurt in my back. It was throbbing and I had immense pressure. I called my cousin, Anna to discuss with her...she's had 5, so she's an expert in my opinion! She said it certainly sounded like back labor...just what I thought. Thursday morning came and I felt extreme pain in my back. I took an extra long hot bath that morning and had William sit and play on the bathroom floor nearby while I sat quietly in the tub and prayed. I began timing my contractions and they became very steady and very rapid. I could move from the bed to the floor then the couch then the floor again then the bed. It hurt to walk. My legs were severely cramping and my feet were so swollen. It hurt to do anything. But, it did not hurt like I needed an epidural. I called my nurse and she said to go to the hospital. I called Philip and tried to convince him (through my tears and huffs and whimpers) that I was not in labor and that he was fine to stay at work.. ha! I took a shower and then another bath with William trying to prepare and slow things down. I began calling my mom, just wanting her to be with me. She said she could head down as soon as I said the word. Philip came home and told me we were going.
Now, William's plan had changed a little. My original plan was for him to stay at my friend Jenny's b/c she lived on the way, he'd been to her house for just about every appointment, he loved going to her house to play and I felt confident she would care for him while I was gone. The only problem..she was flying out for a week the very next morning extremely early, therefore she couldn't keep him overnight. She called me crying. My back up was my other dear friend Cameron. She lived 15 mins the other direction, but he'd been to her house plenty of times for her to baby-sit, he loved going to her house to play with her two girls and he loved her and I knew she would take great care of my baby. I had been on the phone several times throughout the day with both Jenny and Cameron. I finally called Cameron and told her I needed to bring him over b/c we were heading to the hospital. She offered to come pick him up, but in my mind, I HAD TO DRIVE HIM AND DROP HIM OFF to keep things as normal as possible for him. Philip came home and helped me pack the car. We headed out in the rain, I mean FLOOD and as we were driving, I wanted to go by the bank and drop off a payment so it would not be late (or forgotten about, b/c in my mind, no one knew how to drop off payments). I made Philip wait in line in the "tube shoot" line so William could get his sucker b/c he always gets a sucker at the bank. I had several contractions in the bank line, yet, my husband, calmly and kindly waited for the sucker for William, just to make me happy. We finally were off. As we pulled into Cameron's driveway, I unbuckled William and carried him through a huge puddle in the driveway. Cameron laughed at me, but patiently let me go over the notes in his bag, show her his snacks and "extra" meals I had packed and talk her through his bedtime routine. We told William he was going to Miss Cameron's house to play with Sydney and Madison on a rainy day. Her mother and sister were there and they too laughed at me and smiled with Philip. I gave William several hugs and kisses (in between contractions) and on this day, he calmly hugged me back and said "love you mommy, see you later". I was so hesitant to leave. Philip had to practically drag me out the door. Cameron hugged me and reassured me he would be just fine. 10 mins after leaving, I had to call her and remind her he was beginning to potty train and that she needed to remind him. She was an angel and was so very patient with me. She'd been through the same thing and knew my heart.
It took us an hour and twenty mins to drive to the hospital through the flooding rain. The roads were extremely crowded and lots of standing water on the roads, but my dear husband was extremely calm and drove ever so carefully through the rains. As we drove, I noticed my contractions had somewhat slowed, yet my back was intense and the pressure was beyond measure. We decided to wait to find out “boy” or “girl” until our baby was born. To me, it’s just so exciting and fun! Philip was convinced this baby was a girl because the pregnancies had been so very different. He was certain of it. I, on the other hand, was not so certain. I didn’t really have a strong feeling either way. I was not so convinced. I would bounce back and forth, but never a strong feeling either way. As we got closer and I began nesting and pulling out all of William’s baby things, I could begin to imagine a boy…but I chalked it up to the fact that I was surrounded by baby boy stuff. I do remember thinking to myself and finally telling Philip that I had a very strong feeling we were going to have another boy. Again, we had not found out what the baby was, so it was surprising to me that I had such a strong feeling.
We arrived at the hospital around 3ish and Philip dropped me off at the front with my pillow and small bag to wait while he parked the car. As soon as he came in the door, we shot to the elevator and went straight to the Labor and Delivery floor. I was swaying by this point and bent over, arching my back for relief. The nurses chuckled at me and admitted me to triage for checking. Nurse Dawn began the process and checked me to discover I was approximately 2.5 cm and that not many contractions were showing on the monitor. I began to cry and she reassured me that I would be okay. My next step was to walk the halls for 45 mins in the hopes that I would "make more progress". So, off we went...Philip and a very pregnant and very much in pain mommy to be. I waddled around the halls while my legs cramped and my feet hurt. I cried a bit, I laughed at the humor of it, I prayed. I nibbled on ice chips. I begged to sit down, but my faithful "coach" made me keep walking. Finally, the time passed and Nurse Dawn said I could be checked again. Barely any progress...I cried more. I was so scared they were going to send me home in the rain...it takes us 50 minutes to get to the hospital, then time to pick up William..you get the picture. She said my contractions weren't showing up that much, but she assured me she believed me about the back labor, which would not show up on the monitor. About that time, the lady who would be in charge (she is a midwife and that surprised me) came in to talk with me. She checked me and felt my water bag "bulging" and said the words I wanted to hear..."you are too close to go home! let's get you checked in!" Philip grabbed my hand and calmly reassured me everything was going to be okay. Next thing I heard was my mom's sweet voice in the hall right outside my room! They had made it down! I began crying again at the sight of my mom and dad. They helped Philip get me settled in my delivery room (around 5ish) and began making phone calls for us. Holden was there too and he was so very full of questions. He was so excited to be there. Shortly after that my brother, Hunter and my grandparents arrived. It was a welcome sight and helped take my mind off things.
