Welcoming Teague Patrick Highlander

We are so excited to welcome Teague Patrick Highlander! There were many times during the last 9 months that I found myself complaining and wishing that my pregnancy would just be over with soon. The aches and pains were compounded by having to chase around a very active two year old boy and I couldn't help but be a little selfish and want my old body back. I missed being able to run and even more basic, being able to bend over and pick things up off the ground without grunting and making faces!! Despite the annoyingness of pregnancy, I knew how important having a full-term baby was so as I outwardly complained and wished it would end, I also said many, many prayers for a full-term pregnancy that would last until the last possible moment that my baby boy needed to grow and develop and be ready to enter the world. My prayers were answered and my baby boy finally made his appearance on his due date at 40 weeks - December 22, 2011.

Backing up a few weeks, my doctor and I had been discussing possible options for his birth since I knew his due date would be so close to Christmas. The momma in me really wanted to make sure I was home from the hospital in time to celebrate a real Christmas with Colton. He is at such a fun age and I had been imagining what this Christmas would be like for a long time. I was ready to start our Christmas morning traditions and yes, many people would tell me that he wouldn't know if we celebrated a day or two late, but I would know and I just really wanted to be at home. My doctor was actually on call on my due date so we discussed the option of bringing me in to be induced if I hadn't gone into labor yet. I was actually very optimistic that I wouldn't have to even consider it because Colton arrived two days early so of course, this baby would too, right? 

As the last few weeks drug on I started to feel more and more uncomfortable. I was having frequent contractions for the two weeks leading up to his birth and I had other symptoms of labor being near but still no progress. Every time I thought "this might be it," I would be wrong and start to feel better again in a few hours. It was exhausting! I ended work and began my maternity leave on 12/16. Again, I thought for sure he'd come a little early so I took that chance and ended up using a few days of my leave to stay at home with no baby... ultimately it was good for me because I was able to prepare the house and get ready for everything but it definitely made me more impatient. On Tuesday, 12/20, I had my check-up and I was still only 1 1/2 centimeters dilated and 40% effaced, a long way to go! We decided to bring me in on Wednesday night to get cervadil which would soften my cervix and hopefully urge my body to start labor on its own. I desperately wanted to go into labor naturally and I was struggling with the idea of "choosing" his birthday. If he was meant to be a Christmas baby, who was I to stop him!?!?! On Wednesday around noon I started having my normal contractions again but this time I noticed they were a bit stronger and more consistently 5-6 minutes apart. Josh's parents arrived in town and mine were on the way so we had plenty of people to care for Colton. 

At 8:30 p.m. I called the hospital to see if they had room for me to come in for my cervadil. The hospital was packed and they just didn't think they could accommodate me with all the people already in labor. I had to call back a 10 p.m. By this point I was contracting about 4 minutes apart. The hospital called me back and said they had a room for me and I said "great, I was coming anyway!!" By the time I showed up I was definitely in labor and was 4 cm dilated. No cervadil was needed and I was checked in and left alone with Josh to labor. Now if anyone remembers my Colton birth story, I had him naturally without an epidural. It was a LONG and painful labor but such an amazing birth experience. Knowing what I knew from that, I was considering the epidural for this time around but only if I knew it wasn't going to slow down my labor and possibly cause me to end up with a c-section. Well, during my first few hours at the hospital I was progressing very quickly (from 4-6 cm) and I knew the "transition" stage was nearing when the pain would get unbearable. Josh was exhausted already and I was imagining how much longer I would be enduring this pain so I decided to get the epidural. I asked for it around 1:30 a.m. and it was finally inserted and took effect around 2:45 a.m. Josh was a trooper and we made it through that last hour knowing that relief was right around the corner. 

Now, my experience with an epidural was probably different from most (at least I hope) but it was AWFUL! The doctor showed up first (don't know his technical title) and the assistant who normally does the insertion wasn't there yet so the doctor did it himself. Let's just say  - no bed side manner and he was obviously out of practice since his assistant normally did it! I felt everything. I had to lean over the bedside table while having very intense contractions and not move a muscle. It took him about 15-20 minutes and I felt everything. I felt the needle that was supposed to numb my back and I felt the tube being inserted and slowly moving up my spine. I was given two more numbing shots because I told him I could feel everything. Finally, it was over and I was able to lay back down. I still felt every bit of the contractions!! The doctor left and the assistant took over and they moved me around and increased my dose. About 3 a.m. I finally went numb and was watching my contractions on the screen but not feeling them. Sweet, sweet relief. Here is a photo taken by my understanding adn supportive husband. I'm not sure who was more excited about the epidural, me or him!

Now this is where the experience was completely differetn from Colton. Josh and I both slept and got some much needed rest. We talked and I checked emails and rested some more. Mentally I was preparing for what was ahead. Around 6 a.m. the doctor came in to break my water. I was about 8 cm and breaking my water was going to give me just the extra push I needed to get to 10 cm, hopefully about 8 a.m. when my doctor came on for her shift. About 7:30 a.m. the nurse came in because the baby's heart rate was having some little dips. It's totally normal but they were losing him on the monitor so they started adjusting my belt. During that time I told her I could really feel the contractions. They offered more medicine but I declined. I wanted to make sure I could feel to push and the pain was definitely bearable. 

