Here comes Gavin!

So after adjusting into family life a little bit after Hallie was born, we bought our first house. We also both started into college full time. Boy was that fun. That next year was kind of a blur. I would be studying and poor little Hallie would say, “No momma, read me my book.” Let’s just say that my good perfect “A’s” of high school were long gone. That is around the time that I started to have the feeling that it was time for another baby. Hallie was only 18 months, and I never had wanted kids very close together, but the feeling would not leave me. I stopped birth control, and then all hell broke loose. My body would not function properly. The Dr.’s pretty much told us good luck on getting pregnant. I was on a few courses of a hormone therapy, and to my surprise, a few months later I was pregnant with Gavin. It was kind of funny how I found out. We had gone to the drive in, and there was someone smoking or something. It made me REALLY sick, and I thought, hmmmm, that’s weird. I thought nothing of it until later that night and I made G.J. drive to a 7-11 to get a test. He came home and sure enough, it was positive. He was happy, but had to be at work at 5 or 6 the next morning so he just fell asleep. I just sat there in shock. I wanted this to be a happy moment, because with Hallie it was such a shock when I found out. It was a little scary, because some of the hormones I had taken were known to cause birth defects, but after my first visit with my dr. he assured me all would be fine.

Well, I was sick again with Gavin’s pregnancy. I didn’t throw up nearly as often, but I was CONSTANTLY nauseous. I almost think I preferred throwing up; at least I had a little relief after. I think more than anything I was so tired. I was taking care of a toddler, going to college full time, working at an orthodontist office a few days a week, and actually really lonely to tell you the truth. G.J. worked long hours and then went to college the rest of the night. All my friends were headed off to college themselves, but without husbands and babies, and I will say that was really hard for me to watch.

Anyways, moving on, I had a little better luck this time, no appendix to rupture, no crazy rash, and only 3 or 4 hospital stays for things I don’t even remember now. I just knew he was a boy even before the ultrasound, I just knew it. I had a dream before I was pregnant with him of a little baby boy crying, and I woke up and thought Hallie was crying, but she wasn’t. I fell asleep and there he was crying again.

At 35 weeks, I went into labor. I got to the hospital and was 4 centimeters dilated and it was kind of scary. I was so sick of being pregnant, but I also didn’t want anything to be wrong with him. They kept me over night, and actually brought me all the admitting papers to have the baby, because things were moving pretty rapidly. Well the next morning after some anti-labor meds, I had stopped, but was now dilated to 5 centimeters.

So the Dr. sent me home. I had to drive to Roosevelt every 2 or 3 days to have non-stress tests. I was absolutely miserable. First off, it was that winter when we had an inversion in Vernal from like Thanksgiving clear past Christmas. Next, being dilated to 5 centimeters with a baby’s head constantly pressing “down there” was almost unbearable at times. I told my Dr. that I really thought he was going to fall out at any time. He assured me that would just not happen.

At 36 weeks, they did an amniocentesis, not my type of fun. It hurt very bad, and then it put me into labor once again. They were doing the amniocentesis to see if his lungs were ready, and since the results wouldn’t be back in a day or 2 they had to give me meds to stop my labor once again. They just make you feel all yucky and more miserable than I already was. The results came back and his lungs were not ready. I was so sad. I wanted what was best for my baby, but I was absolutely exhausted.

Finally, on the first day of my last semester of college…..of all days for it to happen, I went to the Dr. and he decided it was time. I was exactly 37 weeks, just like with Hallie. I had to call my professors and tell them, “Sorry, I am giving birth today, can’t make it to class.” I again did cervadil to make my labor start up again, and he said it might take a long time again, since I was still so young. Well, I once again proved him wrong. I did get an epidural again, and I remember it so clearly. My mom and G.J. were with me again, a little more calm this time, and they were watching Jeopardy at 3:00 p.m. It was final Jeopardy time, around 3:25 and I told them that I needed to push. The nurse said, “Oh honey, you don’t need to.” I practically had to scream at her to have her look. She was slowly putting her gloves on as she lifted up the blanket and she all the sudden got really nervous and said…. “Oh no, don’t push, someone call the Dr!” She told me, “I might have to deliver your baby myself.” I frankly did not care who got my baby out…it just needed to come out. The Dr was across the street at his clinic, and he came running in. I remember him looking across the room and he said, “don’t push!” Well, he barely got a gown and gloves on, came over and I pushed like 1 maybe 1.5 times, and there was my Gavin. 7 lbs even and 19.5 inches long born on January 20^th 2003 at 3:40 p.m.-10 minutes after final Jeopardy.

He was so cute. Hallie came to the hospital soon after and was so cute with him. She was only 2 years and 4 months old. She acted more like a 3-4 year old though. She was completely potty trained, could talk in paragraphs, draw amazing pictures and letters, sing any song she had ever learned, and just acted so old.

Then the adventures began as a mother of 2. I graduated from college when he was 3 months old. I was SOOOO glad to have that over. Skip forward to now and my Gavin is a little fireball of sheer mischief. He is so tiny, but full of so much energy, excitement, and most of all love. He is so tender hearted and so sweet to think of others. I love him so much.

There was SO MUCH to go through before the arrival of our last little boy, so stay tuned. Have a great day!