My labor was a bit long. I hurt deep in my back. I could manage getting through the contractions by either sitting still and quiet or by swaying in the bed. I remember making small talk conversation with anyone in the room. I even booked two lake rentals for our lake house :) Nurse Dawn ended her shift and brought in the night nurse, Brandy. She was AMAZING!! She was everything I needed in a nurse! She checked me around 7and I was about 4.5 cm. I finally requested my epidural. It was intense by this point. I talked the entire time to the doctor administering the epidural and just about lost it when Philip's face showed he had seen the SIZE of the needle! The doctor was perfect in keeping me calm and talking me through the process. Brandy was right there too, encouraging me to be still. About minutes after getting settled in bed with my sweet epidural, my body began itching like crazy. I thought I would rip my skin off! Brandy quickly acted and got me some benedryl! I later had to have another dose b/c I could not stop strachting myself and had actually scratched through the skin on my back and side of my belly. Ha! What a story!! My contractions were still not consistent on the monitor, but they reassured me I was making progress and that it was due to my back labor. Around 9:45 p.m. I was about 5 cm dilated and they decided I needed an intrauterine contraction monitor. Around 10:30 Brandy got me set with my new monitor and I was about 5.5 cm and sure enough the new monitor was showing major contractions! Finally, around 11 pm, I reached 6 cm. I suddenly realized I had forgotten my “Welcome Baby” scrapbook page in the car.
So, thinking I still had a while, I sent Philip down to the car to get it for me. I wanted to have it with me b/c I wanted everyone to sign it and write little “welcome baby” notes. Philip went down to the car and stopped to get coffee and stretch his legs for a while…because we all thought I still had a ways to go. My mom, Hunter and Grannymart were in the room with me, helping pass the time. Moma was sitting on the bed next to me, rubbing my back and brushing my hair. Hunter was beginning to get a bit restless and I found that amusing. I remember feeling like I wanted to jump straight up off the bed, but not hurting. My legs felt funny and I began to feel a slight pressure, but not the urge to push (like I had with William). Philip still had not made it back from the car and I was beginning to worry about him. About that time, my nurse walked in to check on me. She asked me how I felt because my monitor was showing “head compression contractions”. I had everyone step behind the curtain while she checked me. Her words were “Yep! This baby is here and is coming fast! Where is your husband?” With that, I screamed for Hunter to FIND PHILIP! He ran off to find him while I sent him a text that said “GET BACK!” My dad and Holden came to give me one more hug and kiss while Moma frantically tried to straighten the room so the baby nurses could get in. Hunter came barreling back into the room and said he couldn’t find Philip, but that he did get him on the phone and told him I needed him. Hunter then began to help Moma try to fold back up the chair so there was room. The nurses were in there getting “set up” and Daddy was trying to get everyone to leave. Finally, Philip came back in with a puzzled look. He asked me if this was serious and couldn’t figure out what was going on. I began telling Hunter and Moma they had to leave because this baby was coming! They quickly ran out and within two seconds of them leaving the doctor was set and I was ready to push! Philip and I were in shock at how fast this was all happening. I only pushed two (2) small pushes and the doctor and nurses shouted “OKAY, BABY IS HERE, HOLD ON!” Then the doctor said “there’s two…” I sat right up and said “TWO BABIES??” We all laughed at first, then she explained that they were seeing two loops of the cord. The cord was tightly wrapped around my baby’s neck twice. Fear began to set in and I felt myself tremble. I looked up at Philip and began crying. Within a split second she had the baby in her arms and had removed the cord. Our baby was born at 12:08 a.m. on July 2, 2010! She looked at us and said “Who wants to know….” Philip and I both looked together and said “IT’S A BOY!!”. I just melted…Philip was in shock! I reached for my baby boy…my 2nd baby boy!! He was beautiful!! All the nurses and the doctor were huddled around us, nudging the baby, patting his back until finally, we heard the faintest, softest cry. He was blue all over, and slowly began to pink up. I sat there, holding him briefly, crying and saying over and over “I love you baby boy of mine”. The baby nurses quickly grabbed him from me to do all the “baby” stuff with him. They quickly measured him, weighed him, took baby footprints, etc. before they finally brought him back to me. I sat there in the bed, crying tears of joy and happiness. I wanted to hold my baby! I was a bit frightened (to say the least) at the fact that the cord had been wrapped so tightly twice and that he came out so blue. I needed to hold my baby. They kept reassuring me he was doing perfect and there was no concern, but having them snatch him from me and do all the “new baby stuff” while I sat and waited was torture to me. It took 20 minutes for them to finish. I kept asking them to please bring him to me and pushing Philip over to him to hold his hand. I think the nurse finally realized she was taking too long and she quickly bundled him up and brought him to me. I sat and held our new baby and cried. I sang to him and prayed over him. I wanted to take everything in and capture the moment in my mind. Philip was amazing and stayed right by my side and loved on Griggs and me. We both were in shock at how fast he came! I still couldn’t believe what had just happened! I was in love! Again! He weighed in at an adorable 6 lbs 12 oz and was 19 inches long! Just perfect! Just simply perfect!!
