Post #102

Oops -- I had my 100th post and didn't even realize it!!! We'll just celebrate # 102 ;)

The kiddos are doing great. Brayden Mynor continues to be the sweetest big brother, and Parker G has been busy growing. We went to the dr on Thursday, and Parker is back to her birth weight. She is in the 75th percentile for height & weight and the 50th percentile for head circumference. Brayden was thrilled to go to the dr without being touched!!! I think he could get used to that :)

I am feeling much better, but for some reason I've become a bumbling idiot. On Thursday, I banged my head (really hard) getting into the van after the dr appt. Then yesterday, I fell down the stairs at Mom's house. No major injuries, just a little stiff -- I'm just glad that I didn't rip anything back open! I'm such an idiot -- go ahead and laugh :P

OK, so here's what we've been up to all week --

Angel Baby has been enjoying lots of ZZZZZs!

Bray-My has been enjoying a string of 80-degree days!

Momma has been enjoying her kiddos!!!

I absolutely love the pic above because it captures what REALLY happens when Brayden and Jordan get together - they flip and flop and have the time of their lives!!! Brayden looks like he is howling at the moon, but Jordan always says, "He's an animal!" :)

I don't think I've posted any food pics lately, and you know that I love food pics . . . so here are some pics of Brayden using his fork like a Big Boy!

Concentrate, concentrate . . .

I did it!

What? You wanted me to use the fork for all of it????

It Just Doesn't Get Any Sweeter Than This!!!!

Brayden has got the Big Brother thing down!!! He is so sweet with "his baby"! He actually started signing baby while we were still at the hospital. I've used that sign for a long time now, but he had never done it. He took Mom's camera to her and signed baby to let her know that he wanted to look at pics of his baby sister again -- how sweet is that?!?!?!

Hey, Baby Sister - I will take care of you!

Momma, I love "my baby". . .
I will give her kisses . . .
and hugs :)

A Real Post! The Story of Parker's Arrival

You guys have been so patient -- thanks!!! I'm finally starting to feel human again, so I thought I better sit down and write before I forget any more details of Parker's arrival :) I use this blog as my memory sometimes, so I'll probably include more detail than most of you want to read -- just scroll through the pics if you want ;)

I was scheduled for induction at 8am on Thursday morning. We were actually EARLY (if you know us, you know that we haven't even been on time for anything since Brayden has been home, so being early was just flat out crazy!), so I was in the room and in the hospital bed by 7:50. They started the Pitocin around 8:30, broke my water around 9, and then we started the waiting game.

By 10am, I was having contractions pretty regularly. I actually toughed it out much longer than I had planned. My plan was that I didn't want to feel any pain, and that I wanted the epidural as soon as possible. . . but once I got wrapped up in the actual excitement of the day, I started to wonder . . . How bad could it really be? How long could I make it without the epidural? I know, I know -- that doesn't make any sense at all, but I guess I was just crazy.

By 12:15 I was having contractions about every 1.5 - 2 minutes, and they lasted 30 - 45 seconds. I felt like I just wasn't getting enough of a break in between, and I remembered my original plan -- so I asked for the epidural. The nurse gave me 1/2 a dose of Stadol (man, did that make me loopy!) to hold me over until the anesthesiologist got there, but she actually came in about 10 minutes. They had the epidural in by 1 pm, and from then on I was HAPPY. Apparently, I have a happy reaction to drugs, because I just laughed at everything from then on out. It was at about 1:30 that I looked at my mom and said, "I'm not even going to have a story to tell Parker. I mean, this is it right? I'm done. I can't feel anything, so the pushing can't even be that bad. Most people have some kind of drama, like the anesthesiologist made them wait or something like that . . . I don't have a story at all."

So from 1pm to 5pm I laid around, watched the Louisville game, played my GameBoy, and said, "I wish this baby would come. We're just wasting time here." All day, the nurse came in and had me flip from side to side. I told her that the baby didn't like me to lay on the left, she hadn't like it the whole pregnancy. I was right, every time I flipped to the left, her heart rate went down. So I would lay on that side for only 10-15 minutes and then go back to the right. At 5pm, that nurse left and a new nurse came on shift. Everything went crazy after that (nothing to do with the nurse, that's just how I know what time it was).

