Hello Everyone!!

I was taking pictures for my Mom to update my blog and while looking through the ones that I had taken I came across this. I thought it was funny that he's got the same posture in both pictures.

13 week ultrasound picture

20 days old

Birth Story

On Thursday I went to see the midwife and was a good 3cm dialated but she said she could easily stretch me to a 4. She said she didn't think I would make it through the weekend without having a baby. I was hoping for a 7/7/07 baby, a Sunday baby as my normal midwife would be there or a Monday baby since Rod was supposed to be home by then.

On Friday I woke up and wasn't feeling very good. I ate a bowl of cereal and then walked around some. About 11:30 or so I started having "contractions" that hurt in one line across the top of my belly. My belly was staying hard most of the time but the "pain" was every 5 to 20 minutes.

I walked around, sat on the couch, laid on the couch, laid on my bed, and walked some more. I also decided that maybe I should pack my bag and get the camera together since I hadn't gotten anything together.

About 2:30 the "pain" across the top of my belly was happening pretty consistently at 7 minutes and had been going on for a few hours now so I decided to call the midwife and see what she said. Since I have pretty fast deliveries she told me to come in so we could see where I was at.

I called Marsha to let her know that we were headed to the hospital. Mom and the girls got stuff loaded into the van and we headed for the hospital.

They put me on the monitor and I was contracting every 7 minutes or so with lots of smaller "irritability" contractions in between. The baby had one decel when I first went on the monitor and when the midwife checked me I was 5 cm so that earned me an admission without the ability to go walk around.

So we headed over to a LDR room and got hooked back up to the monitor, got an IV and blood draw, and Mom went down and got my bag from the car. In amongst all the people coming and going from my room Mom and Marsha fixed the curtain which was not hanging correctly.

About 6 pm I sent Mom and Marsha to eat with the promise that I would not have the baby while they were gone. Since I had not been able to get up and walk things weren't going anywhere quickly. I called Apryl to let her know that I had been admitted and didn't have Jen's phone number in my phone.

The dr came in and I was 5-6 cm so not much progress had been made. At that point the plan was to run a course of antibiotics and to then start pitocin.

The dr then came back in and told me that they had decided not to do the antibiotics and they would start pictocin instead.

Marsha and Mom came back and Marsha was looking for something when she discovered a bag of M&M's stashed in the bedside table. She asked if they were mine and my response "Where would I have gotten a bag of M&M's from?" She discovered that housekeeping hadn't done a very good job and took a picture of the evidence.


About that time the nurse brought in the bag of antibiotics and pictocin. The nurse was laughing because she had gone into the wrong room before coming into my room. I questioned her about the antibiotics since the dr had said he wasnt going to do them. She didn't seem to believe that I wasn't supposed to get them and finally decided that she would check it out. I wasn't supposed to get them.


They started the pictocin and let it run for a while. The contractions started getting closer together and they were going up off the monitor but they weren't hurting at this point. I was watching tv while Mom and Marsha watched the monitor. They couldn't believe that I was still smiling at that point.


The new dr came in just after 9pm and broke my water. There was a LOT of fluid in there and I felt like I lost about 10 pounds and was sitting in a swimming pool! You could hear the fluid pouring out. I got up and went potty while Mom and Marsha changed my bed out and the nurse came in to say that I needed to get back on the monitor since the baby was having decels.


I'd had about 3 contractions that hurt (I'm not sure that it was the actual contraction that was hurting. It felt like the baby's shoulder was stuck on my pubic bone and that's where all the pain was at) and the baby wasn't liking them at all so the nurse laid my bed flat and gave me an oxygen mask to put on. At 10:03pm the nurse checked me and I was 8cm. She said she didn't think it would be long at that point and left the room.


With the very next contraction I felt the need to push and couldn't say anything. Marsha went to tell the nurse that I was pushing and Mom stayed right there by my bed. The dr came in and I was +3 and they didn't have anythign set up. She keeps telling me NOT to push so they can get the bed broke down and the table set up. I was trying not to push but at that point it's a little hard not to.


After what seemed like forever they had everything set up and I was ready to push. I kept hearing "Push, push, push" but I couldn't get a good breath with the oxygen mask in my face. I kept putting it on top of my head and it wasn quickly replaced on my face. At that point all I was hearing was "You need to push this baby out!", "Push", and "You need to take a deep breath, hold it and push". My response was "I AM"! I finally managed to get the oxygen mask off my face long enough to get a GOOD DEEP breath and pushed him out and heard "IT'S A BOY!" Official time of birth was 10:16pm.



According to Mom the baby's heartbeat had gone down to 40 and the doctor had paged another doctor and was looking very concerned so the baby needed to be out. He came out looking at my leg instead of facing the floor!


Rod called right in the middle of the pushing. Mom told him to call back as we were having a baby right then. Right after that they hit a dead spot so he didn't get to call back for another couple hours.

Meeting Dad and Going Home

Sunday morning we were finally ready to be sprung from the hospital. I was so glad to be getting out of that room!!

I got all my discharge paperwork done. Cavelle had his last physical and was given the thumbsup for release.

Mom went by the ship and picked up Rod who had just came in that morning and they headed up to get me. This is Rod and Cavelle's first picture together.
And then we were off for home!

Meeting the siblings!

All wrapped up and ready to meet the siblings!

The board in my room

Mom brought the kids up to visit in two groups and they all seemed so proud of him

Tyreque and Cavelle
Ladaria and CavelleRaquelle and Cavelle
Brayana and CavelleDestini and Cavelle
Jaleel and CavelleMakkiah and CavelleTaniyah and Cavelle

Cavelle Braydon has arrived!

Cavelle Braydon

July 6, 2007

10:16 PM

8 pounds 10.5 ounces

22 inches

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the day today putting together cabinets for the laundry room.

We sorted out Rod's tools, the gardening tools, the electrical stuff, the plumbing stuff, and the odds & ends.

We cut off the end of the steps for the gardening tools and filled a hole with cement.

After we were done all the kids got ready to go to the beach.

We went out to NASNI and watched the fireworks.

When we got there people had dug these holes in the sand that the kids enjoyed playing with.

Hopefully there will be a baby soon.

Happy 11th Birthday Brayana!!

Happy Birthday Brayana!!

I remember the day you were born.

It sure doesn't feel like it's been 11 years!

The time goes by so quickly.

This year you graduated from elementary school.

Next year you will be headed off to middle school.

Where does the time go?

You are my tom boy,

the one out catching lizards,

and frogs,

and crawfish.

The one climbing the tree,

or the fence,

or onto the roof.

The one who likes to wear cammi pants,

and holey jeans,

and a pony tale.

Your favorite colors are orange

and black.

Sometimes we can manage to get you in a dress,

and your hair done up,

and something besides tennis shoes on you.

You have a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh.

Can't wait to see what the next 11 years will bring.