Baby Aubrey...our birth story

Miss Aubrey Theresa Lightner

Birthday: February 10th, 2011 @ 8:09 pm

Weight : 8 lbs 13 oz

Height: 20 1/2 inches

After 9 long months, she is finally here! After talking to my Doctor last Tuesday we decided to induce labor on my due date because of my history of high blood pressure and my heart condition we did not want to risk going over and having my blood pressure sky rocket again like it did with Tyler, so we set the date for 7:00 am on February 10th. The night before my emotions were running wild, I was excited, nervous, scared, sad and happy all at the same time.  Excited, because well we were going to have a baby the next day, nervous and scared because of the labor, and sad because I had to leave Tyler. I hardly slept, I was tossing and turning all night we had everything ready, my sister spent the night because she was didn't want to be late. That was one good thing about being induced because I knew exactly when I was going to have to leave and it wasn't a surprise like if I were to go into labor naturally.  Anyways we went to bed around midnight and set our alarm for 5:45 am so I could get up, eat breakfast, take a shower, flat iron my hair, do my make-up ect... but we ended up setting the alarm wrong and I woke up at 6:45 to my phone ringing. It was my mom telling me she will be at the hospital around 8.  I am so glad she called otherwise who knows when we would have woke up because like I said earlier I didn't get the greatest sleep and I felt like when my mom called is just when I fell asleep, I have never gotten ready so fast! I took a 60 second shower and we ran out the door and we were only a couple minutes late.  

Anyways, they started the Pitocin Induction at about 8:00 am after they got everything set up and I answered all the routine questions.  When she hooked me up she said I was already having contractions but I defiantly could not feel them yet.  A couple hours went by and the Dr. came in to check me and broke my water, when I was in labor with Tyler I already had my epidural when they broke my water so I didn't really feel that much when it happened but this time it was so nasty, I felt it gush like in all the movies! I hated it! Then my contractions got a little stronger but still not bad and I even was considering not having and epidural, but then another hour went by and the pain was so bad I could not take it so I called the nurse and we got the epidural guy to come... Last time I had one the guy went super duper fast and I was able to sit on the side of the bed and hug Chad for support. This time they would not let me hug Chad because I guess too many Dads go down at this point, Chad is pretty good at seeing nasty stuff so we weren't worried but it was hospital rules now. So I sat there and hugged the nurse instead. This guy was super super slow. I could feel all the pressure when it was going in and he decided to do it twice because he did not like where he put it the first time.  Ugh! That was prolly the worst part of my whole labor. But so worth it for the pain. After that I just relaxed and talked to visitors who came to see me.  It was a long day.  When I finally was dilated to 10 it was about 7:00 at night, but I decided to wait to push for a while because I was nervous and they said that its better to let my contractions do most of the work anyways, boy were they right. I started pushing at 8:00 and she was born at 8:09 pm.  It only took 3 pushes to get her out. Now how is that for easy!  It was such a different experience than my last labor and I am so thankful that I didn't have any problems like I did with Tyler.

This is me right before they put the IV in to induce me...My belly looks HUGE but there are the monitors on it too so it made it look even bigger ;)

getting cleaned up

we love our little lady <3

I love this little girl, she looks so much like her big brother its so crazy!

Here is Tyler meeting her, he loved her and wanted to hold her right away. He kept grabbing her hands and rubbing her head, it was really a precious moment. (don't mind my fat belly. ew)

this is my absolute favorite picture!

our first picture as a complete family <3 I love them so much words cannot even describe it.

OK so Aubrey is a week old today and I will write another blog soon of how she is doing but right now I gotta run! have a great day and thank you for reading my blog!

Birthdays!

Happy 27th Birthday to my amazing Husband!!!

February is such a crazy month for birthdays, right off the top of my head I cant think of 4 people I know with this birth month, and now my baby girl will make it at 5 people in February.  Anyways, Chad's birthday was on the 6th, this past Sunday.  I wanted to make it as special for him as he made my birthday, and since he already knew what I was getting him (he picked it out) I was trying to think of other ways to make it special.  Tyler and I made him a card (home made cards are the best!) and I also bought him one from me that I thought was funny, so when he woke up Tyler and I surprised him with a birthday balloon and some of his favorite candies (sour patch kids, one of my favorites too and thankfully he shared with me lol) Then I had Tyler give him the cards, and I also surprised him with a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  I know how much Chad loves his sweets and he was VERY happy with the cake.  So that was the morning, he already had his big present from us which was a gas leaf blower that he has been wanting for a while now, but just didn't want to spend that much money on it, so I did some heads of hair and saved up enough money for it :) What can I say, I try to be a good wife sometimes :)

