Paxton's Birth Story...

I wrote this out the week after Paxton was born...I felt like it was important for me to write down before I forgot all the details! It's long so I'll add some pics in for those of you who don't love to read the wordy posts! :)

If I could use one word to describe the entire birth experience with Paxton it would be peaceful. For the first time we were completely ready for this baby and no surprises popped up last minute. Having 2 previous C-sections I knew going into this that I’d be having a c-section to deliver Paxton. The date was planned 2 months in advance and I had the nursery and all his clothes ready a month before the due date!

When the morning of his birth finally came Trent and I we were completely excited, relaxed, and calm. I woke up really early (sleep is rare for me the last few weeks of pregnancy), made Trent breakfast, showered and got ready, and off the hospital we went. We’d been waiting for this day for so long and it had finally come!

As I prepped for surgery things were unrushed and Trent and I spent most of the time joking around with each other and just excitedly waiting to get things going. The doctor was ready for us early so I had to wait even less time than I’d initially planned on (big bonus since patience has never been my greatest virtue!)

As I went into the operating room the doc turned on some music and sat there and chatted with me while the anesthesiologist did my spinal block. Shortly after my spinal started working my blood pressure quickly dropped. The same thing happened when I had Ben and that first time it was so scary the thought that I might not live through it seriously crossed my mind! It’s a very intense feeling of nausea and pain. This time around it was not frightening because I knew it might happen and that they’d be able to get it under control quickly. I just closed my eyes and tried my best to not puke while I waited for the doc to do his thing. It only lasted a minute or so and then I felt normal again…well, normal as you can with the lower half of your body being completely numb!

By far the coolest thing that happened is once my blood pressure was regulated and I was back to full consciousness I looked up and right above me, in the glass of the light fixture, was a perfect reflection of the exact spot they’d be operating on!

Now some people think this is crazy but I’ve always wanted to SEE my own C-section! I am not bothered by blood or medical procedures and it is how my children are born…I’ve always wanted to see it but I always figured if I asked the doc they'd think I'd gone nuts! Anyway, there it was, a slightly distorted but perfectly angled reflection of every thing they were doing!

I had NO feeling whatsoever so I was able to lay there and watch like it was happening to someone else not me. The coolest part was when they broke the water and I could see the reflection of tons of water and shortly after I was able to watch them pull my little baby out! He was crammed in there pretty tight and one of the docs had to get up onto the operating table to push hard from the top so the other doc could pull him out. It was pretty rough and I definitely left with my ribs feeling sore from that part but hey, he was 10 lbs, it’s not like he had a lot of room in there!

Right after they pulled him out they held him over the curtain and I caught my first glimpse of my sweet little boy! They were even nice enough to pull the curtain to the side so I could see them cleaning him up, weighing him, and checking him while the doc worked on sewing me up. All I heard that whole time were excited comments on how big and how tall he was! Before they told me his height the nurse called over to me to let me know that Paxton was officially the tallest baby she’d ever measured! He was 23 inches long and 10 lbs! In a way it was gratifying to know he was so big, after how uncomfortable I was those last few weeks I would have wondered if there was something wrong with me if they’d pulled out a tiny little 6 pounder! This way I knew I wasn’t crazy for never sleeping and always feeling short of breath!

Trent was able to bring him to my bedside right away and we just sat there together and loved and snuggled him while the doctors finished stitching me up. He was healthy and strong happy to snuggle in his daddy’s arms. He didn’t cry much when he came out and he had some fluid built up in his lungs that if he’d cry would release much faster, however, he didn’t want to cry, I’d like to think it was because he was too happy to finally be out of my tummy and in his dad’s arms!

It was at that moment, while I was laying there being stitched up, and Trent was holding the baby in his arms we FINALLY decided on his name. We had SUCH a hard time deciding this time around! The only name that consistently stayed on my list the entire way through the pregnancy was Paxton. There were times where Trent liked it best and I didn’t like it and vice versa. I had decided for sure about 2 days before he was born that I really wanted to call him Paxton…Trent on the other hand wasn’t so sure. As I laid there being stitched up looking at our sweet baby I asked Trent one more time if it was ok if we named him Paxton. In hind sight, it was probably manipulative to ask him to commit while my guts were cut open, how could he turn me down then!?

