Farewell NOLA

Franklin has been alive now for 8 weeks! It has been quite the struggle to nurse but it's beginning to get better. Franklin had a tongue and lip tie and we've had to work a lot on his latch. For the first three weeks I just pumped and bottle fed and slowly transitioned to breastfeeding exclusively. It has been harder this time around having a newborn because Charlie is also so much work that our work load has doubled. It takes both Scott and I full time to take care of our boys! I'm hoping after we move to Kentucky that life becomes a bit more manageable, especially since Scott will begin residency full time!

Franklin has a big appetite and is already chunking up so much. He has gained almost a pound a week since he was born! He already weighs 12 lbs. He is in the 40th percentile for weight and height and the 15th for head circumference. Franklin also makes so many cute sounds! He has been smiling for a few weeks now and we just love him more every day.

Last week we had his baby blessing. We did the blessing in Gulf Shores Alabama and luckily, my dad and my father in law were able to be there. We also had Nate and Derek participate in the blessing. It was special to set time apart to give Franklin a name and a blessing. He was blessed with wisdom, happiness, the ability to communicate his feelings to us and to know and follow what Heavenly Father wants of him to bring him the most happiness. He was blessed to be able to provide for his family and to be a support to Charlie and his family. We had Franklin wear Scott's old baby blessing (the same outfit Charlie wore). It was a tender moment. We scheduled the blessing conveniently around our last vacation/hurrah before we move. We spent a week in Gulf Shores/Perdido Keys on the beach and then we have a few days in NOLA eating lots of delicious food before moving day. 

Scott and I gave our farewell talks in church last week and it was hard to get through. I felt so emotional about all we have experienced and suffered here in New Orleans, and grateful for the miracles I've seen and the support we've received from the ward. 

It has been quite the whirlwind having a new baby and preparing to move and I've been emotional and anxious lately. I'm still healing from childbirth and still struggling with severe plantar fasciitis.  I hope in Kentucky I can start some Physical Therapy and help my foot heal. 

One of my favorite pass-times has been looking at Facebook Marketplace for used furniture. I'm a bit obsessed. I just can't wait to move into OUR house! We are really living the American Dream. 

Scott graduated Medical School on May 22, 2021. Steve and Mary flew out for the ceremony and to celebrate with us which made the day extra special. I felt so proud of Scott. He has excelled in school under extremely difficult circumstances. 

Charlie has been emotional lately too. He loves his little brother Franklin and is very sweet to him, but he misses time with me every day. One day he told me "Mama, I miss you," and another day he asked for a "Mommy Charlie date." He always tells us when Franklin is crying by saying "Oh! Baby Franklin crying!" and he has learned to make an excellent "A-goo" noise to make Franklin smile. 

Charlie also knows we are moving to Kentucky soon. We were talking to some strangers (strangers LOVE Charlie...he's just so lovable!) and I asked Charlie "Where are we moving?" and he said "Old Tucky Home!" (Old Kentucky Home). It was adorable. 

Charlie speaks so well. He uses full sentences and memorizes songs and stories. He is learning how to be polite and use his words to ask for things instead of whining or pointing. Scott bought Charlie some Hot Wheels tracks and the last couple months Charlie has loved building different track courses and running Hot Wheels cars down them with his Dad. He also likes his Mr. Elephant and won't go to bed at night without turning off the lights himself and having a full water cup. 

Charlie recently learned the song "Do As I'm Doing" and loves circling his fists fast and slow with the lyrics. He also knows The Rainbow Song, Old MacDonald, The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the ABCs, I Am A Child of God, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, and more. He likes to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (though Scott and I hate it) and Daniel Tiger. Daniel Tiger sings lots of songs to teach little lessons. One of them is called "Grown-ups Come Back" and once I left Charlie with a babysitter and when I picked him up he said, "Mom, you came back!" It was very cute. 

Charlie likes to do everything "by himself." He is also very concerned about routines and things being just so. I can't wait for him to go to nursery and Primary and make some friends. 