We had our second child! Our second bundle of joy, and he was just perfect! Philip and I just took him in our arms and cried together and laughed and cuddled. We asked the nurses to send in our family. Once everyone was in the room, we announced we had a new BABY BOY! Everyone squealed with delight! They laughed and smiled. We had our new baby boy…GRIGGS JOHN JUSTISS! Griggs (after his maternal great-grandfather‘s sir name, Hugo Griggs and my mom’s maiden name Margaret Griggs Green) John (after his daddy, Philip John Justiss and his paternal grandfather John Justiss). Everyone was so excited and happy! It was such a special moment. My mom just burst into tears once she heard the name. She was so surprised that we gave our baby her maiden name. Poppi was tickled as well. He kept telling the nurses “He’s named after my Sir name!” I think I will always remember their reactions. Grannymart had such a sweet smile on her face and such joy in her eyes. It was a memorable moment for sure. My daddy (Granddaddy) just giggled and giggled and congratulated Philip on having another son, another best friend for life. My brothers were so proud too. Everyone took pictures and signed the scrapbook page while taking turns meeting Griggs. It was an incredible experience. We also called Gram, Grumps, Papa and Mimi to tell them the news. They were just beside themselves! We felt their love and excitement through the phone. They were so very excited and told us they were heading up in the morning!
We hugged everyone good night and got ready to settle in for the night. My wonderful mother stayed with me for several hours, helping with my shower and Griggs’ first feeding. The sweet nurse brought me a turkey sandwich and Philip went and got me some Gatorade and crackers to eat. We all watched as the nurses gave Griggs his first sweet little sponge bath. He screamed and screamed. They swaddled him tight and packed our stuff to walk us down to a recovery room. Moma and Philip helped me walk down the hall, following our sweet baby. Once we got settled in our new room, I had to unwrap him and snuggle a bit with him before dressing him in his very own little gown! I also wanted to swaddle him myself! I could not get enough of my new sweet baby! Finally, my mom hugged me and told me goodnight. Philip and I just sat and snuggled with our new baby. When the nurse came in to check us, we noticed he was very purple on his hands, feet, lips and a little on his trunk. Just for safe measure, we took him down to the nursery to have the charge nurse check him over. This part was a bit nerve wracking for us! I refused to go back to my room. I wanted to stay with Philip and watch through the nursery window until they were through checking my sweet one. Finally, he received the all clear and they warmed him some more and sent us back to our room. Philip went on to sleep, while I sat up with Griggs, nursing him and just holding him. I sat entranced with the beauty of our new baby! I finally placed him in his little hospital bed/cart and drifted off to sleep, so thankful for the miracle blessing God had blessed our family with today!
Philip and I could hardly wait to introduce our first son, William to his new baby brother! We were on pins and needles just waiting for him to arrive at the hospital! While we waited on him to arrive, we were pleasantly surprised with Papa and Mimi’s arrival! They jumped in their car earlier that morning (around 2 a.m.) and drove the long drive up from Wellington to meet Griggs and celebrate with us. It was very special spending that time with them. They ooh-ed and ahhed over him and just hung out with us. We were so very grateful to them for making the trip up for a 24 hour visit! Finally, around lunch, my parents called to say they had picked W up from Cameron’s house and were heading our way. Once they arrived, Philip went down to meet them at the entrance so he could bring William up to see me and meet Griggs. Papa and Mimi snuck out to the waiting area so we could have our little moment. I stood patiently by the door, just listening for my sweet baby. I heard him as he rounded the corner! He was saying to his daddy “Where’s Moma? I am ready to see her….Mommy….” They walked in the room, my baby all grown up, carrying a little present for his new baby, wearing the BIGGEST smile on his face. He saw me and ran straight to me and jumped in my arms! I needed that embrace! I couldn’t believe my baby was now such a big boy, a big brother!! We hugged and kissed and whispered a minute, then we asked him if he was ready to meet baby. He scanned the room and burst into a HUGE grin and said “there HIM is…that’s my baby, awww, he’s so cute!” I held him next to the little bed as we peered over the side. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He kept saying things like “he’s so cute, I love him, awwww, so sweet”. He wanted to kiss and hold his baby! It was more than I could have ever dreamed! He was so warm and welcoming to this new little bundle! There was no doubt his love for his baby brother! It was so heartwarming to experience this first embrace! Philip’s face beamed with love. I could tell he felt exactly the same way I did…blessed beyond measure! Watching William interact with his new baby brother was so comforting and so calming to us. He whole heartedly welcomed Griggs into his heart. We both were so thankful for this and watched in awe as William embraced his new brother! We knew he would love Griggs, but it was very comforting to see how easily he embraced Griggs, and seemed to understand Mommy and Daddy loved both.
I felt God’s love all around us and was so overcome with joy! We spent some time just hugging on our boys and letting William “hold” his new little brother. We also let William and Griggs exchange gifts. I had taken William shopping earlier in the week for a “little baby present” and he’d selected two sweet and snuggly stuffed animals, because he said “baby’s gonna need a snuggle teddy, just like me!”. He was so excited to give Griggs his gift and was so very much appreciative and happy with his “Big Brother Gift”. We’d selected two books for him, one of which will hold a picture from their first embrace! After he’d gotten over the excitement of everything, we welcomed the grandparents in to join us as William opened his “Big Brother Gift” from us. We made him a goodie bag FULL of stuff…stickers, play dough, coloring books, crayons, markers, books, BIG BROTHER shirt, a W personalized tumbler cup with fun bendy straws, etc. He had a blast digging into his goodies while we watched and enjoyed cuddling with Griggs. It was a very dear moment! We had Maggie, Granddaddy, Holden, Papa and Mimi there with us for a while. After a while, Papa and Mimi left to go get some lunch and settle into their hotel. Maggie and Granddaddy decided it was time to take W home so everyone could get some rest. This was extremely emotional on us! I cried and cried. He screamed and cried as Granddaddy carried him down the hall. Maggie cried for me. I knew it was only until tomorrow morning, but I hadn’t emotionally prepared myself for this second “goodbye”. Walking back into the room to see Griggs and Philip waiting on me relieved all my worries. Griggs settled into my arms and we rested while waiting on Gram and Grumps to arrive!!
