Another Big Day for Owen

Everyday is a big day for Owen. We are continuing on our routine the best we can and it seems to be helping us all cope with a newborn in the house! This morning, Owen seemed hungry every time I turned around, and of course he continues to spit up quite a bit after eating all the milk I work so hard to produce for him! :) Before the 1:30pm feeding, Owen got his first bath with Aveeno Baby Wash and Shampoo. It made him smell SO good! Owen may not have agreed, as he still screamed all the way through the bath. He happily ate and then he spent some time sitting in his boppy pillow and looking out the window (a new favorite thing to do...thanks to Kristin!).




Of course, Nash was supervising both mommy and Owen....

And then it was nap time for both Mom and Owen...but I had to capture this picture first. I know...I know...there are LOTS of pics of Owen in his bouncy chair...he is not in it THAT much...just a different place to nap (other than in mommy's arms, his swing or his crib)!

Goodbye to the Jacksons

Our good friends, April and Matt Jackson moved to Hattiesburg MS this past weekend. We attended their going-away party on Saturday night. We will miss them dearly, but wish them all the best!! We know we will see them lots back in Anniston and hope to make a visit or two to Mississippi!!

Owen's First Family Reunion

This past weekend, the McReynolds took a trip to Loretto Tennessee for the Allred Family Reunion. Owen slept all the way there, with the exception of feeding time at McDonald's and he enjoyed meeting several extended family members! Here are some pictures -
Owen (three and a half weeks old) and his Great-Great-Aunt Ople (97 years old):


Owen with his third cousin - Harriette


Owen with Nonnie's third cousins - Tessa and Reagan (we are not sure what relationship they would then be to Owen!)

(Potentially) The last day to be Ferociously Cute

Owen is growing so fast! Sounds cliche...but it is so true. I think today might be the last day that he fits into his "Ferociously Cute" onesie. It is getting tight in the length!! It is such a cute onesie...so I will be sad to 'retire' it so early!

Owen was quite alert when I was taking the photo of him in his Ferociously Cute onesie, that I tried to capture a few more good pics and expressions. Not many turned out, as not only was he alert...but he moves quite quickly so many of the photos were blurry!!!


Last night, the cap to his cord came off. Before dressing him, I took this picture showing off his belly button. It appears to be an "innie" (not quite sure how to spell that...and spell check is not helping!).

Today, we have a sleepy baby...maybe...

So far....we have a sleepy baby today. Owen made enough noise this morning at 245am for me to check on him. I don't even unswaddle him...or wake him for that matter. He fed for a little while, but stayed asleep. I am not complaining...as it meant that I could get some sleep myself! He was then up at 445am for more food. Even with a diaper change, Owen did not appear to be awake. He was certainly content though!

I unswaddled him and woke him at 730am to start our daily feeding schedule and he again fell back to sleep. His normal routine is to stay awake to scream a little bit, spit up, burp and scream some more...so this not the norm!!! Here is a picture of him sleeping after his 730am feed.


This extra sleepy period allowed me to get some laundry folded, the dishes put away and post this blog entry! Owen is up now and sitting here with me as I type (with one finger....not my style...but I will do what I have to in order to accomplish something with a little guy on my lap!!). :)

Missed the opportunity to take a shower...but I will have another chance soon...I am certain!

Our best Owen pic yet

Owen was swaddled last night over our dinner time. He wiggled a hand free...but seemed content. Clint shot some great pics. Here is the best one! What a cutie!!!!

Mission Accomplished!

Dad successfully gave Owen his first bottle this afternoon! It went great....other than Owen falling asleep! But...that is the same thing he does for Mommy! Daddy kept talking to him and managed to get just shy of 3.5 oz in Owen! Way to go Owen and Daddy!!!
So...now that is behind us. We are relieved, as it means that others can now feed Owen! :)

Multi-Taskers

I have been accused of multi-tasking in many situations throughout my life. Although...now that Owen is here...I pretty much do one thing...take care of him. I will admit that I have talked to Clint on my cell phone and texted a few friends while feeding Owen a couple of times. But that is the extent of my multi-tasking these days.

