Savoring, tears, spiritual, kisses!

I've heard over and over since Greg was born to savor it all when he's so small and savor each moment no matter his age! 

I took that to heart, so I practice mindfulness when I am with him. I stop and think of what's happening and soak in the moments. I do what it takes to breastfeed as much as I am able to outside of work because I know it won't last forever. During these younger months, we are doing what it takes to either take Greg with us or skip out on things.  With all that said, we are struggling to make our work situations  more feasible to be at home more with Greg. Prayers would be so much appreciated for my work to allow me to decrease my hours and for Travis to be able to increase his income.

Tears return every so often for various reasons and more recently for when I'm thinking about our labor days and our hospital postpartum stay. It was all so much. 

Recently I have felt connected, whether it's spiritual or otherwise, with a friend who had a baby yesterday. When I was at yoga I had a "dropping/contraction" type feeling in my uterus three times just a few minutes after her boy was born--like 4-6 minutes!! I really thought about her a lot the last two months as she's been going through the end of her pregnancy. As we discussed, God works in mysterious and awesome ways!

This last week I have also come to figure out the kissing baby phenomena :) I used to just touch my cheek to his cheek or head, but now I am kissing his cheeks!

P.S. He's doing well potty training US. We have 4-10 catches per day!! It's all about watching his cues and learning his elimination communication. 

Blessing!

Back to some usuals: pants are fitting better and started work last week--God truly gave me the gift of being able to leave Greg without having heartache 

Love my time at home

Extra pukey the last month

Seeing glimpses of the fun it will be to raise Greg

So in love with breastfeeding--what a miracle!

Into forming bubbles on lips, rolling/curling tongue, smiling, a few giggles, and paying more attention to where we are

Need a backup babysitter still

Going potty on the toilet at age 3 months 1day!

I'm seeing more blessings than curses the last few weeks! Feeling more love. 

Kiss!

I've come to realize that I'm not a baby kisser like most moms that continually kiss their baby. I am a "cheeker!" I'm much more of a touchy person with my cheek to his cheek or head. I love the feel of my soft cheek against his soft cheek or head!! For me, it's much more meaningful!

I haven't posted in a while, because I couldn't think of a topic to write about. I continue to savor all my moments at home with Travis and Greg. I love holding him and dread seeing his "I'm scared" face/cry. Things continue to be erratic including our sleep, my pumping amounts, and his eating schedule. This last week he weighed in at 12 lbs. 15 oz. and 23 3/4 inches long. His clavicle is healing just fine, and his heart murmur is better. He has been spitting up more, but he is eating faster and getting more erpy because of that.

Our animals could use prayers too:

Hank was having accidents again we believe due to the stress around here. 

Mara has pain likely due to possible arthritis in her back and hind legs. She's been getting chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. 

Rudy now needs surgery on a tumor on his front left leg. 

Talk about $$!! Not good timing especially when I didn't have enough vacation hours for my maternity leave and won't be paid for some of it.

We are still looking for childcare!! Aghhhh! 

Fog!

Yes, I still feel like I'm in a fog. All the baby stuff doesn't seem real and some times I feel like I'm doing the motions and not here physically. It's weird to explain it all, but I know others have talked about it too. More lately I've been feeling like I woke up from a bad dream as I'm in the midst of all the hard stuff that comes along with a new baby. There are certain people, typically moms, that will ask all I'm "really" doing meaning they are wondering how these rough times are going, and there are other people who ask how I'm doing and expect a chipper grand response. I'm just not there yet, and then I have some guilt when I see their response. I know the guilt is normal, but that doesn't make it easier. 

The advice I've heard over and over is to soak in all these moments in these first three months while you're home. I've been doing that every single day as I cherish my days off and my time with Greg, Travis and the animals.

I've heard that around the 6th week things can be difficult with various stuff  like baby and mom hormonal fluctuations that can cause infant facial/ear rash, decreased milk production, increased cluster feeds, increased fussiness, etc. We are trying to figure out my food intake according to his gas, but we're having no luck there. So, I think it's just part of the growing phase. On top of all that, I landed a big zit on my face as well!!

Last Friday at 6 weeks 1day, he weighed 11#5oz! This week we have been putting on a very diluted Lavender in coconut oil on his face/ears and it is finally starting to clear up. 

