Bath Time

Oh how he hates bath time! Mostly the whole cold thing. Once he gets to sit in the tub, I think it will be a different story. But for now, we work as quickly as possible and pray we don't get peed on!

First week home

Oh how a week can change your life. I have never slept this little in my life. But we are spending every waking hour learning about the uniqueness of our little man and what makes him work.

Liam's likes:
-cuddling with daddy
-skin to skin cuddles with mommy
-hanging out with his grandma! (couldn't have done it without her)
-being swaddled. He loves to be held tight. I think it reminds him of his home for the past 9 months.

Liam's dislikes:
-being cold and naked. This makes diaper changing and bath time a treat
-waiting to eat. The whole eating thing has been a roller coaster. We still don't quite have the hang of it.

Liam nuances:
-When Liam's belly is full, he gives out the sweetest little squeaky sigh and goes completely limp. We call this the milk comma. It is so sweet
- Between 9 and 11 at night Liam is the most awake and content. He makes the sweetest content face where his lips make the smallest little o.

I love spending my days learning not just how to be a mommy, but how to be the best mommy for Liam Edward Sawyer.











Daddy's favorite position. He says Liam is giving him a hug

first days as a family of 3

Introducing William Edward Sawyer

I find birthing stories so intriguing. Mostly because each one is completely different. I am fascinated by how women come into motherhood in completely unique ways. In preparation for our sweet Liam, Michael and I went to a month of birthing classes. We did a lot of research to design a birth plan for us. I spent countless hours thinking and dreaming about the labor and delivery of our son. I had a nice, neat sheet outlining how it would go to naturally bring our son into the world. This is my response to my birth plan...hahahahahahahaha. I love that I thought I could design the most unexpected, unique experience of my life. Only God knows, that's for sure. Despite the unexpected, I love how our son was born, and I never want to forget each detail. SO, for those interested, here is how William Edward Sawyer entered the world!

The story starts a week or so before his birthday. I was already at 2 cm and had several evenings of contractions and funny feelings. I was paying close attention to every tweak or pain my body had. I so badly wanted Liam to arrive. Michael actually had everything packed and ready at the door. He was just as anxious as I was. That week was very difficult. Even though we were 2 weeks away from his due date, everyone I saw would ask if he was coming or expressed disappointment that we were still waiting. Anticipation is the key word for sure. So, fast forward to Wednesday, February 16th. That night, after my shower, I began...leaking (gross I know). This did not feel normal, but there was no pain. Michael was certain that my water broke, but I was really guarding my heart. I didn't want to get my hopes up. To apease him, I called the on call doctor at 10:45 to see what was happening. The doctor basically blew me off saying it was nothing of importance, just a sign it was getting closer. So, i went to bed and headed to work the next morning (yes, i taught the day my son was born). I am fairly certain nothing coherent came out of my mouth. I was a little distracted (my poor kiddos). I talked to several teachers about how I was still leaking and they found it equally strange. After lunch, while my kids were at recess, a teacher came to my room and told me my principal was insisting I leave, or he was calling Michael :) So I agreed, and called the doctor on my way home. The nurse agreed something was happening, and encouraged me to come early for my appointment. I gave Michael "the call" to meet me at home to get our stuff just in case. Now, of course my doctor was out of town that week so we went and saw another doctor in the practice confirming that my water had indeed broken. However, no labor. When your water breaks you have 48 hours to deliver before they do a c-section for fear of infection setting in. After 24 hours they start to get nervous. Because my water most likely broke in the shower the night before, we didn't have tons of time.

So, Michael and I walked from the doctor across the street to the hospital. We looked slightly ridiculous hauling everything upstairs. We brought a yoga ball, my mat, a bag for all three of us, cameras, etc (but forgot our pillows!). The doctor started me on a pitocin drip at 4:00 (already veering from the birth plan). After two hours I went from my already 2 cm to a whopping 3 cm! At this point the doctor broke my water all the way. This pleasantry sent me from casual contractions to a constant contraction. I'm talking no break in between. I had great plans of leaning on the birthing ball, walking the halls and stretching on the yoga mat. With constant pain, I just laid their completely still and deep breathing for 2 hours. I couldn't talk or open my eyes or I am sure I would of lost it. After 2 hours, I had enough. I was afraid was only at 4-5 cm and I couldn't keep this up all night. So, Michael and I decided on an epidural. This was a tough decision for me. I really wanted to go all natural but the pitocin drip through that out the window. After settling on the epidural, the nurse kindly informed me that the anesthesiologist was called to a heart surgery and would be 15 minutes or more.....ONE HOUR LATER he showed up. That was a long hour friends! The doctor had decided to wait to check me until after the epidural so I wouldn't have to endure more pain. He came in and informed me that I was at 9 cm! So close! Both of our parents arrived at the time from a quick trip South from Indy. I was able to greet them with a smile on my face. One painless hour later, we were at 10 cm and ready to push. I pushed for an hour ( a difficult task when you have no feeling in your lower half. I felt like I was working really hard to make my face red). The doctor and nurse team came in prepped the room as I continued to push. After a few snips, Liam's head came out with the cord wrapped around his neck THREE TIMES! In hindsight, I remember the heart monitor going silent as I pushed. I am so glad I didn't stop to process why at the time. Our little man official arrived at 10: 58 p.m. (about 25 hours after my water broke). The quickly checked him out to make sure he was in one healthy piece. His ridiculously loud cry assured us he was a healthy "little" boy. 8 lbs 3oz and 22 inches long.



Michael was immediately at his side as I watched from afar (being stitched up for the next 45 minutes. Thank goodness for the glorious numbness of the epidural!) We spent that night getting to know our son and learning how to care for him from the nurses. We were surrounded by a sea of friends and family the next two days. Seriously, we couldn't be luckier. On Saturday night, we ventured home a new family of three. We were blessed to have my mom stay with us the next week. She was such a great help with Liam and keeping our house in one piece.

The whole experience and entrance into parenthood has introduce an entirely new level of love that Michael and I couldn't explain. We are seriously head over heels about this kid. We are so blown away by every yawn, stretch, and hiccup. We couldn't be prouder of who our little guy is. We love seeing his little personality shine through and of course deciphering who he acts/looks like (stubbornness of his daddy for sure). We are learning and figure out our new sleepless roles, and we couldn't be happier.

My goal is to be better about posting pictures of our little man and our family as he grows. I promise to do my best.