Hi Y'all! Mason here. Mama has been a bit busy with me and Brother so I thought I would jump in to say hi. 

Hi!

My first few months home have been super fantastic! (My brother taught me to say that). I'm 11 weeks old now. I'm getting the hang of this breathing and eating thing. My favorite part so far is sleeping. Mama was so excited this morning because I slept from 9pm to 5am. I was just really tired from my first road trip. I don't think it will happen again - I like seeing her and Daddy in the middle of the night.

But my most favorite part of my new house is my big brother!  He is so funny! He holds my hand. And plays with my hair. And watches the best shows on this iPad thing. Maybe when I learn how to hold my head up Mama and Daddy will get me one. I am practicing every day. Mama and Daddy say I'm doing really good. Brother says I just have to keep trying.

I love my new house! Mama and Daddy have a bottle waiting for me almost every time I wake up from my naps. It's like they are magic!! My brother likes to share all of his old baby toys with me. And my bed is so comfy.



Oh and guess what?! 


My brother is a pirate!!!

He knows how to talk like a pirate and has a sword and everything! He said he's going to teach me how to be a pirate one day.

Here are some fun pictures Mama took. She is always asking me to say cheese but I don't know how to use my words yet. I try my best to smile.

2 months old

me and my favorite brother

After my first road trip

Well, I must get back to my napping now. Have a good day!

Mason's Birth Story

The last week of bed rest at home was humming along. Just one more weekend, a long Monday, and then it would be Tuesday --- when we would finally get to meet our Mason.

God had a different plan.

It was 2am on Friday morning and the contractions were pretty close together. Not uncommon for me.  My doctor had said to head into Labor & Delivery if the contractions were close and painful. I kept tracking them. They were close but zero pain. The more I tracked the more I stressed. I didn't want to wake up my boys if it was false labor. After a few more minutes of stressing I remembered to pray: Lord please be really loud if it is time to meet Mason. 

I laid there and next thing I know Travis' alarm is going off. I fell asleep! Thank you Lord. 

I tell Travis what happened and he was loving and didn't say a word but I could tell he thought I should have woke him. 

Ethan and Travis go through their morning routine and I get ready for my last prenatal appointment. The doctor had given me the okay to drive and be on my feet a little bit more since we were so close to our scheduled delivery date. Ironically it was harder than ever to walk. In the last week my belly had dropped making it hard to do just about anything. 

I took the scenic route into the office that morning and stayed off the highway just in case. As I'm driving the contractions return. Like clockwork they are 10 minutes apart. This time there is some discomfort. I'm still trying to find other reasons than the beginning of labor. I think maybe it's because I'm sitting instead of laying down. Silly me. 

  

I walk into the office and the receptionist asks how I'm doing. I say I'm not sure and proceed to tell her about all of the fun. She asked me to have a seat but that Dr E might send me to Labor & Delivery to get monitored. I hadn't even sat down comfortably when she peaked out the door and told me to go ahead and head across the street. 

Could today be the day?!

Dr E rushed out and met me in the hallway and said "If the contractions continue or get closer we'll go ahead and deliver today. We're close enough at 37 weeks and 6 days; Mason will be fine. Then again you may get there and your body may relax. Let's just check."

I walked to my car stunned. Shell-shocked really. And a little nervous. I had a scheduled C-Section. This was not the plan. Then my friend reminded me that this was exciting. I soon could be meeting this little boy I had been working so hard to protect she said. I finally exhaled and remembered that it could be the most exciting day. I find it loving how God sends you a hug and a wink when you need it most.

I give Travis a heads up and drive myself across the street to the hospital. I get buzzed in and have to walk down a long hallway to the check-in desk. It's sweet though that I wasn't really alone. A new dad walked through the door with me and we chatted a bit until we got to his wife's room. I was walking really slowly. Then a nurse carrying someones food tray walked and talked with me the rest of the way. 

When I got to Labor & Delivery to get monitored I was assigned a nurse I knew well.  Again, a comforting reminder that I wasn't alone. I laid there and read for the next hour thankful I could let the machine do the contraction tracking. At the end of the hour she came in and said "Today is the day! The contractions have stayed 7 to 10 minutes apart and the last one was closer at 2 minutes. Go ahead and call your husband." 

And so our waiting game began. 