Happy 7 weeks!

BLUE

Hormonal blues that caused tears to flow  when:

...my mom wasn't around as much

...I saw toilet paper for the first time after having to use it so much at home during labor

...Travis went to work or was gone too long

...my fresh and initially pumped breastmilk was spilled on accident

...I think about our cat who died in Feb

...Greg eats nonstop for hours at a time 

...my back is so sore and my husband, a massage therapist, doesn't offer to massage me 

...my butt hole burns and feels like it was cracked open from big poops (I love talking about poop)

I completely love Greg's blue eyes:

Sweet little bluebird:

1 month young!

9-6-15 Greg is 1 month young!

As I sit outside on our front porch trying to come up with what to write, I am stumped. I'll write as it comes to me. 

#1 I may have said this in a previous post, but I want to reiterate the fact how I think birth is incredible and unbelievable--how two cells form to make a little human! I still have a hard time believing it is all real. 

#2 I feel sorry for people when they look at me after they ask me how things really are going as they say "isn't it just the best thing ever." This whole process is not peachy for everyone, and it sure has been a really hard journey for me to accept and surrender to. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm completely all there yet. But I also hear lots of other people say you never will be because it's lifelong! I've had to do so much spiritual work to get to this point--most people don't know about this kind of stuff because our society is afraid of delving deep into each other's stories. Those who know me well know that I do not sugarcoat stories to make life look good when it may not be. I'm a realist and tell it how it is so people can learn from it and/or support me. 

... I hear him crying inside, I'll be back...

#3 What I love about Greg: he is a true product of God's will, his dad!, his smell, when I touch him, when he looks at me, when he responds to my touch/smell/voice, his smile, the fact that he likes to look into our animals' eyes, his love for music...

#4 I'm a true believer of self-care. I learned this from all the circumstances we been involved in since 2009 when Travis got laid off from Trane company after 15 years of working there. We must tend to ourselves to be able to tend to others. I know everyone has heard this over and over again but only a few truly live it--I am one of them now. I made time to sit outside by myself, file my fingernails, paint my toenails, and shave my legs on Friday. I went to yoga Saturday for the first time in 5 1/2 weeks, and it was fantastic!!!

That's enough for now!!

Plan B and a Dimple!

The last 3 1/2 weeks I have reflected on how many Plan B's we had to go through to get Greg safely here. It just amazes me why certain people have to go through so much, and then I wonder the typical "why me?" I truly trust that it's all purposeful and God's reasoning will be figured out someday. It frustrates knowing that what we prayed for couldn't come to reality, which was my focus with my spiritual director a few weeks ago. 

For those who do not know what a spiritual director is, I explain them to be like a life coach for your spiritual path whether it be finding your purpose and/or helping direct you with your religion. I think we all should have a spiritual director, so let me know if you would like to get hooked up with one in our area!

My spiritual director helped me realize that our prayers needed to be adjusted a little bit. We were asking God for what we need and hope for versus praying for what we need and hope for AND also asking for the grace and knowledge to deal with it if it didn't happen.

We went into the whole pregnancy planning a homebirth understanding that Plan B would be a hospital birth if an event occurred that warranted it. Our fantastic midwife, Tavniah Betts from Advent Midwifery, and her midwife assistant for the day Alison, our awesome doula (labor coach), Laurie Stiers from Herbs All Around, Travis and my mom worked their magic for 36 hours which is the limit for attempting homebirth after your water breaks.  We were so grateful to be able to do this part at home--thousands (ok, maybe hundreds) of trips to the bathroom to sit on the toilet with my feet on a stool, walks inside and outside the house, homeopathic pellets, triple stair lunges, breast pump sessions, showers, rests in bed, sits on the medicine ball, and constant nutrition to maintain energy with smoothies, soup broth, apple juice, and water...and still only dilated to 5 cm!

Plan B's:

-Transferred to hospital

-Labor induced

-Used nitrous oxide

-Epidural x2!, first one didn't take

-14 more hours of labor

-Stayed overnight in the hospital

-Left the hospital at 11 PM after requesting to leave in the morning

-2 labor and delivery bills!!