So then during the day we took Tyler to Monkey Joe's (we like to do fun things for Tyler on our birthdays we went to the zoo on mine lol) and we had so much fun there, Tyler LOVES it there now and always asks to go lol.  Then we came home for nap time and relaxed for a while and we went our to eat at Azteca and then did a little shopping at Target. We didn't even watch the super bowl lol!  I think he had a good birthday. At least I hope he did!  It wasn't anything crazy but there's not A LOT you can do when you are almost 40 weeks pregnant!

40 weeks!!!! I made it!

Ok so Aubrey's birthday is officially going to be Thursday the 10th!!! Unless she decides to come early or I have and extremely long labor.  I am so happy and excited to hold her!  I can't believe that I only have 2 more days of being pregnant...EVER!!!!  They decided to induce me on my due date since I went 5 days over with Tyler and when I went into labor my blood pressure was MAJORLY high...stroke territory, so they don't want to risk that happening again.  Please everyone say a quick prayer for me and wish me luck on my labor and delivery...I will post pictures of my angel soon!

39 weeks...Operation get Aubrey out

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant.  I can't believe that the time is almost here and I actually could be holding my little baby girl within the week!  I have been feeling good for the most part other than the constant heartburn and the feeling of my tummy skin ripping.(that sounds really bad and trust me, it is) If i make it to 40 weeks I will take a final picture and post it on here.  I can't believe that my body allows me to stretch this much for a baby! It really is a miracle that women can do this!

So since my last Doctor appointment did not sound too promising that she will be out soon enough for my liking (1 cm dilated and cervix is still thick)  I have started the Operation get Aubrey out plan. This is what it entails...and if anyone has any more suggestions send them my way (other than the Castor oil because I will NOT drink that)

1.  Spicy foods, even tho they give me massive heart burn I am going to try it.

2.  Squats. One of my fellow Mommy friends said that this helped her water break

3.   Sex...(sorry to those of you who are squeamish when it comes to this subject) 

4.  Walks...If the temps ever get a little bit higher I am going to take Tyler for a few walks outside, I am sure he will enjoy the fresh air after being cooped up in the house for a couple days.

5.  Exercise ball. My sister-in-law told me this helps you dilate faster because of gravity and it forces you to sit up straight.

So there are a few things that I will be doing all week.  Last week I was in this nervous rut that the thought of labor scared me to even think about, but NOW I am at the point where I am just over being pregnant and I want my baby here in my arms!  The sleepless nights will not be because my hips are aching and my belly won't allow me to move easily, but it will be because I am feeding and changing a beautiful baby.  I am so excited! Not to mention my hubby starts his month long vacation on Monday so I really hope she comes soon!  Maybe I will be watching the Super Bowel in the hospital this year (if I am lucky!). Not to mention Sunday is Daddies birthday so that would be a great present for him too!  Tyler was almost a week late so please everyone wish me luck that my plan works! I can't even imagine being pregnant for another week and a half or more at this point!

10 Favorite Things

So I thought it would be fun to post a blog that is not baby/family related in any way, (since pretty much all my blogs are about Chad, Tyler, Aubrey, Preggo bellies...ect) Its a blog completely about me and my 10 favorite things that have nothing to do with kids! All thought I do have more than 10 favorite things, I didn't want to blog to be TOO long so lets start with 10 and maybe sometime I will continue it :)

Annie's 10 Favorite Things:

(in no particular order of course)

1: Leopard/ Cheetah print...I can't seem to get enough of it lately. I have slippers blankets, purses, wallets, clothes, and I always find myself drawn to it whatever it may be in a store. I am a little picky about what kind I do get tho because some of it does look cheap and trashy, so I guess I like the more "expensive" looking print lol.   All though I do love a good Zebra print, and I do have a few things in that, Cheetah is defiantly hands down my favorite of the 2.

