and have since day one...
...we do it our way:)
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Baby: 4 Weeks
Sweet, little baby Mary Tucker is 4 weeks old in about 12 hours. I can't believe I delivered her 4 weeks ago...that she's been in my little family for 4 weeks now. MT, just in case I forget how you looked in your first 4 weeks (as if I haven't taken enough photos), let's recap:
You have a little bit of light brown hair all over that's wispy at the nape of your neck. Though your sister's was much thicker and lighter than yours when born, yours is looking like its getting lighter by the day. Your sweet little face is porcelain white and you've definitely got Momma's nose (from the Foggo side). We know your pretty little eyes will be blue and right now they are a mysterious shade of thunderstorm blue. You've just gotten to the point where you can focus on my face and your little mouth opens and makes a circular "o" shape as you concentrate on this thing that holds you and feeds you all.day.long. I hope you are enjoying your view as much as I am enjoying mine:)
Your skin is getting lighter and less red each week and you look more like a baby and less like a newborn, softening around the edges as you get plumper. Our little nursing problem (AKA your heavy sleeping problem) is now resolved and you've gained weight enough to where your checks are squishy and you've developed those yummy rolls in your arms and thighs. I'll be the first to admit...you looked a bit tree-frogish there at 6lbs 12 oz, a full pound lighter than your birth weight at just a week after delivery. But I knew we'd work out our problem - we got this:)
You've got your Daddy's crazy long toes and your feet are just as big as they seemed on the ultrasound. Per old wives tales, you're set to have a controlling personality in relationships - your second toe is by far longer than the rest:) Both your Mommy and your Daddy have longer second toes...go figure:) You've even got long, skinny fingers to match:)
I spend my days feeding you, changing your little newborn -sized Pampers Swaddlers, wearing you in my Moby wrap or swaddling you tightly and laying you on the Boppy safely out of reach of sissy when she needs Mommy time. You've got a calm disposition and rarely cry...however, you are a fan of grunting, which Daddy and I find especially amusing at 2am (not). You nap during the day and so far have been an excellent sleeper - so much so that in the first two weeks of your life we had to wake you on a schedule through the night to make sure you nursed every few hours. In a sleep-deprived haze, Daddy (twice) mistook the alarm clock for a crying baby (you) and tried to gently but firmly "shhh" it rather than turning it off. Needless to say, it didn't work. One night, he also spent a good solid minute fumbling with the diaper wipe warmer trying to turn off the alarm clock. Note to self...keep wipe warmer and clock a good distance away from each other. We were both so confused at that point, we started unplugging all electronics on the nightstand in hopes that eventually we'd get to the right gadget and shut the alarm clock up.
During this unusually warm Louisiana January, I haven't gotten to bundle you up much in cute hats and long rompers, though there was a chilly day that you got to wear a winter hat/bonnet:) I usually put you in day gowns or a soft, sweet Kissy Kissy gowns and onesies - nothing beats Peruvian cotton - and you've already brought out the matching bows and bonnets. Lets face it...you like to accessorize...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Welcome, Mary Tucker Devereaux!
We
are pleased to announce the birth of "baby girl Devereaux" or "Stella's
Little Sissy" AKA Mary Tucker Devereaux!
Yes, she is almost 3 weeks old and I haven't posted a single thing about her birth but hey, give me a break...I've got two girls under two years old (wow, that's scary to say out loud).
She was born at 10:12 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
weighing a light 7lbs 12oz (lighter than predicted via ultrasound!) and
measuring 19 1/4 inches long. She came out with light brown hair and a
few short hours after delivery we could see that she, too, would have
blue eyes like her sister. Everything went fine during our scheduled
c-section (besides the slight uncomfortable spinal insertion) and I am
recovering very well.
