Birth Story : Part 1 - Prep Work

This is for me. If someone wants to read it, cool beans. I'm not writing this for anyone else except myself though. I want to have it written out while I still remember it. Part one is about everything leading up to labor and delivery. 

Having gone through one labor and delivery already, I constantly compared what I thought the second time would be like to the first. The two pregnancies were very different too. I knew the two labors wouldn't be anything close to the same. 

With Gunner, I had a very easy pregnancy with little to no complaints until the last few weeks. (Towards the end, no one is comfortable and everyone is ready for it to end!) I chose the traditional hospital route with all the things that come along with it, including the epidural. It was the exact right choice for me at that moment in my life. The labor was long (18 hours) and we were in the hospital for two nights and nearly three days. I hated every moment of that hospital stay after he was born. I was miserable, uncomfortable, exhausted, annoyed by everyone and everything, and didn't feel like I was able to bond with my child like I heard everyone talk about. Once we got home and more used to having a newborn, things seemed better and life took on a new "normal". My second pregnancy was much more uncomfortable. I started feeling aches and pains much sooner. I had morning sickness more, though thank goodness it only amounted to lots of nausea. I started showing sooner. I was more moody and irritable than the first time. It was a lot more exhausting too. Very different!

As we started discussing baby #2, I had a few more opinions on how I wanted things to go the next time around. I was toying around with the idea of delivering at a new birthing center just minutes from our house. I didn't know a lot about how that would work, but I knew two things. 1- I would have almost complete control over everything that happened during labor and delivery, within reason. 2- I wouldn't be able to have a pain free labor. The first point was super appealing. The second, not so much. As we weighed our options, the birth center seemed like a really good choice. We started doing our research and preparing for a totally unmedicated birth. 

For the people in my life that know me well, this seemed like a terrible idea. I do not deal well with pain or being uncomfortable. This was going to be a mind over matter task, and I needed support from those who knew how to handle me. Those two people were Daniel and my mom. We all started watching lots of videos regarding natural childbirth and ways to cope with pain. Daniel and I took a class which really helped, and I got a lot out of hypnobirthing videos on YouTube. (It sounds hooky, but it's actually pretty interesting and informative) We all took turns reading The Birth Partner, which was really good at breaking down labor into detailed stages. We took a tour of the birth center and decided this was the way we wanted to go. (If you haven't heard of it, check out their website! http://bcnwa.com) They accept several of the major insurance providers in this area, and when it was all said and done we paid a lot less than we did with baby #1! Along with arming ourselves with information, we took lots of walks for a while. There was a span of several weeks where I didn't get in many walks because I was having a ton of lower back pain. Towards the end of the third trimester, we made a point to take one long walk every evening. It was NOT fun. I was waddling down the walking trail just aching and whining the whole way. I'm quite sure it helped with getting the baby down in the right position though. I walked a ton the first pregnancy, and Gunner was born on his due date! Levi ended up being born the day after his! 

A little about the birth center...

This birth center is not physically attached to a hospital, but it is right across the street from Mercy. The main concerns that were raised in the beginning all involved the safety of the baby and myself in the event of an emergency. They have many ways to deal with different emergencies at the center, and if they determine that a transfer to the hospital is needed, the ambulance can zoom over quickly. The thing that keeps them from having too many emergencies is the fact that they only accept very low risk mothers. They are very particular about who they will see, and that is in the best interest of everyone. I was lucky enough to be low risk and a perfect candidate. 

Instead of seeing a doctor for my prenatal care, I saw certified nurse midwives at the center. They were wonderful and I really felt like we got great personal care with each of them. 

The facility looks and feels like a high end hotel. The rooms are so nice and comfortable. (Check out the photos on their website!)

You do not have to wear a hospital gown or have an IV there. I was able to move around and labor like I wanted, which is not usually something you are free to do at a hospital. I was also encouraged to eat and drink during labor. 

I had regular appointments, just like I did at the hospital. They post everything from each appointment online under your secure file so that you can log in and see it if you want. I had direct contact with everyone there (including the midwives) through email, and they always replied very quickly. I really loved that, because if I had any questions or concerns I could get in touch with someone fast. 

Probably my favorite thing about the birth center was that they let you go home within 4 hours of delivery, as long as mom and baby are doing well. 