Gram and Grumps finally arrived later that afternoon to meet Baby Griggs! It was a very dear moment to watch as they met their 2nd grandchild. They were so loving and sweet as they took turns holding him and catching up with us on the delivery story. Gram and Grumps were going to take care of William that night for us, and she made sure she had all my “instructions”…like grandparents need instructions J They headed on over to the house to swap out with my parents with William and we rested some more. At some point during the afternoon, we had a few special and very dear friends stop by to meet Griggs…. Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Betty Sue (our senior pastor and his wife, a week into retirement), Ben and Shani Lee (very close friends) and Tom Sharron (our associate pastor). It was so special to have time to visit with friends.
Papa and Mimi came back over for the late afternoon to bring us some munchies. They visited and shared stories while Griggs and I just snuggled in the bed. It was a very calming way to end the day. As they left, my parents and brother came back by on their way out of town for my sake…I just needed another hug from my Moma and Daddy…it had been such an emotional roller coaster… After they left, Philip and I settled in for the night, dozing in and out of sleep, and chatting about our new bundle of joy. My heart kept saying “Be Still…” “Give Thanks to the Lord”…I felt so saturated in prayer and so full of God’s grace. It was truly a wonderful feeling to me. Through all the (painful) recovery I was enduring and little sleep I was getting, I felt such a sense of calmness throughout me and I know it was God’s loving arms embracing me and carrying me. I can remember sitting there, holding Griggs in my arms, just praying over him and lifting him to the Lord, giving him all the Glory and Praise! I fell deeper in love with my husband as I watched him care for Griggs and care for me. He is a wonderful man of God and an amazing father and loving husband!
By Saturday morning, we were READY to go home! I had talked it over with my nurse, and she agreed I could have a 24 hour delivery check-out, since I’d been there for 2 nights, given his time of birth. All we had to do was wait for the doctor to come and release me. So, we waited and enjoyed our time. Papa and Mimi came back to spend the morning with us and help us pack up our belongings. Gram and Grumps were going to bring William over to us so he could “help” bring his brother home. (Everyone was so understanding of how I had everything planned) Around lunch, we got word from the nurse that I had been released so Gram and Grumps brought William on over to us. We had called Maggie and Granddaddy so they could head back down to our house, so Maggie could be with me to help me settle in at home. William was so excited when he came in, ready to see his brother!! I loved how he was already attached! He helped dress Griggs and hugged and loved on him. When the nurse came in with my wheelchair, I sat, holding Griggs in one arm, while William climbed in my other arm…knowing that was right where he belonged! As Griggs screamed, William tried to help comfort him, sweetly singing “it’s okay, it’s okay, sweet baby boy”…a song I’d come up with over the years singing to him…My heart just melted. We loaded up our two bundles of joy, with me sitting in the back in the middle, and off we went…headed home with our two boys!!
We were on the road…our family of four!!
Our newest blessing from above joined our family on July 2...Our second child, our second son. Griggs John Justiss! What a story to tell. As I sit here 3.5 months (well actually 6.5) later, finally finding the time to capture his birth story, I am in awe at God's love and grace. I am truly humbled. God is so good and faithful. His love does endure forever, through everything. I believe with my whole heart in God and count my blessings. The newest blessing from God in my life came the night my child was born...Oh, how I love my sweet tiny bundle from above!
Let me back up...
Philip and I found out we were expecting our 2nd bundle on Friday, November 6, 2009. We were overcome with joy! Our life was perfect with William, and we couldn't wait to have a new little one join our family! Time ticked away...and then the day finally came..
I can remember every detail of the days leading up to the baby's birth. I can remember soaking up every moment of just "mommy and William" and "our family of 3 time". I wanted to spend my days just enjoying William, knowing his little world was about to be rocked, but in a good way. I can remember planning EVERY detail for William. I remember being so nervous about the thought of leaving my first baby so I could go have another baby. Oh, that was rough. I was VERY torn, but VERY MUCH EXCITED. We made a big deal out of converting our guest room to W's big boy room so the baby could have the nursery. I can recall every detail of the time spent making sure everything was perfect and done for William, while staying up all night by myself, quietly making everything ready for the baby. I loved taking William to "shop" for baby. He had a wonderful time finding a teddy bear and lamb for his new "baby". William was truly excited about the upcoming arrival of his "baby". He loved giving kisses to baby in my belly and singing to the baby. The anticipation....it was wonderful!!
Like I said, I HAD to prepare everything for William! My nesting energy went directly into him!! Ha!! I planned every little detail...packed his overnight bag for him, with a very detailed note about what he was to wear when he came to the hospital for his visits. I basically included a "lesson plan" about his care!! Like my friend would not know how to care for him! I can look back and laugh! I had it planned to a "T" as to who would pick him up and bring him over to see us at the hospital, how Philip would get him in the parking lot and just the two of them would come in together to see me and meet baby...I only wanted our little family. I had William's gift ready for him to bring and had a gift to big brother from baby waiting, as well as big brother gift from us...I tell you, I had to cover EVERY basis! Yep, I was overly in control...but that's a pregnant mommy! Hahaha
Now, back to the story...I had been having off and on Braxton hicks and real contractions for several weeks. Knowing that I needed to time my contractions, and that I was too swollen to wear my watch, Philip was making me wear his watch...daily...I was such the fashion statement! William loved it! He loved telling me to "make sure to check daddy's watch"...can you tell his daddy had talked with him...