Mary Tucker was named after my grandmother, Mary Ann, Matt's great-great grandfather, Grover Tucker, and my dear friend from high school, Tucker. Mary Tucker was perfectly healthy, even though we had a rough start learning to nurse. She lost about a pound in the first week and we had to supplement with a bottle of pumped breast milk for a few days,so she could plump back up, and as of last Thursday, she weighed 7lbs 10.5oz, so she is 2 ounces shy of her birth weight, thank goodness!
She has just melted into life at the Devereauxs and her sister Stella is in love with her, though these days Stella is much more interested in "Dora" and "Fresh Beat Band" than looking at her sissy. But when she holds her sissy, it's the sweetest thing!
Yes, she is almost 3 weeks old and I haven't posted a single thing about her birth but hey, give me a break...I've got two girls under two years old (wow, that's scary to say out loud).
Our new family of four!
Mary Tucker was named after my grandmother, Mary Ann, Matt's great-great grandfather, Grover Tucker, and my dear friend from high school, Tucker. Mary Tucker was perfectly healthy, even though we had a rough start learning to nurse. She lost about a pound in the first week and we had to supplement with a bottle of pumped breast milk for a few days,so she could plump back up, and as of last Thursday, she weighed 7lbs 10.5oz, so she is 2 ounces shy of her birth weight, thank goodness!
She has just melted into life at the Devereauxs and her sister Stella is in love with her, though these days Stella is much more interested in "Dora" and "Fresh Beat Band" than looking at her sissy. But when she holds her sissy, it's the sweetest thing!
Mary Tucker is sleeping well now, but I know from experience this is the honeymoon phase and at about 4-6 weeks old, she'll start acting like a newborn who does more crying than sleeping:) We are enjoying her sleeping patterns now, though.
Her cousin, Ann Frances Moffett (my sister's baby) was born 4 days later and of course, as I predicted, a GIRL! I knew we'd be having girls together, and now my mother has 5 granddaughters!
Ann Frances and Aunt Ro Ro
Cousins Ann Frances and Mary Tucker, 5 days old and 9 days old
Sisters
We are both doing well with our new bundles of joy and getting settled into life with two babes! Updates to come!
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Sunday, January 1, 2012
Spending the New Year at Home
Since I'm as big as a house and not in the "partying" mood (except if that partying were to bring baby sissy any earlier) we spent a few hours of NYE day at "Zoo Year's Eve" at Audubon Zoo with MC, Dave and Millie, plus MC and Dave's college buds with their son, Reed. We had a blast and I am ashamed to admit it was Stella's first trip to the Audubon Zoo! She LOVED it.
After a fun day, we spent the evening at home watching movies and trying to keep our eyes open until midnight and NYD at home eating and watching the Saints. I have to say the impending arrival of Baby Girl Devereaux trumps New Year's right now, because I can think of NOTHING else besides our new baby and how her delivery will go.
She is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, January 5 at 10am...only 3 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes left! We are having another c-section (scheduled) as we did with Stella because frankly I have giant freak babies. The first c-section was highly suggested because 1) I had gestational diabetes and 2) Stella's head circumference was measuring in the 97th% and from the looks of the last ultrasound, she would not fit through my pelvis, get stuck after hours of labor and I'd end up having an emergency c-section anyway. I must admit, after hearing so many positive experiences of women having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and loving it, I thought, hey, that might be an option for me. For one, the recovery time is SO much quicker in a VBAC - you aren't recovering from abdominal surgery for 4-6 weeks, you'll be able to enjoy time with the new baby and the big sibling. However, there are risks in having a VBAC - so much so that some doctors refuse to perform them. My doctor chooses to perform them, but when I asked if I could entertain the idea with this one, she kindly but firmly reminded me of this baby's head size compared to Stella's...she is the same size OR bigger than Stella. Also in consideration was the fact that my sister is also pregnant and due 2 days after me. As it stands, we both have our c-sections scheduled 4 days apart so our family can spend time at both hospitals and homes with both babies. With a VBAC I cannot be induced so there would be no scheduling involved. We would be at the whim of the baby's schedule, which would have been fine had my family not been planning on 2 new babies instead of one. All in all, I weighed my options and decided another c-section was the best option for me because I had such a great delivery with the first one.