Throughout my pregnancy people would ask me where the baby was going to be born or which doctor I was seeing. I would say that I was seeing a midwife at the birth center. I got a few funny looks when I would tell people that, and often they would ask why I wasn't seeing a doctor and why I would ever want to have a natural childbirth. I can very much relate to that question, because that's exactly how my mind worked when I was getting ready for the first baby. I never even entertained the idea of a non medicated birth. It was epidural all the way. It would have been AWFUL if I had attempted a natural birth the first time around. I was in no way mentally ready for something like that, so I am glad we didn't try it. I'm pretty sure it would have ended up with an epidural anyway! There are several factors that went in to the decision the second time. The first time around, I wasn't really allowed to be mobile in the hospital to help things progress. I was more encouraged to stay laying down in the bed. This kept things from progressing much, slowing down my labor. The second time, I was encouraged to labor at home as long as I could and to be up moving around. At the hospital, I had to get an IV for fluids and medication. Unfortunately, the nurse who gave me the IV ended up busting the veins in both of my hands before finally getting it set up in the vein on my thumb! Ouch. I think I complained about that in between contractions the most. No IV needed at the birth center. They actually don't hook you up to anything, and use a little Doppler to monitor the baby's heart rate throughout. You aren't supposed to eat or drink anything at the hospital, but at the birth center they want you to eat (nothing too heavy) and drink water during labor. The main points that drove me to choosing a natural birth had to do with things after the baby was born. I had a difficult time coming off all the drugs after the first baby. It gave me a terrible headache and made me feel all around bad afterward. I didn't have that natural high you are supposed to experience immediately afterward. I couldn't move my legs for about 4-5 hours afterward, so I couldn't get up for quite some time. I didn't get the chance to breastfeed until more than an hour after he was born, and at that point he was entering the deep sleepy phase that babies hit shortly after they are born. We continued to struggle with that for the entire ten months that he nursed. At the birth center, I wouldn't have to worry about the side effects of any drugs. Also, one of the things they really encourage immediately after delivery is skin to skin with the mom and breastfeeding as soon as possible. Something I had requested at the hospital was delayed cord clamping, but they didn't seem too concerned with making that happen. We were able to delay any cord clamping with Levi for 8 minutes! 

There were lots of things that made me want to completely change things up the second time. I am totally happy with how it all went! If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. 

Stay tuned for Part Two - Levi's Birthday!

Project: Nursery

I have really enjoyed putting Levi's room together! It has seemed to be a little more fun than Gunner's was, probably because we already had lots of stuff from when Gunner was a baby. This time it was also easy for me to picture him using his room and the things in it considering we have done this once before and know what to expect. With Gunner, it was hard to imagine the room being used until he was actually here. Gunner makes it fun too! He is so excited about his baby brother and it has been really neat seeing how excited he has been helping us with the room.


I'll get right to it! I found a quilt on the Pottery Barn Kids site that I fell in love with, and used it as my inspiration. I didn't buy the quilt though, just used the colors and style and went from there.

This is Gunner's old crib! My mom made so much stuff for Levi's room. She made the beautiful crib skirt, which has a cute peek a boo pleat with green peeking through. It is adjustable which is amazing. As he grows and we have to lower the mattress, we can adjust the skirt with the height. Daniel and I made the wall hanging out of a big canvas (Hobby Lobby), crib sheet (Target), and letters and paint (Hobby Lobby). 

I found the lamp at Lowe's, the lamp shade at Target, curtains at Kohl's, totally adorable toy bin at Home Goods, and perfect rug at JC Penney. The anchor wall art we made out of a canvas and fabric I found at a very cool fabric store in Springfield, Missouri. 

The dresser area really turned out cute! We found the dresser at Furniture Factory Outlet after giving up hope to get the perfect one at IKEA. (We have never bought anything at Ikea, and had no idea how difficult it is to get anything there if you don't live near one of their stores.) The mirror and floating shelves are from Lowe's, striped basket from Home Goods, and toys from Gunner! 

Let's talk about my mother. She is an amazing lady. She has been sewing longer than I have been alive. I knew she was very talented, but she has completely and totally surprised us with the things she can do! She literally took one of my old changing pad covers home and made one from scratch, just by examining the commercially made one. So, naturally she did the same thing with a crib sheet. Oh, and burp cloths...and washable changing pad toppers, taggie blankets, bassinet sheets...you name it! She made the sweet turtle pillow cover, all the crib sheets (green, grey chevron, grey polka dot), three changing pad covers (green chevron minky, navy blue t-shirt material, green plaid flannel), baby blanket, and amazing quilt! This quilt looks almost identical to the one I found at Pottery Barn! (I have no idea what the back of that one looked like, so we found a cool coordinating fabric for the back)

She also made the cutest wet bag for diapers! (Sorry, I don't have a photo of that!)

