Welcome, Lucy!

I promised a post once Lucy was born and here we are, 6 weeks after her birthday and I am finally getting around to it. Oh well, such is the life of a mom.

We were blessed to welcome Lucy Jean Griffith to our family on Tuesday September 11, 2012. We had to be induced as she was very warm and cozy and decided that she wanted to hang out in my belly for a few extra days. The 11th was 4 days after my due date and I feel like my body would have gone into labor on its own that day or the next anyway. I was having contractions a lot and was already dilated to 4 cm when we went in for the induction. The nice thing about being induced was that we had a plan for Michaela. I was nervous about going into labor and having to scramble to get Miki somewhere before going to the hospital. So, we dropped her off at my friend Jessie Williams' house early that morning. I didn't sleep much the night before so I got up and did my makeup and curled my hair. Why not look my best if I had to be in the hospital to deliver my baby?

Matt and I got checked in to the hospital. I got changed etc. The Doctor came in to break my water at about 8:05 am and they started my pitocin shortly after that. My contractions started shortly after that and came quickly. I already knew I wanted the epidural after my experience with it when I had Miki. I ended up laboring for about an hour and a half before the anesthesiologist came in. She was very nice and very good but my epidural was awful! It usually takes about 5 minutes. Mine took over 45 minutes. I was in painful labor the entire time which made it hard to sit still. My back was really tight and a tendon was blocking the catheter used for the epidural. It kept veering off to one side so she would redo it and it would veer off to the other side. It was brutal. Hurt really badly in addition to the contractions I was trying to breath through. Matt and my wonderful nurse were each holding my hands and helping me breath. It was tough but we made it through. The epidural took another 20 minutes before it wasn't painful anymore. I could still feel and slightly move my legs which was good. It took no time at all after that. By 12:00 I was fully dilated and I did a quick "practice push" when I started feeling pressure. The nurse called everyone in and I pushed one round and boom! there was a baby in the doctors arms! So crazy! It all happened so fast and then she was on my chest staring up at my with big, dark blue eyes. The most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Right away, we just couldn't believe how pretty she was. She was round and rosy and just was looking around and taking in all of the lights and sounds. They cleaned her off and brought her back to me for skin on skin. We just sat there and held her for a few hours before they took her to the nursery.

For those of you who know how hard it was for me to nurse Micheala, know that I had good reason to be nervous about nursing Lucy. I had prayed and prayed that she would latch well and my body would get into the groove quickly and easily. Right away, Lucy was licking and clicking and all of the signs were there that she was ready so I tried to latch her on and she started sucking right away! I cried I was so relieved. She took to nursing like a champ and it only took about 3 days for my body to stop hurting every time we nursed. The medela gel pads helped me tremendously. They are cool and soothing and helped the soreness. I would recommend them to anybody. The 2 days in the hospital were fine. Matt went home the second night with Miki so I was by myself with Lucy in the hospital. It was good. It's hard to sleep in the hospital of course but we did ok. I was already a lot more sore than I was the first time.

The next two weeks were hard for my body. I know it's very normal to be sore but I was expecting it to be a little better than it was because it was the second time. Not the case. I was way more sore than the last time. It was pretty bad but we got through it.

Miki has adjusted pretty well to having a little sister. She loves baby Lucy so much and helps mommy get diapers and kid e col and blankies. She gives her sister loves every day too. She is very sweet, mothering her baby dolls like mommy does with Lucy. She will change their diaper, "feed" them like mommy feeds Lucy and pat their backs to burp them. She also puts them down for naps and puts them in the swing. So cute. She has had some attitude issues and her potty training has reverted a little bit once in awhile. All of which we expected from her. It's all normal, we know. That doesn't mean it is easy for mom and dad to deal with.

Lucy is doing well. She sleeps great. Already 5-6 hours each night. She loves to snuggle and has the  cutest little coos and smiles. She does get fussy every night for about an hour and does fuss a little bit once in a while. She is a baby, so we aren't too worried about that. :) She is so gorgeous! We can see the resemblance to her sister Miki but I feel like she is her own unique self and they are quite different. Lucy is darker complected and has darker hair and her eyes are very dark blue. All opposite of Michaela which I love. I am blessed with beautiful girls and a loving husband. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the blessings in my life!

