2 weeks Old 1.28.14

Healthy Doughnuts!

Bradock absolutely loves eating doughnuts. He calls the white powdered doughnuts "camping doughnuts" because that's the only time he gets to enjoy his favorite treat. I decided I wanted to try and make a healthy version so he could enjoy them more often. Well these protein doughnuts turned out even better than we thought. The kids downed 3 doughnuts each. I'm going to play around with some different recipes but so far these are a keeper. 

Baked Cinnamon Apple Protein Doughnuts

INGREDIENTS
1-1/4 cup FlapJacked Cinnamon Apple Protein Pancake Mix
1/2 cup skim milk (or dairy free alternative)
1 large egg
1/4 cup light sour cream (I used plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

TOPPING (Optional)
3 tbsp powdered sugar (I used Ideal Confectioner Sugar) 
1 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine wet ingredients (milk, egg, sour cream and apple sauce). Add pancake mix and mix well until there are no more clumps and let sit 3-5 while you turn oven to 350 degrees. Use a spoon to dollop batter into a greased doughnut pan(s). Batter should fill doughnut pan to the center, but don't cover the center. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple minutes while you mix powdered sugar and cinnamon and place in a large ziploc bag.  Shake each doughnut in the sugar, tap off excess and ENJOY!

Miss Independent

As we were getting ready for school this morning Raylee comes running out of the bathroom with the biggest smile yelling "Look mom! I did my own hair!" My cute little 5 year old had figured out how to do a ponytail (even if it was a messy one) and stuck a cute little flower in to top it off. Raylee took control of her wardrobe and outfits a few years ago and now it looks like she is taken independence over her hair. It's so hard to let them take control of those things especially when you feel the reflection of them looking homeless somedays is on you but at least I know she is on the road to becoming a strong and independent person. Love this little sassy pants of mine:)

Family Hike and Missing Front Teeth

Yesterday the kids were begging to go to Water Wheel so we loaded in Brett's truck and headed out. I strapped Rigdon to me in the baby bjorn and we enjoyed a nice little hike. Bradock insisted on carrying the pack which happen to be almost as big as him. He did so awesome and carried the pack the whole way back. 

After our hike we headed to Brett's office to kill some time before Grandpa Bob and Grandma Terri came. Bradock's two front teeth had been really loose so Brett convinced Bradock to pull them. Ray wanted to be dad's assistant so she put gloves and a mask on and then held the suction for Brett. When Bradock had to get his shot to numb that front area Miss Ray grabbed both his hands so he wouldn't be scared. It was the sweetest thing. The bond that these two have is undeniable. They may not be bound by blood but definitely by friendship. 

The toothless cowboy! 

Date with Dad 1.24.14

Friday morning Brett took off early to go hunting so I got to do the whole "get the kids ready for school" thing by myself. It actually went pretty good. My friend Amber McEntire picked the kids up to take them to school so that made things even easier. Rigdon and I got ready and then headed to the valley to do newborn pics with Camille. Oh and Rig's belly button fell off that morning...hallelujah! I hate those things and now he can get a nice, good bath. As we headed out of town we stopped by the gym to say hello to everyone in my class. They were all so excited to see me and him. Hopefully I will be back to teaching soon. We got to Camille's house and well it ended up being one of the most exhausting days of my life. Little Rigdon is one that stays pretty alert during the day which doesn't really work for newborn pics. You want them nice and sleepy so you can put them in cute poses and use different props but Rig just wasn't wanting to fall asleep. I don't blame him though. Who wants to be undressed and moved around in different positions?! I felt so bad because we were at Camille'a from about 10:30a til 4pm. I was exhausted from a sleepless night and then trying to feed him often at Camille's to get him to fall asleep to no avail. I was hungry and tired and that just made it worse. Camille was so sweet and patient and even commented that she has never seen this new of a newborn so alert and awake. Yup that's my little man:) While we were doing pics Bradock got to go to his friend Trent's house after school to play and Brett picked up Ray to take her on a little daddy daughter date. He surprised her by taking her to get her nails done. He couldn't have picked a better place to take her. She was in heaven. Here is the princess and dad enjoying their day together. 

Pediatrician Check-Up

On Thurs morning (1.23.14) Rigdon had his pediatrician follow-up appt with Dr. Michels. When we left the hospital Rig had dropped from 7.14lbs to 7.7lbs and he is now up to 8.1lbs. I was glad to hear he is gaining weight because that's another good sign he is getting the right amount of milk and nutrients. His head circ. was 14 and his length is still 20.75in. He falls in the 50% tile for everything. For the most part everything looks and sounds good. Rigdon does have this funny little extra dimple near his bum hole and Dr. Michels wants an ultrasound done to make sure it isn't a spinal dimple that could be a sign of a spinal abnormality.  He really doesn't see it as being a concern and says they are pretty common but he always likes to veer on the side of caution. Rigdon is scheduled for the ultrasound Feb 12th. After we were done we headed over to the hospital so Rigdon could get his follow up PKU test done. It was a long day of appts but I'm glad we got everything done and that Rigdon is healthy and happy so far.  

