Weston {5 Months}

So here I am, catching up on my blog again. Wes is now 6 months, but I am just now writing his 5 month summary. Hopefully I will get better at keeping up with this soon. Anyway.....

Growth & Development: Wes didn't have an appointment with his pediatrician this month, so I am not real sure how much he weighs. My guess is that he is in the 15 lb range. He continues to be a good eater and sleeper for the most part....for that I am grateful! He doesn't seem to mind when we stay other places and he is away from home. He still sleeps great...yay! We started him on oatmeal at the end of this month and he did great! He seems to really like it. I think he is even sleeping a little more soundly at night now. He usually goes 11.5-12 hours at night uninterrupted consistently now. I am loving that!

Personality: He continues to be a joyful and laid back little guy who can't help but smile most of the time. He loves to laugh and play with his daddy. He loves it when I sing to him. He babbles more and more each day it seems. He is such a sweetie.

New Tricks: He seems to be able to grab at toys and smaller objects better now. He can change a toy from hand to hand. He can turn himself around in his activity gym/jumper now! He makes the rounds, playing with each toy as he turns. He loves to roll over to his side...but hasn't ventured to roll all the way to his tummy yet. He can roll from tummy to back, but not consistently yet. He loves to touch and feel every book we read. He also learned how to put his pacifier back in his mouth at the first of this month. It's so nice that he can do it himself now!

Overall, it was a good month and Wes really enjoyed his first Christmas!! We had so much fun spending a whole 2 weeks in Tulsa with my family. (We stayed longer than usual since my sister's baby shower was in the beginning of January. Her shower was adorable and so much fun!) Wes got quite a few gifts from family...he is one blessed and loved boy! I also got to see some of my best friends a lot over Christmas since we were all at home around the same time frame. It was sooo nice!

- Katie

Weston - 4 Months

Now that the craziness of the holidays is pretty much over now, I can finally catch up on my monthly blogs on Weston. I can't believe how fast he is growing and how the time if flying by. Four months? Whoa. So much has changed since he was born.

 Growth & Development: At his 4 month appointment, he weighed 14 lbs. 5 oz. and was 25 inches long. He still remains to be within the 50th percentile in weight/length. He has a pretty good little head of hair now and has the cutest chubby cheeks. He's also got some good rolls going on his legs now. I love it! He developed some eczema on his skin which was unfortunate! His doctor prescribed some hydrocortisone cream, but since I didn't want to use that stuff much...I did some research and found that natural Vanicream works great on dry skin. (I highly recommend it! It has done wonders for his eczema and his skin is back to normal now....and I don't have to worry about it having any yucky ingredients or not being gentle enough for his sensitive skin. I feel so grateful to have a healthy baby. Oh, and he still is a pretty good sleeper for naps and night time...and is eating well!

Personality:  Wes continues to be one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. Such a sweet, happy spirit he has. He now can really get a good belly laugh going too, which is fun. His little personality is really shining through now. He is content and happy most of the time and usually only fusses if he needs food or sleep (or  is sick). He loves music and singing. His favorite songs are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...Jesus Loves Me...ABC's....and a little song I sing to him that I made up for him. ;-) He is one laid back baby...which is nice!

New Tricks: He is so good at grabbing at toys now. He learned to roll during his 4th month, so he loves to roll around to get to his toys. He can make a complete 360 degree turn by moving around and rolling. He currently rolls from tummy to back. He hasn't ventured to roll from back to tummy yet...but he does roll to his side a lot. He still loves to play on his playmat and now enjoys his baby Einstein activity jumper/gym. He also can sit up well in his Bumbo seat. He is really into standing and bouncing on people's laps. My arms get tired! He is quite verbal now and babbles/coos all the time. I love hearing his little voice and excited squeals! Weston also loves his baths...loves to kick those feet in the water. He really seems to know Ryan and I and gets a big smile on his face when he sees us. One of my favorite things is to see that big smile on his face when I come to get him from his crib after naptime. So sweet!