Not happy with the camera action while I waited. . .

The new nurse came in and told me to flip over to the left. I told her that the baby didn't like that side, but she said, "well, she doesn't like the right side right now, so we need to try the left." I flipped over -- by the way, all this flipping is not fun when you are full term and numb!!! About 1 minute after I flipped, she came back in and told me to go back to the right. About 1 minute after that, she shoved an oxygen mask on my face and started calling for backup (obviously she's not a cop and didn't actually call for "backup", but that's what it seemed like to me). At some point, Michael and my mom got directed out of the room. The baby's heart rate was dropping with every contraction, so they gave me a shot of something to stop the contractions. . . that's right after 9+ hrs of medicine to encourage the contractions, now I was getting medicine to stop them. They took some blood and had me sign a consent form for a C-section "just in case".

Everything calmed down, and Michael and mom came back in the room. All of that had kind of gotten me frazzled, so I wasn't sure what we were doing. . . then they came back in and told me that we were going to wait and see how the baby reacted. So we waited. The contractions stopped and the baby was fine. BUT -- that is not how a baby is born!!! The dr came in at around 6pm and said that we would wait another hour and see what happened. Nothing happened that hour. So she came back in around 7:30pm and said that we had 2 options -- 1. We could start the Pitocin again, try to move forward, and see how the baby reacted -- or -- 2. We could do a C-section. I was dilated to 7, so it was possible that I could go ahead and deliver the baby. But it was also possible that if we re-started the Pitocin and her heart rate went down again, we would have to do an emergency C-section.

The dr gave us a few minutes to think about it -- again, the epidural was still in effect, so I just laughed about it all! Nervous laughter, but still laughter. It didn't take long to decide to go ahead with the C-section. Once I told the dr that, everything moved in super speed.

Coming to tell Momma that surgery is not so bad . . .

I don't remember much about the actual C-section. I was nervous when they took me back. I was anxious that it would hurt, but it didn't. It was so weird to feel people pushing and pulling, but not to feel pain. I felt about 3 people push down, and I looked at Michael and said, "They're getting ready to pull her out." The dr said, "Stand up, Dad. You're about to see your baby." Then the anesthesiologist who had been standing behind me stepped to the side so that he could see, and he yelled out "Good grief!" I thought "What's wrong?? What's wrong??" Then I heard everyone in the room say, "She's HUGE!!!!" Michael said, "Oh, my gosh!" and started smiling! I started bawling like a baby when I saw his face. The dr carried Park around "the tent" and held her up so that I could she her -- she was huge, and blue, and beautiful!

The "Good Grief" Baby!

The the anesthesiologist leaned down and said, "Do you want that relaxation medicine now?" I said, "Yes", and I don't remember anything else.

Can you believe that I don't remember seeing her or having this pic taken???

I remember very little from the recovery room. I know that I talked to Michael and Kim, but I'm not sure about what. I know that they told me Parker was 9 lbs, and I was shocked -- we thought she was going to be around 8 lbs. . . Once I got to my room, we had to wait a while longer before they brought Parker to the room. I think it was around 11:30 before I finally got to meet her -- she was worth the wait :)

Finally in Momma's arms :)

More Pictures

The kiddos are napping, Michael is gone to work, and my 2pm pain meds are starting to take effect. I still don't feel like writing much, but I thought I would try to share some pics from the last couple of days.

All decked out in Momma's favorite color :)

One cool cat!

When life hands you lemons --

Just toughen up and eat 'em -- who has time to make lemonade!!!

And the kiddos plan their first devious plot --
Hey, GG -- Let me talk to Little Sister for a minute. Little Sister, if you'll sneak me a little bottle while they're not looking, I'll let you have my juice cup.

Big Brother, I'm not interested in the juice cup, but we might be able to work something out if, say, some fruit snacks fell into my hands.

We've got a deal! Now just act normal, and I'll walk away. The fruit snacks will be here in less than an hour.

