Emma is 3 Weeks Old!!!


These past three weeks have flown by! I can not believe that she is almost a month old!?!? She really has been a good baby so far! I keep waiting for things to change, but they haven't! She likes to eat about every two hours day and night. She has slept a few four hours straight, but only a couple times. She is still wearing newborn diapers, but as soon as we finish up what we have she will be moving on to size 1. She has been wearing some newborn clothes, but also some 0-3 month clothes because of her skinny little legs are so long. She loves to take naps on her belly.

Momma is feeling pretty good. The exhaustion of feeding a little one every two hours has definitely hit full force these last few days, but no rest for the weary around here with big sister and big brother around. I was able to take the kids out for a walk all by myself yesterday. 

I am anxious to start exercising, but really feel that all my spare/ free time needs to be spent on school. (only 2 more weeks!!) I still have 24 pounds to drop. I know all the extra fluids etc are gone, so these last 24 lbs have to be dropped with hard work and self control.

Check out David Michael at 3 weeks old here.

Emma Week 2


8 lbs 6 oz 59%
1 ft 9 in 86%
14.5 in head cir. 92%

Emma has really been a trooper baby! She has been eating about every two hours pretty consistently, but eats very quickly! She eats so quickly I was concerned she wasn't getting enough, but her weight says she is! She is still in newborn diapers and clothes, but I have had to already put up some pjs because she is so long! She smiles all the time! (she even smiled when she was only hours old!)

Momma is healing slowly but surely. I still have 25 lbs to loose, but honestly just trying to survive! We did take a family walk up the driveway yesterday and that felt pretty good!

Check out Grace at week 2 here.
Check out David Michael at week 2 here.

Emma's Birth Story- Part 2

Once Emma was here, I was so relieved and exhausted! My heart was so full! Emma was able to meet her Papa and her Aunt Meme shortly after she was born.

Once we made it to our recovery room, Emma had her first bath; while momma ate a long awaited sandwich!

When we had finally completed all of our tests and recovery, daddy and mommy just wanted to sleep! Unfortunately because Emma went through the birth canal so quickly she did not have time to clear all the amniotic fluid out of her belly. Which made her spit up/cough up amniotic fluid all night. This really worried her mommy; so mommy and daddy took turns staying up all night listening to her and helping her clear the fluids.

The next morning Emma's big sister and big brother were able to come and meet their baby sister for the first time!

Grace immediately latched onto Emma and was the sweetest thing! She wanted to hold her and not let go. Emma began crying and Grace on her own began singing Jesus Loves Me to her. This brought tears to her mother's eyes! I am so blessed!


David Michael also was immediately in love with his baby sister! He "pets" her constantly. He also gives her kisses all the time. The interaction between my three kids is the sweetest thing!

 





Michael, Emma and myself stayed one more night in the hospital and returned home Saturday before lunch. We were greeted home that day by: Papa, Aunt Rara, Aunt Callie (and friend), Aunt Meme, Uncle Justin, Aunt Jessica, Cousin Luke, and Cousin Aveley.


That evening was exhausting, but we were glad to be home!

"We sing for joy at what Your hands have done" - Psalm 92:4

Check out part 1 here.

Photo Credit: Rebekah Cross

Emma is 1 Week Old!


Emma has really slept this week away. She initially lost 10 oz before leaving the hospital. Today at the doctor's office she had gained all of it back minus 1 oz! Needless to say she is a good eater! She really is a fast eater, I was getting concerned that she wasn't getting enough. This week I have been letting her eat whenever she wants. She has gone from about 1 hr to 4 hrs. She has been sleeping in our room at night and napping some in her crib while her brother and sister play downstairs.

Momma is actually feeling really good! I am so grateful that I did not break my tailbone this time around! I knew it was a 50/50 chance. I have had to attend class three days this week already which has really left me feeling weak and sore. Thankfully the lack of sleep has not really hit me too bad YET. Unfortunately Emma being baby number three sleeping when she sleeps is not an option; nighttime is the only chance I get to sleep when she sleeps. I have lost 18 lbs so far, but sadly still have 27 more to go! I did not do so well this time not gaining weight. I tried to keep it down, but it kept sneaking up on me. Hopefully in the days to come I will be able to get some exercise in.

Check out Grace at week 1 here.
Check out David Michael at week 1 here

Emma's Birth Story

As tired and as delirious as I feel right now I really want to write this post, mostly for selfish reasons. I did not record Grace's birth story, but I did David Michael's and read it about 100 times before Emma arrived. I wanted to relive the emotions, the pain, and every little step of greeting my little boy for the first time. 

This pregnancy for me was at best... miserable. I absolutely did NOT enjoy being pregnant at all this time around. I had no idea how difficult it would be with such a small toddler and a three year old! Chasing David Michael around and especially carrying him around was nearly impossible toward the end (he is a chunk at 24 lbs!). I really thought all along that Emma would be born at 38 weeks, if not before. Both Grace and David Michael came at 38 weeks and I had always heard that the more kids you had the earlier and easier it was to have them. This did not prove true for me... Emma made me wait till 39 weeks. 

I went to see my doctor for my 39 week appointment and I was only dilated 3 cm. I was really disappointed. I wanted to be further along that I was, because I had been experiencing contractions for about 2 weeks. However, throughout that day and that evening I knew that I was in labor. I even sent a text out to my family to see if anyone was available to help with the kids the next day (Thursday) because I was feelings as if she was coming soon. I continued to have contractions that day and night. I kept timing them and they would range from 4 minutes apart to hours apart, but definitely were growing in intensity. The next morning I told Michael that she was coming and I wanted to head back to the doctor to be checked again. 

Thursday morning we woke up and had a good breakfast as a family along with my awesome sisters Rebekah and Margaret who had driven through the night to come hang out with their niece and nephew. After breakfast and packing our bags, Michael and I headed to my doctor's office in Greenville. The doctor checked me to make sure I was in "true labor" and she said I was dilated between a 4-5, and she felt comfortable sending me over to the hospital. Michael and I headed straight across the street to the hospital. We were quickly checked in and hooked up to all the machines and monitors. (little did I know we should have run some errands, eaten lunch and taken our time)

Once I was on the monitor and laying in bed my contractions quickly slowed down both in time and in intensity. The only thing that kept my contractions steady was...walking and walking and walking. Michael and I began walking around noon and walked until about 7:30! There came a point where I was feeling very weak and sick! I had only eaten breakfast that morning and I was starving! I didn't want to stop walking though, because I really did not want to slow down my labor; I did not know how much longer I was going to be able to go without food. 


Finally at 7:30 my doctor came in and said that he could break my water if I would like him to? I was so grateful! I knew that if my water was broken then it would not be long. Also once my water was broken I had to stay in bed because they wanted Emma to be hooked up to the monitor. So I climbed in bed and he broke my water. I then tried to endure the contractions hoping to meet Emma soon! The contractions gradually increased in intensity and frequency until shortly before 9pm I called my nurse and told her it was time to push. One of the best parts of not having an epidural is your body really does do all the work. I really did not have to do the pushing myself, my body did it for me. A few very painful pushes later at 8:56 pm Emma Faith was handed to me! She was perfect in every way, and BIG! Throughout my pregnancy I kept saying that Emma felt bigger than my other babies and I was right, with Emma being born at 8lbs!


After I was stitched up Michael, Emma and myself were left alone to bond for a little over an hour. 



Part 2 of Emma's birth story coming soon...
Hi! I'm Katie. Wife to Michael. Mom to Grace, David Michael & Emma. Christ Follower. Runner. Stay at home mommy.



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