I had gone to the dr. for my check-up on June 22, only to learn that I was only dilated 1.5 and that my doctor, the same one who delivered William, the reason I was delivering over in Panama City, was leaving that weekend for his vacation...meaning, unless I delivered before the 25th (our anniversary) or after July 9th, MY DOCTOR WOULD NOT BE HERE! I was a bit heartbroken...I knew deep down there was NO WAY I would have the baby before he left, nor make it until he was back...I was terrified about not knowing the doctor on call... I tried lots of spicy foods that week, just in case, but nothing happened. My dear sweet husband came down with strep throat on June 23rd! I became even more terrified! I began praying that our sweet baby would stay put until daddy was healthy and ready! I knew there was no way I could go through this with out my husband. Prayers were answered and we made it through the strep throat scare and through the weekend. I had an appointment on Monday, June 28th with a new doctor. I was sure I would not like him. Philip and I went to the appointment, me with a closed opinion...I left, dilated 2 cm, and sure I did not like the new dr. Looking back, I didn't like him b/c he was not my Dr. Ingram...I was just stubborn. We talked about what to do if I went into labor over the week and scheduled my next check-up for the following week...July 8th..the day Dr. Ingram would be back...
Well, my contractions continued and the back pain intensified over the next few days and I had a feeling...I cooked the spicy jambalaya recipe from Mimi (the one that brought on labor with William), had Philip cook a spicy meal, then I cooked another spicy meal...I ate tons of pineapple (read it brought on labor), drank tons of water...walked as much as possible, did lunges and even bounced on my exercise ball. I soaked in hot baths every chance I had...I just knew...the time was coming... Wednesday evening I began to really hurt in my back. It was throbbing and I had immense pressure. I called my cousin, Anna to discuss with her...she's had 5, so she's an expert in my opinion! She said it certainly sounded like back labor...just what I thought. Thursday morning came and I felt extreme pain in my back. I took an extra long hot bath that morning and had William sit and play on the bathroom floor nearby while I sat quietly in the tub and prayed. I began timing my contractions and they became very steady and very rapid. I could move from the bed to the floor then the couch then the floor again then the bed. It hurt to walk. My legs were severely cramping and my feet were so swollen. It hurt to do anything. But, it did not hurt like I needed an epidural. I called my nurse and she said to go to the hospital. I called Philip and tried to convince him (through my tears and huffs and whimpers) that I was not in labor and that he was fine to stay at work.. ha! I took a shower and then another bath with William trying to prepare and slow things down. I began calling my mom, just wanting her to be with me. She said she could head down as soon as I said the word. Philip came home and told me we were going.
Now, William's plan had changed a little. My original plan was for him to stay at my friend Jenny's b/c she lived on the way, he'd been to her house for just about every appointment, he loved going to her house to play and I felt confident she would care for him while I was gone. The only problem..she was flying out for a week the very next morning extremely early, therefore she couldn't keep him overnight. She called me crying. My back up was my other dear friend Cameron. She lived 15 mins the other direction, but he'd been to her house plenty of times for her to baby-sit, he loved going to her house to play with her two girls and he loved her and I knew she would take great care of my baby. I had been on the phone several times throughout the day with both Jenny and Cameron. I finally called Cameron and told her I needed to bring him over b/c we were heading to the hospital. She offered to come pick him up, but in my mind, I HAD TO DRIVE HIM AND DROP HIM OFF to keep things as normal as possible for him. Philip came home and helped me pack the car. We headed out in the rain, I mean FLOOD and as we were driving, I wanted to go by the bank and drop off a payment so it would not be late (or forgotten about, b/c in my mind, no one knew how to drop off payments). I made Philip wait in line in the "tube shoot" line so William could get his sucker b/c he always gets a sucker at the bank. I had several contractions in the bank line, yet, my husband, calmly and kindly waited for the sucker for William, just to make me happy. We finally were off. As we pulled into Cameron's driveway, I unbuckled William and carried him through a huge puddle in the driveway. Cameron laughed at me, but patiently let me go over the notes in his bag, show her his snacks and "extra" meals I had packed and talk her through his bedtime routine. We told William he was going to Miss Cameron's house to play with Sydney and Madison on a rainy day. Her mother and sister were there and they too laughed at me and smiled with Philip. I gave William several hugs and kisses (in between contractions) and on this day, he calmly hugged me back and said "love you mommy, see you later". I was so hesitant to leave. Philip had to practically drag me out the door. Cameron hugged me and reassured me he would be just fine. 10 mins after leaving, I had to call her and remind her he was beginning to potty train and that she needed to remind him. She was an angel and was so very patient with me. She'd been through the same thing and knew my heart.