Pictures

We are home -- I just could not take being away from Brayden Mynor any longer, so I deceived the hospital staff and drs and somehow got discharged today. . . I will be the first to admit that I should still be in a hospital bed, but that is just what I had to do.

I'll post the details (including "the drama" that I didn't think I was going to have) when I'm feeling a little better, but I wanted to give you some pics as promised --

This is the first meeting of the sibs. Brayden pushed her away right after this picture was taken. Like his shirt? It says, "I was here 1st. She reports to me." Parker looks almost as big as him!!!

The Family of Four -- guess who was NOT happy to share Daddy?

Up-close shot of Parker's coming home outfit . . .

And a shot of the ruffle butt!

For the record, I don't think any of these pics do Park justice. She truly is a beautiful girl -- more beautiful than you can see here. You can also look at her pic on the hospital's website, which turned out pretty good for a hospital photo! http://babycentral.centralbap.com/ Just click on the M, and we are at the bottom.

Big Park Has Arrived

Hello Everyone,

Parker Gabrielle was born @ 8:17 pm on 3/15/07 via c section. Both Mother and Baby are fine. She weighs 9 lbs. and is 20" long. She has a head of strawberry blondish brown (if there is such a color) hair. Her skin is bright pink and she is quite fury little girl. I'm sorry for not having pictures. It's been a little hectic today. Hopefully I can get some posted over the weekend.

On behalf of our happy family (of 4 now!), I would like to say thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Also Krystal promises she will add all the details that I've missed later.

Michael & Krystal
Proud parents of Brayden Mynor and Parker Gabrielle

Sweet Saturday Mornings

Sorry, guys -- I've wanted to update, but we're having Internet / wireless network problems at home. . . anybody want to come over and fix it? Anyway, I know you're all wanting an update (I've got lots of e-mails to prove it!!) , so here we go:

I am scheduled for induction on Thursday morning, so we are expecting Park in a couple of days! Brayden is trying to enjoy his last days as an only child, and we are trying to enjoy this time with him.

Before Bray came home, Michael and I did what most expectant parents do -- we daydreamed and planned and plotted how wonderful life was going to be once he got here. Every Saturday morning, we would sit in bed and talk about how Saturday mornings would be a special family time, how we would let the kids jump in our bed and how we would snuggle and tickle and play with them, how we would enjoy this one morning a week that we didn't have somewhere to be. . . When Brayden finally came, he had other plans. He wasn't snuggly or tickly or really even all that playful. He did not want to sit in bed with us on Saturday mornings, he was much more content to play alone with a toy. So we pulled the LeapFrog Learning Table into our bedroom, and Michael and I would lay in the bed and watch him play.

Over the past couple of months, Brayden has really changed. He is quite the love bug these days -- and he now loves to climb into bed with us on Saturday mornings, laugh, tickle, and play. He thinks it's hilarious that Lillith hides under the covers, and he loves to wrestle her out of there :) Every Saturday morning since this started, I've said "Next week, I'll remember to bring the camera upstairs on Friday night so that I can get pics of this." Every week, I've forgotten. . . but finally, this week, I got the camera! This was our last Saturday morning as a family of 3, and it will probably be a while before we can be so carefree again. So, while I rejoice in Parker's arrival and I look forward to our family of 4, I will truly miss our family of 3 -- we are a good little family. . . even if I only got a couple of months worth of sweet Saturday mornings!!!

Jor is 8, Bray is Happy, & Park's got lots of stuff

I haven't updated for a while, so here is a hodge-podge post of what's been going on --

My girl, Jordan, had her 8th birthday on Friday -- it is unbelievable that she is so grown up!!! Also, she got her braces off this week, so she has been smiling quite a bit :)

Super Smile :)

Brayden Boy has been one happy little guy lately. He dances around, smiles, and laughs -- it is wonderful! Yesterday, he had a Renal MAG3 Scan -- no fun, but even after that, he had a good day. Here are some pics of him enjoying a little attention from Jordan.

Hey, let's go jump on that trampoline some more -- that was fun!!

I want my kisses!!!