This last month, God has really been stretching me and teaching me through Weston. He has been continuing to teach me patience. Although Weston continues to be a very good, easy baby....he is still a baby and can go through weird phases that can throw him off his "norm" for a few days/weeks. That has been hard for me since I love to have our routine go as normal and am a perfectionist. I tend to want to fix things as soon as they go out of whack. God has been teaching me to let go and trust. I tend to want to have control and a baby is a good tool to teach me to let go of my illusion of control. So, I am learning, slowly but surely to go with the flow more and know Wes will come through these phases and get back to his normal. I am learning to relax and enjoy each phase, even if it's a hard one. I am learning to go to God first with my frustrations or worries and trust He knows best....after all, he made Weston! I sure am glad he made Weston and gave me and Ryan the wonderful and challenging job of being his parents. Such a huge blessing.

Weston: 0-3 Months

Weston has been such a joy! We really have been blessed with an easy, laid back baby. I am grateful! It kind of makes me wonder what our second what will be like...I'm not sure if we will get lucky with another easy one! ;-)

 1st Month: Our first month was a little rough in that I had to go back onto the hospital a week after Weston was born due to low potassium, high liver enzymes, urinary tract infection, possible uterine infection, and sludge in the gallbladder. Yikes! I stayed in the hospital for another week and returned home by the time Wes was 2 weeks old. I would send milk home to him, and my mother-in-law stayed home with him. My mom stayed with me at the hospital and Ryan would go between seeing Wes and me. We are so grateful for the HUGE help that both or our moms were during this time. We could NOT have done this without them. Their presence was not only a huge help, but also a great comfort in a hard and scary time with my health. Weston did great through it all. He went from breast-feeding to bottle and then back without a hitch. He was sleeping pretty good too. By 2 weeks old, he was doing 5 hour stretches at night....yay! Ryan was a huge help during the night feedings, even though he had work the next morning. I am grateful! By the end of the first month, Wes was making eye contact more consistently, which was fun to see that development.

 2nd Month: Wes continued to sleep like a champ and did well during most naps. His night stretches of sleep continued to increase more and more. We were feeling much more rested. Feeding and sleeping was going well. We started following a wake, play, sleep schedule once I figured out how often he needed to feed. Around 5 weeks, I noticed he would smile at his musical giraffe toy sometimes. By 6 weeks, he started smiling at us. After that he started smiling more and more. By the end of the 2nd month, he would even giggle some! He takes a paci when going to sleep for now. He loves his Wubbanub monkey pacifier. He loves to hold his monkey while sucking on his paci. Cutest thing ever!

 3rd Month: He is sleeping about 9 hours at night and still eats every 3 hours during the day. He loves playing on his playmat and can bat and grab at the toys now. His is obsessed with his hands and loves to suck on them and just look at them. He is SUCH a smiley, happy boy! Sometimes he will even stop to smile at me while feeding. He also is babbling and making lots of sounds now. I love it! He is so good about sleeping on the go and being so good while we take him out and about. He sure loves his daddy too. It's so fun now that we can for sure tell he really recognizes us.

 We are loving every moment with him and trying to soak it up as he is growing so fast! I've always heard it goes so fast...before you know it they are walking and talking. It's bittersweet for sure. I want time to stand still, yet I look forward to each new stage and development. God is already using this little guy to teach me patience, to go with the flow (and forget my schedule at times), & how to be unselfish. (To just name a few!)

- Katie                        

Weston's Birth Story

I am finally catching up on my personal blog! Yikes, it's been over three months. I guess I have had a lot going on with adjusting to life with a new baby and all ;-) I thought I would share Weston's birth story...hopefully I still remember everything! So here it goes.....

