Happy 3 Months, Little Man!

Has it seriously been 3 whole months since Little Man officially joined our family? Wowzers!

B.K. is now a healthy 12 pound little cutie, with the deepest blue eyes and the sweetest smile. He's such a laid-back little guy, although he still is a complete night owl and keeps Mama up til the wee hours of the morning. He is currently still wearing 0-3 months size clothes, size 1 diapers, and he's now in a size 1 shoe, though I rarely ever put shoes on him. He's a total Mama's boy, and I'm not complaining about that. :)

News on the family front: Daddy officially has undergone "The Big V." Yep, we are officially and permanently done with having biological children. The fact of the matter is, it's just too big of a risk on my health, as well as baby's, for me to get pregnant again. Along with prayer, my doctor's advice, and counsel from our loved ones, we decided that this was the best decision and if we are meant to have any more children, it will be via adoption. {And I hope that's a journey we will one day be able to make.}

Well, that's all for tonight. This week officially starts SPRING CLEANING for the Morrison household. I'll be blogging along the way to a clean and organized home. Wish me luck!

Healthy Lifestyle Journey Continues

Hi, all. I'm glad to have a few minutes to spare to write this blog. As I've mentioned before, it's been difficult adjusting since little mister joined us. Three kids are a handful, I tell ya!

Today, I want to post on our journey towards a healthier lifestyle. As you might know, we have been on a {mostly} organic diet for a little while now, and I don't regret that move one bit. As I've been more and more educated and aware about what is actually in the foods we eat, the more I want to keep our diet as healthy and all natural as possible. To be honest, I'm not a super stickler about being 100% organic. We still go out to eat regularly, but at home I try to keep it as organic and all natural to the best of my ability. It's about balance and moderation, I believe. I don't deny us our family pizza nights or lunch after church with friends/family, but I try to make sure we're just not bogging ourselves down with unnatural, empty calories and man-made, chemical ingredients that will do harm to our bodies in the long run.

Along with diet, I've been more and more interested in holistic medicine. Similar to how I don't want to eat chemical and unnatural ingredients in my food, I also don't want to consume them in the form of medicines (unless it's absolutely necessary). My personal belief on medicines is that in most cases, while they relieve symptoms, they do not address the cause, and in most cases, they are doing harm to another part of your body. Tylenol, for example, will relieve your headache, but it also is harmful to your liver. Anywho, I am becoming more and more educated and interested in essential oils, not only used medicinally, but for various uses. I might have mentioned before, but I'm currently taking a class on the Healing Oils of the Bible. It is such an interesting class and it points out numerous verses of the Bible where it describes how God gave us plants to heal us. How amazing is that? There is even a book by the same author on the chemistry of essential oils, so if you're scientifically minded and interested in knowing the exact science behind essential oils, I'd definitely recommend you check it out. Now, I'm not currently using essential oils at this point, because I want to get as educated as possible before experimenting around with this, but I can definitely say that I'm convinced and we will be trying different oils out in the very near future. If you are interested in essential oils, I just recommend you do your research and become educated about it before diving into it, and also get educated about the brand of oils you choose, and make sure they are 100% pure and therapeutic grade, and that's all I'll say about that.

I realize my outlook on diet and medicine doesn't exactly go along with the norm. In mainstream America, most people don't even think at all on these things. Everything in American culture is about convenience, and unfortunately, I believe that may be part of the cause in most health issues today, such as obesity, diabetes, and even some cancers. You can do you're own research, but I'm just sharing what I believe and my lifestyle. As a Christian, I believe my body is a "temple," and it was bought with a price! It's my responsibility to take care of this body to the best of my ability. I'm not OK with just sitting idly by and not knowing or caring what I'm putting into my body, or especially the bodies of my children! I want to preserve our health to the best of my ability, and it all starts with getting educated.

Well, that's really want I want to touch on today. This is something I really believe in, and although I'm new to this natural, healthier lifestyle, I'm learning and adjusting more and more each day. I'll continue to update on our journey. The next step (for me at least) is my journey to eating gluten-free, but that's another post for another day.

