How did I get here???

Yes I have DEFINATELY fallen off the the BLOG planet!!! More specifically I feel as though I have fallen off the the entire planet. I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. But I promise promise promise that things will be different from here on out. Please be aware that this is a VERY VERY LONG POST!

Well after reviewing what I last posted on JULY 20th (yes I know BAD BAD BAD blogger!!!!) I of course have lots to catch you up on. I guess I should first explain one of the reasons I haven't blogged since then is a compilation of a bunch of things. It was a mixture of preparing a classroom for a new school year, putting the final touchups on my sweet little man's room, and all while being REALLY REALLY pregnant and dealing with the exhaustion of that.

To do a speed catch up here is a picture of me when this WHOLE event started

( Me @ 4 weeks) Note the cute,tiny, not so noticiable pregnant belly.

(Me @ 39 Weeks) Note the Massive BELLY!!

Well without going into the yucky details I worked until I was 39 weeks. I lost my plug on the day I was supposed to go in to see my dr. So if you haven't realized I did NOT go early much to my dismay. I tried really hard to get the baby here early so I am here to tell you ALL those wives tales about how to go into labor early do NOT work. The baby will only come when it is ready to come. Anyway I was checked pretty hard at that dr. visit even though I was 50% and a finger tip (which I had been for about 2 weeks). At that visit my dr. reccomended that I start my leave and rest since I was so swollen that I looked more like JABBA the HUT from star wars than a pregnant woman (which is why my ankles are not in the picture above). So that is what I did. Rested. And I did and what do you know I started getting contractions but weak ones. By Sunday I was getting them steady about every ten minutes. So Monday Morning William, Grace, and I headed to the hospital bags in tow hoping to be admitted to the hospital. Well guess what NOT I was just 1 and 90%. I was EXTREMELY upset when I heard that and started to cry while I was getting dressed, I just kept thinking, "I am going to be pregnant FOREVER!!!!" (Yes I know I am DRAMATIC but keep in mind all those HORMONES =) )

Well God had other plans for me. On the way home from the hospital I started getting REALLY bad contractions. By the time we got home they were AWEFUL and were coming pretty steady first every 6-8 minutes then 3-5 minutes. Apparently I was having back labor to boot. (that is when the pain starts in your lower back and comes to the front "very painful"). After about 3 hours of this William suggested that we head back up to the hospital. I responded "no" I wanted them to be very close together because I was NOT being sent home again. Well right after I said that I got another contraction and quickly changed my mind. When I got to the hospital and my dr checked me I was 100% and 4 centimeters dialated (this was at about 4 pm September 7th).

My dr. admitted me and the nurse got my epidural and from that point on everything was "pain free". They broke my water around 9pm that night. Around 2am the dr. came in and said that she was going to take me off the patossin and she said that if I didn't progress enough in the next 2 hours I would have to have a C-section. Because it appeared that he was too big and would not fit through my pelvic bones. Well I knew that that was a possibility so I was somewhat prepared for it, and as luck would have it I didn't progress enough and I had to have a C-section.

So our sweet little boy, William "Willie" Michael Whitehurst, Jr. was born September 8th, 2009 @ 4:38 am, he was 8lbs 3oz.
Here he is, minutes old in his daddy's arms, looking at me.

After they took me to recovery things started to take a turn toward complicated. I ended up with a fever so I had to stay there longer. And I could not see him, all I did is sit there staring at the clock counting how many minutes until I could see him again and finally hold him. Well amazingly my fever broke and I was finally @ 10 am allowed to head over to mother baby. Unfortunately I had to wait more to see him because he had a small heart murmur that they were watching in the nursery, but they assured me that it was normal and I would get to see him soon. And finally I did get to see him and hold him,and right away the lactation consultant came in to help me nurse him because he wouldn't latch on. Well in the process he lost his temp and they told me that he had to go back to the nursery to sit under the light but he would be back soon. So I got to see him a total of maybe 15 minutes before they took him.

William and I were sitting in the room just waiting for Willie to be brought back when a group of doctors headed in. My heart immediately started pounding knowing that something had to be wrong. And sure enough I was right, they all started talking and I was just sitting there trying to take it all in. All I could here was "hematoma", "lethargic", "not eating", "feeding tube", "NICU", and then finally one of the dr's said "do you have any questions?" I of course being completely overwhelmed said no and just sat there in utter shock. William asked when we would be able to see him. They said in about an hour. Well when the dr's left I swear you could hear a pin drop in our room. William finally asked our parents to step out so we could have a moment. And the second the door was shut I lost it and just cried and cried.

Before I knew it the hour was up and I was being wheeled into the NICU. The moment I saw him I just lost it again. I just couldn't understand why it was happening. Willie had a Hematoma on his skull that they were concerned about. And they were also concerned because he was very lethargic and wouldn't eat and when he did eat he would spit it all back up, that is why he needed the feeding tube.

Alot of prayers went up and by the second day in the NICU he didn't need the feeding tube and eventually I was able to supplemental nurse him. And Thursday afternoon we were told that he was completely fine, the hematoma had gone away and he was eating well enough that he could be released back to my room to eat but had to return right after he was done eating. Then Thursday evening we were surprised to find out that he could spend the night in our room and we could go home the following day Friday. So you can imagine how relived we were.

The whole experience was hard for us but I feel so blessed that we have a happy healthy baby, who today at the dr.'s weighs 8lbs 4oz.

I could not have made it through this whole experience without my wonderful husband, my family, and my great friends. I was so blessed to have a close friend who is a nurse and came in on her day off to help me deliver and she was by my side on the phone before I was admitted, while I was in the hospital, and when I was released. She is so wonderful!!!

If it weren't for ALL of them the time at home would have been MUCH worse because let me tell you. When you are recovering from a C-section you are completely helpless, you can NOT do anything for yourself. So having that support has been wonderful. I feel blessed to have each and every one of them in my life because I would be lost without them.

Below I have just some random pics of the last 3 weeks. I am sorry that this post was so long and I promise I will blog more often from now on. The majority of the pics I wanted to post won't post right now so I will post them later.

Willie @ his 1st Dr. Appt.

3 weeks old cutting his eyes at the funny animal on his bouncy seat.

Here he is holding his own paci in. He even put his finger in the hole just like we do.

The trouble William and I go through to make sure he doesn't scratch his face. Yes those are socks! And then we attached hand rattles.