She recently got an embroidery machine, and has been going bonkers with the thing. It's really fun seeing all the things she has made! She did a great job making the boys matching shirts. 

I wonder if he has enough clothes? I have to brag on Daniel here. This closet just had one small shelf that went halfway across the wall when we moved in. He took it down and built his own system, including cutting a thick metal pole for the rack. Much more functional now. Now I just need to organize the stuff ON the shelf a bit...

Check out this precious 31 bag! My sister in law (a 31 consultant!!!) gave this to us a couple of weeks ago. I cannot wait to use it!

I probably left some things out, who knows. Levi's room is basically complete! I may add a couple of wall decorations. I am really proud of the room, especially because it has so many items custom made by people who love him already. It really makes it a special project that has come together a little at a time. 

Pregnancy Can Break Down Barriers

I have learned a lot of things about life in the last decade. I can safely say I am not the same person that I was ten years ago, and I hope we can all be thankful for that because my ninteen year old self was annoying. 

That being said, nothing has changed me more than becoming a mom. From that first few weeks of discovering we were pregnant, it changed me. In a good way! I'm very comfortable with who I have become now. You have to learn to let things roll off your back more as a mom though. People really enjoy giving unsolicited advice to pregnant women and mothers. Pregnancy is one of those things where perfect strangers don't mind approaching you and striking up a conversation about what's going on inside your body. I usually don't mind it, sometimes you can get to know someone better because of it. Other times you can be quite entertained at the things people will tell you. 

The things I've heard while pregnant have ranged from "Were you trying for a baby?" (What? Why would you ask someone this?!) to "Oh good luck, you're going to be so tired for the next ten years." (Gee, thanks). Labor and delivery is another hot topic for pregnant moms to encounter. There are many methods and schools of thought on this, so it's often interesting to hear someone's plan of attack. Everyone is different, therefore I fully believe that each mother should be the one to decide how she wants her delivery to happen. If you want to go all natural and birth at home in your living room, have at it. If you are determined to have a c-section at 39 weeks, so be it. It's your decision. However, if you ask an expecting mother what her plan is, it's a good idea to have the phrase "Awesome! That sounds great!" ready, no matter what they say. (I also recommend this response for when you ask them what they are naming their child. More on that later.) No mother wants advice on how someone else thinks they should do things unless they flat out ask for it. If they ask for advice, then, by golly, you are free to give it! 

Something I was not at all prepared for was the pressure to have a girl with baby #2. Daniel and I had no preference on gender either time, so we were very happy to hear that the baby was healthy and growing right on track. It was a bonus to discover it was a boy. However, other people were apparently hoping we would have a girl for some reason. I guess it's just an American standard to have one boy and one girl. I was hoping for a baby. As long as it was a human baby that was healthy, I would be happy. Mind you, if the baby wasn't totally healthy, we would still love it no matter what because it was our baby. It was a HUGE relief to find out he was doing great so far. When we announced the gender, I was pretty shocked when people actually said "Oh well, maybe next time you will get your girl." and "You can always try again next time!" This is incredibly awful to me! It's as if I had made a recipe that didn't quite turn out like I wanted it to, so we just had to throw it out. This is my son! I already love him!  I have continued to hear these statements from people, even strangers, and it really hurts. The other day at a restaurant one of the employees looked at Gunner and then said "I sure hope there's a baby girl in there! (Pointing at my belly)". At first I had no idea what to say. I finally replied with "Nope, it's another boy but we are perfectly happy with that!"  Later in the day I actually got really mad about the whole thing. I just don't understand what the problem is with having more than one of the same gender. There's literally nothing we can do about it! This is what God wants for us, and if He decides to give us three more boys before we are done having kids, then obviously He's got a plan there! Maybe He wants us to have a family basketball team! I'm not upset by another boy, so I don't think anyone else should be either. Pregnant women are extremely hormonal, so it's important to be very careful with what you say to them. 

The name game comes to mind as well. When you ask someone what they are naming their baby, your response should fall along the lines of "Wow! That's a great name!" Asking where they came up with the name is ok too. I've even said "Oh cool! That is a very unique name!" I'm starting to understand why people wait until their baby is born before announcing the name. 

Pregnancy can often bring down barriers between people and you might discover a common ground with someone you didn't expect. This is not always a good thing. However, it's part of life, and it's helping me learn the hard way to not let the things other people say bother me. I am incredibly lucky to have a second baby on the way! I know far too many people who would give anything for the chance to have just one. If we all approached things with this thought in mind, we might not be so critical about things like gender and names. 