 I had been having impending labor signs for a few weeks before my due date. My doctor even said that my progress was really good for a first time mom. I tried to not get my hopes up, but wondered if Wes might come early...or at least on time. Good thing I didn't count on that because he was not early or on time! A couple days before I was 41 weeks, we went in for an extensive ultrasound to see how he was doing and discuss the possibility of induction. Wes was doing well and all looked good. They were estimating that he could be 8 1/2 lbs. Of course, they say it can be a pound off. My doctor would let me wait until 42 weeks if I wished since all was looking okay with Weston. However, we had to decide if there was really any benefit to waiting a little longer. Luckily, I have been blessed with an incredible doctor who fully supported our wishes to go natural and she was totally up for it if we wanted to wait longer. Dr. Speight went ahead and stripped the membranes to see if that would help encourage my body to start laboring. She said if we decided to induce, she could do it the following Tuesday night (1 day later) or the following Friday night. She told us to go home and think about it and give her a call in the morning if we decided to move forward with induction.

 Ryan and I prayed about it, discussed it, and felt a peace about moving forward with induction. I really didn't want to be induced, but felt like my body had tried to start labor a couple times already and then would stop after several hours. For us and our situation, we didn't feel any real advantage to waiting another week. We felt like we were supposed to move forward with induction, so I called my doctor and we were set to head to the hospital that next day (Tuesday night) for me to received the Cervidil to induce labor. Cervidil is a less invasive form of induction and it was our hope that it would be all we would need to get my labor going and that I wouldn't have to eventually get Pitocin. The Lord sure answered that prayer!

 The next night, we (my mom, dad, sister) were waiting on Ryan and his mom to get home in order to all go to the hospital. Ryan said he was going to go get a quick haircut on his way home. I initially thought he would have time for this and didn't think much of it. Well, we waited and waited and finally just had to tell Ryan and his mom to meet us there. Apparently the salon was packed and his haircut took forever! It was kind of a stressful drive on the way to the hospital, with a quick stop for dinner to go. We got to the hospital and Ryan was there...all was well (and yes, his hair did look good!). At 9:30pm, I was administered the Cervidil. I already was feeling pretty regular contractions (the stripping of the membranes could have started early labor for me already). They gave me an Ambien and said most people just sleep through the early labor...hoping I would sleep. That did not happen as my contractions were already getting more intense. By 2am, I was dilated to a 4, so the nurse said it was time to move me to labor and delivery. I am glad that the Cervidil was the only help we needed to get labor going and I was able to get my wish of a natural (drug-free) labor. At 6am, I was dilated to a 6. At first, I rocked in a rocking chair for a while and watched the Olympics while breathing through contractions. I then moved to the birthing ball and pretty much stayed there the rest of the time until I was ready to push. By 8:30-ish I was entering the transition stage of labor. This was the hardest for me, especially since my body had the urge to push the WHOLE time. Apparently, that isn't normal and the urge to push usually comes at the end of this stage. I was supposed to just breathe through those urges and try to not push. Sometimes that worked, sometimes my body just involuntarily did it. Ryan was amazing through it all and was so encouraging during this hard part. He quoted the scripture verses we had memorized for the labor. He made sure the worship music was playing in the background. He encouraged and praised me for my efforts. He was such a blessing. After about and hour of the transition stage, it was time to push. That was a relief for me since my body was wanting to do that! At 10:13am (Wednesday, August 1, 2012), Weston Dean Hembree was born. Phil Wickham's song "Beautiful" was playing when he was born. So special and fitting! He was 7lbs 11oz, 20.5 inches long. It all seemed so surreal and still feels like it was a dream.

The whole experience really was great! I feel blessed to have only had a 10 hour labor, knowing it can be much longer for first time moms. I feel blessed that the Lord allowed me to be calm and focused during the whole labor/delivery. It was only through relying on HIM that this was accomplished. I felt His comfort and strength helping me each moment. I will never forget the moment I saw Weston for the first time. He was worth the wait. Perfect. So handsome. Our son!

