HE IS HERE!!!

Gabe was born August 1st at 3:16... 7 lbs. 3 ozs and 20.5 inches... Jayce had been born at 2:16, and was 7,6 and 20.5 inches so they were pretty similar! Labor was a little harder this time, WELL a lot harder this time...It took an hour longer, but my water was broken about 5 hours later than last time, and I think that held things up... I can honestly now say I know what pain goes along with childbirth, which I could not say last time, b/c I felt no pain... Jay says I just have some war stories to brag about, I say, we might be done now! BUT, I had no pass outs and did not get sick that first night, which was a change for the better...Anyhow, he is here and is beautiful and definitely worth any pain I experienced... I am definitely in love all over again and did not need to worry about whether I would be able to do that again, because I certainly can and do! Gabe looks exactly like Jayce did! He does have lighter hair and curlier hair than Jayce was born with... he is absolutely precious! He is so laid back and I've only heard him get a little loud 3 times since he was born, one of which was WHEN he was born... So far, he eats and sleeps and looks around, all very quietly! He is so sweet... Jayce is taking well to him and loves to hold him! We have to just be sure to supervise! His first gesture to Gabe was to hand him his blankie which was HUGE b/c Jayce does not like to give up his blankie to anyone...His first words were "who you?" to Gabe... then we told him it was Gabe and he climbed up on the bed, kissed him and said hey Gabe, I have gum... and stuck out his tongue to show him... it was hilarious!


Anyhow, mom is making me take a nap, I'll post some pics here today and many more soon! Hope you enjoy! Love to you all, Christyn

None of that stuff works!

Despite power walking an hour on the treadmill yesterday, cleaning my entire house (usually only do half at a time), scrubbing my kitchen floor on hands and knees, AND eating spicy salsa on my cheese quesadilla... Gabe has not decided to come yet! I'm thinking by now, we'll just hold off until Wednesday! There are a FEW more things I've heard could work, but none that I'm quite up for trying these days... I'll go in at 5:30 and am scheduled to start being induced around 7:00 or 7:30, please keep me and Gabe and Jay of course in your prayers for that day and we will update this with pictures as soon as we get a chance... who knows how long that will be! Thanks for your prayers and support! Love to you all, Christyn

Doctor Appointment and a BIG BELLY!

I've been trying to write since my appointment Thursday but my computer hasn't been cooperating... ANYHOW, I am 2 cm dilated and still 50% effaced... I'm going to be induced Wednesday morning at 7:30, have to be there at 5:30 (that should be fun!)... if I have not gone on my own before then... Feeling lots of pressure and have had a few other signs that his arrival could be near! We'll keep ya posted... I'm attaching a picture I took to show you all how big this belly of mine is! It's crazy it can stretch so much! So far the burt's bees mama bees stretch mark cream has worked in preventing stretch marks though which I think is amazing! Anyhow, we'll write with any more progress soon!

Gabe likes to play games!

I was just talking to my friend Molly, updating her on my progress or lack thereof and she said that I must write about it on my blog, to be sure I'll always remember it! So, here I go...
Since the last time I wrote, we've been to the hospital twice, however we've gotten better by not actually going in and having to pay the hospital bill, we just sat in the 30 minute maternity parking until contractions went away! Last week, we made the trip Sunday night... were were in the church service that night, and they started coming one minute apart for quite some time... I still would have waited a while, as to not disrupt church... and I wasn't in major pain, just uncomfortable... but Jay was READY... i said, my water had not broken and he said he'd prefer it not break in the church pew... I was in agreement, so we up and left... of course I was wearing flip flops (dressy ones... but loud) and so we made quite a scene walking out with those and my big belly leading the way.. people were giving us thumbs out on the way out... quite embarrassing! By the time we picked up Jayce from the nursery, got a sandwich from Quiznos ( I had told Jay I was really hungry and this could be my last meal for a while)... and got there, they had slowed down to 5 minutes, then 10 and then went away... Jay made us sit in the lot for a while to be sure... he said he felt completely calm once we were in the parking lot, and that maybe we should just camp out there!

THEN, Friday, I was having them all day off and on and then that night night, we were eating at the Japanese steak house, and they started coming again a minute apart... I could barely eat, which is a rarety in the that place, as I love it so much, but once we got our boxes and left and got to the hospital, they had slowed way down AGAIN!
We once again sat in the 30 minute parking for a while to be sure, and eventually headed home, glad we had not checked in once again! Jayce knows the routine by now, he was pointing to the hospital, saying, "I wanna go see baby Gabe!"

Anyhow, at my last appointment last week, I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced... I go again on Thursday and hopefully will have made a little progress by then... I am doing all I can, working out still, and people get scared when I step on the machine beside them...afraid they'll have to deliver a baby! Every time I stop to get water or stretch... "are you ok? you're not going into labor are you?" the trainers and nursery workers are convinced I'll be the first to have my water break at the gym... I am so paranoid of that happening in public, but not enough that I"m willing to stop going anywhere! Lately after the gym, we'll go walk around the mall or a store for another few hours... I even made a mexican dish over the weekend that I ate leftovers of for 4 meals in a row... still, nothing... Gabe is going to wait until he's ready! In the meantime, I'll be thankful for the rest I'm getting...and try to keep squeezing into the last 3 shirts that will actually cover my belly!