Proficiently Proficient

If I could be instantly proficient at something... well, the list is long. Speaking French and playing piano would be on my list for sure. But various family members have said the same things so I am going to try and come up with a new one.

Ok, I think I would have to stick with instruments on this one. I want to learn to play a stringed instrument ie guitar, mandolin or fiddle. If I could be instantly proficient at one of these things Matt and I could truly start a band. And then I could do what I love with the man I love. Sounds like a good plan to me.

What almost always gives me goosebumps

Beautiful Music. It doesn't matter what genre. If a song is beautiful sounding in any way I will get chills.

Inspiring quotes or speeches. I can be reading or hearing powerful words and they will give me goosebumps. Every. Single. Time.

Heartfelt stories. Anytime I hear an inspiring story I cry and get chills.

When I feel the Spirit, I get chills.

My least favorite thing to do

Fold laundry. I don't mind doing laundry but I haaaate folding it. I also hate emptying the dishwasher. But I hate it when those two things are left undone so I do them. A lot. Unfortunately my husband also hates those things so if I don't do them, they don't get done. I am almost 100% sure that I will have to continue to do both of these things throughout my lifetime. At least until my children are old enough to make them do it. Ha!

My Superpower and Name

Hmmmm, ok I have a few weeks of catching up to do. I had to go and give birth and that has kept me pretty busy for the last few weeks. 

So, if I could have a superpower, it would probably be... (let me just say that I have been sitting here staring at the screen for the last 10 minutes because I can't think of anything.) My first answer would be the ability to apparate but my mom and sister already both said that too. So, in the interest of being unique, I am going to say that my superpower would be to fly. Who doesn't dream about what it would be like to fly? I have some very realistic and vivid dreams about flying and even though I am afraid of heights, I never am when I am flying. I don't understand why we weren't given this ability. If I were creating the universe I would make it so my people could fly. Just saying.

So, my name would be Magnificent. Call me Mags for short. Who said your name had to make sense?  

Before baby #2

Well, as I sit on the precipice of a new phase in my life, I contemplate a lot of things. There are so many thoughts swirling through my head right now. I am not gonna organize them so much as just vent them all here.

This has been a difficult pregnancy for me. As you may know. I have been sick and struggled with minor depression like I have never in my life experienced before. I have had loved ones struggle with depression and not fully understood what they were going through. I have always been a glass-is-half full type of person. I can always find the silver lining in any situation. I find humor during the hard times. Until about 5 months ago. The combination of being unhappy with my situation right now in life and the sickness and hormones of pregnancy have changed that all for me. I felt so lost. I could not see the positive in any situation. I got so frustrated so easily and found myself snapping at Matt and Miki all the time. I felt extremely anti-social. I resented the fact that no one here seemed to care either way what was going on in my life and at the same time if anyone would try and talk to me or ask about my life I didn't want to talk about it. I found myself not smiling like I usually do. I would cry and cry and then be mad at myself for being so weak. Matt was so helpful and patient with me. I felt so guilty like I was not being a good wife to him and a good mommy to Miki. You always want your kids to see the best of you but that is just impossible. There are times where she would climb on my lap and give me hugs and kisses and say "It's gonna be ok, mommy." My 2 year old would be comforting ME. She has truly been a blessing in my life.

The good news is, that all seems to have passed now. I have felt so much better in the last 6 weeks or so. I really turned a corner after I was able to talk to my doctor and my sisters about all of my feelings. It is nice to have people that I can be completely open with and have them not judge me but just listen and tell me they love me. I know I have an amazing support system in my family. It was just so hard to be far away from it. There are many wonderful women here who I am friends with but I don't have anyone that I feel is a complete bosom friend. I am the kind of person who doesn't need a lot of friends but I like to have a few really close ones who feel comfortable telling me anything and in whom I can do the same. I love my friends here and will get there someday with them.

Now, another thing that has been on my mind lately a lot is Miki. The fact that she will have to start sharing me and daddy soon with her little sister makes me feel a little guilty if I am completely honest. I know that as soon as Lucy comes, we will not be able to remember what it is like without her. I know that we will love her as much as we love Miki. I know all of that. But... it is hard to really know until it is here and right now I feel bad. I am so excited for this new little girl. I am so happy that Miki gets to be a big sister. I can't imagine my life without my siblings and I want that for all of my kids. However, Miki and I are quite a pair. We do everything together and I love that she still needs me so much. I feel like I am taking a part of myself away from her by having a new baby that will demand so much of my time and attention. Matt and I have talked a lot about this and we feel the same. Excited and guilty at the same time. We have made a resolve to make sure Miki still gets plenty of time and attention on her own after Lucy comes and to have lots of moments with just Lucy too. I know that millions of people have gone through this transition before and I know it will all be great. I am just confessing how I feel.