It took us an hour and twenty mins to drive to the hospital through the flooding rain. The roads were extremely crowded and lots of standing water on the roads, but my dear husband was extremely calm and drove ever so carefully through the rains. As we drove, I noticed my contractions had somewhat slowed, yet my back was intense and the pressure was beyond measure. We decided to wait to find out “boy” or “girl” until our baby was born. To me, it’s just so exciting and fun! Philip was convinced this baby was a girl because the pregnancies had been so very different. He was certain of it. I, on the other hand, was not so certain. I didn’t really have a strong feeling either way. I was not so convinced. I would bounce back and forth, but never a strong feeling either way. As we got closer and I began nesting and pulling out all of William’s baby things, I could begin to imagine a boy…but I chalked it up to the fact that I was surrounded by baby boy stuff. I do remember thinking to myself and finally telling Philip that I had a very strong feeling we were going to have another boy. Again, we had not found out what the baby was, so it was surprising to me that I had such a strong feeling.
We arrived at the hospital around 3ish and Philip dropped me off at the front with my pillow and small bag to wait while he parked the car. As soon as he came in the door, we shot to the elevator and went straight to the Labor and Delivery floor. I was swaying by this point and bent over, arching my back for relief. The nurses chuckled at me and admitted me to triage for checking. Nurse Dawn began the process and checked me to discover I was approximately 2.5 cm and that not many contractions were showing on the monitor. I began to cry and she reassured me that I would be okay. My next step was to walk the halls for 45 mins in the hopes that I would "make more progress". So, off we went...Philip and a very pregnant and very much in pain mommy to be. I waddled around the halls while my legs cramped and my feet hurt. I cried a bit, I laughed at the humor of it, I prayed. I nibbled on ice chips. I begged to sit down, but my faithful "coach" made me keep walking. Finally, the time passed and Nurse Dawn said I could be checked again. Barely any progress...I cried more. I was so scared they were going to send me home in the rain...it takes us 50 minutes to get to the hospital, then time to pick up William..you get the picture. She said my contractions weren't showing up that much, but she assured me she believed me about the back labor, which would not show up on the monitor. About that time, the lady who would be in charge (she is a midwife and that surprised me) came in to talk with me. She checked me and felt my water bag "bulging" and said the words I wanted to hear..."you are too close to go home! let's get you checked in!" Philip grabbed my hand and calmly reassured me everything was going to be okay. Next thing I heard was my mom's sweet voice in the hall right outside my room! They had made it down! I began crying again at the sight of my mom and dad. They helped Philip get me settled in my delivery room (around 5ish) and began making phone calls for us. Holden was there too and he was so very full of questions. He was so excited to be there. Shortly after that my brother, Hunter and my grandparents arrived. It was a welcome sight and helped take my mind off things.
My labor was a bit long. I hurt deep in my back. I could manage getting through the contractions by either sitting still and quiet or by swaying in the bed. I remember making small talk conversation with anyone in the room. I even booked two lake rentals for our lake house :) Nurse Dawn ended her shift and brought in the night nurse, Brandy. She was AMAZING!! She was everything I needed in a nurse! She checked me around 7and I was about 4.5 cm. I finally requested my epidural. It was intense by this point. I talked the entire time to the doctor administering the epidural and just about lost it when Philip's face showed he had seen the SIZE of the needle! The doctor was perfect in keeping me calm and talking me through the process. Brandy was right there too, encouraging me to be still. About minutes after getting settled in bed with my sweet epidural, my body began itching like crazy. I thought I would rip my skin off! Brandy quickly acted and got me some benedryl! I later had to have another dose b/c I could not stop strachting myself and had actually scratched through the skin on my back and side of my belly. Ha! What a story!! My contractions were still not consistent on the monitor, but they reassured me I was making progress and that it was due to my back labor. Around 9:45 p.m. I was about 5 cm dilated and they decided I needed an intrauterine contraction monitor. Around 10:30 Brandy got me set with my new monitor and I was about 5.5 cm and sure enough the new monitor was showing major contractions! Finally, around 11 pm, I reached 6 cm. I suddenly realized I had forgotten my “Welcome Baby” scrapbook page in the car.
So, thinking I still had a while, I sent Philip down to the car to get it for me. I wanted to have it with me b/c I wanted everyone to sign it and write little “welcome baby” notes. Philip went down to the car and stopped to get coffee and stretch his legs for a while…because we all thought I still had a ways to go. My mom, Hunter and Grannymart were in the room with me, helping pass the time. Moma was sitting on the bed next to me, rubbing my back and brushing my hair. Hunter was beginning to get a bit restless and I found that amusing. I remember feeling like I wanted to jump straight up off the bed, but not hurting. My legs felt funny and I began to feel a slight pressure, but not the urge to push (like I had with William). Philip still had not made it back from the car and I was beginning to worry about him. About that time, my nurse walked in to check on me. She asked me how I felt because my monitor was showing “head compression contractions”. I had everyone step behind the curtain while she checked me. Her words were “Yep! This baby is here and is coming fast! Where is your husband?” With that, I screamed for Hunter to FIND PHILIP! He ran off to find him while I sent him a text that said “GET BACK!” My