It was closer to noon now. We were told we would be slotted for the OR at 1:30pm. In reality it was closer to 4:00pm when they wheeled us to the OR. 

Mason was born at 4:31pm.

6 lbs 9 oz

19 inches long

Mason Allen Irish

Sweet boy had a hard birth. It turned out he was breached and it took the doctor 4 minutes to pull him out. Thankfully he was never out of oxygen. The little guy was bruised from all of the pulling. I guess my body was not ready to let go.

I heard his brief cry and got to briefly kiss him before they rushed him to NICU. I wasn't surprised since he was two weeks early. I expected him to spend at least a few hours in the NICU. Later I learned that he was having a hard time keeping his lungs open on his own. The NICU team quickly went to work and got him on a water bubble to help relieve the stress. His little body needed a little time to get used to his new world. 

The long delivery time led to a longer than expected surgery time. The long surgery time led to a lot of blood loss. Thankfully I had gone into surgery with a high blood count. I believe the rest and water drinking had primed my body for this twist in our adventure. I spent a couple of hours in recovery. Again I was not alone.

I was assigned a nurse that had helped me monitor late night contractions many times during my hospital stay. At one point I remember telling her "I love that I know you guys". She said "I love that you know us too". She was full of good advice for my recovery and shared how Mason was doing.

Once I was ready they wheeled my bed into the NICU so I could see my boy. It was hard seeing him with all of his medical gear but I was glad I could at least lay my hand on him. He was now stable and doing very well considering. My sweet nurse stayed there with me for a whole hour. 

The next time I saw my boy was the next night. Saturday was rough. The blood loss caught up with my body. The doctor on call finally gave the green light for a blood transfusion late that afternoon. At the same time that they were prepping me, three loving friends came to love on us and pray with us. It was perfect timing. The visit soothed and calmed my soul. 

By Sunday Mason was off of the water bubble and breathing on his own. His IV was gone too. All that was left of his medical gear where the vital sign monitors. Travis and I took turns visiting him during feedings. It was great to finally hold him and love on him. My sweet strong boy.

On Monday Mason developed a bit of jaundice. They placed him under the blue lights. This made him very sleepy and he hardly ate that day. That's hard to believe now because the boy cannot go one minute past his feeding time without screaming at the top of his lungs.

Later that day I was medically released from the hospital but Mason had to stay. The team quickly found an empty room for us to be together and room-in overnight. The goal was to send us home together. We had one more night under the blue lights. The team wanted to see an improvement in his jaundice levels and his feeding to be consistent before they allowed him to go home. It felt like I had one shot. I was nervous. Travis had to be home with Ethan so I called on My Laura and she gladly and quickly rushed to be with us. [Small side note: My Laura is my dad's wife but step mom is just such a yucky term to me -- thanks Cinderella -- so I call her My Laura] I was so thankful that she dropped everything to be with me. It gave me the Mom Confidence I needed to take care of Mason and get us home.

The night was spent waking to alarms set to every 3 hours and keeping Mason awake long enough to feed. By morning the "Smurf Test" showed his jaundice levels had improved and his feedings were consistently good. All that was left was for the doctor to review everything and hopefully grant his release.

By late morning Travis, Mason and I were headed home. We were finally on our way to beginning our family of four journey at home. Praise the Lord.

Being removed from his birth by several weeks I can see God's hand in every step. He prepared us for our bed rest adventure. I thought that was our whole story. It wasn't. The bed rest prepared us for Mason's birth. Bed rest grew our family's faith. It gave my body the best fighting chance for such a crazy delivery. It helped Travis and I appreciate and grow in our roles of Mommy, Daddy, Husband, and Wife. Our friends and family showered us with constant love and prayers. All of this helped us to endure the rough birth hospital days and the weeks that followed.  Not to mention the many lessons I learned and that I'm still discovering. In the storm I can see many, many blessings.

Mason's story is a great testimony to God's constant faithfulness. His love. His protection.

We have all heard the saying "God doesn't give you more than what you can handle." I have always believed that to be true. Now I know why it is so true --- because He prepares you and leads you through it all  --- if you let Him. All you need is to do is to keep your eyes on Jesus.

Ethan (3 years)   Mason (4 days)

Mason's Story Keeps Getting Better

We are one week away from meeting our Mason!

The little tiny clothes have been washed. The crib and play pen pulled together. The car seats loaded in the cars. The bottles have been washed.