Well, at about 7:50 she still couldn't get the monitor to work right so she decided to check my progress. Ummmm, 10 cm and time to push!! I didn't feel the urge like they told me I would so I hadn't mentioned it to her. They gave me the option of pushing right then and there or waiting until my doctor hopefully got there at 8. I opted to wait. At exactly 8 a.m. I said I had the urge to push and there was no waiting!! Dr. Werner walked in at 8:03 a.m. (thankfully no traffic!!) and she was putting on her gear and the nurses were prepping everything. I started pushing almost immediately and in two contractions (about 4 pushes), Teague Patrick Highander entered the world!! It was such a controlled and peaceful birth. I felt pain but thanks to the epidural was able to control the pushing which made for a smooth and flawless delivery. They immediately put him on my chest. He was a little purple and didn't cry much at first but after they suctioned his mouth and nose he let out some tiny little cries and started to open his eyes. Tears flowed!

It's kind of funny. As he was born and as I held him I kept thinking how tiny he was. How much smaller than Colton :) Well, boy was I wrong! They took him to weigh and do his assessment and that's when I heard his weight in grams. Everyone was talking about how big he was! It wasn't until I heard the 9 lbs 7 oz that I realized, yikes, he is a big boy!! He was 21 and 1/2 inches, the same as Colton. 

The next few hours went by very quickly. Teague nursed right away and did great with that. He didn't really make much noise at all. Only some cries during his bath but otherwise he was peaceful and quiet. About two hours after he was born he got to meet his big brother. My parents and Josh's parents came with Colton. Teague had a small gift for Colton (coloring book and toy car) and Colton even helped with Teague's first bath. It was such a sweet morning with our families and I'm so glad to have such amazing support. First grandchild or third, each precious baby is the world to them and I'm so grateful that my boys have such wonderful grandparents. Josh's sister Caitlin and her two month old Jonah also came by to visit. It was a perfect first day for Teague! 

My doctor was on board for me to only stay one night and as long as the pediatrician was okay with clearing Teague we were told we could go home the next day. Everything worked out perfectly and Teague and I were released at noon on Friday, 12/23. The only thing that I was surprised by was the pain I experienced from uterine contractions after the birth. I hadn't been told how painful second and subsequent babies would be!!!! Apparently the first isn't so bad (I had almost no pain with Colton) but after your first pregnancy the contractions required to get your uterus back to its normal size get worse and worse. I was actually getting sick from the pain and unable to keep food down for very long. I was given some pain medicine and nausea medicine which did the trick. Just a warning to friends who haven't had their second yet....nobody told me to expect that!

So that's the story of the arrival of my second baby boy, Teague Patrick Highlander! He is perfect in every single way and I can't even remember life without him. He completes our family and we thank God every day for the double blessings we have been given. What an awesome responsibility to raise two of God's beautiful children and we accept it with our whole hearts and hope to make Him proud!

Love,

Jenny

Teague's Arrival

PS - the name is Irish and means poet. Josh chose the name. He had liked it since he was young and I agreed that it would go well with our other Irish name, Colton. It pains me to admit this but apparently it was the last name (normally it's a surname) of a former Alabama football player named George Teague. Josh, although a die hard Florida Gator, was/is a secret Alabama fan on the side :) He remembered the name from way back when and it just felt right to us. So that's the story of the name. Patrick is my dad's middle name and it's very fitting since Teague definitely resembles the Wills side of the family.

Old Toy Trains

I cry every time I hear this song. Of course I'm pregnant, but still... There's something so special about Christmas and experiencing it through the eyes of a child. I have several friends with little boys so I wanted to share in case they hadn't heard it yet. I can't wait to see the look in Colton's eyes on Christmas morning when he sees his new train table from Santa. Daddy, I mean Santa, has a lot of work to do on Christmas Eve but I know it will be worth it :)



Old toy trains, little toy tracks,

Little boy toys, coming from a sack,

Carried by a man dressed in white and red,

Little boy don't you think it's time you were in bed.

Close your eyes and listen to the skies,

All is calm and all is well,

Soon you'll hear Kris Kringle and the jingle bells.

Bringing old toy trains, little toy tracks,

Little boy toys, coming from a sack,

Carried by a man dressed in white and red,

Little boy don't you think it's time you were in bed.

Close your eyes and listen to the skies,

All is calm and all is well,

Soon you'll hear Kris Kringle and the jingle bells.

Bringing old toy trains, little toy tracks,

Little boy toys, coming from a sack,

Carried by a man dressed in white and red,

Little boy don't you think it's time you were in bed. 