dad and Holden came to give me one more hug and kiss while Moma frantically tried to straighten the room so the baby nurses could get in. Hunter came barreling back into the room and said he couldn’t find Philip, but that he did get him on the phone and told him I needed him. Hunter then began to help Moma try to fold back up the chair so there was room. The nurses were in there getting “set up” and Daddy was trying to get everyone to leave. Finally, Philip came back in with a puzzled look. He asked me if this was serious and couldn’t figure out what was going on. I began telling Hunter and Moma they had to leave because this baby was coming! They quickly ran out and within two seconds of them leaving the doctor was set and I was ready to push! Philip and I were in shock at how fast this was all happening. I only pushed two (2) small pushes and the doctor and nurses shouted “OKAY, BABY IS HERE, HOLD ON!” Then the doctor said “there’s two…” I sat right up and said “TWO BABIES??” We all laughed at first, then she explained that they were seeing two loops of the cord. The cord was tightly wrapped around my baby’s neck twice. Fear began to set in and I felt myself tremble. I looked up at Philip and began crying. Within a split second she had the baby in her arms and had removed the cord. Our baby was born at 12:08 a.m. on July 2, 2010! She looked at us and said “Who wants to know….” Philip and I both looked together and said “IT’S A BOY!!”. I just melted…Philip was in shock! I reached for my baby boy…my 2nd baby boy!! He was beautiful!! All the nurses and the doctor were huddled around us, nudging the baby, patting his back until finally, we heard the faintest, softest cry. He was blue all over, and slowly began to pink up. I sat there, holding him briefly, crying and saying over and over “I love you baby boy of mine”. The baby nurses quickly grabbed him from me to do all the “baby” stuff with him. They quickly measured him, weighed him, took baby footprints, etc. before they finally brought him back to me. I sat there in the bed, crying tears of joy and happiness. I wanted to hold my baby! I was a bit frightened (to say the least) at the fact that the cord had been wrapped so tightly twice and that he came out so blue. I needed to hold my baby. They kept reassuring me he was doing perfect and there was no concern, but having them snatch him from me and do all the “new baby stuff” while I sat and waited was torture to me. It took 20 minutes for them to finish. I kept asking them to please bring him to me and pushing Philip over to him to hold his hand. I think the nurse finally realized she was taking too long and she quickly bundled him up and brought him to me. I sat and held our new baby and cried. I sang to him and prayed over him. I wanted to take everything in and capture the moment in my mind. Philip was amazing and stayed right by my side and loved on Griggs and me. We both were in shock at how fast he came! I still couldn’t believe what had just happened! I was in love! Again! He weighed in at an adorable 6 lbs 12 oz and was 19 inches long! Just perfect! Just simply perfect!!
We had our second child! Our second bundle of joy, and he was just perfect! Philip and I just took him in our arms and cried together and laughed and cuddled. We asked the nurses to send in our family. Once everyone was in the room, we announced we had a new BABY BOY! Everyone squealed with delight! They laughed and smiled. We had our new baby boy…GRIGGS JOHN JUSTISS! Griggs (after his maternal great-grandfather‘s sir name, Hugo Griggs and my mom’s maiden name Margaret Griggs Green) John (after his daddy, Philip John Justiss and his paternal grandfather John Justiss). Everyone was so excited and happy! It was such a special moment. My mom just burst into tears once she heard the name. She was so surprised that we gave our baby her maiden name. Poppi was tickled as well. He kept telling the nurses “He’s named after my Sir name!” I think I will always remember their reactions. Grannymart had such a sweet smile on her face and such joy in her eyes. It was a memorable moment for sure. My daddy (Granddaddy) just giggled and giggled and congratulated Philip on having another son, another best friend for life. My brothers were so proud too. Everyone took pictures and signed the scrapbook page while taking turns meeting Griggs. It was an incredible experience. We also called Gram, Grumps, Papa and Mimi to tell them the news. They were just beside themselves! We felt their love and excitement through the phone. They were so very excited and told us they were heading up in the morning!
We hugged everyone good night and got ready to settle in for the night. My wonderful mother stayed with me for several hours, helping with my shower and Griggs’ first feeding. The sweet nurse brought me a turkey sandwich and Philip went and got me some Gatorade and crackers to eat. We all watched as the nurses gave Griggs his first sweet little sponge bath. He screamed and screamed. They swaddled him tight and packed our stuff to walk us down to a recovery room. Moma and Philip helped me walk down the hall, following our sweet baby. Once we got settled in our new room, I had to unwrap him and snuggle a bit with him before dressing him in his very own little gown! I also wanted to swaddle him myself! I could not get enough of my new sweet baby! Finally, my mom hugged me and told me goodnight. Philip and I just sat and snuggled with our new baby. When the nurse came in to check us, we noticed he was very purple on his hands, feet, lips and a little on his trunk. Just for safe measure, we took him down to the nursery to have the charge nurse check him over. This part was a bit nerve wracking for us! I refused to go back to my room. I wanted to stay with Philip and watch through the nursery window until they were through checking my sweet one. Finally, he received the all clear and they warmed him some more and sent us back to our room. Philip went on to sleep, while I sat up with Griggs, nursing him and just holding him. I sat entranced with the beauty of our new baby! I finally placed him in his little hospital bed/cart and drifted off to sleep, so thankful for the miracle blessing God had blessed our family with today!