I am excited and anxious for the birth. I hope my water doesn't break first like it did with Miki. I am already 3 cm dilated and hoping that means that the labor is shorter than last time too. (23 hours was a long time.) I can't wait to see what Miss Lucy is gonna look like. Will she have hair? What color? Blonde? Brown? Long? Short? Will be she just as fair and blue-eyed as her sister was or will she be different? I can't wait to see her little personality and watch as she develops a relationship with her big sister. Miki will be a great big sister! She loves to nurture already and takes such good care of us. She is so sweet and loving and I know she will help so much with the new baby.

So, now we are just waiting. Doctor tomorrow. We will be exactly 39 weeks. One more week until my due date. It looks like she is gonna hang on and be a September baby, not an August one. Which is funny because my 2 nieces that were supposed to be born in August came early and were born in July. Our family is determined not to have any birthdays in August. We have some already in July and a LOT in September. It's funny how those things work out.

Well, I am hoping that the next update will be announcing Miss Lucy Jean's arrival. Thanks for listening. Love you all!

Stef

Michaela

I just want to post about my amazing 2 year old, Michaela. I do keep a journal but have not written in awhile and I want to remember some of the fun things about Miki right now at this stage in her life. There are so many changes coming up for our little family. Matt and I have talked about this but, we almost feel guilty for making Miki "share" us with Lucy when she has only ever known us as "her" mommy and daddy. The thing that makes me know that everything will be ok is the fact that my siblings are the most important people and friends in my life. I can't imagine my life without them. I guess that makes sense since I am the 3rd one and never had a life without at least some of them but you know what I mean. Pretty soon, Miki won't even remember what life was like without Lucy. Right now, I am really trying to cherish the times that we have together. She and I are buds. I love how much she still needs me. She loves me and she shows it every day with hugs and kisses and sweet words. She tries so hard to listen and do what she is told. Sometimes she acts very "2" and challenges everything I say or ask but she is such a good girl it's hard to complain. She has also been not taking naps very well lately which makes for cranky evenings and not great nights of sleep. We are gonna try some new things to see if we can help that.

Coloring with Chalk

Anyway, right now, she is soooo funny. Matt and I love the way she says some of her words. Here are a few examples; "Foop" is food. "Popsiple" is popsicle. "Erybody" is everybody. "Apple pine" is pineapple. "Fring cheese" is string cheese. "Good girl" is a common phrase she uses for either good girl or big girl. She tends to say "good girl" after we do something that she likes. She will say "good girl daddy" to Matthew when he help her with something or does something she asks him too. It's so cute. She also has to refer to Matt most of the time not just as daddy but as "my daddy." She'll turn to me and say, "my daddy get me a carrot!" Her daddy is very special to her and she talks about him all the time. Her day revolves around where he is at any given time. Whenever he leaves she always has to give him kisses. She went through this stage where she wanted to kiss us on our backs whenever she was saying goodbye. She would say, "I need to kiss you baaaaaack!" and she wanted to kiss us on our back. Yeah, we have no idea where that one came from. If she wants us she says, "I need you." So we started to say "No, I need you" and she would get all excited and say, "you need me?" To which we would reply that of course, we would always need her. She is so sweet. If I had a dollar for every time during the day that I hear "Mommy!!!!" I would be rich. Can we find someone to keep track and pay me for it? She is also very observant. She describes everything that she sees. If she is watching a cartoon or movie, she will tell me what is happening and it's always right. She has a fantastic memory. She will talk about things that happened before she had the words to describe them. Now that she has the words it just amazing me what she remembers. She knows all of our family members by their faces and the voices. She knows characters in books and shows and such by their names once she has seen them once. In fact, we were just talking about how smart she is and how we need to look for ways to challenge her more. She is more than a sponge, she sucks information in from all around her. We paint and color and read and play pretend. We dance and play outside and do bubbles. She knows all of her letters and colors and she can count to 10. Well, almost. She tends to leave out the number 4. Who ever needed 4 anyway? So, we are going to start some more projects like beads, glue, finger paint, play doh. Any other great toddler ideas would be awesome. I'm gonna start working more on letters, pictures and numbers and colors and shapes and such and writing and all of that. I would love for her to be able to go to a Montessori school or something a few days a week but it's not in the budget right now so we will be doing as much as we can at home. She is seriously so smart I know she would learn anything she is taught.

