Snakes! 4-wheelers! Ferris Wheels! Oh my!

Well, I've been on Spring Break this week which could be pretty exciting, but I think Langston has had one of the most exciting weeks so far....

Since my mom was on Spring Break as well, Langston went to spend most of the week with her and I joined them on Thursday!  Just in the two days I was around he experienced a lot of new things.

First, he touched a SNAKE (a corn snake with a certified crazy person, aka "Snake Expert") at Wild Adventures!  That was not my idea...his Gamaw of all people wanted him to do it!

Secondly, he rode a 4-wheeler with his PawPaw (apparently he had done this earlier in the week too), but I was with them this time.

He also rode a Ferris wheel again while we were at Wild Adventures!  He loved looking out at everything!

These are things I typically shy away from.  There is a risk and danger in touching snakes and riding 4-wheelers and rides at amusement parks.  There are also risks involved with water and swimming, which he will encounter more this summer.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not the "wild, adventurous, risk-taking" type.  I'm not an "outdoor-sy" girl.  I was 17 before I rode a rollercoaster that went upside down.  I close my eyes when they stop the Ferris wheel at the top (does it really take people that long to get off and on the gondola?). I've never broken a bone mostly because if I sense something might be dangerous I stay away from it.  However, I am a parent of a boy now!

My Langston already loves to be outside.  He's already curious about everything!  He fights sleep because he doesn't want to miss anything.  At 11 months old, he is fearless!  And, to be honest, I love that about him!  Because I don't want to project my fears on him, I will allow him to be a boy and experience all there is to experience!

This led me to the conclusion that when you become a parent, sometimes you live in a state of fear.  Fear that your child is going to get hurt or sick or choke or get their heart broken or have a car accident or feel disappointment or be treated unfairly or be taken advantage of, etc, etc, etc, etc....

I know this seems off topic, but many of my friends and acquaintances have had children who are sick.  Some have cancer, a few are fighting cystic fibrosis, one passed away from brain damage at only 20 days old.....Jeremy and I have been blessed with a healthy child who is smart and strong.  However, I know there are dangers lurking as he continues to grow and develop.

The only way I can subdue that worry or fear is by understanding that God grants peace to those who are His children. That no matter what evil befalls us, we have the promise of heaven if we live faithfully.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:1-4)

 

She Never Existed Before....

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

-Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

No one can prepare you for the feelings you have when you become a mother!  I now have a better understanding of God's love for His children. 

 

"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." -1 John 4:9-11

 

There is nothing Langston will ever do to take away the love I have for him.  For the rest of my life I will seek what is best for him, whether that comes as encouragement or discipline. 

 

No doubt, I am still Blythe with my own thoughts, opinions, hobbies, and personality, but I am forever changed.  I will live the rest of my life as a mother, and for that I will ever be grateful!

The Rest of the Story - Becoming Mother Blythe

Continued from previous post....

When Dr. Ray came in she said, "Well, we are gonna have a baby today." 

She further explained that I had developed pre-ecclampsia and that it would not be wise to send me home in this condition.  It was better for the baby and myself if they induced me today. 

When I wrote down my birth plan, it did not include pre-ecclampsia and did not include being induced.  I wanted to go into labor on my own and do without an epidural.  Dr. Ray supported me from Day 1 on all that, but I understood that what she was telling me was true and she was only looking out for mine and Langston's best interest.  I, of course, had started crying, because I was not prepared to go through labor today.  I mean, I had planned on having Chili's or Chic-fil-A for lunch!!  My mom had already started crying and came to hug me as I was still getting all the news.  Jeremy was leaning on the counter quietly freaking out but staying very quiet.

Later, my mom relayed to us how our faces looked when we heard we were going to have a baby that day.  She told us she could see that frightened look common to new parents as we took everything in. I'm glad someone else was there to see and hear things I could not.

Dr. Ray was not on call that day, so she introduced us to Dr. Mentel, who would be delivering Langston.  It worked out extremely well, because he is an equally huge Saints fan and since we were naming our son Langston Brees, it was a perfect fit!  He even wore his Saints' "do-rag" he typically saves for surgeries only.  :-) 

We (well, my mom and Jeremy) immediately started calling the rest of our families to tell them the news.  I was sitting in a chair still trying to wrap my ahead around it, but hearing one end of some of the conversations was quite entertaining.  My youngest sister, Chelsea, classically asked "Can she wait for us to get there?" 

