Sweet babies...

Now that I've finally finished posting about Emerson's big day, I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures from the past couple weeks!

This was taken while we were still in the hospital. I just love this little gown!

My Mom sent this to me one morning before she took Gage to daycare. Apparently he tried to smell her mascara ;)

Gage is truly crazy about his baby sister! He is always asking if she can lay by him! SO SWEET!

I love this one of Emerson! Gage says she has an apple on her chin!

This is probably one of my new favorites of my little man! He's such a mess!

My babies have brought so much Joy to my life and I'm so proud to be their Mommy! I can't wait to see what life has in store for us as a family of 4!!!

Our new life...

Michael, Emerson and I spent the 2 days following her arrival in the hospital. Gage stayed with his MeMe and made several trips to see us. Every time he would walk in the hospital room his face lit up and he quickly asked "where's Emerson?". We would point him in her direction and he would make sure to hug and kiss her and tell us how much he loved her. There aren't enough words out there for me to express how happy it makes me that he loves her so much! He is the sweetest Big Brother and so gentle with her! 

We had lots of visitors in those 2 days. Most of the family came to meet Em, along with lots of friends. We were and still are so blessed to have so many loved ones and that is something I never want to take for granted! 

Because neither of us had much sleep in the past few days and Emerson was having some trouble with her formula, Michael and I decided it would be best for her to go to the nursery both nights we were there. We didn't do that with Gage, and it seemed so sad to send her, but we both felt it was the best thing to do. We knew we needed to get some rest before we took her home. Although it was so hard for us, I'm so glad we made that decision. We were both able to get a good nights rest (as good as possible in the hospital) and felt much better because of it. By the time 6AM rolled around, they were bringing her back to us and we were able to love on her again! 

On Friday, January 13th, at around 11AM, we left the hospital and started our new life as a family of 4. For the first time, Michael and I had not only one, but two kids to take care of. Two kids were our responsibility...forever! I can remember being a bit overwhelmed for a little while after we left. I knew everything would fall into place and we would figure everything out, but it was still a tad nerve-racking. How in the world would I ever give two kids enough attention for them to know how much I love them?

It seems strange to me, but I always thought that once you raise one baby, you surely wouldn't have any problems raising two. Everything was bound to come naturally...you know, kind of like riding a bicycle. Once you do it once, you never forget it. Boy was I wrong. I seemed like taking care of Emerson was equally as stressful as it was with Gage. I think you just forget how tiny they are and how much care they really do need. I absolutely LOVE having newborns. I love their smell. I love the way the grunt when they move. I love everything about them really. However, I still find it difficult to do every day activities from time to time ;) I had forgotten how hard it was to get myself bathed, my hair fixed, my makeup on, and a baby dressed and ready in order to be somewhere on time. Add a 3 year old to the mix and I guess you just get used to it...your going to be late! I'm pretty sure I have been pushing the clock to every appointment I have been to in the past couple weeks! Hopefully this will get better and I'll get back to my old ways of being places 15 minutes early. We shall see! 

Finally, a family of 4!

Sometime around 7AM, family started pouring in and our "Little Man" finally made it to the hospital. He came dressed in his favorite attire (I had no doubt he would) that included a cowboy hat that has been to Hell and back, jeans and his cowboy boots. I really wasn't sure how he would act, seeing me in a hospital bed with all those wires coming from my arms. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but after we explained to him that I wasn't hurt and that "Sister" would be here soon, he was fine! This is picture Sunny texted me before they left the house! He was SO ready to see her!

Around 8AM, the anesthesiologist came in and started all his paper work. Dr. Matthews is a client and friend of Michael's and had promised us months ago that he would be there when I had the baby. To be honest, I appreciated the gesture, but I didn't expect him to take time out of his busy day to make sure he was there. When he walked in the room, I was thrilled and completely honored, to say the least! I knew at this point, I was in great hands! He started spilling his guts to me about the risks involved with a c-section. Risks of blood transfusions. Risks of having to be put completely under. Risks about EVERYTHING! I didn't remember doing this the first time around, so I was a little a lot worried! It seems like I signed paperwork, pretty much signing my life away if it came to that, for forever! At this point, my plans were out the window. I just wanted to meet my Baby Girl...quickly!