1 Week Old

I can't believe a week has flown by. It's going so fast and we just love Rigdon more and more. People have been asking me how I am doing. Physically I feel great. I have been healing well and just sticking to little walks here and there. Breastfeeding is going really good. The first few days were a little rough just trying to figure it all out. Now that my milk is in Rigdon eats every 2.5-3hrs (sometimes sooner) and has really good wet and dirty diapers. All the signs of getting enough food. The lack of sleep is rough but that's to be expected with having a newborn. Hopefully in upcoming weeks he will sleep longer stretches in the night. Even with the lack of sleep I feel like I am on this "happy high". I just look at him and he makes me smile. Brett has felt a little left out with not being able to feed him. He does like to hold and cuddle with him a lot in the evenings when he gets home from work. I will try and start pumping soon and introduce a bottle to Rigdon in a couple weeks so then Brett will be able to get in on the feedings. Here is Rigdon enjoying a little tummy time. 

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Growing By the Day

Rub-a-Dub-Dub 3 Kiddos in the Tub

Doing Tricks Already

Rigdon seems to change daily. Some days he looks like me and then other days he looks like Brett. Maybe he is just a mix. Either way this cute kiddo is the most alert, wide eyed newborn I have ever known. It's like he is just soaking up this world as much as he can. Love my little Big Rig. 

Little Miss Hen

Raylee is absolutely in love with her new little brother and has taken her role as big sister very seriously. She wants to hold him, bathe him, burp him, love on him, etc. She has been super helpful (sometimes a little too helpful) and Im so glad her and Bradock are the age that they are. It makes having a newborn a lot easier than if they were younger or toddlers. I feel super grateful to have them:)

Life is Oh-So-Good

Adios Hospital

Thursday morning finally came and we knew we were going home. We were so done with being in the hospital. Rigdon got his circumcision done and it literally konked him out. After making sure he was ok from the procedure we were finally given clearance to leave. Brett and I had both our cars at the hospital so Rigdon and I got in my car, along with all our hospital bags and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Kocherhans. They weren't unable to come to the hospital since both of them haven't been doing so well. Not in a sickness sense but more in a weak, slow-moving way. Terri has mentioned that it may not be long before one or both of them passes away. Brett and I wanted to make sure they got a chance to meet their newest great-grandson. Especially since Rigdon Jay is named after Grandpa. I have never seen Grandpa get so emotional as he did when we told him we wanted to use his name for the middle name. He was so thankful and I just told him if this little boy grows up to be half of what Grandpa is he will be doing just fine:) 

After visiting with them for about an hour we finally hit the road to head home to Payson. For some reason it was weird driving with this new little baby in the car. In my mind Im thinking "My life has just completely changed and people are going about their lives like normal." I felt even more protective and cautious as I drove. I know it sounds silly but that's how I felt. We arrived in Payson just as the Mr. B and Ray were getting home. It was so nice to finally be home and back together as a family. We were back to normal life and reality:)

1 Day Old

Our first night in the hospital went as good as a night in a hospital goes. We welcomed more visitors on Wednesday like Camille, Tawna, Sarah and McKai, Grandma Flaherty, Aunt Char, Bob and Terri, Meegan, Chelsee, Rachel, Amber, Katie, Jenny and Alisa. My mom also brought the kids by before they headed back up to Payson. Raylee just wanted to hold him, burp him and love on him. Bradock just kind of likes to observe. Rigdon passed his hearing test which is this first pic. He is all hooked up to the monitors. In fact he was checking out great on everything. He was a zero o. The jaundice level which basically means no jaundice. The hospital pediatrician came in that day to check him out too. Everything looked and sounded great but because I wasn't able to get two doses of the GBS antibiotic she wanted to monitor Rigdon for 48hrs. Brett wasn't too happy about that and after having already discussed it with Belinda he felt we should be able to go home. He kind of raised a stink with the pediatrician about wanting to go home. You could definitely feel the awkwardness in the room. I'm not sure why Brett was raising such a stink but then later that day a social worker came to our room because of some concerns that had risen. Apparently she was told I had denied antibiotics (not true...I just didn't make it to the hospital in time to receive the 2 doses) and then she proceeded to ask us questions in regard to the health and well being of us and Rigdon. Did I know the difference between baby blues and post-partum depression? Did I have ill feelings towards my baby? Do we have support at home? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!!! Darn Brett getting us in trouble. And of course the midwives were in full support of Brett. They felt like this is why so much money is wasted on unnecessary healthcare. I'm healthy, Rigdon is healthy so why keeps us in the hospital any longer. Needless to say we complied with the pediatrician's recommendations and stayed another night. Let's just say we were very excited and anxious to leave the next day. 