Surgery still scares me, I'll admit. I'm still nervous about the operation, even though I know I have a very skilled set of surgeons working on me...I just pray that the delivery goes well and she comes out healthy and safe. Then comes the fun part...seeing what she looks like! We've been going over all the questions we have...will she be huge? Will she have blonde hair like Stella? Will she have fair skin, blue eyes, and a big, round head like Stella? Since Stella is our only baby, we only have her to compare Sissy to, even though I know they'll be different and have their own personalities. Another question is WHAT WILL WE NAME HER???? We are stumped here...we have options but we cannot decide, and won't decide until she is born...but what if none of the names we have fit her little face/personality? I'm a little more anxious about her name than Matt is...he just thinks it will come to us once we see her, and I hope he is right!
...so as we enjoy this New Year's Day, or try to...we are reflecting on the joys we were given this past year through being Stella's parents and all the blessings we are lucky to receive in 2012. We know bringing Stella's new sister into the mix will change Stella's world for the better, even though it may be hard at times, we pray for the guidance to be the best parents we can to both of our little girls! God is good!
Stella and Daddy watching the entertainment at the zoo
Stella ringing in the New Year with her hat (yes, that's a Saints smocked dress:)
Carousel time! Dad chose the animal Stella would ride, of course...
Mommy and Stella got to ride together, too:)
After a fun day, we spent the evening at home watching movies and trying to keep our eyes open until midnight and NYD at home eating and watching the Saints. I have to say the impending arrival of Baby Girl Devereaux trumps New Year's right now, because I can think of NOTHING else besides our new baby and how her delivery will go.
She is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, January 5 at 10am...only 3 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes left! We are having another c-section (scheduled) as we did with Stella because frankly I have giant freak babies. The first c-section was highly suggested because 1) I had gestational diabetes and 2) Stella's head circumference was measuring in the 97th% and from the looks of the last ultrasound, she would not fit through my pelvis, get stuck after hours of labor and I'd end up having an emergency c-section anyway. I must admit, after hearing so many positive experiences of women having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and loving it, I thought, hey, that might be an option for me. For one, the recovery time is SO much quicker in a VBAC - you aren't recovering from abdominal surgery for 4-6 weeks, you'll be able to enjoy time with the new baby and the big sibling. However, there are risks in having a VBAC - so much so that some doctors refuse to perform them. My doctor chooses to perform them, but when I asked if I could entertain the idea with this one, she kindly but firmly reminded me of this baby's head size compared to Stella's...she is the same size OR bigger than Stella. Also in consideration was the fact that my sister is also pregnant and due 2 days after me. As it stands, we both have our c-sections scheduled 4 days apart so our family can spend time at both hospitals and homes with both babies. With a VBAC I cannot be induced so there would be no scheduling involved. We would be at the whim of the baby's schedule, which would have been fine had my family not been planning on 2 new babies instead of one. All in all, I weighed my options and decided another c-section was the best option for me because I had such a great delivery with the first one.
Surgery still scares me, I'll admit. I'm still nervous about the operation, even though I know I have a very skilled set of surgeons working on me...I just pray that the delivery goes well and she comes out healthy and safe. Then comes the fun part...seeing what she looks like! We've been going over all the questions we have...will she be huge? Will she have blonde hair like Stella? Will she have fair skin, blue eyes, and a big, round head like Stella? Since Stella is our only baby, we only have her to compare Sissy to, even though I know they'll be different and have their own personalities. Another question is WHAT WILL WE NAME HER???? We are stumped here...we have options but we cannot decide, and won't decide until she is born...but what if none of the names we have fit her little face/personality? I'm a little more anxious about her name than Matt is...he just thinks it will come to us once we see her, and I hope he is right!