Parker isn't here yet, but I think we are ready for her now! I've been ordering stuff like crazy for the past couple of weeks, and now almost all of my shipments are in! We've got the car seat, the bouncy seat, the Bumbo seat, the swing, the stroller (finally arrived today after my Mom ordered it in Nov as a Christmas present!), the monitor, little pink bottles, and even some diapers -- all we're missing is a baby! The nursery is almost complete, too. We ordered a chair that isn't in yet, but hopefully we'll get that call very soon. I struggled with what to put on the walls, and I stumbled across a website that offered custom nursery artwork. I e-mailed and explained that I was in a time crunch AND that I had no idea what I even wanted -- somehow, the artwork is done and currently on it's way here!!! They put pics of it on their website, so you can see the super sweet design for Parker's Room at Bobo's Room.

Hopefully we'll be posting soon that we have a baby girl!!!!

How to Wake Up From a Nap

Straight from Brayden Mynor's Handbook for Being a Boy:

Step 1: Fuss at your Momma for waking you up.

Step 2: Try to scratch your eyes out as a display of your disapproval.

Step 3: BIG YAWN!!!!
Step 4: Hold the yawn.

Step 5: Hold it . . .

Step 6: Accept that the nap is over and try to find some hair gel.

Dr Appt Updates

Well, Blogger won't upload any of my cute pics right now, sorry!!! Here are some updates from recent Dr appts --

Brayden Mynor has been a little sick. What started out as a little runny nose turned into an ear infection (OF COURSE). We had to postpone his 18-month shots b/c he was sick, so he'll get those in a couple of weeks. He is growing -- now up to 21 lb 10 oz and 30 inches long. I didn't get the head circumference this time, and I forgot to ask what percentile he fell into on the growth charts. I know he's still relatively small for a boy his age, but he is trying his best to "tank up"! After the good results from the VCUG, the pediatrician consulted with a renal specialist. They did another renal u/s last week, and the results came back again showing some problem. We have an appt this Friday with the specialist to discuss some other test that they want to do. I can only assume that this must not be a very "fun" test, since they scheduled an appt to discuss it beforehand. Hopefully we will have started that string of good results you guys were talking about!!!

Parker is doing good. We might need to change her name to Porker, since she is already up to 6 lbs 9 oz. That means that she'll probably be an 8.5 lb baby if I go to my due date -- YIKES!! That sounds HUGE to me, but the dr says she's right at 55% for a 36 weeks u/s. Brayden was only 5 lbs at birth, so I think she's plenty big enough to come on out now :)

A little off the subject -- did anybody notice that I got to put a new name on my links list?? I am so excited about Sara that I just can't take it :) How about some big congrats for Jenn & Family?!?! Please pray for a quick and smooth process to bring Sara home. . . this family is definitely due a short process after the long waits that they experienced for Ali & Rachel and then for McCaleb! THESE are people who know about patience & I am inspired that they are ready to continue their journey!!!

CHD Quilt Block

The Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Quilt Project is an organization that promotes awareness of CHDs and honors those who were born with a CHD by constructing quilts made with 42 blocks that each represent one individual with a CHD. This week I got an e-mail with this picture of Brayden's quilt block:

They are correcting the spelling of Guatemala and will send me a new pic soon, but I wanted to go ahead and share this because I thought it turned out beautifully. When you register for a block to be made in honor of someone, you can specify things that they may like to be on their block (favorite characters, hobbies, etc). Since Bray Boy is so young, there isn't much that I could think of. I did mention that he was Guatemalan -- I am amazed (and very happy) that they included fabrics that represent his birth country so well! (Hey, Guatemala Rocks and we are proud of it!!) I will get another picture once Brayden's block has been put into a finished quilt.

And why I am posting mid-day? I took a couple of days of vacation, and I am loving it!!!