Philip and I could hardly wait to introduce our first son, William to his new baby brother! We were on pins and needles just waiting for him to arrive at the hospital! While we waited on him to arrive, we were pleasantly surprised with Papa and Mimi’s arrival! They jumped in their car earlier that morning (around 2 a.m.) and drove the long drive up from Wellington to meet Griggs and celebrate with us. It was very special spending that time with them. They ooh-ed and ahhed over him and just hung out with us. We were so very grateful to them for making the trip up for a 24 hour visit! Finally, around lunch, my parents called to say they had picked W up from Cameron’s house and were heading our way. Once they arrived, Philip went down to meet them at the entrance so he could bring William up to see me and meet Griggs. Papa and Mimi snuck out to the waiting area so we could have our little moment. I stood patiently by the door, just listening for my sweet baby. I heard him as he rounded the corner! He was saying to his daddy “Where’s Moma? I am ready to see her….Mommy….” They walked in the room, my baby all grown up, carrying a little present for his new baby, wearing the BIGGEST smile on his face. He saw me and ran straight to me and jumped in my arms! I needed that embrace! I couldn’t believe my baby was now such a big boy, a big brother!! We hugged and kissed and whispered a minute, then we asked him if he was ready to meet baby. He scanned the room and burst into a HUGE grin and said “there HIM is…that’s my baby, awww, he’s so cute!” I held him next to the little bed as we peered over the side. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He kept saying things like “he’s so cute, I love him, awwww, so sweet”. He wanted to kiss and hold his baby! It was more than I could have ever dreamed! He was so warm and welcoming to this new little bundle! There was no doubt his love for his baby brother! It was so heartwarming to experience this first embrace! Philip’s face beamed with love. I could tell he felt exactly the same way I did…blessed beyond measure! Watching William interact with his new baby brother was so comforting and so calming to us. He whole heartedly welcomed Griggs into his heart. We both were so thankful for this and watched in awe as William embraced his new brother! We knew he would love Griggs, but it was very comforting to see how easily he embraced Griggs, and seemed to understand Mommy and Daddy loved both.
I felt God’s love all around us and was so overcome with joy! We spent some time just hugging on our boys and letting William “hold” his new little brother. We also let William and Griggs exchange gifts. I had taken William shopping earlier in the week for a “little baby present” and he’d selected two sweet and snuggly stuffed animals, because he said “baby’s gonna need a snuggle teddy, just like me!”. He was so excited to give Griggs his gift and was so very much appreciative and happy with his “Big Brother Gift”. We’d selected two books for him, one of which will hold a picture from their first embrace! After he’d gotten over the excitement of everything, we welcomed the grandparents in to join us as William opened his “Big Brother Gift” from us. We made him a goodie bag FULL of stuff…stickers, play dough, coloring books, crayons, markers, books, BIG BROTHER shirt, a W personalized tumbler cup with fun bendy straws, etc. He had a blast digging into his goodies while we watched and enjoyed cuddling with Griggs. It was a very dear moment! We had Maggie, Granddaddy, Holden, Papa and Mimi there with us for a while. After a while, Papa and Mimi left to go get some lunch and settle into their hotel. Maggie and Granddaddy decided it was time to take W home so everyone could get some rest. This was extremely emotional on us! I cried and cried. He screamed and cried as Granddaddy carried him down the hall. Maggie cried for me. I knew it was only until tomorrow morning, but I hadn’t emotionally prepared myself for this second “goodbye”. Walking back into the room to see Griggs and Philip waiting on me relieved all my worries. Griggs settled into my arms and we rested while waiting on Gram and Grumps to arrive!!
Gram and Grumps finally arrived later that afternoon to meet Baby Griggs! It was a very dear moment to watch as they met their 2nd grandchild. They were so loving and sweet as they took turns holding him and catching up with us on the delivery story. Gram and Grumps were going to take care of William that night for us, and she made sure she had all my “instructions”…like grandparents need instructions J They headed on over to the house to swap out with my parents with William and we rested some more. At some point during the afternoon, we had a few special and very dear friends stop by to meet Griggs…. Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Betty Sue (our senior pastor and his wife, a week into retirement), Ben and Shani Lee (very close friends) and Tom Sharron (our associate pastor). It was so special to have time to visit with friends.
Papa and Mimi came back over for the late afternoon to bring us some munchies. They visited and shared stories while Griggs and I just snuggled in the bed. It was a very calming way to end the day. As they left, my parents and brother came back by on their way out of town for my sake…I just needed another hug from my Moma and Daddy…it had been such an emotional roller coaster… After they left, Philip and I settled in for the night, dozing in and out of sleep, and chatting about our new bundle of joy. My heart kept saying “Be Still…” “Give Thanks to the Lord”…I felt so saturated in prayer and so full of God’s grace. It was truly a wonderful feeling to me. Through all the (painful) recovery I was enduring and little sleep I was getting, I felt such a sense of calmness throughout me and I know it was God’s loving arms embracing me and carrying me. I can remember sitting there, holding Griggs in my arms, just praying over him and lifting him to the Lord, giving him all the Glory and Praise! I fell deeper in love with my husband as I watched him care for Griggs and care for me. He is a wonderful man of God and an amazing father and loving husband!
By Saturday morning, we were READY to go home! I had talked it over with my nurse, and she agreed I could have a 24 hour delivery check-out, since I’d been there for 2 nights, given his time of birth. All we had to do was wait for the doctor to come and release me. So, we waited and enjoyed our time. Papa and Mimi came back to spend the morning with us and help us pack up our belongings. Gram and Grumps were going to bring William over to us so he could “help” bring his brother home. (Everyone was so understanding of how I had everything planned) Around lunch, we got word from the nurse that I had been released so Gram and Grumps brought William on over to us. We had called Maggie and Granddaddy so they could head back down to our house, so Maggie could be with me to help me settle in at home. William was so excited when he came in, ready to see his brother!! I loved how he was already attached! He helped dress Griggs and hugged and loved on him. When the nurse came in with my wheelchair, I sat, holding Griggs in one arm, while William climbed in my other arm…knowing that was right where he belonged! As Griggs screamed, William tried to help comfort him, sweetly singing “it’s okay, it’s okay, sweet baby boy”…a song I’d come up with over the years singing to him…My heart just melted. We loaded up our two bundles of joy, with me sitting in the back in the middle, and off we went…headed home with our two boys!!
We were on the road…our family of four!!
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William 2 years old
William 2 years old
William loves swinging on our front porch. 15 months old
I love this picture...he's looking up at his daddy