However...my family has been great at it...and I have caught them in the act! Here is my Dad multi-tasking (checking email, surfing the web and soothing Owen in his bouncy seat:

And...this morning, Clint walked Nash while carrying Owen in the Baby Bjorn AND...drank a thermal cup of coffee on-the-go!!

I don't have pictures...but when my parents were here...my Mom was the ultimate multi-tasker. She kept the house clean, made every meal for us, did the laundry, read a book and helped me tremendously with Owen.

Who does baby Owen look like???

Here is Clint's baby picture

Here is Melissa's baby picture

And here is Owen....

Owen's Arrival!

Last Tuesday (July 14th, 2009) we became the proud parents of a 7lbs 6 oz bundle of joy named Owen Lloyd McReynolds. Labor was LONG and had its challenges...but we made it through with the help of some great nurses, Dr Tessen, and fabulous family support. During labor, Melissa had thoughts of never wanting to go through another one...but delivery was a piece of cake (in comparison to labor)...and is confident that she can go through L&D again...especially with the reward of a precious baby at the end!!!!


At 10:47pm, Owen entered the world




Nonnie and Pop McReynolds were there to meet him


As were Gram and Pappy Lloyd


We had a few visitors in the hospital...The Harris Family, The Murray Family, Hal Noble, Erin Rahn, Jason Rios, Michelle and Terry Minter, D.R. and Dave. Only one of which we remembered to take a picture of (Miss Erin is featured below holding Owen sporting the hat she knit him and the Miracle Blanket Nonnie made). Gram and Pappy took care of everything at our house, which was a big stress reliever for us. And, they brought us home cooked food (so we didn't have to eat the nasty hospital food) that made all the nurses jealous! I am sure the whole maternity floor could smell the wonderful chicken pot pie that we had for dinner on Wednesday night and we stayed healthy by eating fabulous cantaloupe and cherries for dessert.


After the birth, we were focused on getting everyone checked out by the doctors, getting some rest and looking forward to being discharged. We successfully got discharged 36 hours after Owen was born and we loaded Owen up in the car for his first ride. Nash was waiting for us at home with Gram and Pappy


The hound dog in Nash really likes to smell Baby Owen. His concerns when Owen cries are lessening, but he still needs to check out the baby when he makes a peep. Here is Owen's "Arriving Home" picture!


Shortly after arriving home, we got right on a feeding schedule. Nash is a great guard dog!!!


Owen had a busy couple first days at home. Eating, Sleeping and Pooping were not his only activities. He enjoys swinging and sleeping in his bouncy seat, but did not enjoy his first bath. Baths are getting easier!





At our weight check on Saturday, Owen weighed 6lbs 10oz. We had to step up his feeding schedule a little bit...which had Mommy feeding Owen every two hours and Gram feeding Owen from a syringe in the middle of the night. This was a life saver for Mommy, as it allowed her to get a solid 5 hours of sleep. Not many new mommies are that lucky! But all the hard work paid off, as Owen weighed in on Monday at 7lbs. We continued with the same regimen and again were rewarded with a weight check of 7lbs 8oz on Wednesday. What a heavyweight!!!! To be 2 oz past his birth weight at only 8 days old is AWESOME!! So...we've scaled back on the feeding schedule. Now Owen gets fed every 2.5 hours, and Gram still pulls the graveyard shift complete with a feeding to get him through the night.

We are loving being parents and are so blessed to have Gram and Pappy here to help us out. It is allowing us to get the rest we need to ease into this new stage of life and care for our new addition.

The wedding at 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant!!

One more post...and then I am going to nap before having a baby tomorrow! HA!