...so as we enjoy this New Year's Day, or try to...we are reflecting on the joys we were given this past year through being Stella's parents and all the blessings we are lucky to receive in 2012. We know bringing Stella's new sister into the mix will change Stella's world for the better, even though it may be hard at times, we pray for the guidance to be the best parents we can to both of our little girls! God is good!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Christmas at the Devereauxs/37 Weeks Pregnant
Well, I've let a month go by since updating our blog, but give me a break...I've been working, running after an 18 month old, getting my house decorated to host Christmas for my family AND keeping up with being 9 months pregnant. Speaking of 9 months pregnant, here I am at 34 weeks, 2 days (Dec 4)...
...and 37 weeks, 5 days (Dec 28)
Speaking of Christmas, here is our first Christmas in our new house...
front door wreaths I made
Christmas morning loot for Stella
Santa left a table and chairs!
our foyer
office turned extra dining area
freshly painted dining room with new (old) dining room chairs - Xmas present from Matt's mom!
Christmas Eve at MC and Dave's
Traditional "Generations" photo - from R to L, Mae Mae (grandmother), her daughter, Cheryl (our Mom), my sister, Mary Catherine, her daughter, Millie, plus baby Moffett, who I think will be another girl, me, Stella, and baby girl Devereaux #2!
Millie, MC, Mom and me, both MC and I with babies #2 on board:)
We had a wonderful time getting ready for and hosting Christmas Night dinner, even though it was tough doing everythiing a million months pregnant, but we did it! My sister (also a million months pregnant) hosted Christmas Eve after we all went to church together on the Point.
Matt's first smoked tur-duck-en! It was delish!!
Now that Christmas is over, we are waiting on the arrival of Stella's baby sister. We will know this afternoon what her birthday will most likely be, as we'll be scheduling a c-section with the hospital today! Exciting! I must admit, I am pretty much done with this pregnancy. I am ready for the baby to be here, to have a name, and for our family to learn how in the world to adapt with #2:) We are pretty clueless, but try not to stress out about it!
...and lastly, here is baby girl's new (old) baby bed, just waiting for her arrival!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving from Stella and the rest of the Devereaux Clan!
Hi-fiving Uncle Michael at Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Beth's. We had a wonderful day in Crystal Springs with the Shulls (my Dad's side of the family) and got to see many cousins I hadn't seen in years, plus all the new babies that had joined the family! We really only get to see each other all together once a year and it's been a long-time joke that every year our family grows by at least one because someone is pregnant or just had a baby. This year we had new baby Tate, my still-cooking baby, Sis's still-cooking baby, and our cousins Jonathon and Gretchen (Tate's parents) new baby on the way-they just announced that Tate is going to be a big brother in June!
Cousin Katie took some great photos of each family, and then a great group shot. Be warned...I'm a red head now, so I may not be recognizable!
I didn't get any shots of it on my phone, but Stella has been a real walking machine. The past 2 weeks have been huge as far as her physical developments, which I owe to Early Steps physical therapy, Gym Rompers class, play time with her bestie, Charlotte, and her awesome Mommy Jenn. Stella started off taking 2-3 steps after gentle coaxing from me, and has since walked on her own unassisted for up to 10 steps AND gotten to a standing position from sitting in the middle of a room with no assistance from people or furniture, which is huge. She is making me so proud. I knew she would eventually walk when she was ready, even though I won't lie about being a nervous wreck that something was wrong -as in, way bigger picture wrong like some disease or syndrome that delayed or no walking was a symptom of...alas, my imagination and anxiety got the best of me and I over-reacted...everyone was right. Stella WILL, CAN, and DOES walk on her own! Like I said...we are so proud of our smart, strong little girl! She has many talents to teach her little sister.
We are currently on the way to Hattiesburg to spend Thanksgiving weekend with Matt's parents. Matt's dad missed Thanksgiving Thursday because he's been on a mission trip in Haiti since Monday - what an amazing sacrifice to give of your time during Thanksgiving! I know he will have wonderful stories for us when he get home tomorrow morning. We are looking forward to having a delayed Thanksgiving weekend with the Devereauxs!!
