Thursday, January 28, 2010

Excuses, Excuses

Well I have good excuses for not blogging.  The main one is that my son, who is 16 days old today, and I spent the first 3 days of his life in the hospital then went home on Friday the 15th.  Then that Sunday we went for our 2 day check up at the hospital in Jackson only to find he'd lost a lot of weight and we had to come back 2 days later.  So we went back that Tuesday and he still needed another weigh in so we went back that Friday.  We scheduled an appointment for the following Monday to New Orleans Childrens Hospital to have the cleft team evaluate him.  So back in the car that Sunday to drive to the condo on the coast only to travel to New Orleans Monday and back home to Kosciusko that same night.  Then yesterday, Wednesday we had our 2 week check up at the pediatrician in Jackson.  *and breathe*

So...my excuse is that for 9 days I have been on the road more than in my house.  My poor son thinks we are homeless and live in a car.  Good thing he's a fabulous traveler!

Everyday I think about you guys and crave to blog, but all the clocks around me seem to be sucking up the time and I don't know where it goes.  I made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to blog until I finished these 34 million six hundred eighty two thousand and four thank you notes I have to catch up on.  I am trying to stick to my guns, which in turn deprives you of my rendition of the past 2 weeks.  Soon enough my friends, soon enough.  You have been somewhat patient with me as I try to get my act together...just a little bit longer and I'll be back on track!

Even Chip told me last night that I needed to update my blog.  I cut my eyes at him like really?  We've been so lazy and not busy I should be ashamed of myself.  Then we just cracked up laughing.

Miss you all so much! I haven't been able to catch up on ANYONE'S blog!  I am in withdrawl!  Going into DT (detox) shakes.  So if all of you could just not blog until I get my act together...that'd be great. Thanks!

I leave you with a precious pic of my little Hill. This is not a glamour shot nor did I cheesily pose him. He loves his hands at his face. He's just naturally adorable.

Love ya,
RCH


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Charles Hill Hawkins IV

I'm slowly but surely coming out of my fog since birthing the most beautiful baby boy a week ago today. 

Charles Hill Hawkins IV
Born Tuesday, January 12, 2010
9 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long

We are extremely blessed and fortunate that your prayers and our prayers were lifted and our sweet baby Hill's cleft only affected his lip and did not extend into his nose or palate. He is able to eat, suck, coo, smile (poot), and give the best kisses ever!  We don't even notice it...he's just a precious angel!

Here are a few pictures and I promise to backtrack and give you the whole scoop of the birthing process, the feedings, his dad having to wear latex gloves to change poopy diapers, how wonderful his dad is with him and many many other topics.  In the mean time I hope these pictures will tide you over!


Hill's First Picture


Passing his APGAR test with a 10
(he's so smart already)


First Family Picture


Weigh In


Proud Daddy Showing Him Off


Everyone So Happy!



Hey There Fella


Daddy's Boy


Sweet Dreams


Thumb Sucker


Getting Ready to Head Home



First Car Ride!


Happy at Home!

We are so in love and can't wait to share this experience with all of you!  There will ALWAYS be something to blog about because afterall...we are the Hawkins and live in continual hilarity!

Chip, Hill and I truly appreciate your prayers, calls, texts, emails, casseroles, and the list goes on and on.  Never a day that we aren't so thankful for all of you.

Much Love,
Rachel

Monday, January 11, 2010

Post Written on Thursday...

Sorry I am just now posting this.  It's been sitting in Draft Mode since Thursday.  As you can imagine I've been running around like a spastic goon!  It is now Monday, January 11, 2009 and I have finally figured out the internet connection at the Hampton Inn of Flowood.  Since I really need to be getting some shut eye for Hill's big arrival at 7am in the morning I won't post activities from Friday thru today until later on when I get settled in the hospital.  As for now I am laying in bed eating a monster bag of peanut M&M's and Chip is eating his left over bleu cheese topped ribeye from dinner. Such is life....

So...here is the scoop from last week that I am just now posting.

Here I am!  I feel like this week has been a whirlwind.  Tomorrow, Friday, is my last day of work and seems as though every time I look at something it reminds me of something else I need to do.  I hope to tackle all those monsters today and wrap everything up nice and neat before tomorrow.