Rigdon Jay Flaherty 1.14.14

It is exactly one week from the grand debut of our little Rigdon. I woke up that Tues morning to go to the bathroom and then got my workout clothes on so I could teach my HIIT class. I then woke up the kids so they could start getting ready for school. As I was hurrying around the house I felt a little gush of liquid. Not a ton but enough to make me go "huh?l" As I continued with getting the kids ready I kept having those gushes. I finally had to change my workout pants and put on a pad. Brett even noticed a clear, non-stop dripping when I was changing. At that point I knew something was happening and it was probably my water that had broke. Thank goodness I had read that it's not always like you see in the movies with that big gush of water coming out and that it can be more of a leak. I called my mom to tell her what was going on and not to come up to Payson quite yet like she had planned. I told her I was going to teach my class and then head on down to the valley. Both her and Brett were a little shocked that I was still going to teach my class. I wasn't feeling any contractions or pain at that point, only leaking fluid and I figured I would be fine to get through a class. Next thing I know I get a very concerned text from my dad saying "Mom just called and said you're leaking fluid. Remember you are GBS positive and you need to be on antibiotics to protect the baby . She said you were going to teach your class and then go down. Might not be a bad idea to go down and be treated. I love you." My dad hasn't been the most supportive with my decision to see a midwife and some of the more "natural" ways they handle things. I was a little irritated but decided to call the on-call midwife just to see what she thought. Midwife Laura answered the phone and I told her what was going on. I also reminded her that I live in Payson and that I tested positive for GBS. She suggested I call the office to try and get in as quickly as I could so they could check to see if I had really ruptured and if I had then they needed me in the hospital within 12hrs of rupture which would be 7pm. After talking to her I decided to contact Kadi Tenney to see if she could sub for me so I could head on down. I also called the office and they scheduled to see me at 11am. Brett took the kids to school and I told him to go on to work and I would call him after my appt with an update. I then got a shower and got ready so I could be all nice and clean to head down. I started to have a little bit of mild cramping here and there but nothing too crazy. Here is a pic of me just before I left the house. 

As I drove down the gushing was getting more frequent and stronger. I had to text my mom to make sure she had some towels when I got there. I arrived at her condo at about 10:30a and we then drove to the OB office. When I went to the bathroom to pee in the cup (for the last time) my pad was bloody. Midwife Diane came in and checked to see if I ruptured. She did a little swab and she said that my water had definitely broke and I was in labor. She said I would be having a baby that day. Holy mackerel this was getting real. Belinda then came in because she was the on-call midwife that afternoon/night. She was saying "we are going to have a baby!"  They wanted to hook me up to the sonogram machine to monitor the baby and my contractions. My contractions had gotten a tad bit stronger but still totally doable. I was hooked up for 20min and after everything looked good Belinda told me I could go on home and labor as long as I wanted to or until I was ready to go to the hospital. Either way I had to be checked in the hospital by 7p no matter what. So I called Brett to tell him that I was indeed in labor and had until 7p. I still think we were both in shock because we were kind of non-chalant about everything. I told my mom to stop by Paradise Bakery so we could get some lunch. When we got there my mom ran in so I could wait in the car. At that point my contractions really picked up in intensity. By the time we got back to the condo I took one bite of my sandwich and that was all I could handle. I went to the bedroom to lay down and get in a relaxing position. Holy moly contractions are no joke. I actually told my mom that. I called Brett to tell him to get on the road and get there as soon as he could. He still had to finish up a few patients and pick up the kids. Here is a pic i got during my contractions that said "That will make you smile. Hang in there!"