2:  Diamonds.  This just is a no brain-er. I LOVE diamonds, The bigger the better is my motto, My wedding ring is full of them and I love it, (I also dream of the day when my 1 caret center diamond can be upgraded probably not for 10 years or so) You can never go wrong with Diamonds for a gift, I am not picky, I will take earrings, bracelets, necklaces, watches, anything with some bling and I am happy (thankfully my husband knows this)

3:  The color PURPLE.  I love it, I have ever since I was a little girl and I shared a room with my sister, my side was purple and hers was pink.  That was pretty funny considering that HER birthstone is purple and mine is pink, so we were opposite, but I didn't care because I loved it!  I had purple shoes and purple flowers at my wedding, and now my Hubby and my daughter's birthstones will be purple so I will always get to have my favorite color in my mother's ring...whoo hoo!!!! (that is if I don't go into labor before Tuesday and I am not planning on) 

4:  Stargazer Lillis are hands down my favorite flower.  It was a tough decision not to have these as my wedding flowers (instead I chose purple to match my shoes) I would take a bouquet of these over a bouquet of roses ANY DAY! I also wouldn't mind having some in my garden this year...even though I not much of a gardener. 

5:  Lip gloss.  My obsession started in high school and at one point I remember being bored in class and counting all of my lip glosses and having over 20 in my purse...I have scaled my collection down but I still do have I would say almost 10 in my purse now.  I will take any brand/color/flavor...as long as it looks fun and makes my lips shiny. (I wonder how many tubes I have ingested in my life)

6:  Books. (hopefully someday it will be a Nook)  Seriously it is crazy how much I love to read now. I used to only read magazines because I could never get into a book, or I would rather be doing something else, but now that I am a Mommy (and I don't go out and party all the time) I LOVE sitting in my chair with a blanket and a book.  I have even started to read some that my sister (who we have different taste in books) suggests to me.  It is a great way to escape your everyday thoughts and it is relaxing! 

7:  Starbucks Coffee.  MMM, I love all types, frozen, hot, iced, tea, seasonal flavors, whatever it may be I will drink it.  I can't say that I have ever ordered something from Starbucks and not liked.  If I could afford it, I would go there every single day of the year to start off my morning!

8:  Romantic Comedies.  OK not all of these in this picture are comedies, and I haven't seen all of these but its the only picture I could come up with, there are a few on there that I absolutely LOVE. Just Married, Hitch, Music and Lyrics, The Wedding Planner, and Step up are some of them, There is nothing better than to sit down with your sweetie and watch something that will make you both laugh and feel good after watching :)

9:  Hearts...Part of the reason why I love Valentine's day so much.  I think they are so girlie and cute and I actually used sign my name with a heart to dot the I in Annie, but I have matured out of that :)  (maybe I should bring that back lol) I still do love them and They make me happy to see.

10:  Last but not least is Kenra 25 Hairspray.  Not only has this been my best friend for doing countless up-dos, but I use it in my own hair almost everyday whether I'm just trying to get a little volume or I am just trying to get the flyaways under control. Its firm enough for like I said an up-do (if you use a heavier amount) yet it is light enough to not make your hair look all crusty and hard when you just curl it and need some hold. Not to mention I LOVE the smell. If I had to pick one hair product to use for the rest of my life it would defiantly be this!  (and being a hairstylist for 6 years I have a boatload of favorite products)

So there it was, some of my favorite things! Hope you enjoyed!

look alike

Ty and Mommy

So when Tyler was born all I ever heard was "Tyler looks like his Daddy"  Although I do agree, I have to say, the older he gets, the more I think he is starting to look like Mommy. 

This is a recent pic of the boy too, he can be such a little cheeser!

this is a pic of me when I was probably 3 or 4.

I have a couple pictures of me that make me wish I owned a scanner so I could post those too, just seeing how your babies turn into little spitting images of yourself is so fun! I will say, Chad's baby pictures do look like Ty too, but he defiantly is starting to look like me finally! :) YAY!! I can't wait to see who baby Aubrey will look like. They say that little boys look like their Moms and little girls look like their Dads so I can't wait to see what she looks like! I hope she looks just as cute as I think Tyler is, I'm sure she will be! 15 more days until my dude date!!!!

Puma

This is gonna be a hard blog for me.