Caroline Devereaux
Sent from my iPhone
Cousin Katie took some great photos of each family, and then a great group shot. Be warned...I'm a red head now, so I may not be recognizable!
I didn't get any shots of it on my phone, but Stella has been a real walking machine. The past 2 weeks have been huge as far as her physical developments, which I owe to Early Steps physical therapy, Gym Rompers class, play time with her bestie, Charlotte, and her awesome Mommy Jenn. Stella started off taking 2-3 steps after gentle coaxing from me, and has since walked on her own unassisted for up to 10 steps AND gotten to a standing position from sitting in the middle of a room with no assistance from people or furniture, which is huge. She is making me so proud. I knew she would eventually walk when she was ready, even though I won't lie about being a nervous wreck that something was wrong -as in, way bigger picture wrong like some disease or syndrome that delayed or no walking was a symptom of...alas, my imagination and anxiety got the best of me and I over-reacted...everyone was right. Stella WILL, CAN, and DOES walk on her own! Like I said...we are so proud of our smart, strong little girl! She has many talents to teach her little sister.
We are currently on the way to Hattiesburg to spend Thanksgiving weekend with Matt's parents. Matt's dad missed Thanksgiving Thursday because he's been on a mission trip in Haiti since Monday - what an amazing sacrifice to give of your time during Thanksgiving! I know he will have wonderful stories for us when he get home tomorrow morning. We are looking forward to having a delayed Thanksgiving weekend with the Devereauxs!!
Caroline Devereaux
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, November 18, 2011
Stella in Words
While she naps, I'll try to notate all of Stella's "words". Though our little 17-and a 1/2-month-old isn't completely walking on her own yet, she IS saying a whole lotta stuff. (In her defense, she took 5-6 unassisted steps yesterday and today she walked all the way from the middle of our huge front yard to the front door merely holding on to one of my fingers. Progress.)
"Mamma"
"Dadda"
"Bo Bo" - our dog's nickname is Bo Bo/Joe...why, I'm not sure - his name is Gus. Ask my husband about that...he is weird with nicknames...thus, Stella now calls all dogs "Bo Bos"
"More" - means she's hungry...she used to same "Yum Yum" when she was hungry, but she's gotten proactive and just goes ahead with "More" when she's hungry.
"Nannie" - not only her fav food "banana", but its also her grandmother Jenny's name - when she sees a banana, whether in a store or on her high chair, she says (repeatedly) "nannienannienannienannienannienannie" until you give her some
"Wa Wa" - water
"Naa" - snack
"Nigh Nigh" - when we ask her if she wants to go night night, she says it back when we know she is ready to go down
"Lo" - shoe...I'm not sure how she got "lo" from "shoe", but every time she sees me putting on or taking off her shoes, she says "loooo" - she also says it when she sees mine or Matt's shoes. Hilarious.
"Walky" - says it when I'm helping her walk
"Noooo" - when she points to her nose
"Eye"
working on "Mou" - mouth
" 'air" - when she points to her hair
"Lawlette" - her best friend Charlotte:)
"Lella" - Stella
"Baby" - multiple meanings...sometimes she says it when she pats my belly (which I love), sometimes she pats her own self and says "baby" and other times she'll call her most fav stuffed bunny "baby"
"Bye Bye" or just "Bye!"
