Blessed In Love

*~*~Hearts Full and Overflowing~*~* Look at us... our hands are full, our house is messy, and you can see a bit of sleepiness in all of our eyes... but we truely couldn't be happier. I feel so undeserving of the abundant blessings we've been given. I know it's a silly statement-- the idea of "deserving" anything, especially knowing that we've been given nothing based on merit, {but I believe, by grace}-- but still, I find myself sometimes thinking 'What did I do to deserve this, How could I possibly have come into such a precious circumstance/life?"

Anyways, my house full of my boys, it makes me smile! So that's it for reflections. I was prepared for chaos, and we haven't really had more than a couple brief <-fleeting-> moments of chaos. Our home has actually been very PEACEFUL, and what an amazing surprise and blessing that has been!

I had to include a picture of Austin in one of his homemade diapers, since I was so super excited to "test-out" my handiwork. This is the blue "camo" one I made at my mom's house. It did *everything* it was supposed to do! Contained big breastfed-baby messes, which is all I could ask for. (Besides the super-softness of cotton against my sweet baby's skin!) I was so excited to take him home and start using my new baby stash!

For the record... {since I tend to update my babybooks months later based on blog entries & notes written in margins of calendars}

Austin's birthweight (at 1503 on 11/2) 7-6

Weight at discharge (at 2430 on 11/4) 6-15

Today's weight, at his 1st Dr appt. (at 1130 on 11/5) 7-4

Healthy checkup, Bilirubin (jaundice) has come down, milk is in, & he's perfect!

And LAST... the birth everyone keeps asking about! Promise I won't write a lot... trying to tame my rambling! Let me just say it was SOOO much faster than I had expected!!! And of course beautiful, awe-inspiring, powerful, you know how I feel about birth, there are no words!!

My water broke at 0600 and he was born at 1503-

9 hours total, when compared with Jake's 39 hours!

This time I pushed (gently) TWO times, and with Jake I pushed (hard!) for TWO hours!

No tears (or episiotomy) either time, & both babies were essentially the same size. Jake was 39 3/7 wk and Austin was 37 2/7 wk.

Oh, this is the greatest part... I went from 5cm to 10cm in 45 minutes!!!! Isn't that amazing!?! I was just discussing with the nurse how my back was super uncomfortable & I couldn't find a relaxing position, so I was asking for a hot compress for my back- and she said "I think you're complete!" I told her that would be great, but there was no way, because I was just 5cm less than an hour ago. She said NO, you are ready! And I was! Amazing! I gently "breathed" him out in-between birthing waves (contractions), and I was in such a comfortable position that I was able to see everything- I watched him come into this world and greeted him right on my tummy. I couldn't have asked for a better birth. And it couldn't have been more different than my last one (which I also LOVED.)

PS jake doing great w/ bro... nsg now & then bedtime- thnx for all the congrats!