Summer Fun!

Wow.... it's been a while since I've posted a blog.  Life gets pretty busy with 2 little ones.  Ellie is her usual busy little 2 year old self.  Sweet and precious, but rotten as heck.  Many people have told me that age 3 is much harder then age 2.... if that's the case, the next 2 years will be the longest of my life.  Hahaha.  She isn't that bad.... but she has her moments a lot of the time.  I have to continually tell myself, "she is only 2 years old..."  Gracelyn on the other hand, is a little angel.  She is the easiest baby!!  Her and Ellie are complete opposites in personality but look so much alike.

Gracie can hold her up very well and will probably master rolling over very soon.  She is so happy, always smiling when she sees her mama.  She is a total mama's girl.  I could hold her all day if I could, but I've got another sweet thing to take care of too.  Gracie loves her fun play mat.  She likes to look at all the cute flowers and objects.  She still sleeps in a bassinet next to my bed, it won't be long till she sleeps in her big girl crib.... I'm in no hurry.  She does pretty well at night still.  She hasn't slept through the night yet, but she usually only gets up once.  It's been soooo nice to get to reuse all of Ellie's old clothes for Gracelyn.  Ellie has a ton of really nice clothes, so it's been a huge blessing.  Gracelyn is in 3 months and 3-6 month clothes.  She is right on track.  If I had to guess, I think she probably weighs between 12-13 lbs.  Growing so much!  In weight and personality.  I am so thankful for a sweet little baby like her.

We got back from a wonderful vacation to Cannon Beach, Oregon about a week ago.  I had never been, and I loved every minute of it.  It is such a beautiful place.  We went along with Kenton's parents and sisters family.  Kenton's dad Skip is retiring, and that was his retirement gift to us, haha :) We all had a blast!  Ellie had so much fun playing with her cousin Cassidy.  She got to experience sand and the ocean for the first time.  Gracelyn was pretty much along for the ride, but she too had a great time!

It's been such a hot summer, so we haven't spent a ton of time outside, just in the mornings... so the trip to the beach was a nice break from the heat.  We like to go to the park every morning, and on Wednesday's we go to story time at the library.  They sing songs and read a few stories, and Ellie absolutely LOVES it!  I am going to get her signed up for gymnastics hopefully by the fall.  It's really important to try and keep her as busy as possible!!

I hope you enjoyed this very brief update of the Cornett family.  Hope you enjoy some recent pictures....

Gracelyn Kaye

It's time I finally introduce to you our newest addition to our beautiful family.... Gracelyn Kaye Cornett was born on April 17, 2013 at 5:13 pm.  She weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and 18.5 inches.  She is absolutely beautiful and perfect.

Here is her birth story....

It started the day before her birthday.  I had a doctors appointment, and of course my weekly ultrasound on that Tuesday.  Now, most of you might think that getting an ultrasound every week would be fun.  It really wasn't THAT bad.. but I was ready, beyond ready to not have to get them any more.  Every week I had my amniotic fluid measured because I measured pretty low, and they wanted to monitor it.  Well, at this appointment I measured reallllly low.  They like the number to be at least a 6 or higher, without being too concerned, and I was measuring at a 4.  After my ultrasound, I had an appointment with my doctor.  I got back to the exam room and waited for maybe 2 minutes before the nurse came in and said he had to go deliver a baby.  She told me that everything looked fine, and that they would call me if they had any concerns.  At this point, I was thinking to myself... I'm not leaving until I get check out by a doctor, I didn't care which doctor.  She suggested to have one of the other doctors come in and check my cervix, and talk to me about my ultrasound, I agreed.  After about 15-20 minutes, one of the doctors from the clinic came in and basically said that I should go ahead and have my baby delivered.  He wanted to check my cervix to see if that was even a possibility.  The week before I was at 1 cm dilated... and it hadn't changed at all.  I wasn't a candidate for induction (which I couldn't be induced any way because I've had a previous c section).  He told me to come back in a couple days, have my fluid measured again, and go from there.  Let me also mention that baby wasn't breech anymore.  At my 36 week appointment I learned that baby had flipped... which shocked me!  LOL.  I had the opportunity to have a VBAC, which I was really hoping for.

After I met with the doctor, I got dressed and put my shoes back on, I was walking down the hall to checkout, and my doctor was just getting back from delivering a baby.  I was sooooooo glad to see him.  He had looked at my ultrasound before he went over to Labor and Delivery, so he really wanted to talk to me about what I should do.  I went with him to his office as we discussed my possible options.  He said that I could come back in a couple of days, and get checked again, and continue to do that, OR go ahead and schedule a c section for tomorrow, which was Wednesday.  I chose the c section.  Knowing my body, it would still be a couple more weeks before I would go into labor, and I didn't want to risk the health of my baby, just because I had the desire to deliver naturally... which I really really did.  My doctor would have supported me either way, but I think he was really wanting me to just have the baby delivered.  My c section was scheduled for Wednesday April 17 at 4:30.