So his name is Max, but he picked up the nickname of Puma from little Tyler, I fell in love with him right away. He was my brother and sister-in-laws cat and they had to get rid of him so we thought we would take him and give him a good home, all though I am glad we did, I also wish we didn't because of how attached I got to him.  Not only did I love him, but Chad did too and that was amazing to me because he had a hatred for cats before Puma, This cat was the best cat ever, he snuggled, he greeted you at the door, he let Tyler rough house with him, and he put up with Lucy always trying to hump him. (weird I know because Max was a boy and Lucy is a girl)

Anyways, we made the decision that we needed to find a new home for him because Chad had some allergies around him (really only when I let him sleep in our bed) and he jumped in the baby crib and laid in all the baby stuff, If he did not shed it would of been not as big of a deal, but he was getting hair all over the car seat and crib and a little bouncer chair, we also have some onesies in this little roll out drawer under the crib that was his favorite spot to lay. There were many reasons but those were just a few, so we found him a home. Now I will say, and I am not trying to bash my husband, but he was more ready to part with him than I was, a couple days before we had to say goodbye I started to get really depressed about it an cried to Chad that I did not want to go thru with it.  My husband saw how upset I was and told me he would support me if we kept him, but I didn't want my emotions to hinder what was best for the family.  I told him I wanted NO part in the "hand off'" and I gave Chad a list of things to tell the new owner when they came to get him. They came and got him 1 week ago today and it has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. My emotions have been sad, mad, regretful, and hopeless.  I keep wishing that they would just bring him back. I have not had one day where I did not cry just thinking about the cat.  I felt like we didn't give him a long enough chance and we gave up to soon. I told my friend that this has been harder on me then I think if he would of passed away, because of the regret I feel. 

Chad told me that the little girl (she is 5) who came with her Dad to pick up the Puma was soooo happy when she first saw Max that he had no doubt in his mind that he would be loved and cared for properly, but that just was not enough for me to hear, I have had everyone tell me how we did the right thing for the family and in time I will feel better about it. Well today I think I finally am starting to feel a little better about it. Chad called the guy to see how he was doing and the new owner said Max fits right in, and gets soooo much love and attention. He already has his favorite spots in their house to lay and cat nap and he said that if we ever wanted to go there and visit the cat that we are more than welcome to...with this offer, it did make me feel better even tho I really just wanted them to say to come get him. But now I know that he is in a good spot, they love him so much, and if I ever miss him he is just a phone call away. All though I don't think I will visit him because I think it would just be to hard for me to leave him again.  Thankfully Tyler has not asked about him very often and I think Lucy is starting to feel normal again with the parting of the cat.

I don't think that I will ever have another cat (meaning down the line when Aubrey and Tyler are older) I just don't think I will find a cat that is as good as Max. He really was the greatest Cat I have ever met!

A baby "Sprinkle"

Although big brother Tyler has plenty to share,
We're having this "sprinkle" to show that we care,
As you know girls are made of sugar and spice,
So a little something pink would be quite nice!

 

 So I was not planning on having another baby shower, because some would say you only should have one for the 1st child, I felt like I wanted to have SOMETHING because my 2nd pregnancy to me is just as special as my first one, and since they are different genders,I thought  it would be fun just to get a few friends together and not have an all out shower but a little sprinkle :) My sister's helped me organize a little party that we had today and it was a great time, Thank you again for everyone who made it! Here are some pictures of how it turned out. (did I mention I love sharing pictures on this blog? I think it will be great to look back on a year or so from now)

how cute is this table of sweets???

 

 Cupcakes are so girlie to me, I think they are so cute! Beth made them just as i requested with the heart gummie on them :)

 

 Tyler had to run around and show everyone the "cute" balloons :) he must hear me say cute a lot,..also notice how cute the Tom and Jerry shirt hes wearing, I found it at Old Navy. I used to LOVE that cartoon when I was little :)

 

 Andrea, and Jess, 2 of my very best friends!

 

 this is the group shot we got, not very great lighting for it, and it was a little far away (it was a self timer)

 

My preggo buddy Paige, she is due to have her baby girl a month exactly after me :)

Joanna and Shawn, love these ladies! 

 

This was later on, Tyler made us open this present Aubrey got, he kept giving it hugs and kisses, he used to have a blue one when he was a baby so maybe he remembered it :) (I think we are going to have to get his back out so he doesn't get mad when we tell him this is for his sister)

So the sprinkle turned out to be a great time :) Thank you to Emily and Beth for helping me with it. And Thanks again for everyone who made it! I feel like a special lady and Aubrey is going to be one cute little girl in all her new outfits! 

 

I am almost 37 weeks now! This has been going by faster than I thought it would, I have been trying to pack my hospital bag "just in case" but I just have not gotten around to it! I keep saying "oh I still have time" but you never know! So that is my goal for the week :) I go to the Dr. on Tuesday for my first "check" oh joy! I get to go every week until she comes now so now I know it is almost that time! I feel like she has no more room to grow!!!!! At the end of the night my stomach feels like its going to explode open!!! (too much information????? possibly) Anyways, I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!!!!!