For about two hours I labored really intensely. My contractions were about 2-3min apart some even a minute apart and lasted at first about 30s going up to about 45s-1min long. It was a pain I have never felt and can't really describe. I actually had to keep going to the bathroom and even had a bowel movement in between contractions at one point. I guess better than when I would be pushing:) My mom was getting really concerned and kept saying I think we should go to the hospital. I wanted to wait til Brett got there so I told her not yet. I remember getting really hot during a contraction and had even stripped down to my sports bra and underwear. But then between contractions I would get cold and almost just go limp like I was sleeping. It was such a relief to get that break in between. Finally Brett called my mom to say he was almost to the condo so she helped me get to my car and be ready for when he got there. I did not want to get in the car and have contractions. It just seemed like the most uncomfortable place to be. Brett pulled up, jumped into my car and we drove to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. I was having contractions and I couldn't just sit in the seat. I turned myself around on to my knees and hung my arms over the seat. It was the most comfortable position I could find in the car. Brett was trying to be helpful and kept saying over and over "you got this babe." I told him to please not say that to me anymore. I also didn't want him talking or touching me. It was probably a good thing that I pretty much labored by myself at the condo. I really didn't want anyone touching or talking to me. We got to the hospital about 3:30p and we walked through the ER. They asked if I wanted to be wheeled in but I just wanted to walk and when a contraction came on I would lean against the wall. It was so frustrating to have to check in. They were asking me all these questions and then a contraction would come and I couldn't talk. I could hear Brett trying to answer but not knowing what to say for some of the questions. They led me to triage where I tried to lay in a bed. Another laboring woman also came into the triage and she was soooo loud. I wasn't sure how I was acting but Brett told me later that I was nothing like that lady and he was sure hoping we didn't have to labor side by side the whole time. Luckily Belinda informed them that I was to be taken straight to a delivery room. When I got to the room I changed out of my dress and put on the black pretty pushers gown I had bought. So much seems like a blur because I kept my eyes closed both during and in between contractions. I was back on the bed when Belinda came  in. She could tell I wasn't comfortable so she told me to turn around and get on all fours. I kind of just draped my upper body over the hospital bed and was on my knees facing the wall. I told her I couldn't do this anymore and she immediately said to the nurse "Grab me a glove". She checked to see where I was and told me that I was at 8.5cm and we were going to be having a baby. Apparently I was really at 9.5cm but she knew I wasn't mentally ready to hear that. Even being told I was 8.5 sent me into a sort of panic. I began to say I can't have a baby. I can't do this! Belinda was so amazing and in her soothing British accent said "but you are having this baby. You are doing it...you are going to birth this baby that you have waited so long for." She said and did just the right things. Brett said if it was him I would have been so irritated by him. I guess it's different knowing that Belinda knows exactly what she is doing and has been doing it for years. After going through several more contractions I suddenly began having the urge to push during a contraction. I could literally feel him lower each time. When Belinda said she could see his head and dark hair I just couldn't believe that this was all happening and I couldn't believe he had hair. Brett says I pushed about 6-8 times and then his head finally came out. Oh what a relief. Instantly I felt so much better. Then came his body and the next thing I know I am crying and Brett has him in his hands and sort of lifts him up underneath me right into my arms. I slowly turned myself around on the bed and just held my precious little boy born at 4:51pm. Even writing this I can't believe how fast everything went. During it all I kept thinking to myself that I was being such a baby because I hadn't labored long enough. I only say that because of the books I had read said a typical first time birth usually takes longer. I stayed on the bed holding my beautiful, dark haired boy as Belinda and the nurse cleaned things up. After the cord had finished pulsating Brett cut it and then Belinda delivered the placenta. It didn't even feel like anything after everything else I had just experienced. Belinda also commented that she wouldn't have to stitch anything because I didn't tear...hallelujah! Brett and I looked at each other and we both knew this perfect little boy would be named Rigdon Jay Flaherty.  I immediately began to breastfeed him and it was a little awkward at first but thanks to my sister who helped me out just a little bit later we started to get the hang of it. It is 100% more natural than I ever expected. In fact I was more nervous to breastfeed than I was about labor but now I'm not sure what I was afraid of. Rigdon was just absolutely perfect. Belinda even commented on his beautiful coloring. Just a nice rosy pink. What a crazy but absolutely amazing experience. Sarah was the first to come in and see him. I decided to get up and get showered so the nurse got him weighed, measured and bathed. He was 7lbs 14oz and 20 and 3/4 in long. My mom then brought Bradock and Raylee to meet their brother. Bradock said "He looks just like me only he is lighter":) So cute! I told them I have 3 cute dark-headed kids. Raylee corrected me and said you have two dark headed kids and one dark headed baby:). Bob and Terri came to see us and then we were told we could move to our room. I got up and pushed Rigdon to our new room. I am so thankful to have done it naturally because I seriously felt so good after. I could walk, get up and down and go to the bathroom with no problem. I was definitely sore down there but after what I had just felt and experienced nothing could ever compare.  Anything else seems like a walk in the park. After that we had all kinds of visitors. Meegan, Rachel, Kiley and Mindi all came by to see him. I was on such an adrenaline rush and happy high that I could not sleep that night. I was just so in awe at this perfect little being that we created and delivered to this earth. An experience I will treasure forever and ever. I am so truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to get and be pregnant and then deliver this beautiful boy. He is a completion to our family and we couldn't be happier.