The next day was a looonnng day for me.  I had to be at the hospital at 3:00, and couldn't eat anything passed 8:00 in the morning.  Yeah, that wasn't easy.  I could have clear fluids up until 2 hours before, but they really don't want you to drink a ton before surgery.  My in laws came into town around 1:00, so we visited with them for a little while before we went to the hospital.  I was soooo thankful to have them in town.  They were wonderful, and took care of Ellie the entire time we were in the hospital.  It was a huge blessing not to have to worry about her.  Three o'clock rolled around, and I was getting checked into the hospital.  I got an IV started, and answered a bunch of health related questions.  The baby's heart rate looked amazing, and I was ready to rock and roll.  Now remember, we still didn't know what we were having.... so we were sooo anxious to get back to the OR and see our baby.

It was finally time to go back to the OR.  I got a spinal, with morphine, which really takes you for a loop.  I slowly felt my legs go numb, then I knew it was time.  This c section was much more calmer than my previous one with Ellie.  I am so glad I was able to experience a birth without being scared to death.  It didn't take much time before they were ready to pull out the baby... and the first thing my doctor said was "well, hey there girlfriend."  I was sooooo excited to have another girl!  I was pretty convinced I was having a girl, Kenton thought we were having a boy.  They took her over to get cleaned up and Kenton told me to pick her name.  We were still deciding between 2 names.  I decided on Gracelyn Kaye.  Kenton got to hold her for just a couple of minutes, before they took her back to listen to her lungs.  It's pretty common for some c section babies to have a little respiratory distress because they don't go through the birth canal, which squeezes that gunk out.  I was all done and on my way to the recovery room and they were still trying to get her to breath better.  I, of course, started to cry at this point.  She had to go to the NICU for what seemed like forever, but was only about an hour/hour and a half.  They brought her back to the recovery room, and I finally got to hold my sweet baby girl.  She was just perfect.

Gracie looks so much like Ellie it's crazy.  They are going to be best friends when they get a little older, I can't wait.  Most people don't know where we came up with her name.  I was on a baby names website (I believe it was the social security website that give you a list of baby names in order of popularity).  Gracelyn was ranked like 460... which means it's not very common.  I actually had never heard the name before, but fell in love with it when I first saw it.  Kenton wasn't a fan at first, but came around to it after a while.  Kaye is my older sister's middle name, and my grandmother's middle name.  My grandma passed away very unexpectedly almost 2 years ago, so I wanted to use her middle name.  She was a very special lady.

 

A couple of weeks to go!

It is pretty crazy how fast time flies!  I guess trying to keep up with a 2 year old (in just a couple weeks) while being pregnant will make the days go by pretty fast.  Ellie is one busy little girl.  I don't know how many times I've said that, but it is so true.  Although she is a handful at times, she is a wonderful little girl and I am soooo blessed to be able to stay home with her.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  Ellie turns 2 years old in about 2 and a half weeks.  I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.  She has been such a blessing to our sweet family.

Ellie is incredibly smart and shocks me every day with things that she has learned.  She knows the numbers 0-10.  She doesn't always count them in order... but she can tell you what number it is if you ask her. She knows all her letters of the alphabet.  Same thing, she doesn't always say them in the right order... but she can tell you what each letter is.  I think that is pretty good for a kid who isn't 2 yet.  She knows most basic colors and LOVES to color with her crayons.  One of her favorite activities are puzzles.  She has a few "Melissa and Doug" puzzles that she can't get enough of.

Ellie still loves to watch Barney.  She actually learns a lot from some of the shows, so I don't mind.  She loves to play "ring around the rosie", and she will play forever if you let her.  Needless to say "ring around the rosie" gets a little old after a while.  Lol.

Ellie has been doing so well sleeping in her big girl toddler bed.  She takes naps and sleeps well during the night.  She still likes to have one of us in her room as she is falling asleep... which is something we really need to work on, but other than that, she is doing great in her new bed!  As far as potty training goes, I have decided to really take my time with it.  At first, I wanted her to be close to potty trained by the time the baby came, but I really don't think it's that important to rush it on her.  She will get there eventually.  I have her sit on the potty a couple times a day, and that is about the extent of it right now.  She gets mad if we "force it," so I've learned to take my time.

Ellie has been to a few of my doctors appointments lately (I go in every week).  They have a fish tank in the office that she absolutely loves to look at.  Yesterday, once I drove into downtown off the connector, she immediately said "fishes in the water, fishes in the water."  I'm not exaggerating, she probably said it like 30-40 times.  It's crazy that she automatically knew we were going to the doctors office.  Probably because that is the only time I ever go downtown... lol.