 (I should note that Ryan's Grandpa Bob passed away on the Friday after Weston's birth. He asked everyday if Weston had come yet. I think he was waiting to see his great-grandson before passing. Not only did he get to see a picture of Weston, he also got to see a picture of his other great-grandson who was born 2 hours apart from Weston. Lucas was born to my brother and sister-in-law in China on the same day. Lucas was one week early, Weston was one week late. How awesome that they share the same birthday!?!! I really feel that the Lord gave us peace about moving forward with induction because if we had waited much longer, Grandpa Bob most likely would never had seen a picture of Weston before his passing. I am grateful that he had that chance.)

- Katie

Weston's Nursery

It's official. Little Weston's nursery is complete! It feels good to have it done and know that it's ready for his arrival anytime now. I am really pleased with how it turned out. It was so fun designing and decorating his room! My friend Tara painted the dresser and mirror for me and also helped me decorate the rest of the room. She was so sweet to help me turn my vision into a reality. It would have taken me twice as long to buy all these furnishings/decor and put it all up, if it were not for her help. (By the way, Tara has now started her own interior design business....so if you are ever in need of such services...she is great!) Next, I look forward to taking pics of this nursery with a BABY in it!

Baby Boy Has a Name!

Yes, it's true....our little guy has a name now! Meet Weston Dean Hembree. His middle name, Dean, is a family name. It's so fun to be able to call him by name now!

 The last pic shows me at 30 weeks pregnant... standing in the nursery, which is almost complete! I love the way it's turning out and can't wait to get it all done. I will post pictures of the nursery once it's complete.

 It's strange to think we only have about 9 more weeks to go! This pregnancy has flown by. Weston is doing great and I have been feeling good! (My jaw (TMJ) is slowly improving, so that is nice.) I am really excited for my Tulsa baby shower next weekend!!! It will be fun to be back home to celebrate with all my family and friends in Tulsa. :-)

  

26 Weeks

I have been a bad blogger lately. I am a bit behind... but better late than never, right?! Here are baby H, Ryan, and I at 26 weeks. My brother-in-law's sister, Erin, took our pictures when she was in town visiting her sister. She is a fellow photographer from Tulsa and we really enjoyed our session with her. Here's a little sampling of our photo session. Erin did a great job!

It's A.....

Today we had our sonogram and as you can see....the doc says it's a boy! I am now psyching myself up for a little boy. I know it will be great....b/c I already have two little nephews that I LOVE to pieces!!! They gave us a dvd of the sonogram, which is pretty cool to watch. I think I have already watched it 3-4 times today. Shhh....don't tell Ryan....he will be jealous! ;-) It's amazing to watch his little legs and arms moving. I look forward to when I can feel the movement. Can't wait to meet our sweet boy!!! My 3 year old niece, Julia, told us yesterday that it was going to be a boy. We were able to tell her tonight that she was right! She squealed "It's a BOY!"....so sweet. (We got it on camera, so we might just have to post the video.) She is excited to have another little boy to love on in the family. Bennett and Hudson will have so much fun having a boy cousin to play with! Now, the designing of all the nursery details can truly begin! :-)  We appreciate your continued prayers for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby!

18 Weeks....

18 WEEKS

Here is a picture of my baby bump at 18 weeks! It's starting to look more like baby belly now....(not as much like I've just been eating too many donuts)...which is good. I have now transitioned mostly from using my belly band over my pre-pregnancy jeans and am using my maternity jeans now. They just feel more comfortable now that my belly is getting bigger.

 I am feeling much more energized now and am definitely getting into "nesting" mode! We started renovations on our second living room this last week, to turn it into the nursery. This had been our plan when buying the house, knowing that room would be perfect to turn into a bedroom someday. I will post before and after pics when the work is completed next week!

We find out the gender on Tuesday (February 21st)! We are so excited to finally know whether Baby H is a girl or boy. Then, I will get to plan more details of the nursery...like color scheme, etc. I can't believe that I am almost halfway through my pregnancy. It really has been flying by!