In just a few minutes I had met with everyone who would be attending my surgery. Several of them I requested. One of the nurses, whose name is Brooke, has been a friend of mine for a long time and I asked her to be there with me. She was, and I was once again thrilled! Two other ladies, one being a scrub-tech and another being from the nursery, were friends of my Mom's from High School. We had no idea they would be there, but I was happy they would. I didn't know them from Adam, but the fact that my Mom knew them, seemed to make me more at ease. It turned out that, in a round-a-bout way, I knew every single person (with the exception of an Anesthesia student) that attended the birth of our Baby Girl! What a blessing! They got everything ready to go and down the hall to the operating room we went.

Now, you remember from the last post that my fear of needles is unimaginable and the next step was another of my fears coming to life...the spinal block. If you've ever had one of these, you know that it's a tad bit freeky. They stick a needle in your back with medicine in it that makes you able to feel nothing from your chest down. FREEKY, to say the least! Dr. Matthews talked to me the entire time he was doing the spinal. He was seriously the sweetest, most caring man I have ever dealt with...other than my husband, of course. Even though I knew all the risks involved, I still felt at ease with the situation.

When the spinal was done, they laid me on the table, let Michael in the room and started the procedure. When I had Gage, I can remember being scared completely to death. I didn't speak a word. Didn't move my arms. Nothing. This time was a different story. I feel sure they were probably wishing I would stop talking so that they could concentrate ;) I just had so much I wanted to say and so many question I needed the answers to. So, I asked them! Within minutes, I remember hearing one of the nurses say, "there she is" and I knew it wouldn't be long before I would hear her precious little cry! I couldn't wait!

When they finally got her completely out, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. The sound of my Baby Girl!! Michael got up to go meet her and take pictures and I just laid there and listened. It seemed like she cried forever, way longer than I remembered Gage crying. It was music to my ears!

They got her cleaned up a little and Michael brought her to me! She was absolutely beautiful. She had chubby little cheeks, a tiny pug nose just like mine, and the sweetest face ever! She looked exactly like Gage did when he was born...exactly! I knew then, that my life would never be the same. Somehow, God had blessed me with 2 perfect children that I know surely didn't deserve! I can't tell you how complete I felt that day! At that point, we were officially a family of 4! What more could I want? My perfect plan happened just the way I had hoped it would...perfectly!

Dr. Rutledge finished sewing me up and they wheeled me off the recovery. I think I was in recovery for about an hour or so. After they got Emerson weighed, measured and cleaned up, they brought her to me. She weighed 8lbs 12oz (1oz more than her Big Brother) and she measured 19 1/2 inches. She was the most cuddly little thing ever and I couldn't get enough of her! Here is Gage seeing her for the first time through the nursery window! The look on his face is priceless and something I will cherish forever!

When my time in recovery was over, we requested that we have a few minutes with her and Gage alone. I wanted the day to be as special to him as it was for us. They brought him in the room to meet her and you could tell he loved her already. He was SO sweet to her and must have hugged and kissed her a million times! He knew just how to melt his Momma's heart!

After we let Gage see her for a few minutes the rest of the family came in to meet our new bundle of Joy! Emerson was one loved little girl that day!

 I will post about our next few days later. It's time for me to go rock my babies!

A FAMILY OF 3

Sometime around 20 weeks, my doctor and I scheduled the day that I would have my c-section to bring our baby girl into this world. I knew it was really early to be making such plans, but I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted to be able to schedule my clients so that they wouldn't have to miss any hair appointments. I wanted to work until the very last possible minute. My family thought it was crazy that with 20 weeks still left to go, I already had a date set. You see, I'm a planner. A bit of a control freak, as my husband would say. I knew ultimately I wasn't in control of this one, but I took it as a chance to try to be ;) I spent the next 20 weeks planning for Emerson's arrival. Working my normal schedule and making sure I saw each and every client one last time before she came.

