Rylin's birth story.

May 12, 2014... the day we went from a family of three to a family of four. 

After going through finding out Rylin was breech at 37 weeks and then having her flip by 38 weeks, we were all for being induced in hopes of getting her out before she decided to move again! So once again, we were up early after a sleepless night getting ready to make the drive to Centennial Women's and Children's hospital- where we would welcome our first baby girl into our family.

We loaded up the car and left Cameron in his bed with Pops, Cece, Aunt Mere & MayMay to take care of him! Our adventure started with some really bad traffic and our gps advising us to take a different route than expected to the hospital. We thought we knew better than that so we headed in our regular path... only to turn around and basically arrive at the hospital 10 minutes late- I hate being late. {haha} So we went in and were admitted and sent to our room around 7am.

I eventually got all hooked up to the IV and saw my doctor. Surprisingly she didn't even check me and just said she would be back later to break my water etc. etc. At some point the anesthesiologist came in and went through the rundown about my past and the epidural. She asked about my last one and I told her it was amazing and I hoped she could do the same. She asked how long my labor was and we told her and she said, "Oh, 1:47 am..." and we said, "No, pm!" She was very impressed and mentioned she thought this one would be fairly quick as well. At 8:40 am they finally started the pitocin and we got the ball rolling. Here's my "Ahhh, I'm having a contraction face!"

 Sometime around 12 I asked for my epidural and started feeling much better. I think the contractions got to be pretty similar to what I got to last go 'round with Cameron. We found out sometime around then that I was only at 4 cm. I was pretty bummed and figured I was in for a long day of laboring! One plus of this hospital compared to last time was that I was allowed to have water, sprite and popsicles during labor! Last time they only gave me ice chips! It was so great!! 

Sometime within the next hour, so I would think just before 1 pm, Dr. Samples came and broke my water. By that point I was at 5 cm and both she and my nurse were very impressed/shocked that it happened so quickly! I was happy for some positive news. My family came to say hey for a bit around this time. By this point, I felt awesome- could hardly feel any contractions and no pressure yet either. Basically just hanging out with numb legs. 

While everyone was in the room visiting the nurse hurriedly came in and said she need to check me. I didn't really think anything of it, but now looking back she was kind of frantic acting. Everyone left the room and she checked me. I asked how far we were now and she said, "Oh, we're at 10cm!" I was shocked, in just about an hour since breaking my water I went from 5cm to 10! I was super pumped. But then I figured out that she was frantic because she was struggling with finding/keeping the heartbeat because Rylin had dropped so quickly. (I also had to use the oxygen mask again for babies sake!) The nurse called for Dr. Samples to come and also for another nurse to come help. We were getting ready to have this baby! Shortly after Dr. Samples made it and it was time to push. Pushing through two contractions and sweet baby Rylin arrived at 2:31 pm! We are so thankful for our quick, "easy" deliveries... it is a big dramatic though when with both deliveries my doctors seem to be barely making it in the room to catch these babies! 

So here she is... our precious baby girl Rylin Elaine Watford. She weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. 

We think she's pretty special and cute too!
Meeting my sweet girl:

And Cameron meeting baby sister Rylin. I really really couldn't believe I was now a mother of two. This is just about the only time I shed a tear!

We were so happy to have Tatum there... not only to meet Rylin but to play with Cameron! They were so sweet to each other!

It's always so special when the family gets to meet our baby! We were happy that they got to come and meet Rylin a lot quicker than they did with Cameron! 

Tatum was very interested in baby Rylin!

After staying in the delivery room for a while to recover we were moved downstairs to the postpartum floor! After the nurses took Rylin to the nursery for a bath and took some measurements and etc. they finally brought her to our room so we could continue to get to know our girl!

Our sweet girl... I was SO happy that we got the adorable newborn hat with the bow!

The Watford's know me well... brought me a sweet candy bouquet and some flowers :)

And of course we had sweet treats for everyone who came to visit Rylin! Pink gumballs!

The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful. It was very different than last time with Cameron. He was a crying machine and we had no idea of what we were doing. We also felt like we needed to keep him in our room rather than sending him to the nursery... This time Rylin was an angel. She slept and ate great! We sent her to the nursery during some parts of the nights since we knew it was most important to get our rest! The difference to me for first and second child has been incredible. There is just something to say about having expectations in your head and knowing what to expect!

 It's truly been such a joy to be Rylin's mommy! I feel like she is just my little doll to play with and dress up! Matthew is adjusting to having another girl in the house and Cameron loves to give his new baby sister sweet kisses! 

3rd Anniversary.

Yesterday me and the love of my life celebrated three years of wedded bliss :)

We enjoyed the day with a Panera lunch date and an Olive Garden dinner date! It was a little bit depressing because Matthew woke up with a fever but had to brave work anyways since it's a busy week. 

