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!!