Here's some of the gifts that Baby H has already collected! He/she is one blessed and loved baby :-)

Ryan's great Aunt Bett knitted the booties... both blue and pink since we don't know the gender yet! Baby also received his/her first OSU t-shirt from KiKi B (Ryan's aunt)....and just the other day also received an orange Eskimo Joe's t-shirt from Ryan's cousin Sara and her husband Matt! I think Ryan is feeling motivated to get the baby some SMU t-shirts now, lol. Baby received all the other goodies from both grandparents and great grandparents!

Since I plan to try to have a natural birth....(that's right folks, no epidural)....I have really been trying to prepare myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Some of you might be wondering if I am crazy to go natural....ha ha....maybe so! My sweet sister-in-law, Christine, sent me a great book called "Christ Centered Childbirth". It is a wonderful book that teaches strategies on focusing your mind, relaxing the body, and setting your thoughts on Christ during labor and delivery. I think it will be a huge help when the time comes. I am definitely trying to keep an open mind, knowing that although my goal is natural birth, if an epidural ends up being used for whatever reason...that is okay too. Ultimately it's in God's hands, whom I can trust completely.

I love to think about Psalm 139:13-16: "For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." What a wonderful miracle that God is forming this baby inside me. He chose whether it would be a boy or girl. He decided eye color, hair color, personality, talents and abilities. (And the list goes on.) He knew every little detail and characteristic of our child before it was even conceived. I feel honored and blessed that God has entrusted Ryan and I with the privilege of raising this little one. I realize it is through no power or strength of my own that I can be a good parent, but only through surrendering and letting the Lord guide and teach me a long the way. We are called to show Jesus to our little one. What a wonderful, yet challenging calling! :-)

Grandpa's Memorial Weekend

Ryan and I had a great time hanging out with family and sharing sweet memories of Grandpa Bill recently when we went back home for the memorial service. It was a such special time as we remembered a special man. Here are some pics from the weekend....

 Benny always has so much fun with Uncle Ry....obviously....

 It's no secret that Papa is Bennett's favorite person in the family right now. It is so sweet how he always wants to be with him and always wants to be held by him. Not to mention, Papa is so much fun to play with!

  We made blueberry animal pancakes on the morning of  the memorial service in honor of Grandpa. He would have been proud of our animal pancake making skills!

 Grandpa loved boats and being on the water! This was one of his "toy" boats.

Sam and I with our sweet Nana. She is staying strong and resting in the Lord. Such a great example to us!

Gone Home

Tonight, after a long struggle...Grampa Bill went home. He is now hanging out with Jesus in his new, perfect, heavenly body! What an amazing thought. I recently read the book "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo....and it really gave me a new and exciting perspective on heaven. Not only did it reaffirm to me that it is a real place, but that it is our ultimate home, perfect in every way. I could say so much more about this book and what it revealed to me...but instead, I highly recommend you read it! Of course we are sad, because we will greatly miss having Grampa here with us.....but I am comforted by knowing I will hug him again one day. What an amazing man he was. His contagious smile, great sense of humor, funny songs, blueberry animal pancakes, and love for the Lord are just a few of the many memories I cherish. I feel so blessed to have had the privilege of being his granddaughter!

Bittersweet

Last weekend, I made in impromptu trip to Tulsa to spend some time with my Grampa. He is now under Hospice Care and will probably pass fairly soon. I am so glad that I decided to go up there when I did. Amazingly, he was pretty alert and awake on Friday, so he knew I was there and got some great time with the family. Bennett even sat on the bed with him for a good 10-15 minutes...a miracle in itself for an active toddler! My time there was bittersweet as I knew it could be the last time I would see Grampa before he passes, but sweet in that I got special time with him. More than the sadness I feel, I am excited for him to soon see Jesus face to face....his body fully restored....able to walk, talk, dance again in heaven. Keep my grandparents in your prayers as they both undergo this difficult transition!