After waiting for my chariot and horseman to arrive (otherwise known as wheelchair and old man volunteer), I was wheeled through the hospital labyrinth to Labor and Delivery. My enthusiastic mother kept trying to document every step with pictures on her iPhone.  I had to tell her to stop.  ;-)  Jeremy and I had already let the world know through social media that we were having a baby today, so our phones were blowing up with messages!  The love and support people showed us during that time, was so amazing! (That comes up later too!)

I finally reached the delivery room and the nurse gave me my gown and as I was getting changed all I could think was I needed to call the school and tell them where all my plans were!  (Teachers still have to think about work on the day the are giving birth!)

I can't say that I remember all my thoughts and emotions as I was readying myself, but I do remember thinking, how bad is this really going to hurt?  Is something really embarrassing going to happen to me that I've only read about? That I liked the sound of April 25th as a birthday. 

After they got me all hooked up, Jeremy asked mom if she could give us a few moments, and we prayed together.  We asked God to watch over me during labor.  We asked Him to watch over Langston as he entered this world.  We thanked Him for all the doctors and nurses working with us.  We prayed that we would raise our son to follow Him.  I remember feeling peace after that. 

They started pitocin and magnesium around 11:30 (I think).  I still wanted to try and go without epidural.  So, I told my nurse I wanted to go as long as I could.  Well, the pitocin started kicking in and my contractions started coming every 2-3 minutes.  I had dialated 3 cm, but water still hadn't broke yet.  From here on out, I was not paying attention to the clock, so I don't know exact times, but I know that once I got to around 5 cm, they went ahead and broke my water.  At that point, the contractions started to be more painful.  My mother, God bless her, was sitting on the little couch watching me as I went through contractions and finally said, "Please, Blythe, get an epidural."  You see, she had three babies ranging from 9.9 lbs-12 lbs without epidural, so I was holding myself to that standard, but it was like she knew I needed to hear that, so I ordered an epidural.

The epidural was a good decision.  When it was working, I was able to get much needed rest while I was waiting to fully dialate.  I use the word, "when," because after about 45 minutes it had worn off, so I kept pressing the "addict" button to give me another dose, but what they finally told me was that my body was metabolizing it so fast that they wouldn't be able to give me enough to last me through delivery.  I don't want to jump to the end yet, but let's just say, I got the full labor experience I wanted. I'm sure everyone has their funny stories in the delivery room and one of mine came when the epidural was working.  I woke up from a drug induced doze, and randomly asked about volleyball fundraisers, to which I answered myself, "Fundraisers? What?"

At some point, my dad, youngest sister, and nephew arrived.  Apparently, Chelsea was flooring it the whole way and only stopped for my nephew, Aidan, to use the bathroom on the side of the road!  She was excited to be Aunt ChaCha again! Jeremy's parents and brother also arrived!  We already knew, but it was obvious by all there, that this little boy was going to be loved tremendously!

Now is a good time to also mention that Dr. Mentel and the nurse taking care of me, were absolutely fantastic!!  Usually the doctor is in and out and only there in the end to "catch." But, Dr. Mentel was with me pretty much the whole way through active labor.  There was a monitor in our room that showed two or three other women's contractions, and we had made it a competition between me (the first time mom) and another lady (her third child) to see who would deliver first.  In fact, my husband and Dr. Mentel kept talking about the Saints and whether they would offer Brees another contract and then they found a common love of Avett Brothers and other bands.  While they were developing their bro-mance I was like, "Hello!  Laboring wife and patient here!"  Seriously, though, if it wasn't going to be Dr. Ray, we could not have chosen a better person to be with us!

Jeremy and I had previously decided that it would just be us two in the delivery room, but as with the rest of our plans, that changed.  My mom stayed with us the whole time.  There was just never a good time to say, okay, you have to go now.  In fact, since we had not had time to take any lamaze classes, she was much needed.  She and Jeremy were quite the team.  Mom would wipe my face with a cool rag and Jeremy would get me ice chips.  Another funny story, when things were going full swing, Jeremy had become an enthusiastic coach, counting "1, 2, 3..." but he was so loud, so I looked at him, and with my finger up to my mouth said, "Shhhhh! Not so loud." :-)  There were other things I said that were classic Blythe moments, but I will say this, I do not appreciate the doctor and nurse telling me "One more, one more" knowing full well it would take more than one! 