We went to Rebecca and Matt Franklin's wedding on Saturday night in Jasper Alabama.
The happy couple
Rebecca is Clint's Mom's second cousin...so I am not really sure what that makes her to us....but regardless...she is family...so we were happy to be invited to the wedding and celebrate her special day!

Clint's parents had driven in for the wedding, so we also enjoyed a nice visit with them. Here are some pics from the wedding night:

Monday morning phone call

I had already started drafting the blog post below this morning before I left for work...so I thought I would finish it up and post it. BUT....the real post of the day is below...

I was in a discussion with my manager this morning when my cell phone lit up. The number looked familiar...but I was not sure if it was my doctor or not. I told my manager I was going to take the call and excused myself from our discussion. Sure enough...it was Jacquie! She asked if I was coming to see her today and I said not. My next appointment is tomorrow. She then asked if I wanted to have the baby tomorrow! My first reaction was "WOW!" and then my first question was "WHY?". She commented that she knew I was ready and that the baby was ready ... so she thought she would just offer the option of scheduling the L&D to avoid the apprehension of going into labor naturally. This way, we will have a controlled L&D and we'll have our baby tomorrow!

I was overwhelmed at first. My mind and heart started racing. But after discussions with Clint and my Mom...I was talked 'off the ledge' and am feeling great about going in tonight to have our baby!!! I will keep everyone posted as best as possible. Watch Facebook for updates and email for the big announcement. We'll get something up ASAP!!!

I am going to be a MOM!

Due date…came and went…

….with no baby! But that’s ok….we’re just convinced that I have created such a wonderful and comfortable home for Baby McReynolds in the womb that he does not want to come out! Saturday night we went to a family wedding in Jasper Alabama. It was a two hour car ride…which equated to one bathroom stop each way. Wal Mart on the way there, and a Chevron on the way home. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and we wish Matt and Rebecca all the best for many years to come!

On our due date…I (somewhat jokingly) tried a bunch of things to naturally induce labor. For breakfast I had pineapple. For lunch, I had eggplant parmesan. And as part of dinner, Clint made some awesome “ABT”s (Atomic Buffalo Turds = jalapenos (from our garden) stuffed with cream cheese and then wrapped in bacon) on the Big Green Egg after smoking a pork butt. I looked some of the wives tales/myths up….and here is what I found:

PINEAPPLE: “Pineapple is not supposed to induce labor, but rather is thought to be a cervical ripening agent that stimulates prostaglandins.”



EGGPLANT PARM: “The eggplant parmesan was also in vogue for a time. While this dish may have been contributing to labor, it is probably not due to the eggplant but rather to the seasonings in the dish. Both basil and oregano are herbs contraindicated in pregnancy due to their potential ability to start labor.”



SPICY FOODS: “Certain spicy foods release capsasins, which may be counterproductive in labor. When the baby descends down the birth path, the pressure exerted releases endorphins into the woman's body. These endorphins are a natural pain-killer. In effect, the capsasins counteract the endorphins and rob the mother of her natural ability to have a pain-free birth.” … hmmm … that was not what I want!!!!



While reading and researching online…I came across this other natural inducer: Licorice! Which made me laugh because 1) I LOVE licorice and 2) I had a bunch on Saturday night at the wedding. Rebecca and Matt had a black, white and pink theme going and they had a “candy bar” which contained black licorice and Good & Plentys!


LICORICE: “Licorice, the real licorice candy, the black kind, is thought to also stimulate the production of prostaglandins. This is due to the chemical, glycyrrhizin.”
I read that eating licorice contained a warning:
WARNING: Eating lots of licorice might also result in mild diarrhea, which causes intestinal contractions that may lead to sympathetic uterine contractions. (This would not be the result I am looking for!!!!)
REFERENCE: http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/