Speaking of doctors appointments... I have just a couple weeks left!!  I am ready for this baby to come!  Baby is still breech, so I have a c section scheduled.  I had a c section with Ellie, so I know what to expect... although this time it wont be as hectic and scary.  I know there is a chance that the baby can still turn, but I have a HUGE feeling it won't.... which I'm fine with.

Kenton and I have agreed on names.  YAY!!  I love both our girl and boy name.  There really isn't much left for me to do, I think I've got everything ready to go.  I've been nesting quite a bit, and trying to rest as much as possible.

Hope you enjoyed this recent update of our little ones!

Baby closet... we are ready if we have a girl!  Grandma's are ready to go shopping if we have a boy! 

bath time! 

baby bed

Precious little girl.  

Big girl bed :) 

Ready for the easter egg hunt! 

wild hair

Look how many I found mom!! 

Talk to the hand... 

Beautiful girl 

I wish mom would stop interrupting me while I'm watching Barney

sassy girl! 

One of those nights...

It's been a long time (nearly 2 months) since I've written an update.  I am wide awake at 12:30 am, due to a fussy child, who is now sleeping next to me, so I figured since I am going to be up for a while, I might as well write a blog.  I don't sleep very well at all these days.  In fact, last night was the best night sleep I had gotten in such a long time... I can't remember the last time I slept so well.  I'm normally up a couple times during the night, and usually wide awake by 4 am, which for the most part, makes for a really tiring day.  I try not to take naps, and I stay up really late because that seems to help me.  However, I was in bed by 10 tonight, which is definitely not late enough, and here I am... wide awake!  That's ok though, I get to snuggle with my girl.  

I don't mind her sleeping in the same bed as us because it doesn't happen very often, and one day I am going to really miss it.  Lately, I've been emotional about how much I miss Ellie as a baby.  She is such a big girl now, and it makes me sad.  I really do enjoy her stage now, but I didn't treasure her baby period as much as I should have.  She grew way too fast for me.  Next year I'm sure I'll miss the stage she is in now, so I am going to do my best to really take in every little moment with her.  She is such a sweet blessing.  

I am currently 30 weeks pregnant.  WOW... I can't believe I've hit the 30's.  It has surely been a wild ride thus far.  This last week has been a test of faith.  I went in last Thursday for a normal check up.  I was scheduled to have an ultrasound to get pictures of the baby's spine, because during the anatomy scan we didn't get very good pictures of the spine.  Everything looked great as far as the baby's health was concerned.... however, they did notice that my amniotic fluid was measuring fairly low.  My doctor was a little concerned so she did an exam and had some tests done to make sure there was no leaking... tests came back negative, which was great news.  Next step, I had another ultrasound that day to check baby's growth and to make sure kidney's were working... again, everything looked just fine.  My doctor thought that I could have been dehydrated, so she sent me home and had me drink a ton of water.  I went back the next day to have my fluid measured, just to see if drinking a lot of water would help.  It measured the exact same as the day before.  I was sent to triage over in labor and delivery (for the second time that week, because a few days before all this, I hadn't felt baby move the ENTIRE day.... scary.  So I went in to make sure everything was good) to check the heart rate, and everything checked out ok.  I had to go back to triage Saturday morning and have the baby monitored again, and everything looked good then as well.  So Tuesday I had an appointment for another ultrasound, to measure fluid, and to check baby's movements and practice breathing.  Fluid had gone up a little bit, and baby looked great.  Yesterday (Thursday) I met with a high risk pregnancy doctor just to make sure nothing was being missed.  There still wasn't an explanation as to why I had low fluid, so my doctor just wanted to have me checked out by a specialist.  Everything looked good, fluid was up a little more and baby's growth looked great.  I don't have to go back to the specialist, which is a huge answer to prayer.  This week has taught me a lot about relying on the Lord for guidance, and asking others for prayer.  I know I had, and continue to have so many people praying for me and I am so so so so thankful for all of my prayer warriors.  

I don't know if any other couple experiences this... but picking out names really isn't very fun.  We have a general list of names that we like, but can't really agree on anything.  It can be really frustrating.  I'm just waiting for Kenton to say "honey, why don't you just pick the name." Wishful thinking???  In just a few short weeks, this baby will be here and he/she will have a name!!!  

Here are a few pictures from the last few months... 

Kristen and I showing off our growing bellies.  Both due in April.  

Cassidy and Ellie... cousins!

Pretty smiles! 

I love this little girl so much.  

Stinker wouldn't cooperate unless she had her flowers  :) 

Ellie, Nanny, and cousin Chase

Ellie and Papa, during his visit at Christmas.  

Ellie with her Papa and Mimi.  Picking her nose... lol

At the park.  She had just fallen off of the big kid swing, so she wasn't in the best mood... poor girl.  

I can't get enough of this sweet baby girl.

I hope you enjoyed a quick update of our family!  Going to try and get some sleep... after I take some tums, gotta LOVE heart burn!