Around 9:00 pm, I screamed, "THIS! HURTS!" and at 9:02 pm, Jeremy exclaimed, "IT'S A BABY!"

Langston Brees Smith

8 lbs 2 ounces

20 1/2 inches

 



Becoming Mother Blythe

Every year on my birthday, or my sisters' birthday, I love to hear my mother's recount of our birth stories.  In a month, I get to celebrate a year of having a wonderful blessing in my life...Langston Brees!  So, I want to share what the days and hours leading up to his arrival were like for me.

First, let me start with saying, that I loved being pregnant from around week 13 to week 33.  The first 12 weeks were spent mostly running back and forth to the bathroom and after week 33, I couldn't sleep comfortably and I had officially named my feet, "Frodo Feet."  But, overall, I felt healthy and alive and loved feeling him grow and move inside my belly.  It was a wonderful experience that I don't think I truly appreciated at the time.

Langston's due date was May 5th.  I planned on working until the end of April and starting maternity leave May 1st.  That way, I thought, I could have a week to rest and make final preparations.....

I was coaching softball from January until April, but I will start with Spring Break.  Jeremy and I decided to take a "Babymoon" on the advice of friends (and pregnancy websites).  So, during Spring Break we took a few days to go to New Orleans.  I am so glad we got the opportunity to do this!  We went to a Minor League baseball game, walked all over the French Quarter, ate at Cafe du Monde, and just tried to enjoy our time as a couple.  Anyone who has been to New Orleans knows you can do a lot of walking.  And being 35 weeks pregnant with aforementioned "Frodo Feet" sometimes it was a challenge for me, but I kept going! 

 Softball Tournament - 33 weeks and 2 days

Babymoon - 35 weeks



The next week, I went for my checkup (one of the only appointments Jeremy didn't make), and all that walking had done some work!  I was 70% effaced and 1 cm dialated!  We kind of freaked out after that.  Since it was my first, I thought, I could go into labor any day!  I was thinking of all the things I still needed to get done.  The next week, we went to the appointment, bags packed and thinking, they could tell us we're having a baby.  We left relieved, but a little disappointed that we'd have to wait a little longer. 

Over the next week, the students took the ARMT (Alabama's Standardized test), and since one of the rules says the teacher giving the test has to be walking around the room during the whole test, our guidance counselor put me as a "hall monitor" while another teacher proctored the test for my class.  My "Frodo Feet" drew the sympathy of many! :-) That week, I also held volleyball tryouts for the next season.  That had to be done before I started my maternity leave. I remember trying to show the girls how to block at the net, and when I jumped, Jeremy and all the girls yelled at me not to do that, and I remember thinking, "That was not a great idea."

I will say this, I am thankful I was so busy throughout my pregnancy.  I feel like it kept my body in decent shape and kept my mind from getting worried or anxious.  I had made it through softball, ARMT testing, volleyball tryouts, and one last baby shower at school! The nursery was decorated, baby clothes washed, and carseat secured in the car. I could finish up maternity leave lesson plans the next week and enjoy getting some rest.....what is it they say about "best laid plans"? 

Saturday, April 21st, I told Jeremy I thought I was having some real contractions, but they weren't consistent and not very strong, so I told him we would sit tight and see what happens.  Sunday, April 22nd, I texted my mom (who, of course, was waiting on pins and needles) and told her that I thought I had been having contractions, etc, and that I was going to try to hold out till my Dr appointment that Wednesday.  She, slyly, offered to come up Tuesday night and go with us to the appointment.  She was gonna "tell that Doctor" to put me on bedrest, etc.  If you know my mother, you know she had already made up her mind and there was nothing stopping her.  She arrived late Tuesday night, and we were both super excited to see if I had progressed any and mom was ready to give the Dr a piece of her mind! 