Big Park & Brags

OK, just for Julia, I'll give you a baby update :) Parker has been lovingly dubbed "Big Park" by Aunt Emma -- we're just assuming that she will be HUGE since I was over 10 lbs at birth :-O March 20 is the due date, so we are less than 5 weeks away. I am feeling fine. . . well, I'm tired, but aren't we all? I have had a really, really easy pg, so I try not to complain (too much). I have an ultrasound on Thursday, so we'll have a better idea of how big Parker is then. I've gained 5 lbs so far, so I'm pretty happy about that. . . if she is over 5 lbs at this point, I'll be really happy :) We're doing this u/s because they think she is breach right now, so we need to confirm and then come up with a plan o' action if needed. No, I have not been nesting -- we are totally unprepared for this child, and we have tons to do. The nursery has been painted, the furniture is in, but that's about it. The window treatments aren't up, I've bought nothing to put on the walls, and the closet is not yet stocked with pretty little clothes!! OK, on to some pics --

I can't believe that I'm actually posting this, but here is the belly shot that Julia keeps asking for!

And here is another from DH's favorite perspective. . . he says you can "really see the roundness" in this one.

And here is her crib. At least she has a place to lay her sweet head! Hey, Crystal -- this pic isn't very good, but maybe you can tell. . . I'm an aspiring PB junkie myself :)

Now on to the "Brags" part of this post! Here is proof that Brayden Mynor is now a REAL walker :) He was making a break for the foam pit at the gym!

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And here is a short clip of my gorgeous girl, Jordan. She recently started landing her lay-out full twist. Unfortunately, we CANNOT seem to get a video clip of it! Here is all I've got, just imagine that she adds a full twist to this :) Jordan's team is undefeated so far. They are in Atlanta for a competition this weekend, and next month they are headed to Nationals in Florida. Way to go Jor!!!


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FOREVER FAMILY DAY!!!!!!!!

I cannot beleive it, but we are celebrating our Forever Family Day -- 1 whole year with Brayden!!! The past year has been so amazing. We have received blessings on top of blessings, and this truly has been the best year EVER!

One year ago, Michael and I stood in the hotel lobby anxiously awaiting to be re-united with our son forever. I stared at the doors. . . then I grabbed Michael's arm and said, "I see Frida. Who is that fat, bald baby?" It was my Mynor! From that moment on, our lives were forever better and we were a Forever Family!!!!!

Make photo slide shows at onetruemedia.com

Almost a Walker

Brayden is almost officially a walker. Crawalking is still his preferred method of movement, but he is walking more and more. He will usually take off walking, but once he falls it is over. You would think it would come naturally for him to want to try and stand back up, but Brayden has shown no interest in that skill. On Saturday, he did stand up without pulling up on anything for the first time. I thought that would be the official changeover, but then on Sunday, he pretty much refused to walk at all! Oh, well, he'll figure out that he's faster on his feet than he is on his knees soon enough :)

I heard some giggling coming from the living room this evening, so I peeked around the corner to see what was going on. . . I found Bray-My and Lilli-Pie spending some time together.

Lillith is getting old and crazy, but she really is good for Brayden Boy. He loves her a lot . . . he gives her loving by laying his head on her. It is very sweet! He also likes to hit her in the face, which isn't so sweet, but it does make him laugh :0

One more thing -- I meant to do this a while ago, but I forgot!!! Jennifer wrote the most touching post about sweetie girl Ali. . . If you need some perspective or if you just need a good cry, I suggest reading this post :) I know some of you guys will really enjoy it!!! A lot of the time, I get tied up in the "baby" world, where we are all celebrating our first year together or still waiting to bring our children home. . . it's great to see how things "look" after a few years - when the emotions of the process have worn off and you can actual focus on reality!

Misc Ramblings

I am really, really sad for Corey right now. . . and I'm even sadder for sweet Sophie. Sometimes I just can't understand why things happen the way that they do. Please continue to pray for this family.

I like winter. I like cold weather and snow. SO WHY CAN'T WE GET ANY?? On Sunday, we got a little dusting of snow, and again today we got a little dusting. This does not count . . .

That's all we get?!?! I need more snow!

Tia comes over to see Brayden on Wednesdays. DH was nice enough to take some pics of the kids playing this week. These pics crack me up b/c this is exactly how Tia plays with Brayden!! She is actually trying to protect him. . . she doesn't want him to go anywhere b/c she's afraid he will get hurt. She just wants to hold him. I laugh just thinking that soon Parker will be here and it will be Brayden Boy's turn to be the big kid!!!