Rejoice in The Lord always, again I will say rejoice! 

I'm Not a Winter Girl

It has been cold y'all! I know it's winter, but dang. We've had several days of bitter temps with sub zero wind chill. I'm not a fan. I did enjoy the big snow we got in December. Gunner quite enjoyed getting to play in it. 

We've had a busy winter so far. We went on our annual Fairfield Bay vacation in December. We barely made it there because the roads between here and there were incredibly icy. What normally takes us 4 hours to drive took us nearly 7 this time. It was rough, but Gunner was amazing and content and my husband was an expert navigator. Once we arrived we were pretty much stuck in our condo for a couple days. We didn't do much this year, but Gunner got to spend several days at Nanny's and we made the best of our time off. 

After we came back home we had one week to get ready for the Babb Christmas party. It was at our house this year! Lots of fun. We really enjoyed getting to host this year. 

Then came Christmas. This year was so exciting because Gunner absolutely loved every minute. From the first Christmas decoration we put up, to...well, now. He has enjoyed the holiday season. He still runs around singing Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman. 

Daniel's birthday was a few days later followed by three showers I helped host! THREE! One shower a week for three weeks. Two baby showers and an adoption shower for my sis. It was a blast. 

Speaking of, my sister and brother in law have been in the process of adopting a girl from Guatemala for the last 6+ years. She will be turning 15 next month, and they will be bringing her home at the beginning of February! How exciting is that!!!? Her name is Mia and she (along with the rest of their family) will have some adjusting to do over the next several months. It is going to be a huge change for everyone but we are all so excited to get to know her and welcome her to our family. I'll keep you posted on her homecoming!

Last year during the week of my birthday, Daniel was in the hospital for three days. He had acute bronchitis and it really wore out his lungs. We had made dinner reservations for my birthday, but had to cancel them. That was super scary but he has not had issues since. However, this year I was really hoping to make up for a really stressful birthday last time. This year I turned 29, so I was really wanting a fun and memorial birthday for the last year in my twenties. Boy did he deliver! He scheduled for my parents to keep Gunner the whole weekend. We saw a movie on Friday night. We had breakfast at The Egg and I on Saturday morning. (It's in Pinnacle, you should check it out some time) We drove all the way to Alma to go to A to Z furniture just because I wanted to. We also FINALLY got to have dinner at Mister B's! I had waited a year to eat there and boy howdy, it was worth it. We dressed up, we took our time, we talked, we ate, we didn't rush. It was fabulous. Sunday we went to church and then headed down to my parents for lunch and to bring the boy home. It was so stinking awesome. What a great way to begin the last year in my twenties. 

This week Gunner started getting a cough so I went ahead and took him to the doctor, just in case. He is fine. We had an entertaining time waiting because this paranoid mom requested hospital masks for us to wear while we waited. Y'all, that place was so full we had to sit in the hallway. I was not about to breathe everyone else's nasty germs. Gunner thought it was cool getting to wear a mask. 

The most exciting thing to happen this winter has been getting to see our sweet baby on an ultra sound! We found out that Gunner will have a baby brother! I'm serious, I knew it was a boy and I could not be more excited. Everyone had been asking if I had any "feeling" of what it was, but I would tell them no. All the while I knew it was a little boy! Same feeling I had with Gunner. He looks perfect and we are thrilled. We've decided to name him Levi Wesley. Gunner went from not really caring much about the baby, to being super excited and wanting to know all kinds of stuff about him. It's pretty cute. 

Here are some random photos!

Happy to Announce...

We are expecting Baby Babb #2 in June! Gunner is going to be a big brother! He really does not care at this point. He just knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy (and thinks everyone else has one in there too).
I have been feeling pretty yucky this time around, but I think it's starting to ease up a bit. I did get to hear the heart beat last week! 160 bpm! It was exciting.
That is really all the info as of now. Not a lot to do but wait! We can't wait to welcome another little one into our family and watch Gunner become a great big brother. He is going to be awesome at it.

Friendly Conversation

I go grocery shopping often. I usually go sometime in the middle of the week, and usually around 10 or 11. I always seem to find the cashier who likes to talk about weird things or ask lots of questions. The thing that weirds me out the most is when they ask me why I'm buying the things I have put on the conveyer belt. Seriously. It's happened more than four times in the last six months. It went down something like this:

*Disclaimer* The following conversations may have taken place prior to the six month block of time I previously mentioned. I am just using a few of the experiences I can remember the best.*

[C] You having a bunch of people over? Like a party?