Zack and Ben both had breathing trouble after they were born and had to be rushed to the NICU to be monitored for several hours. It was so awesome with Paxton that he had no signs distress and able to stay with me the whole day. They brought me back to my room with baby in tow and I was able to nurse and snuggle him right away! It was so peaceful; everything that day was so peaceful! I felt calm and happy throughout the whole experience. I was so grateful that there were no surprises this time around, everything simply went according to plan…and better! He was strong and healthy and there he was, just sitting in my arms loving me as I loved him. It was so perfect!

Paxton is a very snuggly little baby and LOVES to eat. (He has the strongest nursing reflex of any baby I’ve ever seen!) He has many similar physical traits as his older brothers but definitely has his own unique look. I loved in the hospital when they’d bring him to me crying frantically because he was hungry and they’d set him in my arms he’d instantly stop crying knowing he was with mom again.

I love that he doesn’t mind his older brothers endlessly holding him and smothering him with hugs and kisses.

He has a very mellow temperament, he only cries when he actually needs something and is a great little sleeper.

Every last bit of exhaustion, paid, and discomfort caused by pregnancy was well worth it to get this little guy in our family, he’s perfect and we all completely adore him!

Life as a family of five...

I finally finished editing some of my favorite pictures I've taken so far of Paxton. Instead of just posting them on my blog I thought I'd take it as an opportunity to journal about the first few weeks of our precious babies life!

(The pictures really have very little to do with the text, they are just there so you can see little Paxton!)

I knew it would be wonderful to have a new baby in our home but I forgot just how awesome it is to have a newborn in the house!

My favorite thing about Paxton so far is how much he LOVES to snuggle. He loves it so much that I hardly even have to rock him to sooth him when he's upset, all he needs is to be held close to me and he'll calm down instantly. One of the hardest things for me since I've brought him home is feeling like I don't get enough time to just sit with him and enjoy this short sweet phase of having a newborn around.

Sleeping was rough the first week or so that we brought him home. One blessing of having big babies like I do is that they can go a lot longer in between feedings. With both Zack and Ben they were sleeping 4-7 hours straight at night the week I brought them home! Paxton on the other hand had his days and nights mixed up when I first brought him home so he'd sleep those long periods during the day and stay awake a lot more during the night. Newborns sleep most of the time anyway though so the night wakings still weren't very long. It only lasted about a week though and now he's only waking up once or twice during the night and goes right back to sleep after! I've already moved him into his own room so that Trent won't wake him up when he leaves for work in the morning and since he hardly wakes up it's been a really smooth transition for me as well!

Maybe it's weird to say but I feel like Paxton is a very happy little kid. "They" say newborns don't do social smiles but just can't agree with that. It "those" moments, the ones where we are able to just sit and enjoy little Paxton I swear he's smiling, maybe not always with his mouth but his eyes smile, I love that about him. I haven't been able to capture the exact expression with my camera yet...but I am trying! :) For some reason having a camera in my face doesn't illicit the same response! The boys simply adore Paxton.

Zack can't stop talking about how "CUTE" Paxton is.

He continuously names of features about Paxton that he loves; his feet, hands, nose, etc. I find it very precious that a little boy as young as Zack takes time to appreciate how cute a little newborn is.

I have been surprised at how helpful Zack really is with Paxton. He's old enough to know the things that work to soothe him and actually does a very good job at keeping him happy when I'm occupied with something else. He loves to hold Paxton or lay next to him and keep him entertained.

I'll be honest, I was pretty worried about how Ben would handle having a new little brother around. Ben is just barely 2 and had no idea how much our family's little world was about to change. However, Ben has handled the transition way better than I expected! He adores Paxton and has been incredibly gentle and loving with him. He loves to hold Paxton and asks "hold it" all day long. I'll give him to Ben and about 20 seconds later Ben says "all done!" and waits for me to take him back. :) My favorite thing is the Ben really struggles with Paxton's name and calls him "Packins" So cute!

I must admit though, it hasn't exactly been the easiest transition of my life. Trent was able to take the first week off work to help take care of me and the kids. I honestly have no idea how I would have made it through that week without him! I was getting very little sleep at night since Paxton had his days and nights mixed up and Ben, who has ALWAYS slept until 8:00am every morning, suddenly decided to start waking up between 5:30-6:00am every morning. The boys were thrown off because all the sudden I wasn't able to take care of them like I usually do, their normal routine was thrown completely out the window, and they were completely sleep deprived because of their early morning wake ups. Trent and I spent the week completely sleep deprived trying to keep Zack and Ben from beating each other up! It was crazy unusual because they are normally greatbuddies and their fights are short and rare. It was a crazy week but we managed to get through and were incredibly blessed to have meals brought to our home almost every night thanks to some great friends and my awesome visiting teacher who not only brought us dinner but also asked several other people to help out as well, it was SUCH a blessing for us!