All we need is our little Mason to arrive.

In one week we'll head back to the hospital. After a few days we'll come home a family of four.

The last two weeks at home have been the biggest gift from God. We have gotten to enjoy quality time as a family of three. I've gotten to watch my Ethan play and giggle. I've had the chance to snuggle him after he takes his bath. And gotten to kiss him good night. In the morning we greet the morning together.  

I've gotten to kiss my husband good night. And greet him when he comes home from work. I've gotten to hear the "how was your day" stories right in our living room. And been able to be supportive, even if it is from the couch.

A chance to enjoy these slow days before we all dive into the newborn transition phase. You know the one. The days that seem like they will never end. Then all of a sudden you are two months down the road and life is a tiny bit easier. But all the while, there are loads of love, laughs, and snuggles.

I. Can't. Wait.


Before we take the plunge though I want to share the love gift we got from God.

Let's go back to April 16th. We were scheduled for a sonogram. The main purpose: to check Mason's growth and check the placenta placement.

In the 31 days since we arrived at the hospital my body had gone from very irritable and at the verge of going into labor (at 30 weeks!) to calm, calm, calm. blessing #1

There was a magic pill that kept the contractions at bay most of the time. When they were persistent, a magic shot instantly made everything calm again. I'm told sometimes multiple magic doses are needed but one worked for us every single time. 

Mason's heartbeat and movement were monitored daily and he always passed with flying colors. During the entire stay, not once was he ever in danger. Now my body going into labor would have put him in danger. But all along his growth was right on target. blessing #2

The placenta - well it has been the star of the show since December. That's when we found out it had decided to settle in at the very bottom of my belly (aka my uterus). This little discovery kicked our pregnancy up a notch on the risk factor. At the time I was told to just take it easy. It was early in the pregnancy and the placenta could still move. If it didn't then ... 

Best case scenario we would deliver Mason at 38 weeks via C-Section. 

Worst-case scenario my body would try to go into labor and I would have to finish the pregnancy at the hospital. 

So there were lots of sonograms to check on Mason's growth and check the placenta placement. But every time it was checked it was in the same place.... way at the bottom. We kept hoping it would move but it never did. 

Fast forward to April 16th and we expected to see Mason growing beautifully, verify that my body was not in full term labor, and the placenta was way at the bottom. At this point in the pregnancy, the doctor said the chances that the placenta had moved were pretty much zero. If everything checked out as we expected, then we would deliver Mason at 37 weeks where he may need a little oxygen in the NICU but probably not require a long stay.

So that morning in walked the same perinatal doctor that had done the sono 31 days before when we were first admitted.  (They have a huge team and you don't always get the same doctor.)  It was nice to see a familiar face that knew all about our case. blessing #3

In the room, they began to measure Mason.  He checked out beautifully. blessing #4

My body was not in full term labor. blessing #5

Next up - that stubborn placenta. There were three students in the room with us. Which means the doctor was walking them through everything on the screen. Before we got started he said if this baby was born today he would be fine.  A few days in the NICU to wait on his lungs and then home he'll go.  He went on to share our high risk case and what he had seen before. Then the teaching moved on to the placenta. It was mostly doctor speak but I thought I heard that it wasn't where we had seen it last. I tried to hide the shacky-ness I was feeling because immediately I knew - God moved it. But I had to tell myself "Girl get it together! You can not be the crazy crying pregnant girl in front of these students."  

Then the doctor showed us all on my belly where everything was:  Mason was laying horizontally. His head on my right side and his feet to my left. 

The placenta had completely moved to my right side! It now started right below my ribs and carried downward. Just the tail end of it was at the bottom of my belly. Thank you Lord!!! blessing #6

I'll have you know I waited until I was back in my room to ugly cry. Travis said he thought I was joking at first. Not only was this unexpected. It was highly unlikely at this stage in the pregnancy. Only God could do something like this.

So the rest of the day went crazy fast. My doctor immediately got word of the miracle. She called me right away to say I could go home. Still on bed rest but I could go home. blessing #7

Even after learning we were out of the  placenta danger zone, I still didn't think we would be sent home. And honestly that was ok. The important thing was that delivery would now be a lot less tricky!! I just kept thanking God with the biggest smile you have ever seen.

We quickly made plans to move Mason and I home. I was sitting on my couch by 4 pm that afternoon when my sweet Ethan came running through the door. I will never forget the look on his face. It matched every emotion I was feeling.