Until next time,

Is there a difference?

Can you tell a difference between boys and girls now that you have both? I get asked this question all the time. And the answer, of course, is YES! There is a huge difference!

Having a boy has been quite a learning experience for me. Having girls was no problem. I've helped take care of my three younger sisters, so adding Elena and Ivy into our lives was a breeze when it came to knowing what I was doing, how to care for them, etc. But I was clueless when it came to having a boy.

First of all, the differences in the pregnancies of girls vs. boys was quite pronounced. I had to deal with HG with all three pregnancies, but it was much worse and lasted much longer with the girls. While the morning sickness was extremely rough with my boy, too, it ended around 18 weeks while with the girls it lasted pretty much the entire pregnancy. I carried my boy much lower than the girls. I looked completely different when I was pregnant with Brady than with the girls. Even though I still didn't get very big, I was considerably bigger than I got with either girl. It was all due to how I carried, because I didn't gain any weight with Elena, I only gained 2 pounds with Ivy, and I didn't gain any with Brady either. (To clarify, I actually lost weight with all of them, and gained some back, but I only gained back to my pre-pregnancy weight with Ivy, if that makes sense.) My skin reacted very differently to being pregnant with a boy, too. With the girls, my hormones were crazy and I broke out worse than I ever did when I was a teen, but with my boy, I had the clearest skin I've ever had. I was disappointed because within a couple of days of him being born, I got a pimple. I was hoping that pretty, clear skin would last forever! That's all I can think of at the moment of pregnancy differences.

When it comes to differences after the baby is actually here, of course, there's anatomy. Changing a boy's diaper is much more difficult in my opinion. Everyone always told me boys were easier to clean, but I say that's completely untrue. The only thing about changing a girl is making sure to wipe front to back. While you are free to wipe ever which way you want with a boy, you must do it carefully, and quickly. We must not forget that little cannon that aims right for you and can go off at any time. Luckily for me, I've only gotten peed on once so far, and it was only my hand, not my face or mouth like some of the horror stories I've heard. I like to think that's pretty good stats for 2 months worth of diaper changing. Also, there are two little "jingle bells" that get in the way that you must be extremely careful with, and poo likes to get all up in every little crack and crevice of the skin in that area, which makes it seem like it takes forever to get him clean. All this {graphic?} description to explain, it's harder to change diapers of a boy.

Keeping Mom up all night

Also, my boy is a Momma's boy, for sure! I was told before Brady was born that boys are clingier to their moms, but I thought for sure that had to do with individual personality more than gender. I have to say, however, that is proving to be true with my boy. It seems that NO ONE can soothe him other than me. Not Jake, not my mom, no one. We left him with my mom for about 4 hours while Jake and I went to dinner and a movie and Mom said he fussed the whole time. As soon as I picked him up, though, he was fine. He just wants his mommy. It's completely exhausting sometimes, but I'm trying to cherish each little moment with his as a newborn, because I know this is my last baby to wake me up all night and want me to hold them every single minute of the day. Jake says he's spoiled, but can a two month old really even be spoiled? Is that even possible? 

Now as far as personality goes, that's different with every baby, not specifically tied to different genders. Brady is really laid-back most of the time, and he reminds me alot of Elena when she was a baby. I'm interested to see how his personality develops as he gets a bit older. He practically never cries, only when he's hungry or when he poos. He is a night owl, though. I'm trying my best to get him on a schedule, but that's easier said than done. 

All in all, I can definitely tell a difference in between boys and girls, even at this early stage, but I know the differences are going to get even more obvious as he gets older. My girls' personalities are almost opposite of each other, so I'm interested to know how Brady's going to mix in with these two. 

Well, that's all for now. Before I go, I have to share this cute pic of little man pouting at his dad last night. He sticks that bottom lip out so far! It's too darn cute.