We had a nice visit with Clint’s parents yesterday. They were in Alabama for the family wedding and planned to spend Sunday with us and depart on their drive back to Texas on Monday morning. They arrived at our house around noon on Sunday. When we returned from church, we were greeted with several beautiful flower arrangements from the wedding. They certainly add a lot of color to our home and they smell wonderful! We went to Olive Garden for lunch (that’s where I had the eggplant!), showed off the nursery, watched some TV, played Sequence and ate a wonderful smoked dinner (pork butt and ABTs!). And then of course we went for a long walk with Nash….another natural labor inducer! Here is the theory on walking:
WALKING: “Every time you walk, you are using one of the natural ways to induce labor. Yes, that's right. Walking is a time-honored method of speeding labor. It uses the forces of gravity to aid in ripening the cervix to prepare for the birth of your new baby. With every step you take you're one step closer to labor!”

My recent sewing projects

I have been a busy little sewing bee...making items to be used when Baby McReynolds joins us!
First, three weekends ago...my sewing project was a nursing cover. I found the pattern online...but it is pointless for me to put the link here...because I modified it so much!!!



Then, two weekends ago...my project was to make a hospital gown. I used the Lazy Girl Designs Pattern: http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/hospitalgown.php





















And finally, over the last two nights I have sewn two hooded towels for bath time! Again, I found the pattern online:
http://sewing.about.com/od/freeprojects/ss/hoodtowel.htm
Of course I added the elephant to match the nursery!!!



Other than finishing up the second towel (when Hobby Lobby gets more brown bias tape), I think I am done with sewing projects for now. :)

We're in the 40th week!!!!

Clint, Melissa and Baby McReynolds just got back from a check up at the doctor's. We're happy to report that Melissa is dilated to 1cm, but the dr's prediction is.....


....there will be no baby this week! She said we probably still have 7-10 days. And we're just fine with that! Melissa is feeling great and not terribly uncomfortable. A few minor aches and pains every now and then...but that is to be expected.

The baby's HR was 152....still quite high...but it always gets taken right after Melissa moves around quite a bit and is excited to find out how everyone is doing!

We had a GREAT July 4th weekend. We caught up on some movies that we've been wanting to watch and enjoyed some downtime. Clint smoked a brisket on the Big Green Egg for 11 hours on Saturday and we had a great group of friends over to enjoy it. We watched five kids under four years old play with the adult lawn games (ladder ball and corn hole) and went to watch the fireworks that Oxford puts on over the Lake.

We're looking forward to a quick visit from Nonnie and Pop this weekend, as they are in the area for a family wedding. We're still not sure if we'll make the trek over to the wedding...but regardless we wish Rebecca and Matt all the best, as well as wedded bliss and happiness as they start their lives together!!!

38 week appointment update!

We had an AWESOME doctor's appointment this morning! I am starting to dilate. AND....the baby is dropping! My fundal measured 33cm, down 2cm from last week...which is the indicator that he is dropping. I learned that fact today!!! The baby's HR was 150.

AND THEN....I had a 'growth scan'....which is basically a sonogram where they check all of his measurements. :) I was not scheduled to have another sonogram unless there was a need. I didn't want a 'need'...so I had given up on the idea that I would see "baby McReynolds" in the womb before he made his appearance into the world.

I was SO excited. Fortunately, I had brought our "Baby Movie" DVD with me....so the tech popped that in and recorded the session. Baby McReynolds' head is measuring 37 wks, while his femur and stomach are measuring 38 wks and 2 days (which is exactly what I am today!). This all equates to a weight of approximately 7lbs 8oz!!!!!!! She said that could be +/- 1lb! When I exclaimed that it could then mean that he was 8.5lbs, the tech assured me that he was not that big. :)

So...we're making progress...but the chances are LOW that we'll have a baby this week!

Maternity Shots by Kristin Greenlee!!

When we went to Texas in May, we spent Saturday morning with a wonderful friend, and Dallas-Fort Worth professional photographer, Kristin Greenlee. Kristin took maternity photos for us and it was great fun! Here are some of our favorite shots.













Check out more of Kristin's work at www.kristingreenlee.com and read her blog at http://kristingreenleephotography.blogspot.com/