Now, here we are at home sharing some much needed family time as a family of 3 for one more week. Mason will be delivered at 38 weeks via a scheduled normal c-section on May 12th.


For now we will continue to thank God for each passing day and enjoy just being together in one room - doing life.  

Tales From A Resting Bed

It has been four whole weeks since we began this adventure. When I stop to think of how long that really is  ... I can hardly believe it. I always said bed rest would be SO hard for me. I might have even said impossible.

Thankfully I'm not doing this alone. God is here. And four weeks later I can tell you it is not impossible. And it hasn't even been miserable. There are plenty of books and magazines and blogs and podcasts and puzzles and visits to keep the minutes happy. Then there are Travis and Ethan.

Easter with a  Twist

Ethan has warmed up to the "doctor bed". We snuggle as best we can (the Mason belly has gotten BIG) and play puzzles and read bible stories. Travis makes me laugh through it all and nudges me back over when I'm getting close to the boredom edge. Even though I miss being home with them, I'm glad we get to sprinkle in bits of normal.



Here are a few small tales from the resting bed:

1) Baby ducks :: My room has a wall made up of two patio doors and a big window.

This spring a Mama Duck claimed the courtyard as her home and set up a nest for her 12 little babies. I tried to get a picture but they are just not very good at posing. We are unfortunately down to 5 little ducks now. It's a hard world out there.

The Daddy Duck comes by for visits in the early morning hours. He flies in and sits at the top of the ledge and watches over the entire area. He is ever the protector. It's the neatest thing to watch. The other day he spent most of the day here. I heard a lot of chirping or whatever noise ducklings make and it made me wonder if there was a predator in our midst. But I'm happy to report that we still have 5 baby ducks.


2) Watching Winter turn to Spring :: The leaves have sprouted on all of the trees in the courtyard now. That ledge separates the patient rooms from the waiting area. Every once in a while Mason and I get a curious "visitor".  I just pray for zero eye contact. Soon enough they realize they have gone too far and turn around. Small price to pay for a view like this though. It's been fun getting to watch the seasons change. Admiring nature is definitely one of my love languages. It settles my soul.


3) New friends :: Talking is also another love language of mine. Or maybe it's just part of what makes me happy. I can say that there have been times where I turn to music just so I can use my out loud words!

I've gotten a chance to get to know a lot of the nurses and support staff like the "dining services" ladies. It's so fun to get to catch up with them after not seeing them for a few days. They ask about Ethan and his potty training progress and share kid/grandkid stories with me.  The other day I even got a quick drop in visit from a nurse that got promoted to Day Shifts. She mostly spends time on the other side of the hall so she came in just to say hi and see how we were doing. So Sweet!!


4) Bloggy Friends :: I've gotten a chance to read 3 books and get all caught up on reading blog posts. That's way more than I've gotten done over the last three years! I even got brave enough to reach out to Melanie @ the Big Mama blog and the best part ... She wrote me back!!!  I always claimed her as my friend because well, she's hilarious, lives in Texas, and talks about shopping at H-E-B. Need I say more? Anyhow ... I was so surprised she wrote back. It was the week her latest book was released and I knew she was getting contacted from a million different directions. I really didn't expect a response. But she wrote back!!!  Did I mention that already? Now I really get to claim her as my friend!


5) Art of pillow placement :: I haven't mastered this one yet.  At home I was sleeping with a long body pillow plus two others. And just in case sleep escaped me at 3 in the morning there was a reading chair ready to keep me company. Here I have two pillows. I could ask for more but it already takes a sweet forever to roll myself out of bed. You see these days drinking water is my job and me and the potty see each other VERY often. So honestly two pillows is all I have the patience for. I mean there is only so much room for me, the ever growing Mason belly, two pillows, and the leg cuff things that keep me healthy. And let's not talk about the times I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I may have waited a minute too long to start the potty journey. So we'll just keep trying to make these two pillows work. I will say the buttons on the bed help. What's that --  you want to lay down - push a button. Oh, you want to sit up now - push a button. Lower back feels achy - push a button.  Pure greatness!


6) Daydreaming :: I have managed to decorate and redecorate every room in my house via Pinterest. Also I'm surrounded by Beach decor thanks to my friend Tiff. I didn't think I needed decor or things from home but boy! does it make a difference in adding happy to the room. It's inspired me to dream and pin of many future family vacations.