One more birthday video

Forgot to put this video in the last post -

Colton Turns Two

It's kind of funny that I'm sitting down to write a post about my little boy turning two as I time contractions and prepare for another birthday boy. I'm a little late getting around to this but everyone can rest assured that Colton had plenty of love and attention on his birthday :) It was more like a birth month than a birth day and I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself and certainly felt the love! Because I was due so close to Colton's birthday I wanted to make sure we celebrated early and that it didn't get glossed over because of the baby and all that was going on at the house.

We started the celebration the week of Thanksgiving when both sets of grandparents were in town for the holiday. The Friday after Thanksgiving we loaded up and went to Orlando for the day. I originally had hoped to do our first trip to Disney world but that was way back when thinking about the birthday before I realized I would be 9 months pregnant. Disney just wasn't going to happen. Instead we decided on ICE at the Gaylord Palms Resort. I had stayed at the resort before for a conference and I knew it was pretty spectacular. They have a giant indoor display with animals and a pirate ship restaurant floating on water. During the holidays they get all decked out with Santa and they also do a giant ice sculpture display that you  walk through. This year they themed the ice display with Shrek and other fun characters.

We got there just in time for lunch on the pirate ship. After a yummy lunch we headed over to see Santa. Colton did very well. He had no problem walking up and sitting in Santa's lap although he didn't seem to want to make eye contact with him which was pretty funny. Finally Santa told him to look at his nose and he did and gave him a quick smile before looking away. Thankfully, no tears and then when we were done Santa gave him a special coin which made it even better. After Santa we headed into the ICE exhibit. We had heard to dress extra warm so we had plenty of layers with us and they also distribute parkas to wear over top as well. The exhibit is kept at 9 degrees, brrrrrrr, and it takes at least 30 minutes to walk through so you need every layer! Colton wore his new hat and gloves from Papa and I swear I've never seen a cuter 2 year old. He wobbled around and looked just like the kid from A Christmas Story. He loved looking at the displays and of course wanted to touch everything. We thought it would be fun to send him down the kiddie ice luge but he sort of got stuck, in the video you can see the guy going up to pull him the rest of the way down. He loved it! Of course Josh and I had to take a turn on the adult ice luge. Yes, at 9 months pregnant I wasn't going to miss it! It was funny to hear the attendants at the top whispering and trying to figure out if I was pregnant. I didn't give them an opportunity to tell me no - I just sat right down and went for it! I also got stuck - like mother like son :)

After ICE we headed back to Gainesville for a small family party. We dined on Thanksgiving leftovers and then we sang happy birthday with a big cupcake cake for the birthday boy. He really got into his presents this year which makes me so excited for Christmas. He got a new DVD player for the car, play dough, remote control police car, work bench, Thomas and lots more.

In addition to our little family gathering we also celebrated with cupcakes at daycare. Sadly Colton got a really bad cold on his actual birthday so he stayed home with Nana and Papa most of that week but he finally got to share with his friends on Friday. Last but not least Momma and Daddy took him to a special dinner in our little downtown and he also got to go on a horse drawn carriage ride which was the highlight.

I have to admit that I worried a little about how celebrating my boys birthdays at Christmas would go and if they would feel as though they were cheated out of one or the other. Instead I think it just makes a very special time of year that much more magical. Colton definitely didn't seem to mind :)

Some quick highlights on the birthday boy - At this two year check-up he was 36 1/2 inches tall and 32 lbs. I believe that was 90th percentile for both height and weight. We got the all clear to reduce him down from whole milk so we're easing him into it but eventually he'll be on fat free which will make life so much easier. Right now we typically have four gallons in the fridge and there are only three of us!!

He says sentences up to 7 and 8 words long which just amazes us every day. He insists that his dad (or anyone really) always have a shirt on, although he himself doesn't need to wear one. Not sure what that's all about but it's pretty funny to hear him tell his daddy to get his shirt on in the morning and he will insist until it's done. He goes to bed at 8 p.m. still and gets up at 7 a.m. We had a month of night waking and early mornings that really tested us but it eventually worked itself out. I'm 100% convinced it was his two year molars. He got both of the top ones in and they were really giving him a hard time. I know we have two more so hopefully they come at the same time and QUICKLY.

Potty training has sort of taken a detour. With all the commotion at the house and with the baby he seems to have regressed a little and gets upset if we try to take him to the potty when he had been doing so well before. It doesn't concern us though because I've read that happens with lots of kids and we're taking the easy does it, train when you're ready approach - at least for now. I may look into doing something a bit more serious before returning to work after my maternity leave. We'll see. Honestly, i'm in no rush. Diapers certainly make life (and accidents) a lot easier!!

Some of Colton's favorite things right now are fire trucks, motorcycles, yogurt and appasauce, his porcupine book, cooookies, play dough, riding on the goff cart, chasing Darby (or Darby chasing him), saying Grace before a meal (especailly shouting Amen), wrastling with daddy, and all outdoor playtime. He also enjoys picking boogies and handing them off to be thrown away. Gross, but beats the alternative.

Here is an album and some video of the birthday boy. I can hardly believe two years has passed since he was born but if these past two years are any indication, we are really looking forward to the next few and all that they have in store.

Love,
Jenny

Colton Turns 2