1 Month with Lilly Grace

One month ago I walked around school and my classroom not knowing I'd meet this sweet girl later that evening. Lilly Grace on 4.8.16, you changed our lives as we became a family of 4. Your labor, although it started at school, was much faster than your brother, but still just as painful. Who knew you'd make your entrance so quickly. The nurses and I all love the number game that is your birthday, 4.8.16.

Currently this sweet girl sleeps well at night, waking a few times of course to eat, but is generally happy for someone waking up haha. She's too long for the one piece newborn outfits and is growing into 0-3 months clothing, although most still swallow her. She enjoys laying on the play mat staring at the fan and being loved on by her big brother. Her hands and arms are constantly moving, as most pictures show. She still loves to be swaddled and to lay on your chest balled up to nap. Overall, she's happy and cuddly. We are blessed for the last month and we are excited to see her grow in the future.

Thanks for my onesie Aunt Becca

1 month old on Mother's Day 

Lilly Grace Newborn Photos

Thanks to Stephanie we have these beautiful pictures of our sweet babies. 

Lilly Grace made her debut!

When I returned to school from Spring Break, evidently everyone on my team thought I was having LG that week, but I still doubted it since I'd made it so far and began feeling better. However, they were right...on Friday, April 8, 2016, I went to school like any other day. My intern was there for her last day and my long term sub had been shadowing all week, so she was there, too. Early in the day I started feeling some tightening in my back, but I was convinced it wasn't contractions because it was nothing like contractions with Lucas. But the one thing that kept me wondering was the fact that it kept happening and the pain would last anywhere from 30-90 sec. I started tracking the pain, just in case, and it was every 10min, 8 min, 5 min, etc...but the pain was constant. I didn't say anything to anyone because again, I seriously doubted the pain was contractions. But to be cautious I called my ob before heading to lunch and the nurse told me it was probably Braxton Hicks contractions, she told me to move around and drink lots of water...so I did both, and because I wasn't feeling the tightening across my stomach, the nurse didn't think it was contractions either. 

I went on to lunch and recess, where the whole 3rd grade was dressed in pink and gave me and LG a big shout when I came outside. They had a PINK OUT for Lilly Grace...well it worked :)

I went back inside after recess and I had been letting my sub and intern do everything anyway, but I felt I needed to at this point. I still wasn't feeling contractions in my abdomen, but my back was still hurting. I thought well I should head home and at least nap and rest because I felt like LG was coming this weekend. I knew I wouldn't get any downtime with Lucas being home so I figured a few hours to nap would be helpful. However, once I made this decision I felt a little different and thought maybe my water had started to break, but I wasn't sure. I had been messaging Andrew all day, and he wanted me to come home if I need to. I didn't want to waste any of my leave time, but I decided it'd be best to go home. I walked down the hall and found Kristen, who was actually coming back down the front hall and I told her I thought I should go home. I asked her if she'd go get Lucas and bring him to the house and that I thought I'd go ahead to the hospital. I grabbed my things, told my students and team bye. As I walked in the office to tell Ms. Hagood I was heading out ...I felt it...my water broke standing right there, luckily it was nothing like you see in the movies. 

Kristen and I walked out to my car to get Lucas' car seat out, we couldn't get the top strap to unlatch, so we decided we'd let Andrew take it out when I got home and she'd go pick it up before she picked up Lucas. She asked me many times if I wanted her to drive me home, but I felt ok to do it. As I drove home my back labor (which I didn't realize I was experiencing) turned into contractions across my abdomen and my water had definitely broke. I called Andrew and told him to get the truck packed to go, so when I got home we were ready to go. It was emotional because I realized I wouldn't get to see my baby boy again as my only baby boy, but I was in so much pain every few minutes that my focus quickly shifted. 

We got the hospital around 2:30ish and I was checked in. My admitting nurse was awesome and so sweet. We discussed that if LG was born today then her birthday would be 4-8-16, which was so cool because of the numbers, each doubles to make the next. However, it wasn't long after when my contractions got VERY intense and VERY close together. This progressed VERY FAST, to the point I was worried I wasn't going to get an epidural, and to be very honest, I was worried they weren't going to be able to get me to the delivery room. However, my Mama and Mr. Eddie made it to the room at this point and I was in lots of pain. The nurses were trying to put an IV in so I could get some pain meds, but my veins are very small and I guess because of the overall stress, they had to redo my IV, MANY MANY times...like 8+ times. My main nurse called someone else in to help, they were great at their job and what they were doing, it just wasn't the best circumstances. Luckily they got the IV in and pain meds, but they didn't help a lot to be honest. 

Finally they got me to the delivery room around 4ish and they had called the anesthesiologist for the epidural, sadly because of being stopped he didn't make it until just after 5pm. Luckly thought, he was AWESOME and so was my L&D nurse, and they both had amazing bedside manner, and the epidural went well, the first time (unlike Lucas where it had to be redone 3 times sadly). 

After my epidural, it literally was smooth sailing....I couldn't feel the contractions and I was good! Around 6pm the doctor came in to check and said we were ready to push! The nurse said she'd only get me to push on the big contractions as to not wear myself out. After 35 min and pushing, Lilly Grace Oliver made her debut!! Unfortunately, they had to use the vacuum to help get her out at the end, sadly her heart rate dropped. However, I will say that my doctor and nurse were TOP notch at Lexington Medical Center. They knew she was in distress, but they didn't say much, just communicated to get the point across. After being born, the nurse told me they thought maybe she had the cord wrapped around her neck, but she didn't. Once we had a few minutes with her though we figured she might have had her hands wrapped on the cord (because she uses and moves those hands so much). Either way, Lilly Grace and I were safe and healthy. 

