Originally, I was anti-blogging. It wasn't until Molly started telling me all these great things about blogs and how it was like keeping a journal, that I decided I should start a blog for our family. Now that I have started, I am sad I didn't start sooner. With the kids, especially Bradlee, growing up so fast, I would hate to forget some of the funny things that have happened.
Rather than risk forgetting, I figure I will just jot them down. Better late than never. Apologies in advance to all my family members who have already heard these stories...probably more than once.
BRADLEE
Bradlee is a special child. I don't even know how to explain her. She tries my every patience. She knows exactly what buttons to push, and she pushes them...a lot. Bradlee does whatever she wants, whenever she wants to do it. Whenever I see her about to do something naughty, I will give her some options. For example, I might say, "Bradlee, if you drop your bowl on the floor, you will go to your room for time out." Then, I can just see the wheels turning. She will weigh her options, and without fail, she always decides that doing what she wants is worth whatever consequence might come her way. Now that we have Brock, I can't ever go to the grocery store alone with my kids. Bradlee WILL NOT stay with me. She runs away from me every time (often toward busy streets), and I am not that fast now since I am always carrying a baby. I have also tried putting her in the large area of the cart where the groceries go...not a good idea. She opens everything I put in there and mutilates it beyond recognition. Not to mention, the time she jumped out of the cart at Target, while I was trying to put Brock in the car. Needless to say, I don't think she will ever do that again.
Another memorable Bradlee moment...
One day when Bradlee and I got home from having lunch with Tyler, I brought her and everything else I could carry inside the house (including my keys, purse and cell phone). I remembered I forgot her sippy cup in the car, so I went back to the driveway real quick to grab it. I left the front door open because I knew it would only take me 15 seconds max. Well, I get back to the house and the front door is shut. I try the knob, and it is locked. In disbelief, I try the knob again. Yup, still locked. I can't believe it, I have no keys, all the windows and doors are locked (not that I would have fit through any window at 32 weeks pregnant anyway), and I have no way to get a hold of anyone. Meanwhile, Bradlee is inside doing who knows what. I start having all these visions of her drowning in the toilet or playing with knives. In a panic, I ran across the street to our neighbor's house (who we have never met) and ask to use her phone. I call Tyler and tell him what happened and that he needs to come home ASAP to let me in the house. With Tyler on the way home, I went back to our house to sit on the front steps. From the front steps I could hear Bradlee just inside the door, so I started talking to her. I wanted to keep her as close to me as possible. For the first five minutes or so she was responding to me. She was trying to get the door unlocked, but just couldn't figure it out. Eventually, she stopped talking to me, and I had no idea where she had gone. Tyler got home in what seemed like an eternity. When he unlocked the door and tried to go inside, the door was stuck. He put a little weight into it to push it open, and there was little Bradlee, asleep on the floor right up next to the door.
BROCK'S DELIVERY
Wednesday night, May 21st, I started having pretty bad contractions. They kept me up most of the night, but by morning they had almost completely stopped. Thursday morning, I had another Dr. appointment, and based on how dilated I was, they thought I would have the baby any time. The nurse practitioner told me to call their office once I started having contractions three or four minutes apart for about two consecutive hours.
Well, I was done with my appointment at about noon, and I started having contractions almost immediately. By 12:30 they were already just three minutes apart. I figured this was probably it, and wanting to come home from the hospital to an immaculate house, I started vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms. At about 1:30 I called the Dr.'s office to let them know what was going on. The nurse on the phone said I should come in to the office, so they could monitor my progress. I called Tyler and told him he needed to come home, so we could drop Bradlee off with Jamie and Amy, and make it over to the office. About five minutes after that the nurse called me back, and said "I am so sorry, I didn't realize how far dilated you were this morning. The doctor says you need to go straight to the hospital."
I arrived at the hospital at about 3:00, just as it was being locked down due to tornadoes. At about 3:20 I was done registering, and was headed up to labor and delivery. All the moms and babies were in the hallway because no one was allowed to be in their rooms, next to windows, during a tornado watch. I had to change into my hospital gown in the nurses' locker room. When I was done, they had a bed set up for me in the hallway. My contractions were probably only two minutes apart by this time, and I was having them with about 30 people watching. My doctor came to check me and break my water at about 3:40, and I was already dilated to a seven. Luckily, with nurses reprimanding him, he took me into a private room for that part. He asked me if I planned on having an epidural, and I assured him, "YES! That is the plan." He said, "I'll see what I can do." From the tone of his voice and the look on his face, I knew right then that I was having this baby 100% natural. As they wheeled me back into the hallway they told me to let them know if I felt like I needed to push. At that time, the nurse started poking me in the arm with a needle for my IV, and she kept trying over and over again because she couldn't find a vein (no one can ever find a vein). Keep in mind, while she is fishing for veins, my contractions are back to back. About five minutes after they had wheeled me back into the hall, I needed to start pushing. The doctor checked me right there in the hall, and sure enough I was ready to go! They took me into an operating room to have the baby because that was the only private space without any windows, and at 4:20 Brock was born. We spent the rest of our stay at the hospital in and out of our room due to tornado warnings. What an experience!
About half way through the rodeo, rain started pouring down. As soon as the down pour came, "Sweet Home Alabama" started blaring from the speakers, and the stadium went nuts. It got so bad that the bucking horses wouldn't even come out of their chutes. The cowboys couldn't wrestle their calves to the ground because it was so muddy. I felt like a real red neck just being there.