I'm so thankful for the past three years and all the fun, crazy times we've had together. I literally would not be the lady I am today without my Matthew. This past year has been full of change and new and I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone else! Looking forward to adding another kiddo and so much more in the next year! Love you Matthew Ryan!!

#2: Week 37.

                         

{Week 36, Easter Sunday! Week 37, ready to pop!}

Well we've reached another milestone... Rylin is now term. I can't believe that we are a short 3 weeks, give or take a little, from meeting our first baby girl. Big news is that I had an appointment last Thursday and found out stubborn little girl is breech and is not cooperating for mommy. So this week I am doing some exercises in an attempt to flip her accompanied by lots of prayers. Doctor Samples will check me again on this coming Thursday and if she is still breech we will schedule a c-section for week 39 {TWO WEEKS AWAY /:}. I suppose there is little chance for her to flip but really you just never know. I'm taking comfort in knowing that whatever is meant to happen will... thankful for a God who is completely in control. So, how I feel about it... positives: scheduled delivery without any laboring, can plan for Cameron easier since it's planned, quicker than labor (no long waits at the hospital for family)... negatives: surgery rather than "delivery," something new and different and not what I know, more difficult recovery, and would have to look at attempting a VBAC with my next delivery. I'm sure there's much more that I'm missing and I know people that have been through it would have a lot to say that I didn't cover. So I will go back on Thursday and we will go from there!

{#flipbabyflip}

Pregnancy wise, things are going well... just getting big and feeling worn out. I'd say things are about the same as the past few weeks. My dresses are getting shorter, pants a little tighter, and shirts a little snugger. Really doing alright besides the uncomfortableness of being huge. My rings are STILL ON and I'm still pretty pumped about that! 

I only have two days of Stroller Strides left and I'm pretty bummed about that besides the fact that it leaves me exhausted and sore. But on a happier note my sweet workout girls threw me a sweet diaper/wipes shower last Friday!! I was so surprised and blessed by these sweet girls! 

  

#2: Week 35.

{33 1/2 weeks. Destin, FL}

{Week 35}
Cameron says, "BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE A BIG BROTHER!!!"
I kid, I kid... but this picture is hysterical. 

So it's been quite some time since I last updated on the blog. Things are moving fast and time is flying even faster. If you can't tell I've grown quite a bit in the last few weeks. Here's two more belly pics... one with my SIL Meaghan and the other with my SIL in Katherine who are both due with another addition to the fam in Septemeber!!

So pregnancy update. I feel huge and want to have this baby ASAP. Okay, but not really. Maybe 3 more weeks would be good! {haha} Things are continuing pretty smoothly. On the eating front, I've got the munchies basically all the time. Chicken coming from my kitchen is still pretty much a no go... which Matthew is about to kill me over. Not really, but it does make dinner time difficult! Sleeping is rough. Sleeping on my left side is my least favorite so every time I wake up I've moved and I have to roll my big belly back to my left. Just in this last week I've had to make around 3 trips to the bathroom every night. Little miss Rylin must be sitting on my bladder! Thankful for no insomnia once again so far though! I've had what seems like WAY more braxton hicks thus far compared to last pregnancy. They are very uncomfortable but nothing painful of course! Oh, and something I'm pretty pumped about... STILL wearing my wedding rings! I looked back and last pregnancy I took it off around 33 weeks I believe! {Woohoo!} I went on a little shopping spree this past week and bought some pink for my little girl's room. It's odd to not be setting up her room since we won't move her into the nursery until I'm ready to move her out of our room and to upstairs/move Cameron to a big boy bed! But I do want to be prepared and have stuff ready for an easy transition! I still continue to be super sore after working out and exercising. I'm hoping it will pay off after she's born since it's made this pregnancy significantly more difficult than the last. I will go to the doctor next week {at 36 weeks} and Dr. Samples will check me and see if any signs of labor have started! Fingers crossed!!

Until next time, maybe I'll be more frequently since I'm only a short 5 weeks away from our due date :)

Cameron: 15 months.

Somehow we are already to Cameron's 15 month date. Time is literally flying by as we are preparing for baby Rylin to arrive but also enjoying these sweet, fun moments with our sweet boy.

