The Meeting of the Brothers

There were some very tender moments yesterday when Grandma brought Everett to the hospital to meet Paxton.  Everett immediately gave him kisses and enjoyed putting his face directly in front of Paxton's to stare for a little while.  He offered his blankie and some toys he had with him.  He was simply fascinated with Paxton and enjoys looking at and checking on him.  Today we came home from the hospital, and upon waking from his nap he immediately asked about the baby.  Here are some sweet pictures I will treasure forever.

Paxton's Birth Story

Paxton's entrance into this world was both long and short.  Let me explain.

On Thursday one week before his due date I started to have contractions that felt to me and my memory of Everett's labor to be the real thing.  I called my parents in the middle of the night, and they made the 4 hour trek to Austin anticipating a birth!  However, that did not happen.  I continued to have contractions on and off over that week that felt like they would amount to something.  We were sent home from the hospital on Friday after contractions did not persist.

Wednesday, the day before his due date, we had a doctor appointment.  He "stripped my membranes"(google it if you're so inclined) in an effort to get labor started.  Because of my previous c-section, I had a deadline of one week past the due date before I would have to deliver Paxton by c-section, and induction was not an option.  Boy did it work!  I had very strong contractions later that afternoon.  They were persistent, and we went in to the hospital at about 9pm.  They watched me for an hour, and the contractions though strong were not changing my cervix.  I was offered "therapeutic sleep", which was IM Morphine and Ambien.  I really didn't want to be in a coma when delivering my baby and am not in favor of being drugged, so I refused.  Since I refused, they felt they could not do anything for me at the time and sent me home.  I wanted to seriously hurt someone.  We drove home and contractions became extremely painful.  It didn't take long before we were on our way back to the hospital with severe pain and nausea - likely in transition.  I got to the hospital with my cervix at 5cm (I was 1.5 cm when sent home an hour earlier), and progressed to 10cm after another hour or so.  It was the most intense pain I have ever experienced.  I sounded like a primal beast.  I felt very fortunate to have a doctor that allowed an epidural to be placed at such a late point in the game.   They worked as quickly as they could, but I was already 10cm at this point, and my body was pushing despite my intense efforts not to.  Having the epidural during pushing allowed for a much more pleasant experience complete with joking and conversation.  Most importantly it allowed for a slightly slower process which reduced tearing significantly, though most would say 30 minutes of pushing is not slow at all.

So there you have it.  Paxton was born on his due date like his brother Everett as well as myself (a hilariously perfect fit to my personality).  June 16, 2011.  He was 7 lb 12 oz, 20.5 inches long, and cute as a button.  What surprised me most was his dark hair and so far dark eyes. 

To compare this to our previous experience, you can read Everett's birth story. 

What's In a Name?

Choosing a name for a child proves to be quite a difficult process!  For us at least.  We chose the name Paxton Anderson Keahey for a few reasons.  Pax is Latin for peace, which we just love; however, we didn't want to give what feels like a nickname as the full name.  We both fell in love with the name Paxton, which would literally mean "peaceful town".  Hopefully he will make a peaceful town out of wherever he is in life.

Both Everett and Paxton share the middle name Anderson, which is my maiden name.  I really love this tradition, common in Spanish speaking countries.  Eric carries his mother's maiden name, Horton, as his middle name.  Since marriage, my own maiden name is my middle name as well. 

If anything, we needed a Peaceful Town to balance out our Wild Boar (Everett).  hah!!!  We obviously chose Everett's name for our love of the name rather than its meaning.  :)

Waiting!

I have some higher than normal traffic on this site lately.   I have a feeling some might be checking to see if we have any news.  So I thought I'd just put a quick note to say - not yet.  I've had a few fake-outs now...so real seeming that my parents drove down in the middle of the night.  (sigh)  I feel bad about that.  But at least there is some extra Everett/Grandparent time, which is always good for all parties.  Due date is Thursday, and the dr won't let us go more than a week past that with my history of c-section.  So here we'll be...waiting!  Come on baby!

Almost Baby Time!

Here we are at (just about) 38 weeks! We've set up a few things around the house and installed the carseat. This was mostly in an effort to get Everett used to these things (and get him to stop pressing their buttons, sitting in baby chairs, throwing blocks in the bassinet, etc.). It wasn't really out of a need to get things set up because let's be honest - at this point, we could set up all those things that took hours in about 5 minutes. We're like super baby gadget setter-uppers now.

We're getting really excited to meet little brother and see how Everett takes on his role as big brother! Due date's in 2 weeks!

So now we wait...

No, No, Noooo!

Ok, I realize you are going to think I'm crazy with this post. I thought I'd record my current thoughts so I, too, can look back on how crazy I am.

Over the past week or so Everett has really started to perfect and use the word No! It's never alone. Always no, no, nooooo or more. Sure it gets trying...but the way he says it is incredibly adorable. I'm usually smiling on the inside while doing my best to portray the appropriate facial expression on the outside.

Perhaps this is one of those things only a mother (or father) can love. ;)

18 Months

Everett had his 18 month well check today, and let me tell you, as soon as we got in the room and the door shut, he knew EXACTLY where we were.  Poor little dude screamed for most of his appointment.  He screamed so much he didn't notice his shot - hah! 

Weighing in at 28 lb (75%tile), Everett Anderson Keahey is an astounding 34.5" tall (95%tile) with a head circumference in the 50-75th percentile! I recently bought him some 3T pajamas! 3T! As in for a 3 year old! He's half that! Ok, so we knew he would be tall. Here's what else he's up to.

Everett, at 18 months, you:
-love your blankie "gee". It goes many places with you, and you carry it around the house, stopping now and then to lay down on it and put your thumb in your mouth for a little 2 second rest before going back to chasing the cat or begging for crackers.
-usually say "meow!" first thing when you get up in the morning and from naps, which means you want to see Frankie, the cat. You love chasing him, being next to him, and you've gotten really good at petting him gently.
-have a love/hate relationship with food.  You love snacks - crackers, cheese, and apples being your favorite, perhaps because you can say them.  You often are not interested in dinner even if it's one of your favorites (spaghetti!).  Your very cute round belly keeps me from worrying.
-enjoy feeding your food and drinks to family and friends.  A good friend calls you "the caretaker" and another one jokes that you will be a spiritual healer because of your sweet gentle touches.
-are about to be a big brother!!!  And I think you're going to be fantastic!

Sorry these got all out of order when I captioned them, and it's making me too crazy to fix.

The reason it's hard to take pictures these days

No one makes Ev laugh like Daddy.

Getting tickled!

Just a couple of guys hangin out.

Aww!  Ev likes to put his head on the cat and on babies in a gesture of gentleness and love.

Aaaaahhh!  Red tupperware makes me crazy!

Love how happy my boys make each other (and me).

He is loving his cowboy hat lately, though it's a little small.

I can't help smothering my cutie pie!!!

Blurry but funny