"Aaa-low" - hello - whenever she sees her play cell phone or our real ones, she says this...she also says this when she wants me to sing her the "hello" song from Gym Rompers
"Hiiii" - an alternate to "Aaa-low"
"Mae Mae" - her grandmother
"Maaa" - Matt...comes from hearing me yell it across the house:)
"Ring" - the infamous toy rings I bought her that stack on the white plastic cone, which she will have nothing to do with. The rings are her obsession. She goes everywhere with them. And I mean everywhere. If we are friends on FB, just look at the recent pics of her....almost every pic has at least one ring in it. She will carry one ring, but prefers to have two. She crawls with them, sits and plays with them, will walk for a longer period of time if she can hold them while simultaneously having physical contact withe my hands, rides in her car seat/shopping cart/stroller with them. She recently learned how to hold the sippy cup between her wrists and drink her milk or water while holding a ring in each hand. She wakes up saying "ringringringring" until you give them to her and at night she asks for them. Matt put her to bed with them one night when she was inconsolable. I came home from teaching Pilates and looked at the monitor and saw the rings in the crib with her...her sweet, fat hand clutching one and the other not far from her reach. I will say, sometimes you just gotta do whatever works. Exhibit A...
That's Stella trick-or-treating with a ring...don't fret, I think the other is simply at the bottom of the wagon. Here Stella practices walking while I bribe her with her ring...
Stella has many more words, and I'll add them to this list as I remember them. Also, just because this is precious, here's a pic or two of "Lawlette", Stella's bestie, with Stella (and ring is not far, I'm sure) looking on.
"Mamma"
"Dadda"
"Bo Bo" - our dog's nickname is Bo Bo/Joe...why, I'm not sure - his name is Gus. Ask my husband about that...he is weird with nicknames...thus, Stella now calls all dogs "Bo Bos"
"More" - means she's hungry...she used to same "Yum Yum" when she was hungry, but she's gotten proactive and just goes ahead with "More" when she's hungry.
"Nannie" - not only her fav food "banana", but its also her grandmother Jenny's name - when she sees a banana, whether in a store or on her high chair, she says (repeatedly) "nannienannienannienannienannienannie" until you give her some
"Wa Wa" - water
"Naa" - snack
"Nigh Nigh" - when we ask her if she wants to go night night, she says it back when we know she is ready to go down
"Lo" - shoe...I'm not sure how she got "lo" from "shoe", but every time she sees me putting on or taking off her shoes, she says "loooo" - she also says it when she sees mine or Matt's shoes. Hilarious.
"Walky" - says it when I'm helping her walk
"Noooo" - when she points to her nose
"Eye"
working on "Mou" - mouth
" 'air" - when she points to her hair
"Lawlette" - her best friend Charlotte:)
"Lella" - Stella
"Baby" - multiple meanings...sometimes she says it when she pats my belly (which I love), sometimes she pats her own self and says "baby" and other times she'll call her most fav stuffed bunny "baby"
"Bye Bye" or just "Bye!"
"Aaa-low" - hello - whenever she sees her play cell phone or our real ones, she says this...she also says this when she wants me to sing her the "hello" song from Gym Rompers
"Hiiii" - an alternate to "Aaa-low"
"Mae Mae" - her grandmother
"Maaa" - Matt...comes from hearing me yell it across the house:)
"Ring" - the infamous toy rings I bought her that stack on the white plastic cone, which she will have nothing to do with. The rings are her obsession. She goes everywhere with them. And I mean everywhere. If we are friends on FB, just look at the recent pics of her....almost every pic has at least one ring in it. She will carry one ring, but prefers to have two. She crawls with them, sits and plays with them, will walk for a longer period of time if she can hold them while simultaneously having physical contact withe my hands, rides in her car seat/shopping cart/stroller with them. She recently learned how to hold the sippy cup between her wrists and drink her milk or water while holding a ring in each hand. She wakes up saying "ringringringring" until you give them to her and at night she asks for them. Matt put her to bed with them one night when she was inconsolable. I came home from teaching Pilates and looked at the monitor and saw the rings in the crib with her...her sweet, fat hand clutching one and the other not far from her reach. I will say, sometimes you just gotta do whatever works. Exhibit A...
Stella has many more words, and I'll add them to this list as I remember them. Also, just because this is precious, here's a pic or two of "Lawlette", Stella's bestie, with Stella (and ring is not far, I'm sure) looking on.
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