Until next time,

Late, late nights

Boy, oh, boy. I have certainly not missed these newborn nights, but here we are again. Little man is now 8 weeks old, crazy right? He's a really easy going, laid back baby, but pretty much as soon as it's time for me to go to sleep he acts like he's completely famished, and we spend pretty much all night getting up and down feeding the little fella. He's pretty much (in the day time) the easiest baby I've had so far, but at night, GEEZ LOUISE he's needy. He basically wants to keep a bottle in his mouth all night long, whether he's actually drinking from it or not, and he will not take a pacifier, so it's just exhausting. I'm not complaining though, because for the most part, I enjoy the silence of the night, just he and I cuddling. I think I'm cherishing that a lot more this time around since I know this is going to be my last time doing it. I am absolutely exhausted, though, and a good night's sleep would do me a world of good.

I definitely am doing well, postpartum-wise, and I am slowly getting into a "normal" routine. The past couple of weeks have thrown me off, because we all have been fighting the stomach virus that's been going around. It seems as soon as one of us gets over it, another one of us gets it. Poor Elena has thrown up almost every night for two weeks straight, but I think *fingers crossed* that she is finally over it. Other than that, though, it seems like my little world is calming down a bit, and I'm getting used to having three kids to take care of. I've also been a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of person, more spontaneous I suppose, but I'm now realizing how to make this work I'm definitely going to need more structure, a set routine day to day, and I'm working on getting the  girls on a set schedule as well. It'll be good for us anyways, as we will soon be on a schedule for homeschooling, so I might as well get them used to it now.

Since I'm getting back into the swing of things, I have some good blog posts coming up, and I have another little project in the works, so I'll hopefully have some news on that soon, but until then...

Another Loss

If you follow me on Twitter, than you know my family has suffered yet another loss. My aunt passed away last Monday, and I have to say, it's going to take me quite a while to recover from this one. I haven't been able to write about it until now...I've basically just been in a fog the past week while dealing with the funeral, burial, spending time with family, etc.

My Aunt Chris was a very special lady. She was such a rock in our family, someone I knew I could always go to and count on. She's done a lot for me throughout my life. She was a person who loved unconditionally. She meant a lot to me, and I'm going to miss her terribly.

She had been battling cancer for a couple of years, but lost her battle after several rounds of chemo didn't work. I know she's in a better place, and she was ready to answer the Lord's call, too. She had such a strong faith. She loved the Lord, and I have no doubt at all where she is now. Before she passed she wouldn't let anyone put shoes on her because she said she wanted to feel the streets of gold with her bare feet.

I just wanted to update on where I've been, and why I've not been blogging. It's just been hard right now. All is well with little man, though. He's still keeping me up all night, but I'm savoring each moment.

Until next time, (and hopefully I'll have a happier post)

Scentsy!

Ok, I just wanted to pop on here really quick to announce that I am now an independent Scentsy consultant! I am excited to become a part of the Scentsy team, and I'm proud to be representing a brand that I truly believe in. If you, like me, like your home to be warm, inviting, and smell wonderful, you should check out Scentsy!

I used to order candles from a specific company based out of Texas because there was no comparison. The scent throw of those candles were the best of the best. But, now that Elena is tall enough to reach all the counters and Ivy is toddling around, burning candles didn't seem like the best idea. (Plus Elena would always blow them out.) So, I tried several different wax warmers, including the Better Homes and Gardens brand ones from Walmart, but there is absolutely no comparison. I can "burn" one little square of the Scentsy wax, and the whole house will smell like paradise. I can't even smell the BH&G wax in the same room it's burning in!

Because I fell in love with Scentsy so much, I decided that it would be a great opportunity for me to contribute to our household income by becoming a Scentsy consultant. Lord knows we could use the extra income now that we have three kiddos to provide for, and I think it's an great way to connect with my friends and family who are interested in Scentsy products.