[M] Uh...yeah! Yeah, we are having a get together. 

[C] Cool. Like a birthday party?

[M] ....yep. My son is turning two. Having the grandparents over for dinner.

[C] My husband's friend's cousin has a baby. She's so cute. The other day she said momma! It sounded like [person imitating a small child].....

[M] .....yeeahhh.....kids are funny. 

[C] Do you use brown sugar a lot?

[M] Um, no, not a lot. I just ran out. 

[C] You must use a lot if you ran out! What do you use it for?

[M] Cooking. I cook and bake with it. 

[C] Like, all the time? What do you put it in? I've never used it before!

[M] Well I use it in certain baking recipes and I have a few dinner recipes that call for a small amount. 

[C] That is crazy. I have never used brown sugar. I don't even know what you'd use it for. 

[M] ???

[C] Are you going to make a pie? (Scanning two cans of cherry pie filling)

[M] No, just a dessert. 

[C] Like a cherry pie?

[M] Not exactly. Just a dessert that requires cherry pie filling. 

[C] I don't know what dessert you'd make with cherry pie filling that isn't a pie!

[M] It's not a cherry pie. It's more like a cobbler, I think. I can't remember the name of it. It's for a Father's Day dessert.

[C] Well I hope they like cherry pie stuff!!

[C] Where did you find this?! (Cannot remember what it was they were asking about)

[M] Oh, it was over on the aisle with (whatever aisle it was on)

[C] Woah. I have got to get one of these. Do you know how much it was?

[M] .........ummmm no. I can't remember. 

[C] Oh look! I scanned it and it said it was $5.99! That's a good deal!!!

Don't get me wrong. I do not mind chatting with people, even at the store. It just feels very weird when they start closely examining each item I am purchasing, ask lots of questions and get a little personal. I don't even mind awkward conversation, just not about all the stuff I'm buying right then. I would also like to mention that I am ALWAYS nice to people at the grocery store. I make a point to be kind because you never know what kind of stuff someone is dealing with. Plus, I see too many people who are cold and rude to these employees on a regular basis. So, I try to engage them in a friendly way. It's a lot harder during these types of chats. I get really weird and never know what to say exactly. 

It never fails though- if someone is going to talk about something weird, I'm the person they go to. I think I seem very approachable. 

Gunner's First Trip to the Library

On Thursday mornings the Rogers Public Library has Tumbling Toddlers, which includes story time, songs, and crafts. I took Gunner this week and he had the best time! He really got into the interactive songs with the other kids and did a very fun painting, coloring and glueing craft. I was hoping to take him each week this summer while he is out of Kids Day Out, and I think it will be an excellent weekly activity for us.
After tumbling toddlers, most of the kids and moms hung out in the very large kids library section and let the kiddos play. It was super fun! Gunner mostly stuck with puzzles, but I'm hoping he will learn to love reading new books. He loves reading at home, but I think all the new toys they had there were more interesting.
Below are a few photos from our trip.
It's been a while since my last post so I will update on what all the little man has been doing lately.
As I mentioned, he is in Kids Day Out at Cross Church in Pinnacle Hills. He is going twice a week. This was a HUGE step for both of us since he has been home with me (or the grandparents) all day every day since birth. It's been noticeable to me that I needed to start him in a school like environment, so we went for it. Aside from a few minutes of tears at the drop off first thing, he has enjoyed it! He only cried the first three days. He really loves it and I am so proud to see him learning and socializing. They had school pictures so I cannot wait to see how those turned out.
On the days we have together at home we spend time doing chores together and trying to have fun learning new things. Gunner has taken a liking to music and loves to sing songs. He has a really good memory. I am actually surprised at the things he can remember. He can sing an entire song to you or read one of his books to you. It's pretty amazing and I love hearing him sing and read. He is incredibly active, as boys tend to be, so I encourage Daddy to play with him in his free time. Mommy just can't keep up sometimes.
We practice learning new words and their meanings, we work on our manners often and we try to enjoy doing things to help out around the house. Sometimes it's easy for me to want to do everything myself since he is still so little, but I am trying to take more time to let him do something and give him praise even if it means more work for me. I know that's very important.
He is still such a happy kid! I am looking forward to warmer weather so he can run off some energy outside. He is a lot of work, but he makes me so happy even with that work.
Here are some photos of the little guy!