We should rewind to Monday, my doctors appointment.  Some of you know that my doctors office is new and fancy and looks like a casino or hotel from the outside. Inevitably by the time I drive from Kosciusko to Jackson I need to use the bathroom because that is Hill's favorite spot to sit while riding in the car...my bladder.  Then it's not like I can just go on and go to the bathroom because everything runs like clock work in that office.  You check in, sit for like 2 minutes, they call you back, you pee in a cup, they take your blood pressure, do blood work if necessary and then you sit in the "sub" waiting room until the nurse calls you back to see the doctor.  It's pretty routine.  So, I always hold it until the pee in the cup time. 

With that said, Monday was different...mother nature / gravity was backwards that day. They had upstairs plumbing issues (not downstairs) so the nurses were forming groups of pregnant ladies to ride the elevator to the 3 or 4 bathrooms downstairs to get the "specimens."  Which explained why the lady in the elevator was holding her pee cup when we got there...it was weird and she felt just as awkward about it. Anyway, it was really funny because we all had to go...bad. We were all noticebly pregnant and they were waddling us around on elevators, back offices, etc just so we could all pee in the cup; thank goodness my nurse didn't make me carry it back upstairs myself.  That was nice and discreat of her to bring a lid and put it in her pocket.

That is my weird story of the week.  You know I always have something weird or funny that happens to me at my dr. appointments.  So, enough about pee in a cup you want to know the baby scoop, don't you?

Hill is measuring 42 weeks now per Dr. North's tape measure.  His heart beats per minute was 148, which is higher than it has ever been, but Dr. North said that is good!  I told him that Hill's heart rate is elevated because he's anxious and ready to come out - Dr. North gave me the, your so silly, look and I said, oh ok, well maybe his mama is anxious and ready to for him to come out?  He examined me and still no dilation, but he felt his head even though he hasn't really dropped enough.  He was about to wrap things up and give me my paperwork for next Monday and I called a big time out.  I  reminded him that he PROMISED a plan at week 38.  He said ok, either you have this baby on your own between now and next Monday or we are doing a c section on Tuesday.  There is your plan.  So...I am not sure if I was in shock, caught off guard, confused or what, but all I could say was...but I want to HAVE him.  He assured me that everyone wants to HAVE their baby and he wants them to, but he worries with him being so big that his shoulders would get stuck or we'd break something of mine or Hill's.  It just really wasn't in the cards.  Chip asked the odds of my going into labor between now and then and he just shook his head that it was really unlikely since I have had no dilation or changes.

I told him I trust him, which I 100% do.  I think I was just a little heart broken and felt like I wasn't give more of an option to try to have him.  I was speechless...I know, it's hard to fathom me not having anything to say.  Dr. North told me he'd call the hospital to schedule everything and I needed to meet him at his desk in a minute. It took me a while to absorb everything and I got a little upset and Chip was so supportive and excited and kept reminding me we are having a baby on Tuesday this is wonderful!  I breifly got over myself and met Dr. North at his desk, he said Tuesday morning at 7am I will be having a baby.  Monday I will have a sonogram and then meet with him afterwards.

So, when we got to the car I called my family and told them that they should probably fly in Monday the 11th and we'd all get a hotel that night since we had to be there early Tuesday morning.  Afterwards I felt bad because I was so unenthused and they were so excited.  Why was I the only one not happy? I was such a crying faced poo poo head about the most exciting time of my life!  My unhappiness had nothing to do with Hill and him making his debut, but I just felt cheated a little.  Like I have been fearing.  This big experience in my life that will only happen for the first time once was not so much a surprise anymore.  I hate surprises, but was looking forward to the bit of unknown this time.  I know, that is totally not ever who I am nor does it fall in line with my OCD planning fetish.  Again, I got over myself and by an hour or so later I was in full planning mode... still a little heart broken but no doubt excited.

So that was Monday (the 4th) and today is Thursday.  I feel like 24 days have passed since then. 

Ok, so that's the end of that post.  It's really now Monday (the 11th).  Holy cow, we are having a baby tomorrow!  I need to get some sleep.  I hope I sleep.  I have a little bit of indie and a nervous stomach.

Chip is super cute and super excited and that makes me even more excited! 

Here is a reminder list of what I need to talk about later...remind me if I forget.
1) Chip had the chance to drive really fast with his flashers on because we thought my water was "leaking" on Sunday.
2) How when they told us to come to Jackson to check if my water broke, Chip didn't know what to do so he sat in our kitchen and ate chicken wings.
3) This Monday's Dr. appointment and how Dr. North didn't think my asking for a tummy tuck was funny.

Ok team!  Tomorrow at o seven hundred we will have a baby!  I promise as soon as I get back on track I'll post how cute my baby is.  Until then.  Hang tight!