Well, I just wanted to share how excited I am to take on this little business venture, and if you or anyone you know are interested in Scentsy products, feel free to contact me or check out my Scentsy website: cameronmorrison.scentsy.us <Shameless plug! :)>

Brady at home update

Well, today marks 1 month since little man was born, and it has seriously been one heck of a roller coaster ride. We actually brought him home two weeks ago, today. Let me just go ahead and say, he is such a good baby! He is very content, hardly ever cries unless he's hungry, and he's just all-around easy going and laid back, which I'm very thankful for. I must say, however, going from two to three has been quite the adjustment. The hardest part for me right now is constantly pumping. I had been trying to get off pumping completely and get B to directly breastfeed, but he'd get tired so quickly that I'd have to finish feeding him from a bottle every time. Then, I came down with a horrible kidney infection and had to "pump and dump" while I was on the pain medication, so we had to feed him the breastmilk I had stored while he was in the NICU. So, all this time getting a bottle has made transitioning to the breast seem impossible. It's like he's forgotten how to latch, and its very frustrating. (Any mommas with advice on this, please let me know!)

Going home, 2 weeks old

Anyways, Brady is doing very well. I was super nervous bringing him home from the NICU because I was so scared something would go wrong or his pneumothorax would come back or something, but he's done great. He is up to 7 pounds now, so he's still a tiny little guy and he's still fitting very comfortably in newborn size clothes and newborn size diapers.

His big sisters love him to death, and Elena is great at helping mommy with him. She likes to hold him and help feed him. She also is great fetching things like a burp cloth or wipes if I need them suddenly. It's nice to have a little helper around! Ivy wants to get him so bad. I'm convinced she thinks he's a baby doll because when she sees him, her little face lights up and she tries to grab for him. We are definitely keeping her at a distance so she doesn't hurt him because I know she doesn't understand to be gentle yet.

All in all, right now we're still adjusting. It's absolutely wonderful having little man home, and I'm so blessed to have three beautiful, well-behaved, happy children. I look forward to the day when Brady starts sleeping through the night, but until then, I'm embracing the tiredness because that means he's home with us, and he's healthy and thriving and I couldn't ask for more.

Until my next sleep deprived update,

Birth Story Continued: On to the NICU

Today marks 1 week since little Mr. Brady Kyle came into this world. In a way, it feels like a complete blur, probably because I've pretty much been in an exhausted stupor since the birth. On the other hand, it feels like it's been a month because of all the running back and forth between home and the hospital, trying to take the best care of the girls without upsetting their lives too much, and trying to get things done at home while pumping like mad.

To continue my story...

Brady was taken to the nursery right after the birth and about 3 hours later, Jake and I were able walk down the nursery and go in and see him. They had already put a nasal cannula on him and were giving him oxygen, but it seemed he was still struggling. Unfortunately, the hospital I delivered in doesn't have a NICU, so the pediatrician said they were going to have to transfer him to the next city over, where the best NICU around was located. The other hospital was already getting at team together to come get him. 

It was so fast by the time the NICU team came to talk to us, and they put him in the oddest looking contraption for transport. They brought him in our room so we could say goodbye. He looked pitiful; he had tubes and wires all over him, and we couldn't even touch him. The next thing I knew, they were gone, and I was a complete wreck. As soon as they left, I just started bawling. I couldn't believe I wasn't even going to be in the same place as my baby. And on top of that, Jake had to go pick up the girls and take them home, so it looked like I was going to be in the hospital all by myself that night, and I didn't think I could handle it.

I had a wonderful nurse. When she came in and saw me crying, she checked me and asked how I was feeling. I had been up and walking ever since delivery, and I told her I felt fine and wasn't in any sort of pain, so she was kind enough to get the doctor who was there that night to come check me and see if I could be discharged so I could go be with the baby. Thankfully, he said I could go, so after they finished up with all my paperwork and I got dressed, we got to leave around 8 pm. (I couldn't believe they let me go less than 12 hours after delivery, but thank God they did!) We headed straight for the other hospital to see Brady. We obviously didn't get much info. that first night. We basically just stared at him and cried for a while.

Fast forward a couple of days: They finally caught that he had a pnuemothorax on his right side when they did a chest X-ray. They first tried to remove it with just a needle, but it built back up again, so a chest tube was inserted in hopes of draining the extra air from the outside of his lung. He pulled out his IV, so they had to put an umbilical line in as well. He also was put on a C-pap to keep his lungs open. Our poor little guy had tubes and wires all over him. He was huffing and puffing like a freight train, and he just seemed to be in distress all the time. It was hard to see him like that.