 Lucas was the first to meet Lilly Grace. Once Kristen got to the hospital with him, Andrew brought him in and he got to meet her and spend some time with just us. After that, my mom, Mr. Eddie, dad, Ms. Mindy, Rebecca, Kristen and Lucas all came in to visit and hold LG. 

She was loud and not very happy. Lucas got 2 doughnuts :) haha one from Poppie and one from Pop!! He was a mess running and playing, but having so much fun with his Pop and Poppie!!

We were later moved a post partum room and we went with LG to the nursery to get her bath. 

Introducing Lilly Grace Oliver

April 8, 2016

6:35 pm

7lb 4.2oz

20 1/4" 

Grandma and Poppie

Gigi and Pop

Our sweet family of 4

Aunt Kristen

Aunt Becca

Snuggles with Daddy

Our experience at LMC was above and beyond. Every single staff member was amazing, sweet, thoughtful and just excellent. We were both worried about being at a different hospital than where Lucas was born, but man, there was NOTHING to worry about. It was such an amazing experience, and we loved it!! 

Recovery went well and we were able to go home on Sunday! 

Ready to go home

Kicks While I Type

 Today is February 1st and it's hit me multiple times that our baby girl is due in just over 2 months!!! Eek how crazy. It's exciting and sad at the same time. Exciting of course because we want to meet our baby girl, and meeting Lucas was even more perfect than we could have imagined. Now I imagine meeting LG will be perfect, too :) However, it's sad because we've always wanted 2 kids and it's sad to think these sweet kicks I'm feeling while typing might be it for me and for us after LG is born. Pregnancy, although hard, is one of the most beautiful things you can experience and I feel blessed to feel and experience this yet again. I pray for our sweet girl and myself as we enter the last weeks of  this pregnancy. I pray for us both to be healthy and have an easy delivery. I pray for us all during this transition into a family of 4, and I pray for us to easily learn how to adapt to this new role. I pray for God's healing after she arrives and I pray for my baby boy as he transitions into his new role, too. I pray he doesn't feel overlooked or unloved, I pray he feels important and that he adores his baby sister. I pray they grow up with a sweet and loving relationship that I have never experienced. I pray for my sweet husband as I know he will feel more pressure with two little sweet ones. And I pray for us to raise them both to know God's grace and perfect love each day. I am so excited to meet our baby girl, but I definitely do not want to rush this experience. 

I think we've showed off most of LG's nursery, but here's a look at the nursery and a few pics of her growing.

26 weeks

Curtains hung

"L" for Lilly Grace

28 weeks

29 Weeks and VERY tired

some more decorations

A New Adventure

Andrew finally convinced me after months of debating and research to get an embroidery machine. 

So I bit the bullet and we did get one. I was very nervous and still am, but after a week of practice, I'm feeling better and enjoying trying new things. It is not a cheap hobby for sure, but I hope to one day make things that maybe people will want to purchase and make some money out of my hobby. 

Thanks to some great friends, youtube and practice I've learned some great tips and I'm making progress. Here's a look at some of what I've created. 

My first applique and ugh it was horrible. I found out some good tips through friends and trial and error. Ordered some other sized hoops and used different types of stabilizer and cut closer and bought some heat bond to help keep the applique material in place. figured out how to apply it CORRECTLY after a mishap or two, and keep trying! Finally, even though it's not perfect I feel like I am becoming more comfortable with it. Appliques are NO JOKE and HARD WORK and TIME CONSUMING. There is a reason people charge you so much, it's worth it! 

trying some monogramming and burp cloths 

Burp Cloth with Vera material, who knew?

Lucas bib monogram with applique

Lilly Grace's onesie that once was Lucas'

Lilly Grace's bib

These are a couple of simple pieces we got at the Once Upon a Child grab bag event, and made them a little cuter

by adding a monogram

to all of them 

One of my first pieces that turned out the way I wanted (mostly)

Lilly Grace Updates

How fast time flies when you're a parent, the TimeHop app is so cool and so bittersweet because it reminds me of where we've come and where we will soon be again when Lilly Grace is born. I can't believe my baby is TWO and that he's about to become a big brother. Lilly Grace is rolling around and moving as I type this. She's growing well and we had another appt right before New Years. The doctor wanted another ultrasound since he couldn't see the bottom part of her spine at the gender ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was having the same problem again, she seems to be stubborn like her brother, but we got some extra pics of our lil girl and the doctor was able to see what he couldn't at the last appt. That appt also included my glucose test, and thankfully, I passed that one on the first time!! (unlike with Lucas where I had to take the 3 hour, in my defense his appt was at 3:30 in the afternoon after school and I had eaten and sadly I ate carbs LOL which turned into glucose...duh Alex). Anyway, all is well and we go back at the end of January for another monthly appt. She definitely moves a lot and is a lot like Lucas in that she likes to push up into my rib cage making it hard to breathe or sit up straight at times, but I wouldn't change it, it's sweet and familiar.


Here is a look at the 26 week bump. She is about the size of an eggplant.


We also spent a lot of time over my Christmas break getting the nursery set up and ready for Lilly Grace. We got it painted, got the crib, dresser, rocker, and bookshelf put together and set up. We also got some pictures and decorations and the crib bedding to go along with it. It's been more challenging than making decisions for Lucas' room, but I am really loving how it's all coming together. We still have to settle on some curtains, trying to regulate the temperature in the room is the main concern with the curtains. It's a work in progress, but I am loving it.

Here's a look at her nursery

Bow holder made by me and bows made by me, too. 

I've discovered my crafty side. Who knew?

Here are some deals we've gotten on clothes!!! 

Here was Lilly Grace's first monogram outfit from Grandma for Christmas

And here was my favorite gift ...the blanket that my Grannie gave to my mama to bring me home in the hospital is now what I will use to bring home Lilly Grace from the hospital.