On Tuesday, January 10th, my family of 3 spent our last night with just us. We had dinner and finished up some last minute things around the house. I can remember my mind racing all evening. I knew my life was about to change, I just wasn't sure how. I wondered how Gage would act when "Sister" finally got here. We had been telling him for months that she was coming and I'm pretty sure he stopped believing us sometime around the 7 month mark! He loves babies, but for one to be in his house and never leave was sure to be different. I worried my self sick about having another c-section. The first one was a breeze (compared to the 20 hours of labor prior to the surgery), but it seems like everyone wanted to tell me horror stories about having c-sections and why I shouldn't have one, like it was really my decision. But, that's a while 'nother story. I just wanted everything to go perfectly. The way I had planned them! 

My cousin, Sunny, came over to spend the night so that Gage could sleep the next morning. I figured there was no sense in him being at the hospital with us at 6AM. Chances are, he would've been removed from the premises anyway ;) Most of the time he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed...kind of like his Momma! 

We finally got everything ready and Gage in bed around 11. I decided I would probably not sleep very well, so I took the longest hot bath in history. I thought surely that would relax me enough to get some rest. I WAS WRONG!! I didn't sleep a wink that night and was beyond thrilled when the clock finally said 4:30AM, as strange as that was! We got up, got my make-up on and my hair fixed, and headed that way. I was determined that i would not look as if a train had hit me in all the pictures this time around! So far, everything was going great...just as I planned! 

When we got to the hospital, my Mom was in the parking lot waiting for us. I'm feel sure she didn't sleep a wink either and there is no telling how long she'd been sitting there waiting. She did the same thing when I had Gage. She was there before we even left the house ;) I can't tell you how much it meant to me for her to be there. Most of time, she can keep me calm when no one else can. I needed that! The three of us went upstairs and started what was about to be another of the best days of our lives! 

In less than 5 minutes, I was given a room and one of those lovely hospital gowns. You know, the ones with no back side. Yeah, I love them and I'm sure if you've ever worn one, you can sense every bit of sarcasm in my voice! The nurses came in and quickly informed me that since I was having a 2nd c-section, there were several risks involved and I would be getting not only one, but two IV's. This, my friends, is where my plans started flying out the window. If you know me at all, you know that my fear of needles if ridiculous. Until this pregnancy, I have never even been alone to have my blood drawn. I usually get someone to be with me so that if and when I pass out, there is someone there to catch me ;) Pitiful, I know. I'm 27 and I've watched my 2 year old son do better with needles! Anyway, 2 nurses came in to start my IV's. I immediately warned them of my fear and asked them please not to dig for a vein and if they couldn't get one, to find someone who could. Bless their hearts, I'm sure I had them scared to death before they even got started! Needless to say, neither of them got a vein the first time and they didn't exactly obey my wishes. I could feel them digging and the sweat started to pour! I ended up with a fan blowing under my sheet, towels around my neck, and probably a bad attitude, to boot! After 6 or 8 failed attempts, I finally got angry enough and they called someone who could get the job done. This angel of a nurse stuck me one time and it was over! Thank goodness! Probably half the sleepless hours the night before were spent in fear of getting a silly IV! I can remember telling Michael that "if this is any indication of how the rest of the day is going to go, it wasn't going to be good". He had nothing to say except, "everything will be fine, Babe". All the while, I was thinking "what in the world happened to my perfect planstarted getting my fluids and getting even more ready to meet my Angel! 

Because this post is going on so long, I'm going to divide it into several posts. I know most of you don't care about all these details, but I don't want to forget anything and this blog is my only way of documenting! 

She's here...

I said I would post as soon as my baby girl made her debut, but honestly, I never dreamed my hands would be so full! When Gage was born, I can remember being able to do a few things around the house and take care of him at the same time. With Little Miss Emerson, not so much. She is a good baby, and as sweet as can be, but she is definitely high maintenance! I am going to post a few pictures for now, and later I will post about her entire Birthday! So, here is our sweet girl...

Miss Emerson Kate Williams

8lbs 12oz and 20in of absolute perfection!!

I'll be back shortly with all the details of our big day!!

It's almost time...