The first week Trent went back to work probably could go on my list of top 5 of the hardest weeks of my life. The boys were still waking up excruciatingly early, were fighting pretty much non stop, and were frustrated that I wasn't able to take care of them like normal. I was still very sore from the c-section and just couldn't do the things I usually do. A lot of tears were shed that week by all of us! I was a physical and emotional basket case.

However, once the weekend rolled around and Trent was home again suddenly things started to return to normal. Paxton had finally figured out a normal sleep routine and started sleeping much better at night. I was starting to heal and could do a lot more for he kids which for some reason helped them to stop fighting. It was so strange, if I was sitting, they boys were fighting; if I was standing, whether or not I was paying attention to them, they were completely fine! I guess it upset them to see me being so lazy and resting all time!

Last week, as a gift straight from heaven, my older sister's kids got well and she was able to come see us. She spent half the week watching my kids, cleaning my house, and taking care of me. She is such a saint, seriously, I have no idea what I would do without her! She has always been the one I call when I'm going through a tough time, she's been my go to person for mommy advice, my counselor, my friend, a shoulder to lean on, you name it, she's always been there for me. Even at the end of pregnancy she was such a lifesaver.

The best thing about close friends and family is being able to just be yourself. It is so nice to be around people that if I felt like crap I didn't have to try to appear to feel better. If the dishes needed to be done after we ate dinner together, my sister would tell me to go rest and if I felt crappy enough I would just go rest instead of trying to do the work anyway. I've really been grateful lately for my relationships like that, the ones where I can just be myself. Of course I can be that way at home with Trent, but I've been incredibly grateful for the few and rare friends and family I have that I feel like I can simply just be the imperfect me that I am, my kids can fight and make a million mistakes around them, and they still love us without holding back one little bit! Sorry for the side tangent, luckily probably only a couple people will read this far down anyways haha!

Anyway, last week was spent finishing up the basement and getting ready for Zack's Birthday which was on Saturday. I didn't want him to feel cheated out of a birthday party just because we had the baby. In hind sight, I should have waited one more week to throw the party. But everything still turned out great! We had his birthday as the deadline to finish our basement and for the most part we made it! We still have a lot left to do but now we have a really fun and huge play area for the kids to run around in until we get some furniture. We are loving the extra space!

Life is finally starting to feel normal again except one thing, we have this beautiful perfect little baby in our home. I realized all over again what an amazing miracle childbirth is. There are so many things that can go wrong, in so many ways. Little Paxton came to us so quickly without any problems at all. He's perfect, the perfect addition to our family, and the perfect little baby for me to love and hold. I always wanted to be a mom but I really had no idea how awesome and amazing it would be. I am so lucky to have these 3 awesome little boys of mine and such an amazing and great husband. I have no idea how I lucked out so much!

His aunt Alana said this picture looks like he is telling me "you have no idea what you're in for with me mom!" and I totally agree! Can't get enough of that silly little smirk!

Making memories...

The kids have been so cute to little Paxton! I'm working on a longer blog post telling Paxton's birth story and everything but in the mean time I just wanted to make sure I wrote down these 2 cute stories about the older boys!
Ben has been very fascinated by my incision where I had my c-section. He asks to see it all the time and says "hurt, hurt?" It's very cute how worried about it he is! The other day I came downstairs to find that Ben had gotten into our mailing address labels and put them all over his belly. He came to show me and proudly said "hurt, hurt!" I have medical tape over the incision and he was using the mailing labels to make his tummy look just like mine! Silly, cute, sweet little boy!

After Zack first came to the hospital and saw Paxton for the first time he was walking back out the the car with Trent. He turned to Trent and said "I knew we were going to have a baby but how come no one told me he was going to be so CUTE!?" Zack just couldn't get over how cute little Paxton is, so precious, love that boy!

Our new little addition!

Paxton Richard Nelson

He was born at 7:44 this morning and weighed in at a whopping 10lbs and is 23 inches long! Big, sweet and cuddly, just the way we like 'em! :)