That Wednesday morning, Jeremy, mom, and I loaded up (our bags were still packed), got breakfast at McDonald's, and headed to Tuscaloosa!  We chatted about different things and even started thinking about where we could eat lunch.  I was excited to have mom with us so she could see where the hospital is and meet Dr. Ray.  We were a little late for our appointment time, per usual, but this time I noticed I was the pregnant woman everyone was staring at, wondering "is she gonna pop any minute?" 

Mandy, our nurse who always took care of us at the appointments, called us back to do the routine urine test, BP test, and check my weight.  You must understand that up until this point I had gained 31 pounds my entire pregnancy and the biggest problem we faced was that my iron was too low at one point.  You can imagine my shock then, when Mandy told me I had gained 9 pounds in a week and that my BP was high.  She, along with my mom, tried to make me feel better by telling me it was water, but I had really not wanted to gain more than 35 pounds.  Mandy took me back to the examination room and listened to Langston's heart.  It was strong!  She said she would come back in a few minutes to test my BP again.  When she took my pressure again, she said before she walked out, "Dr. Ray will probably want to admit you for monitoring."  We all took that to believe they would hook me up to a few monitors until my BP went down and then send me home. I had become very nervous by now and just hoping everything with Langston was fine. 

When Dr. Ray came in she said, "Well, we are gonna have a baby today." 

To be continued....

#WorkingMomProblems

I've been struggling with what I should write as my first "full-length" blog...should I be light-hearted or serious?  Should I consider what people would like to read or just what's on my mind?  I decided that this little project should be what's on my mind and however that comes across is ok. So, here goes....

I am a wife.  I am a mother.  I work outside the home.  These are the facts.  I also coach two sports, one in the fall and one in the spring.  Because of these facts, the time I have with my son are sometimes limited.  When I'm coaching, I leave between 7 and 7:15 in the morning and if I have a game, might not get home until 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening (on a good day).  So, I might be home just in time to rock him to sleep.  I am all too aware that these are the "formative" years and so much learning and development takes place during this time. 

My struggle as a Christian mother is always asking, "Am I being a good example of a Christian mother by working and not taking care of my child at home?"  "Is my home suffering because I work?" "Does my family suffer spiritually because I work outside the home?"

I could compare myself to other women who work and don't work and see how I shake out, but that's not what I'm commanded to do.  I am supposed to "Be diligent to show thyself approved to God, a worker who should not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). 

I looked to see what God has said about women, the home, and parenting. 

• "Wives, submit to your own husbands, which is fitting in the Lord." (Colossians 3:18)
• "That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." (Titus 2:4-5)
• "Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully." (I Timothy 5:14)
• "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
• "Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with the rod, he will not die." (Proverbs 23:13)
• "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)

Then, because I still needed some validation, I looked at some examples in Scripture of women who owned businesses or contributed financially to their house.

• "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God." (Acts 16:14)
• "She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.  She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard." (Proverbs 31:13-16)

After some study, I have decided that while quantity of time at home with your child is very important, quality of time spent could be even more precious.  Just because Langston and Jeremy and I are in the same house at a certain time, doesn't mean we are spending that quality time building our relationship with God and with each other.  My dishes aren't always clean and laundry will frequently pile up.  During one of my sports' season, we won't eat around the table together very much.  There will come a time when being with Langston at his events are more important than coaching.  However, my home can still be warm, inviting, and filled with the love of Christ.  I can't help but take offense when a sister in Christ insinuates that when women work it's in search of more money or material things.  That is not why I work (and if you have any clue as to what teacher's pay is, you know that).

Honestly, I have to control my jealousy and attitude toward those women who decide to work at home (and I know it is work!).  This was never a struggle before having Langston.  I suppose my conclusion is that without sacrificing your spiritual life, what works for your family works for your family. As women in Christ we should want to support each other in that.

As a working mother, I have the awesome responsibility and opportunity to be an example of Christ to those I work with.  I also know my number one priority is to get Jeremy and Langston to heaven, and bring as many people with us as I can.

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." -Mother Teresa

Do I Dare???

I enjoy reading many of my friends blogs, so I figured I might as well give it a try.  At the very least, my relatives can get more insight into the daily life of Langston.  I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a teacher.  If you can't relate to any of those, you might not enjoy reading anything I have to say.  :-) I cannot promise all my posts will be this brief, but this is me warming up....

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” -Dr. Seuess