Love you all...I'm off to have a baby!
RCH

Friday, January 08, 2010

Andrew Edward Mitchell

I wanted to make sure you all keep my friend Lindsey and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  Today is the day they lay sweet Andrew in his final resting place.

Lindsey's words are so strong; they explain her internal struggle so beautifully...
"I love a boy named Andrew Edward Mitchell and talking about him makes me feel closer to him and more peaceful inside."

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Hold Please.....

Sorry for the delay!  There has been no birthing of the baby...yet.  I go back Monday for a sonogram and doctor appointment then I am scheduled for a c section on Tuesday January 12th.
As wonderful as it is that I can plan and be more prepared and organize with my family when to be here I had to fight a few personal deamons.  I'm better now, but will not lie that I was really upset that I have had no dilation no nothing to make any of this happen on my own.  The fact that I've grown such a big baby seemingly makes me ineligible to birth this baby.

I will fill you all in on how the appointment went and try to remeber and replay my whacked out dream last night about Dr. North and how he turned into some really big weird-o that went postal on me from a random FaceBook post.  Maybe I didn't fight all these deamons?  Maybe I need more rest?

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Happy New Year! Come on out!

New Years was fantastic. We had a great time at Kittrell's in Lexington,  MS with our friends Kim Wiggers,  Dick Carter, the Pettits and the Vances. Good food, good friends, good band.......what more can you ask for?  I will post pictures soon.

New Years Day was relaxing.  Chip made red beans and rice and I made cole slaw, for the cabbage.  I ate all the cabbage myself because as you all know Chip doesn't eat veggies or greenery of any type.  Someone has to eat for prospertiy around here.  I made corn bread for the first time and it was actually good!  Chip went hunting and Whitney came over to watch The Hangover and play Super Mario Brothers.

Saturday, January 2nd was the 2010 Cotton Bowl.  In 2009, Ole Miss played the last Cotton Bowl in the old Stadium and this year they played the first Cotton Bowl in the new stadium.  We brought home wins both times!  Go Rebs!

In true Hawkins fashion we cooked up a bunch of food for the game like hot wings, lemon pepper wings, jalapeno deer meat wrapped with bacon, pineapple deer meat wrapped with bacon, red beans and rice, cream cheese and picapepper, chips, and other stuff that Chef Boy R Chippy cooked up.  Who was going to eat all this food?  We didn't know until they got here and ended up having a house full of people and not one left over.  We love to have people over and cook and entertain. 

After the game we played Rock Band and then true to Rachel fashion when I get tired....I just go to bed.  Everyone knows this.  I'm not being rude, I expect you to stay around and hang out and have a good time, but if I'm tired...I go to bed.  I haven't really felt bad or been tired, but just feel like I've been hit by an 18 wheeler...all 18 tires.  I feel like I have the flu but without feeling bad...only achy and immobile.

Disclaimer: I'm a whiney butt and pull out the violins.
My hips and pelvis don't really work.  I know it's because Hill is taking his mark. I can't get up and down and then the swelling in my feet has not gone down since New Years, which is weird because after I lay in bed and sleep - - when I wake up they are usually semi normal again.  No such luck these past three days. As a matter of fact I took at warm bath at like 11:00 last night and then this morning at like 2am my hands, arms and face were so swollen I called the doctor.  I've never called the emergency line before but was a little concerned about the fact my watch almost didn't come off it was so tight.  The emergency line is crazy fast.  They said someone would call me back within 15 minutes...it was more like 15 seconds.  Since we all know Dr. North is not on call because he went to the Cotton Bowl, Dr. Johnson called me back.  She suggested that I elevate my legs above my heart for the swelling.  So that lasted for like an hour in the recliner, then I had to go back to my bed.  I get RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) when I sit in the recliner for too long.  I always want to lay on my side in bed.

Now I'm up, I'm awake and blown up like a beached whale.  I think Hill is coming soon.  The dogs think Hill is coming soon too.  They are so clingy and want to lay right up on me.  They have that crazy sixth sense.  We are all super ready for his sweet little big self to come on out and play!  Hopefully tomorrow we will know so much more.  Now that Dr. North is back in the vacinity I am even more hopeful Hill will come before my appointment tomorrow at 3:30.

I think I'm becoming that annoying pregnant lady.  I have enjoyed my pregnancy so much, it's so weird that you hit this certain point and it's like...ok, enough now.  Let's get this show on the road!  I've been so patient to meet my little boy....I'm ready to kiss those fat cheeks!  Bring em' on!!