Week Old Photoshoot

I'm still working on my photo skills, but this was so much fun!

My friend Jill is a photographer and brought over her little sweet set up to my house and we played photoshoot. It was a blast! Harvey only peed on her once. :(

I don't have photoshop or an edited program so if I did there would be matching backgrounds and some different things, but he's so stinking cute it doesn't matter. :) 

 

Harvey's 1st 
week at home

 This baby is Heaven sent, a true angel baby.

He has been so easy and sweet. Recovery has been an absolute breeze, my best yet for sure. Funny how all three of mine have been so different (4th degree tear with Co, c-section with Brend, and Harvey a "normal" delivery) What a different it makes in recovery! Heavenly knew I and my little family needed this blessing now. With Brock having to go back to San Antonio 3 days after Harv was born for 5 days, was the hardest thing to do, mostly emotionally. I was feeling good almost great physically (other than super tired of course) but the night he walked out the door to go back almost cracked me. After that I don't know that I could make it one more time letting him leave to go work so hard for our family at another rotation away. 

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!

With the Lord on our side, I truly do believe we can do anything.

With all that said, WE MADE IT! And with flying colors really.

Thanks to our amazing ward and friends who brought meals every night, took my two big boys every day to play for a few hours, prayers and texts and calls checking on my daily.... I call this ward my family. They are incredible.

 So more about Harvey boy...

He is a fabulous eater, has been from day one. My milk came in fast and great, I feel better than the other two. YAY! He was super duper hard to keep away the first 5 days, but is getting better, especially during the night. I have yet to set an alarm to get up to feed him. He is 3 hours on the clock.

Although, the pass few days during the day I have been feeding him every two hours, trying to help get his bilirubin count lower. We got it checked at 6 days old and it was 15.9 and should be around 10.3. So feeding him more and sun baths inside hopefully are helping. I take him tomorrow for his week check up and to get it checked again. His eyes have looked REALLY yellow is why we got it checked in the beginning.

He sleeps great, does NOT like to be swaddled. Which I was nervous about since from my experience with my other boys they slept like rocks being snuggled tight and couldn't wake themselves up. But it hasn't been bad at all. He sleeps great. Still likes to snuggle LOTS and be plenty warm of course, but no swaddle.

 My big boys have been awesome! They love Harv.

Brend can't stop saying "Mom he's so teeny tiny cute". Cohen is getting really good and holding him already and wants to do it lots. They are being such wonderful big brothers.

Once again, blessings are being poured out over our family.

Now we are reunited and happier than ever.

Trying to get back in to a groove of living together ;)

Such a wonderful feeling being a family of 5.

We did not know what was missing until Harvey arrived.

We are all so in love.

Great blessings of peace in this house.

There is something truly special about having a newborn.

Harvey Grant Kitchen
Friday, November 14, 2014
@ 9:16 pm
6 lbs 14 oz 20 in
3 weeks early

  This little angel was quite the surprise, making his debut 3 weeks early. 
This is how his birth story starts:

It was just a normal Friday morning, Cohen was at school and I dropped Brendon off at a friends house while I went to my 37 week check up with Dr, Garda. Baby's heart beat was checked and was great, my vitals looked good, then Dr. Garda said she was going to check my cervix for the first time since I was now 37 weeks, just as most doctors do at this check up. She checked me and her eyes went WIDE and she looked at me and said, "Uh, you are dialated to 5 cm and 75% effaced". WHAT?! I sat there for a second then just started laughing! And almost fell off the bed.

I could not believe it, I had NO IDEA I was in labor, felt completely normal my body didn't feel different in any way, of course no pain, not even cramping or anything. The day before I felt a little crampy but honestly thought it was gas pains. Boy was I wrong. (here's where my high pain tolerance bit me in the butt once again) So... I got dressed. Dr. Garda made a phone call to the hospital saying I would be right over to get checked it.

Meanwhile, Brock was still in San Antonio finishing his last week of an audition rotation. YIKES! I couldn't get ahold of him either. He had just gotten off a 30 hour shift and his phone had died. I finally got ahold of the wife of the ortho resident that Brock stayed with during his rotation, and I told her what was going on and she was going to try and get ahold of her husband and hoping he was somewhere near Brock. Kevin, the ortho resident, found out that Brock had gather his things and was heading home, so he went out in the freezing cold and waited at Brock's car until he got there to tell him the news. Brock was in shock! He hurried and stopped at Kevin's house to grab a bag, jumped back in his car and started his 4 hour long drive back to Fort Worth. I got checked in the hospital and hooked up to monitors and all that good stuff at about 11:00 am. All my nurses knew what was going on and that we were trying to do all that we could to slow this labor in hopes that Brock would make it.

I watched the clock thinking "there's no way he will". But, to all our surprise, he arrived at about 3:45 pm in scrubs and all! YAY! So glad he made it. The four house waiting for him I still did not feel anything! I would never had guessed I was in labor. Thank HEAVENS I had my dr appt that morning or I would not have been there. Since I was trying to avoid a second c-section this time around, the Dr said it was best to let me body just do it's own thing, when it happens it happens. So, the dr. broke my water around 5:00 and then a few small contractions started. I got a small dose of epidural at about 6:00 pm (soooo much better then mine with Cohen when I couldn't even feel if I was pushing or not) And at about 7:30 pm I was dialated to a 9. Still the dr wanted to wait as long as possible to help my body do the proper thing while trying a vbac. Finally at 9:00 pm he let me try pushing, and sweet Harvey boy was born at 9:16 pm. So fast! I only pushed 2-3 times. My nurses were incredible and the on call Dr. (who we had never met) Dr. Stephens was perfect. 

Highly recommend.

 Having him right on my chest was incredible, something I hadn't experienced with my other boys. Giving birth is truly amazing, what our bodies can do and what they can create.

 First thing the next morning the big brothers came to meet him! They were beaming!! So proud, couldn't hold him fast enough. They were calm and quiet the whole time they were with him.

 They even picked out a toy lion for him with Dad.

 The first thing Brend said "Oh his mouth is so tiny and cute!"

FIRST BATH right next to my bed in our recovery room.

 Ben, Sutton, Pepper & Matix Fox came to meet Harvey boy.

Also, Sutt saved me the day I delivered. She drove to the hospital to get my house key, back to my house to get my hospital bag and camera and things, then drove back to the hospital. She stayed and visited for a bit until Brock got to the hospital. Such amazing friends we have.

 And there ya have it...

a family of 5.