Elena meeting her little brother.

The rest of the days seem like a blur. He was first taken off the C-pap and the warmer. The next day, he was taken off the oxygen completely. He's breathing had improved so much! His chest tube had to be re-positioned because it wasn't getting to the air, though. They also started feeding him the breast milk I had been pumping through a tube. He didn't handle it well at first, and they stopped feedings, but the next day they tried again, and he's been improving ever since then. His billirubin levels got really high, so he had to be under the big blue lights for a day, but he is off that now as well. 

As of today, he'll be having his umbilical line removed and replaced by a PICC line. Also, he had his chest tube replaced again because he pulled it loose, and they also started him on antibiotics just in case of infection where he pulled the chest tube loose. 

We still aren't sure when he'll be able to come home. The pneumothorax hasn't improved much, so that's basically the main thing we're waiting on. Also, once that is taken care of, he'll have to be able to eat from breast/bottle completely before they can send him home. So far, they've only tried to feed him with a nipple once, and it didn't go well at all, so they said they'll keep feeding him through the tube and keep trying periodically to nipple feed him, so I just got to keep pumping. I expect it'll be at least another week, maybe longer before we're talking about bringing him home, which breaks my heart, but I want to do anything to make him better!

We just asked for continued prayers for our little guy! 

Until next time,

Birth Story: The Basics

Sunday, January 20th, 2013 was a pretty exciting day. My family had decided to throw me a baby "sprinkle." This was my third pregnancy, so we just had a little party with immediate family to celebrate our little boy on the way, and we just had some cake and there were a few little presents. It was nice just to get to spend time with the family and really celebrate the fact that a new life was about to brought into this world. It was a little extra exciting for everyone since the baby is a boy, because until now, we've only had girls for years, so everyone was excited to buy some blue.

After the aunts and cousins headed home, we decided to hang out for a little while with my grandma and my mom. While doing so, I started having some contractions (around 8 pm), but I didn't think anything of it since I'd been having contractions every night for about a month. They started off around every 3 minutes and stayed that way for about an hour, and then they stopped. (Like every night.) Of course, my mom and grandma were both stressing, saying, "You better start heading to the hospital," and, "Are you sure we don't need to go on to the hospital? Better safe than sorry," and blah, blah, blah. I kept trying to convince them, no, this was not it. This happens every night. I'm fine. It's just false labor.

Then, they started up again. Now, I do have to say, they were definitely uncomfortable, but not extremely painful, so again I wasn't worried. After enough nagging, however, I finally decided we should head to the hospital, but I still didn't believe it was the real deal. My guess was I was probably a bit dehydrated, they would just give me some IV fluids and send me home like before. The contractions kept stopping and starting, but not getting any stronger, so I was positive this wasn't real labor.

We arrived at the hospital around midnight, and went through the whole checking in process, which  we all know is a pain in the behind, but then she said she was going to check me for dilation. "Greeaaat," I thought. I don't know about you, but I think "getting checked" is one of the worst parts of labor. It hurts! And of course, I always get the nurse with the short, chubby fingers, so...yeah, no visual needed. Anyway, she dug around for what seemed like forever, and finally said, "Your a little over a 4." 

"Um...excuse me? A 4? As in, 4 centimeters dilated?!"

"Yep, I'm going to go ahead and start your IV."

Yeah. We all were shocked. I had no idea I was dilated at all. I was not prepared for this! I didn't even have my hospital bag packed, let alone with me. I wasn't supposed to be in labor yet. I was only 35 1/2 weeks! (Fun fact: I went into labor the exact same day of the pregnancy as I did with Elena.)

We basically just hung out listening to the heart beat and watching my contractions on the monitor for a few hours, but every time the nurse came in to check me, I was still a little over a 4. My contractions were still consistent, but they were not increasing in intensity. I honestly wasn't all that uncomfortable, and I stayed that way until the next morning. My OB/GYN came in and checked me and decided that I probably wasn't going to progress any more until my water had broken. She was about to do a C-section, and gave me the amount of time it took to do the surgery to decide if I wanted an epidural, because until then I had decided to go natural since my last epidural experience was so traumatic. 