Playing at the fountains on her 2nd Birthday

Some of the things she likes. She loves Rapunzel from the movie "Tangled." She like the show "Wonder Pets" and she is also kind of into "Yo Gabba Gabba" because of the music and dancing. (Much to mom's chagrin. It's sooo annoying.) She loves her baby dolls and is a great little mommy to them. She feeds them, burps them, changes their "britches," puts them down for a nap and walks them around in the stroller. She gives them hugs and kisses. She is such a nurturer and a little love. She loves to snuggle. Right now mommy and daddy's bed is the best place to play. She will jump and she loves to lay on the pillows and read. She also loves to pile up the pillows and fall into them like a pile of leaves. She is definitely getting more and more energy. She has never been a huge climber but she is now climbing all over the furniture and beds and she looooves jumping and running in circles. Dancing and spinning happen all day at our house. She also loves to wear her princess dress and her Dora dress and shoes and dance and play. She has play earrings and rings and necklaces and she likes to wear those too. When she does watch tv she likes to have a pillow, blanket and her Winnie the Pooh or Rapunzel doll to snuggle with. She likes to sing and always pulls out the hymn book at church when we sing on Sundays. She loves going to her nursery class at church. She can't wait for it to start every week.

Adventures in Chattanooga with mom and dad

She is also very social. It takes her a minute to warm up to new people and places but she loves to play with other kids and adults. She will say her own prayer at night after we say a family prayer before bed too. It's so cute. She will also join in on the blessing before dinner.

Daddy and Miki try and keep cool at the Rockies Game in Denver

She likes to go swimming and put on her "fwimming soup" to run through the sprinkler. She is a talker. She talks to me all day long.

Playing in her "fwimmin pool"

She isn't super into sweets. She loves jelly beans which she gets after she goes potty on the potty. (Yes, she is potty training and doing really well!!) But for the most part she likes fruit, cheese and raw vegetables to snack on. She likes chicken and she loves bread. She loves pasta and cereal. Oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon and fruit snacks. She likes popsicles. Daddy loves Otter pops and got her into them. She isn't a huge fan of ice cream though. She will have a few bites and then she is done. She likes cake but not too much at once. I am so glad that what she asks for to eat are things like carrots, strawberries, grapes and oranges.

Daddy and Miki read a story before bed

We are getting ready to move her into sleeping in a toddler bed. Matt is going to pick one up for her today actually. We are hoping she will be 100% potty trained and sleeping in her toddler bed by the time Lucy comes in 7 1/2 weeks or so. The potty training, like I said, is going really well. She rarely has an accident and has been in panties now for 2 1/2 weeks. She even wakes up with a dry diaper every morning and so we are going to start trying panties at night too once she is in her toddler bed. Like I said, she is smart. I am so proud of her.

Ready for her first daddy daughter date night to Chick fil a for Princess night

I don't know if anyone is still reading this but I wanted to get all of this down so we don't forget any of these fun details.

Mommy and Miki in Chattanooga

I feel like it is the greatest blessing I could ever ask for to be a mom. I never felt so special as I did when I gave birth to Michaela. She has completely transformed my life for the better. She has taught me the meaning of love. She has helped me learn how to sacrifice and serve. She shows me every day what it means to have patience. She lets everything roll right off her back and rarely gets upset. Even when she gets in trouble she just stays so calm. It calms me down to when I get upset at her. I love her more than anything else and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her.

Miki, looking good after a nap

I can't wait to have Lucy join our family and start developing a relationship with her too. And with the girls together. Miki knows who Lucy is and she talks about her a lot. She even kisses my belly and pats it and says "Oh, baby Lucy. Her sweeeeping" (sleeping.) She will be an amazing big sister. We are so blessed.

Easter 2012 Hunting for eggs