After 9 long months of anxiously waiting, wondering, and wishing, the time has almost come. Tomorrow, at 8am, I will go into surgery and bring my baby girl into this world! Michael, Gage and I are beyond excited, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a nervous wreck! When Gage was born, the plan was to be induced and several hours later he would be there. Things didn't go as planned and he was delivered via c-section 20 hours after my induction started. This time will be SO different and I'm SO anxious! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to meet Emerson! I will have someone update as soon as she gets here!!

Not just for girls...

Several months back, my cousin Kyle gave Gage something very special. He gave him a pair of Chaps and a Vest that our Aunt made for him when he was a little boy. I remember Kyle wearing them all the time and had no idea he even knew where they were at this point. Since that day, gage has put them on and taken them off a million times. If you don't know what chaos are, they are the pant things that cowboys wear that are usually colorful and have tins of fringe hanging from them. Little Man loves them! He may be the cutest "Bull Rider" I've ever seen! As a matter of fact, I know he is!

Along with the Bull Rider, we also have a Rodeo Clown costume. It is quite a sight! Cute as can be, but quite comical don't you think?

All this time I've been thinking that dressing up was for girls...I guess I was wrong!

Here comes Santa Clause...

Just as I thought I was finished posting about Christmas, I realized I hadn't said anything about our experience with Santa! Back in the beginning of November, Michael and I took Gage to Branson for one last vacation before Emerson is born. While we were out shopping one evening we came across Santa and Mrs. Clause. They were set up in the cutest little house and I just knew Gage would go sit with them so that we could have a Santa picture for the year. He has never been afraid of him before, so I didn't figure this year would be any different. Typically, there isn't much he is afraid of.  Well...I was terribly wrong. He threw the biggest fit you have ever seen and WAS NOT going to sit in Santa's lap. I was heartbroken!

So, for the next 6 weeks, he talked about Santa every day. He talked about him coming to our house. He loved seeing him in peoples yards at night. He had a Santa figurine that he played with. We read books. Watched movies. You name it. So, every year his baby sitter has a party for the kids and Santa comes to visit. We talked about the party for several days hoping that we could get him good and warmed up to the fact that we would be seeing him in real life again and secretly hoping he would be fine with him. The day came and this is what happened...

Now, if you know Gage at all, you know that he LOVES peppermints! I mean LOVES them! Just so happened that when Santa came in the door, he started handing out candy canes and from that point on, he loved him! He climbed right up in his lap and talked with him for several minutes. I was thrilled to finally get a Santa picture for the year!

Before he left, Gage gave him hugs and thanked him for the candy!

Thank You, Santa! See you again next year!

Christmas...Part 6

Another tradition I have had my entire life is going to my Dad's parents on Christmas Day. As a kid, my entire family (at the time there were 10-12 of us) would all sit around the living room and open gifts one at a time. It took several hours to open them all and was probably one of my favorite parts of the day. Now, we only do gifts for the kids and it just so happens that Gage is the only one. He is the center of attention, for sure!

My Aunt made him a new belt covered in cow hide that he has been begging her for! The only problem with it is, he doesn't want to take it off...ever! It's a fight every night to go to bed without it ;)

He got lots of new bucking bull toys too and my other Aunt bought him another back pack. It was exactly the same as the other one he got, but he acted as if someone had given him more gold. He has both of them filled with his things and he takes one with him everywhere he goes. Crazy kid!

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the floor playing with new toys and enjoying the last leg of our Christmas journey for the year!

I'm sure, if you aren't one of my family members, you are tired of reading about what we did on Christmas. Good news is, this is my last Christmas post until next year. As for the family, I hope I have showed you enough pictures to get by!

We had a wonderful Christmas and we are incredibly BLESSED! Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas...Part 5

Christmas morning has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I'm 27 years old, and on Christmas morning, I have the mentality of about a 5 year old! I just love it and having a child, makes it even better! Both of my parents and Michael's Dad come over to eat breakfast and spend the morning watching "Little Man" open his gifts and see what Santa left. This year, my parents got here around 7 and of course Gage wasn't awake yet. Probably the only day this year that he has slept past 6:30...go figure!