Stats: 24 lbs (45%) 30.5 in (25%)

I think Cameron has changed significantly since his first birthday. He seems SO old to me now. He has such a big personality- usually used for good... flirting, loving, being sweet; but also sometimes for throwing a good fit for not getting what he wants. He has started saying some words. I would say he consistently says dada, mama, ball, bye bye, no, yeah. With some convincing he will sometimes say baby, please (which comes out more like cheese), something similar to "thank you," sometimes Gigi/Cece,  and I'm sure there's a few more. He loves to give sweet kisses by smacking his lips together when asked for a kiss (most likely my favorite thing he is doing now!). Cameron LOVES to be outside.  He will let you know he is not a happy camper if you try to bring him in before he is ready. He still loves to eat but is a bit on the picky side still- who's surprised there?! His favorites are bananas, chicken nuggets, most fruits, spaghetti, oatmeal mixed with applesauce, and yogurt. Most everything else is hit or miss... we have got to work on him eating more veggies! We have been in a transition for naps lately. I think we have settled on one nap a day. He typically wakes up between 6:30-7 and we try to get him to nap around 12:30 to (in my ideal world) 3:30. Then he's in bed for the night between 7-8. I love my awesome night sleeper though!! We enjoy having some social time at Stroller Strides 3 times a week. All of the older kids love "baby Cameron" and want him to play with them! Sometimes Cam isn't so sure about these big kids. He's doing well at church, still cries when we initially drop him off but quits and has fun after that!

In the past few months we enjoyed celebrating Cameron's second Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. I had a blast dressing Cam in his cute, festive shirts! (He is in the hard to capture a clear picture stage!!) Looking forward to Easter next month!

We also FINALLY got to get Cameron's 12 month pictures made! Now, we still haven't gotten them in hand yet just seen these peeks but progress none the less.

We really have just so enjoyed seeing Cameron become a little boy. Sometimes he does something and I just think, goodness he's not my little baby anymore! I know more and different challenges come with every age but I am definitely enjoying this stage! Looking forward to see him transition to a big brother. I'm hoping he will be young enough that we won't have to worry about an jealousy issues.

Looks like I will be posting about Rylin's arrival and birth before posting again about Cam (at 18 months!) Did I mention time is flying?!

#2: Week 25.

{Week 23 & half way through Week 25}

Did I mention time was flying by with this pregnancy on my last post?! Because it certainly is!

This past Sunday I made it to 25 weeks. Goodness that seems super close to 30, which is practically 40. Here comes baby Rylin ready or not! Things seem to be going smoothly and we are just chugging along. My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow, so we are looking to getting a good report and hearing that heartbeat of our sweet girl. Just this week I've been hit with a yukky cold so currently trying to recover from that! With being pregnant typically I'm very congested most of the time but this is a whole new thing. I absolutely despise when I'm unable to sleep... thankfully I seem to be on the mend! I'm continuing to exercise three (trying!) times a week. I think it's helping with this pregnancy but it also brings along its own struggles. I'm very uncomfortable right under my belly, specifically while running. We will see how that continues... I'm hoping to keep exercising up till delivery! 

Since finding out sweet baby is a girl I, along with some aunties and grandparents, have been having fun spending some time in the GIRL department! Matthew is subtly reminding me not to go too crazy! But I tell you what, January is the month of sales! It's so fun! Loving all the pink and dresses and bows! Excited to start looking for some fun stuff for her nursery! Still debating on Gray with pink OR coral. Hmmm... 

Energy wise I'd say is about the same. Only nap every now and then. The days I work out in the morning are the most difficult! And just standing up to cook dinner takes a lot out of me too. Happy that I've still been able to keep up with my Cameron so far! We've also been staying up a little later than usual too to work on packing up our apartment. The long awaited house closing is supposed to be Monday the 10th. I'm still not able to trust them and their dates but we will hope they get it right this time! This has been so drawn out and I'm just ready to get out of this crazy crowded apartment!! 

Looking forward to all that is to come and meeting our sweet baby girl in a few short months! :)

#2: It's a...

On January 2nd me and Matthew headed to the doctor's office for our gender ultrasound. It really seemed that time passed so quickly and I couldn't believe I was already past the 20 week mark!

So without further a do:

Big Brother Cameron is happy to announce BABY #2 is a...

GIRL!!!

We are so very thrilled to be welcoming a sweet baby girl, Rylin Elaine Watford, into our lives come May! Big bro Cam is pretty pumped as well, or he at least enjoyed the confetti!  

So here she is. A sweet baby foot and a pretty little profile! 

I do feel very overwhelmed at the thought of having a little girl! It's a whole new world with the pink, bows, and dresses! Matthew is a little frightened that I'm going to start shopping like crazy! So far so good, just looking for super good deals and passing on the rest! It's definitely true that the cute, boutique girl clothes are much easier to find at great prices than the boy's stuff! Excited for A LOT of smocked outfits with matching bows! :)

We went ahead and texted family and a few close friends that day with the pictures of Cam but waited to post on social media till the next day because a sweet friend that works out with me offered to make gender reveal cupcakes for our Stroller Strides group! It was fun to get to reveal that with some sweet ladies and not to mention quite tasty for this pregnant lady too!

So there it is. Absolutely can't wait for Rylin to make her arrival in May!!!