Oh, something cute Jayce did the other day, we were playing with a resistance band, acting like it was a jump rope and he really liked that, although no one was jumping (funny the things that fascinate him)... but he said, hold on mama, ran over and lifted up my shirt and said I wanna show Gabe... and continued on with the game, as Gabe watched through my belly button! He's still rubbing lotion on my belly each day as I put it on him... it's really sweet!

I see the dr. this Thursday and will write on any progress...

Jayce's First Fish!!!

Jayce caught his first fish July 4th at the annual McLaughlin cookout! He wasn't quite sure what to think of the little guy, but we were really excited! I'm attaching a picture of him with his Aunt Laurie (who goes by "Aunt Liza"). He loved the fireworks too, although by the end, he was saying, I wanna go INSIDE, and these words had never come out of his mouth, he loves being outside, but I think he got a little frightened by the bigger, louder ones!
We have moved Jayce to his big boy room (his golf room) to make room for baby Gabe, and he's kind of having a hard time with it. We are still keeping him in a crib for now, but it is a different crib, with different bedding, and he keeps saying, I want to sleep in the froggy room, or Gabe's room, it's kind of sad... but I know he'll warm up to his new room eventually...
We are 36.5 weeks along and no progress has been made... In the last week, I was monitored for contractions and then today checked for my water breaking... but it turned out both were false alarms... and so I feel like a big hypochondriac... not sure that's the right spelling... but, the contractions were timed at regular intervals, and I was having some true contractions, but also some of the false ones, and I wasn't dilated at all, so they sent me home with a shot of demoral (sp?) for which I was very grateful! I wish I could have that every night to sleep! I haven't had them since... and today was not actually my water, but they said it was good we checked b/c there's no way for them to tell for certain without running the test they ran... and if it had been, and I was just laboring slowly, Gabe could have gotten an infection... Anyhow, enough of the boring details...
We are pretty much ready, I've pulled out the bouncy seat and boppy, and Jayce loves to sit his puppets in there and bounce them as high as they'll go, we're gonna have to really watch him with that! I am trying to spend as much time with Jayce as I can these days doing fun things b/c I know that everything is about to change so much... and I won't have all the opportunities I have now for much longer... I know it will be such a good change, and we can't wait to meet and hold little Gabriel, but I will always cherish this time I've had with my sweet baby Jayce!
I'm attaching some recent pictures too, hope you enjoy!

peanut butter

Jayce is definitely my child! The other day he comes up to me and asks for peanut butter, usually it's that he wants it on a cracker or a sandwich, but this time he insisted to eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar... So, I have given him his very own jar to eat from and of course I monitor him closely... I can't imagine where he got this habit from???? Anyhow, I'm actually glad he enjoys it so much as it's good protein and he's not the biggest meat eater these days...
Jayce is learning new things so quickly these days... he likes to say his abc's and can almost say them without help! He loves to sing Deep and Wide, Jesus loves me, the bible, and happy birthday to Jayce! He's going to be really confused at our next bday party! We are working on days of the week and he can get to Wednesday without help! Now, colors are still pretty foggy! Jay reminds me this is a concept though and I know it won't be long before the little fella gets them! Right now, most everything is red! Anyhow, his cutest saying these days... we'll say, Jayce, you're so smart and he says "I marts" and then if you're taking a picture, or he sees himself in a mirror he says "miles" for "smile"... it's just too cute to correct!


We are drawing nearer to baby time and I am really feeling it... I"m almost 35 weeks and my belly keeps getting bigger when I didn't think it possibly could... I'm going to the dr. every 2 weeks now and my next appt. is Thursday, so I'm anxious to see if anything is new... I said that I wasn't going to want to hurry baby out this time, now that I know of the sleepless nights and temporary insanity that accompany a newborn's arrival, BUT, I'd forgotten just how miserable I felt at the end, so I wouldn't mind chopping a few weeks off the time, as long as Gabe was healthy and ready for it...The nursery is ready, except for it has a toddler sleeping in it... Until we pick up Jayce's borrowed crib from Jay's sister Jayce will be there, so I'm hoping for a smooth transition once we move him into his big boy room...
Jayce's cousins came to visit for the weekend and he had a blast... we went to the pool and he did great wearing swimmies... He gets so excited when they are around and each time he is with his cousins, it confirms to me that I don't need to worry about him feeling left out once baby Gabe comes, but to see if more as a gift we are giving Jayce, as he truly is so much happier around other little ones!
Jayce keeps rubbing my belly and giving Gabe "sugars" daily... and he often rubs his too and says, Jayce has a baby... so I"m not sure he REALLY gets it... oh one funny thing, I have this new makeup mirror, and one side magnifies you like 3 times, so when I turn it to that side, he says BIG MAMA! The other day on the way to church, I looked in the mirror, and Jayce said BIG MAMA, I said you got that right buddy!
I"m attaching pictures from his pb episode and father's day on the trampoline with Jay and his visit to the pool with his cousins, hope you'll enjoy!

recent pics

Here are a few recent pictures... The ones on the water are at the McLaughlin cabin from Mother's Day... we couldn't get Jayce to smile because he was preoccupied with looking for the "ah ah's" (ducks)... but do you do get to see him "giving you nuckles" which his daddy taught him...And you do get to see how big my belly is getting! Then there is one of him after a big slide... he looks like such a big boy! And, the sweetest one of he and Jay on the deck, watching the "rain" (our sprinkler system)... Then the one in the tub is right after he shaved with his toy shaving kit his girlfriend Mary Miles gave him for his bday... he loves it... we just have a hard time keeping the shaving cream only on his face!