We finally decided to wake him up around 7:30 and tell him that Santa had been to visit. He was thrilled! He jumped straight up (not like him at all) and got out of bed to see what he left! Once he made it into the living room, he was shocked to see that everyone was here and got a little bashful (not like him either). 

Finally, his Daddy talked him into seeing what Santa had left in his stocking and the bashfulness flew right out the window! He opened all his gifts and spent the rest of the morning playing with his new things!

Stay tuned for Part 6...

Santa Claus coming to town...

After all the Christmas Eve festivities, we came home to do the norm...put out Santa's milk and cookies! Gage was really into it this year and wanted to make sure everything was perfect! We left chocolate chip cookies and milk for Santa. Gage and Daddy made chocolate milk and left a little something extra for the reindeer...

We have had the hardest time with Gage's paci's, as he thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread. He has been in love with them since day 1 and we haven't been able to get away from them. And one more thing, before you judge us for allowing an almost 3 year old to have his paci, remember that you, believe it or not, aren't the perfect parent either and I'm sure there are things that you do that I wouldn't agree with. Just had to get that one out before I start getting rude comments about my son and his paci. I mean all of this in the nicest way possible, but if you can't tell, I'm a little fed up with opinions ;) Anyway, we decided that maybe, just maybe, we could give the paci's to Santas reindeer because "they will be sad when Christmas is over". So, we got them all together, explained to Gage that they wouldn't be back and put them on the plate with the rest of the loot.

Gage did well. He went to bed without them and woke up the next morning without asking for them. I thought we were good to go. Little did we know, the dreaded stomach virus would hit our house on Christmas night and he would ask for them again. How in the world do you tell a sick kid no? If you can, your tougher than me! Needless to say, we got the paci's back from the reindeer and we are hoping to pass them down to Baby Sister in a few days. We shall see!

Stay tuned for Christmas Part 5...

Christmas...Part 4

After spending the morning and most of the afternoon at my MeMe's house, we headed over to my Uncle's house. My cousin, Jennifer, had a little girl in March, so Gage wasn't the only kid this year. It's so nice that there are more kids around these days to spend the Holidays with! It seems to make the Holidays so much more fun! Here is Gage with his cousin, Kinsley! She is such a little doll and he loves her to pieces!

This is my Grandparents with their children, grand children, and great grandchildren. It is usually a nightmare to get my Grandma to be quiet long enough to have her picture taken, so this is the best we could get! 

It was great to spend the evening visiting and watching the kids play and always such a relaxing way to wind down before Christmas Day! Thanks so much, Uncle Tony and Aunt Judy, for having us! 

Stay tuned to see what we left for Santa...

Christmas...Part 3

Since I was a tiny girl (my parents divorced when I was 2 and I'm guessing it started then), I have always spent Christmas Eve with my Mom's side of the family. My grandparents come over to my Mom's, we eat some lunch, and open gifts with my Mom. It is always a fun time and such a special time to me. I've always  loved it! This year, Mom and Gage opened a gift a little early. I was so anxious for my Mom to open what we got her, that I couldn't sleep the night before. Let's just say...she loved it!

We got there around 9, ate a small breakfast and enjoyed each other's company for a few hours until my Grandparents made it there. When they arrived, we opened our gifts and ate the chili my Mom had made for lunch. As Gage opened his gifts from his MeMe, he acted as if every single one was just what had always wanted and they probably were. Here he is opening his Lincoln Logs. I remember my brother having these as a kid and loving them so there was no doubt Gage would too. And let me just tell you about this "bullrider backpack". He acted as if she had given him a ton of Gold!

Every year, MeMe gets Gage a couple Hallmark ornaments to put on his tree and a Hallmark recordable book. This year one of his ornaments was none other than "I-Story", AKA Toy Story. He was so excited when he opened it, but not really sure why we wouldn't let him play with it. One day he will understand...maybe! He was so amazed that his book had MeMe's voice in it. I guess this was the first year he was actually able to notice! 

Christmas Eve was just as much fun as I've always rememebered it being. We finished the afternoon off with a good nap and headed to Uncle Tony's. 

Stay tuned for Part 4...