So here's a little tid bit of a side story --- the best part of having girlfriends with kids older than yours is getting to see what is up ahead. It's like the "stay tuned for scenes from our next episode" at the end of your favorite show. My friend Jen has always talked about how her second got to experience outings a lot earlier because you don't just stop your first from experiencing life. So there goes your newborn to soccer games and playdates at the park and such. As a first time mommy I thought this to be so interesting. I can completely see how that happens but would never have occurred to me to expect.

After I became a mom I quickly learned to never say "I would never fill in the blank" because you don't know until you get there. There is no right or wrong way of doing things. There is only the perfect way for your family. So when I hear my best friend tell such stories it intrigues me to see how I'll react. Well, I'm here to say that Mason is definitely going to get some early experiences as soon as mommy is brave enough and ready to go. Maybe not a vacation as a newborn but definitely some fun outings. Besides all four of us are long over due.



So there you have it ... just a few tales Mason and I wanted to share. And now back to that
baby book I have been meaning to finish since before Ethan was born.

What A Story We Will Have

Being pregnant for the second time has been, shall we say, a bit of an experience. Up until last week it was going a little something like this ...

Let's go back to Sep/Oct:

hmmmm, wonder why i need to keep going to the bathroom all of a sudden

and why does 8pm feel like midnight!  SO tired!

It took me a few days to realize that I should probably check to see if I was "with child"... and a few seconds later...

yay!

wait, what?! already?

it took us a sweet forever last time

are we ready for this?

i should probably tell Travis

And then two weeks later...

why do I already look 6 months pregnant? i'm never going to be able to hide this until week 12

are we sure we are ready for this?

all of the bottles... in the middle of the night... no sleep

how will Ethan handle this?

yay! Ethan will have a brother or sister!

And then before I knew it...

finally, second trimester... hooray!  

i can tell people what they already know because wow! i look a million months pregnant

just where is that 2nd trimester boost of energy?

naps... need more naps

it's a boy!  

hooray for two boys!

And finally... 

third trimester! yay!

we are almost done! whew!

why is it so much work to take a shower?

bathroom.  again.  seriously?  

alright... time to get this baby planning show no the road... then again we do have almost everything saved from Ethan... oh let's wait a few more weeks

And then last week happened.

The day my body decided to take a rest... at the hospital... for 6 weeks!

wait, what?!

So here we are hanging out with the nurses and doctors at the hospital until Baby Mason makes his big debut. 

My immediate feeling was shock. Have I mentioned change throws me for a loop? Good thing my husband is great at leading me through the crazy with all of his calm.

And then an enormous wave of sadness took over. I was going to be away from Ethan. I'm the mommy who has only spent 2 nights away from her child. So the thought of not being there to say good morning and watch him crawl into bed was just too much. The tears just kept flowing. Travis and I - we've done apart before. We've done living in different states.  We've done deployment. It won't make it easy but at least we know the emotions and roles to expect. We know what it feels like during the journey and how precious it is when it's all over. But away from Ethan... now that's a new one.

And then God's voice got louder. 

He said it would all be okay, you are in My hands, and I have been preparing all of you for this time. His peace just washed over me. The sad tears kept flowing but fear stayed away and the "what about this" questions were answered.  (by Travis of course because I was the one crying and asking the questions. He was in full problem-solving mode.)

Then I began to see how He had prepared us for this. There have been many things that have happened over the last several months and even years that now make so much sense. Some of them bigger than others but still I believe it was all His preparation. I am so thankful and grateful.

He has set us up to endure this. So we will. 

Like Travis reminded me, we don't know why we are going through this - we may never know this side of heaven. But we do know that we trust Him and He is taking care of us and that it will all be okay. We may not know what the next 6 weeks will look like or what they will bring. But we do know that He will not leave us. 

Ten days later the tears still flow from time to time. But there is peace in my heart. We all miss each other like crazy but we get to see each other a lot! The outpouring of love from our friends and family is unbelievable. For now, the minutes don't seem endless. Thanks to being a mommy for 3 years, there are lots of books and magazines to catch up on. Already the rest has helped my body to finally calm down. We have had one week of uneventful calm. Mason is growing beautifully and hopefully we will get to meet him around April 27th. And what a story we will have for that little guy!

God is good.