It's hard to believe the last time I blogged I was so huge pregnant. I was past the miserable point in pregnancy and chugged on past my due date a week after that. Keegan was due June 13 (Friday the 13th...should've been a sign!) and didn't make his appearance til June 19. Needless to say I was VERY ready to meet my son. He is so sweet and precious (I'll share more about that later) but for now I'll share how he came into this world. Might wanna grab some popcorn for this one.
Here goes the Keegan story:
My water broke 6 days early with Jeremiah so I was ready several weeks in advance for Keegan to arrive. At about 33 weeks pregnant, I had all of his clothes and bedding washed and put away, I reorganized the boy's closet, I purchased a new set of bottles, and got all of the baby paraphernalia down from the attic (bassinet, swing, bouncer, baby bath tub, etc) and cleaned it. I was absolutely convinced this kid was coming early. I had myself so psyched-up that as the weeks passed, I grew more and more frustrated. At 37 weeks, I had a really good feeling he was coming early and it was going to be "any day now". I started having my mother, mother-in-love, and sister-in-love rotate staying overnight with me when Brad was working nights, JUST IN CASE I went into labor. Each new week brought a new visit to my doctor. I started dilating early again, not quite as rapidly before Jeremiah was born but I knew when it happened, it would happen fast. That was the consensus of everyone I talked to. My mother-in-love was scared to death that my water would break and I'd be giving birth on the side of the bypass on the way to ARMC.
I hate to admit it but the end of my pregnancy with Keegan was just pretty miserable. Around the 39-week mark, I decided I didn't want him to come. I said I didn't even care if he stayed in there til he was 18, I just didn't care anymore. (Obviously the crazy started kicking in) At my 39-week doctor's visit, my doc told me that she was surprised to see me (again) and I could go into labor at any time (again) and that everything was ready "down there" (AGAIN). I was sick of hearing this. It was getting very hard to take care of Jeremiah with this HUGE belly in the way. I wasn't getting any sleep even though Jeremiah was sleeping through the night so I was cranky. I kept having contractions and every now and then would time them and let myself get excited thinking it was actually happening. Not just contractions, but PAINFUL contractions. I was so glad I knew what the real contractions felt like though because even though these were painful, I was sure they weren't true labor pains. I also couldn't stop thinking about the time I was missing with Jeremiah. Even though I was here with him every day, I felt like I was just on the outside looking in. It was all I could do to feed him 3 meals a day and change diapers. I could barely lift him (it didn't help that he was 25+ lbs) and put him in his crib. Getting him out of his crib was easy because thankfully he could pull up to a standing position. Are you getting the impression I was ready to have Keegan? Because I was. SO ready.
At some point I decided I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and suck it up and just be thankful I had a healthy pregnancy and baby. So I got a fresh outlook...don't know exactly what changed my attitude but at some point I started thinking, "I can really DO this. I can carry him until he's ready to come." I referenced to Alicia Keys's song "Superwoman" almost every day. My favorite line is "even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest with an 'S' on my chest, oh, yes, I'm a super woman." So cheesy but it's what got me through those last several days.
At my 40-week appointment, I had reached my "due date" and the doctor asked if I wanted to be induced. I was and still am against induction. I've heard horror stories and seen what it has done to my friends. I didn't want to risk something dumb happening and having to have a C-section just because I was impatient. Knowing how my labor went with Jeremiah, however, I knew that if my water just broke I would go into heavy-duty labor and he would be here in no time. My doctor had that same feeling. I asked her if she could just break my water and she said that she would love to. We scheduled a water-breaking date and time and I was on my merry little way.