At this point, I was pretty much freaking out. I hadn't slept all night, and I was questioning myself on the whole natural birth decision. I just thought after being awake for over 24 hours I wasn't going to be able to handle natural birth. I wasn't in pain, yet, but I knew how fast I tend to go after my water breaks, so after debating for several hours, and talking to the anesthesiologist THREE times, I finally sucked up the courage and went through with the epidural. 

Around ten minutes later, the doctor came in a broke my water. I laid there for a few minutes waiting for the epidural to kick in, and noticed I was still feeling the contractions. They actually didn't really intensify at all, and I figured it was going to be a while before little man would actually arrive, so I just tried to relax.

15 minutes later, however, I felt different. Baby boy had decended into the birth canal and I felt EVERY bit of it.

*Yeah...after the drama of debating over the stinking epidural, it didn't even work! The only thing that went numb was my left thigh. Looks like I was getting my "natural birth" after all.*

At this point, I was getting louder with every contraction.

I admit it. No shame.

I had Jake run out for the nurse, the anesthesiologist, anyone.

I was completely consumed by the pain. I was willing every bit of myself to stay in control, to breathe through it, but I eventually gave in to the pain and exhaustion and was all out screaming by the time the nurse came in. And the 10 other nurses behind her.

The nurse kept wanting to tell me to stop screaming, it wasn't helping, blah blah blah...

I just wanted to punch her in the face. 

After I finally convinced her he was coming RIGHT THEN, she went to check me, but the head was already coming out. 

Let me tell you ladies, if you haven't gone natural before, the "Ring of Fire," it's VERY real. Ouch!

I couldn't stop it. I HAD to push, and after 1 big push, he was out! 

The doctor missed it...again. 

Yes, this is the second birth of mine that the doctor has missed. She made it just in time to deliver the placenta, again. She also did have to give me two stitches because I tore just a tiny bit, but after  a natural delivery, I didn't even feel her give me the shot before she stitched me.

I kept looking over to see my little boy. I kept telling Jake, "I'm fine. Check on him. Is he ok?" 

He only cried for a second, and everyone kept assuring me he was fine. 

His Apgar scores were 8 and 9. He was a whopping 6 lb. 14 oz, which is pretty darn big for a 35 weeker! 

Slowly, he started to grunt more and more. He seemed to be distressed, like he was having a hard time breathing, so they let me hold him for a matter of 20 seconds, and then they whisked him away to the nursery and assured me they'd be back with him shortly.

And this is where our NICU story begins.

To be continued...

Until next time,

NICU: Day 4

Today makes the fourth day that little Brady has been in the NICU. Thankfully, today has been a good day for him! He's been taken off the C-pap and they are working on weaning him off the oxygen as well. 

He still has a chest tube placed in order to try to drain the air that has built up on the outside of his lung, and will likely have to have that for at least 3 or 4 more days, but I'm hoping that it'll continue to work and they won't need to re-position it again.

Yesterday, they had to stop his feedings (which he is getting through a tube), because he threw up and his vitals dropped drastically, but he did recover on his own. They just gave his system a break  for a day, and today they've been able to start feeding him again, 5 cc's at a time. I feel like a dairy cow with the exclusively pumping thing. Haha

Last night was the first time that he's had his eyes open, and I was so excited it happened while we were there. Take a look at our little handsome man!

He was so alert and seemed happy. Usually, he just sleeps 24/7, but he stayed awake for about an hour last night and just looked at us.



Last night I also got to do a little more for him. I changed a poopy diaper and I got to take his temperature. I know that doesn't sound like much, but considering I have barely got to touch him since he was born, it was pretty exciting.

As of now, he's doing pretty good. He isn't getting out of the NICU any time soon, but he's at least improving. I can't wait til I can actually hold him in my arms!

I promise I'll get the birth story up as soon as I can.
Until next time,

P.S. Pray for our premie!