Other unfortunate events that felt like we had to use Plan B type of behaviors:

-650 mL blood loss

-Extended epidural effects in my right foot and leg

-Greg with a broken right clavicle (collarbone)

-Greg received two x-rays

-Bullied by two pediatricians

I continually wonder why God puts us in the situations He does. However, I do believe there is purpose in it all and trust it happens for a reason. I'm still angry that it had to go the way it did with so much heartache. Because this post is about Plan B's, I did not put in here all of the blessings from this event--and there were many. 

So, I will end on a positive note with a picture that I finally got today after finding a dimple in Greg's left cheek about a week ago!!! Although, this picture looks like he actually has a dimple in both cheeks.

Why the name?

Greg Travis Skoy-Evenson

We have had several questions about how we came up with the name Greg! Some people look at us with surprise, wonder, and the look "where and why in the world did you come up with that?" And some say they love it. We know it doesn't matter what others think, but here is how we came up with:

Greg--it's simple, you can spell it when you hear it, it's short, it's not easily abbreviated or nicknamed, and it's not very popular.

Travis--we were going to use either one of our first names or our middle names (Roxanne and John) as the baby's middle name. I preferred Greg Paul, but Travis didn't like that as much, so we went with Travis.

Skoy-Evenson--well, this has been a continued conversation with Travis and I since the day we met when I told him I would like to keep my own name when I got married and that I would like my children to have my name. Travis had no problem that I wanted to keep my name when we get married but then thought I would "compromise" more when the time came about children! Ever since I was about 13, I can remember wanting to keep my name and could never imagine my last name as something different. It has nothing to do with what his last name is. I also feel that women sacrifice so much during pregnancy, labor, birth, and motherhood that children should carry the mothers last name--ESPECIALLY AFTER 50 HOURS OF LABOR, right!? Travis still didn't feel this way after my long labor ;) I would have loved for Travis to take my name, but he has not been accepting of that the last 17 years! Hyphenating is not ideal in our world, but it is the best solution for what we have!

2 weeks old!

Gazing at Hank!

Dino feet!

Hanging with Dr. Chad! Perfect adjustment!!

I want my mommy!

I may have you fooled already by the title. This is not Greg wanting his mommy, it's Paula wanting her mommy! I know this is perfectly normal and typical with all the hormone changes etc., but I have reverted back to some of my feelings of wanting my mom to be around typically at night time. 

I've had this before for a few other big life changes like going into middle school at the start of fifth grade and going into college my freshman year. For some unknown reason I did not have these feelings when I went into high school??  As an 18-year-old college student, I was having my mom sleep with me at night for a few months I believe. I'd have to ask her--I'm sure she remembers every detail!

My mom graciously gives of her time and presence and was here about a week between my labor (remember 50 whole hours), hospitalization, and coming home. Of course, the first night she did not sleep over was the first night I started to realize my anxieties of wanting her here. 

Last night on FaceTime, my mom said, "how's my baby?" I said, "he's fine." She said, "no, how's MY baby, that's YOU, not Greg!" Sometimes we forget we are always a child no matter if our parents are in heaven or not!

Love you Mom!!!!!!

P.S. 1st bath last night...

God's LABOR!

Yes, that's right everyone, 50 hours of labor to produce our sweet baby!  We had full intentions of doing a homebirth, but my body was not accepting of that plan. Plan B was made after 36 hours of laboring at home and only dilating to 5 cm.  We went to the hospital and had many things that were not in our original thoughts of what labor and delivery would be, but God's plan is always "the" plan!  Maybe some other day I'll go into the details, but for now, I only have time for a picture story.

"Push, push, push, push, push, push," says Hayley RN!

Greg is born 8-6-15, 8#13oz, 22in, with a displaced and fractured right collarbone. Time will heal it perfectly!!

Close up 😍

Send soaking to get rid of bilirubin ☀️

The fam!

Second chiropractic adjustment by our great friend and colleague Dr. Chad Schultz!!

Swing time 😴

Let's start blogging!

Well folks, here's my first attempt at blogging! 

I will use this to post about my passions in life:
God
Myself
Travis
Greg
Family
Friends
Wellness
Spirituality 
Nutrition
Aromatherapy 
Healing Touch