All the way up until she actually broke my water, I hoped and prayed for my water to break on it's own. That's really how I wanted it to happen but life doesn't always give you what you want. I have to admit it was really nice knowing when he was coming. The night before I prepared fruit and snacks for Jeremiah for the next day (my dad was keeping him for the whole shebang). I cherished those last few days of it being "just Jeremiah". It makes me tear up to think about it. Not that I regret having Keegan at all but the year I had with my firstborn was so special. You moms know what I'm talking about. So we got up that morning, got ready to go (I actually showered, fixed my hair, did my makeup, etc...a lot better than showing up at 4am soaked from the rain looking like a wet rat). We got there right at 7:30 and they checked me in, put me in a room, and started an IV for antibiotics. At about 9:15 Dr. Hoover broke my water. I started having contractions almost immediately. At about 10:30 I got an epidural. Have I mentioned I love epidurals??? They are the best invention ever. I only felt one "real" contraction before it kicked in and let me tell you....pain-free childbirth is the way to go! It lets you enjoy the experience and pay attention to everything that's going on. So I progressed quickly and the nurse left me laying there for an HOUR before she came back in to check on me. When she finally came in around 11:45, she panicked because I told her I could feel the baby coming down and I was 10 cm dilated, totally ready to go. She called my doc (who wanted me to wait til lunch to have him) but he wasn't waiting. She showed up and I started to push. I started pushing at 12:12 and Keegan was born at 12:16. He literally just oozed out. Sorry if that's too graphic but it is what it is. It was such an awesome experience. I did some skin-to-skin time, nursed him, and then passed him around to everyone (after they wiped him off, of course). What made this delivery so special was that my sister-in-love got to be in the room and watch her nephew be born. It was so wonderful to have her there. I was thankful the nurse let me have 4 people in the room with me (Brad, my mom, and my mother-in-love being the other three). The birth of a child is an event like nothing else and I am not ashamed to share it with the (female) ones I love. I looked up at Lacy's face at one point and she had tears running down her cheeks. And now I'm tearing up thinking about it. I love having babies. It's a hard road getting there but it's TOTALLY and completely worth it.
So to make a short story long, Keegan Bradley Temple came into this world at 12:16pm on Thursday, June 19, 2014, weighing in at 7lbs, 3oz, 20 3/4" long and my life has been even more full of love ever since. Life with 2 under 2 is tricky sometimes but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. Jeremiah loves Keegan and Keegan likes to watch Jeremiah. J comes over all the time wanting to kiss him and point at his belly button. He is very curious about Keegan's little baby body. It's a great anatomy lesson for Jeremiah. The hardest part about having 2 under 2 is that they are both so needy. We still have to feed Jeremiah his meals and he still takes 3 bottles of milk a day (before both naps and at bedtime). It's also 2x the diaper duty...no pun intended ;) Despite all the diapers, I love my 3 boys and our happy little life.
In regards to breastfeeding, let's just say it didn't happen. Again. But it's ok, I wasn't really expecting to. I don't have the same sob story as I did last time because I prepared myself so I wasn't disappointed. I nursed K in the hospital and he got colostrum but the first night home he was really "waking up" and starving and wouldn't stop screaming or settle down. I nursed and nursed and it was obvious nothing was coming out. Idk why my boobs are so non-functional but everything happens for a reason. All I can do is be thankful that I live in a time where I can go to the store and buy formula and I don't have to just watch my baby starve to death. I can also be thankful that I can now focus on losing 2 years' worth of a baby weight without affecting my milk-flow. That's another blog for another time...stay tuned.
I am sorry that it took me so long to write about Keegan but I've been busy, as you can imagine. I wanted to have plenty of time to sit and write it all at one time. Keegan is now two months old and ...let's just say it's good that he's cute. He hasn't been the happiest baby. This is all new to me since Jeremiah was happy happy happy close to all of the time. Keegan has...gas problems?...body temperature problems?...who knows what his problems are. The past few days he has started being happier but the first 8 weeks of his life he pretty much cried every waking moment. He sleeps good though. I can deal with crying all day as long as he sleeps at night. He has spent a lot of time in his crib because of this. I hate that it has to be that way, but I'm not holding him for hours while he screams in my ear. I love him and he will get through this and before we know it, we won't remember all of that crying. As Brad said the other day, "this too shall pass".
My little Keegan is beautiful and has started smiling, cooing, and laughing. He can also follow my hand or a toy with his eyes and he loves to watch Jeremiah. I have a feeling that right now is the beginning of him learning how to be happy while he's awake. At least that's what I'm hoping. I have managed to get a few good pictures of him smiling.
And now for the main event, Keegan pictures galore:
Keegan Bradley Temple
Keegan's birthday, June 19 with Mama
Keegan's birthday, June 19 with Daddy
1 day old
2 days old
5 days old on our way to the doctor for a check-up
1 week old
9 days old
2 weeks old, his first 4th of July
3 weeks old
4 weeks old
5 weeks old
6 weeks old (I love that outfit)
7 weeks old
8 weeks old
9 weeks old
Now off to go feed my crying baby...I love that little boy. Thanks for hanging on and reading the whole blog! (If you just skipped to the pictures, I wouldn't know the difference) I will try to write more often now that we have the hang of life with two.
With love,
Hannah Elise