We bought a used Lovesac Sactional and Charlie has enjoyed being thrown into the middle over and over by Scott. We invited some friends over one night and Charlie and his buddy Carson kept climbing on the sides of the sectional and jumping into the middle. I started tearing up watching him get up on the side and jump off by himself. I couldn't believe his strength and coordination and that he had healed enough that he could play and keep up with a friend.

Franklin's Birth Story

I started getting false labor contractions around 34 weeks pregnant. I'd have periods of 1-2 hours with contractions three minutes apart. I knew it wasn't the real thing...but in my mind I assumed that the false labor must have been progressing my cervix and that it wouldn't be too long until baby was born! I was so wrong! I stayed at 1cm dilated for another five weeks and another six false labor episodes. One of the false labor periods was so painful it was bringing tears to my eyes and contractions were two minutes apart. It lasted eight hours and I was SURE I was in labor. So I called over a friend at 2am and went to the hospital. Turns out I was still dilated to 1cm and that I was just dehydrated! They made me drink a ton of water and the contractions disappeared. I was so embarrassed and disappointed because I thought the baby was coming but he wasn't. The baby was taking me on such an emotional roller coaster!

Baby ended up staying happily inside my womb until my induction day. My mom and Grandma Lewis arrived Thursday night to watch Charlie while I got induced. I was supposed to go in on Friday at 5am but they called my at 4:30am and said they were too full so the induction got pushed back until the evening. It ended up being kind of nice I got to spend that morning with my mom and grandma around the city. We went to the Ruby Slipper for breakfast and drove around the French Quarter. At 5pm Scott and I went to Oschner Baptist, the hospital near our home, and checked in. It did feel a little strange how planned it all was. They gave me an IV and started me on an oral cervix ripener. Scott and I watched a few shows and I tried to sleep but they had me hooked to so many monitors I couldn't get comfortable. Around 2am they check my cervix and I was still dilated to 1cm. I couldn't believe it! I thought for sure I would've dilated a bit. They tried to put in a foley balloon catheter to help dilate me but they were unsuccessful. They asked me if I was planning on an epidural and I said yes. They then suggested I might get it soon and so they could put in the foley catheter without causing me pain and the epidural might help relax my cervix. I agreed and got the epidural. The anesthesiologist was a nice old man who had a family of boys and he was excited we were having our second boy. As soon as the drugs started to work I felt so much more comfortable. 

With Charlie's birth I had an excessive amount of water retention and swelling so I was nervous this time around the same thing would happen and I asked the nurse if they could limit the amount of IV fluids they gave me. They were awesome about it and only gave me fluids when I needed them which helped with the swelling. Unfortunately, it also made it more difficult for my body to adjust to the epidural medicine and I almost passed out a few times due to low blood pressure. They had to give me some nausea medicine. 

As soon as the epidural was complete, the doctor came back to put in the balloon catheter but said since the epidural started working I'd dilated to 3cm and didn't need the catheter anymore. I slept through the night and in the morning Scott and I enjoyed a few games of jeopardy and a few naps. Dr. Jeansonne checked me around 9am and I was only at 4cm. I had to get the epidural adjusted a bit because one side was significantly more numb than the other. Around noon I told Scott to pause our jeopardy game because my contractions started to feel painful and I felt a bit sick. I took a short nap, about thirty minutes, and woke up in extreme pain. I started shaking and crying and called the doctor in. She said I was at a ten and ready to push! I was so surprised because the last time she checked I was at 4cm and I didn't expect to be ready to push. I felt slightly disoriented from my nap but they got the room ready and the anesthesiologist gave me an extra dose of drugs because of my pain. I started pushing at 1:45pm. I only had about 4 contractions of pushing and Franklin Scott Brimley was born at 1:54pm. It was so fast! I felt the baby slip out of me and they placed him right on my chest. He was covered in the cheesy vernix caseosa but he looked so healthy and perfect--and so pink! They let him stay with me for a while before taking him away to weigh and measure him. I got to nurse him for the first time and enjoy his sweet little face. He had a perfect apgar score. He weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The nurse was very impressed with him umbilical cord, said it was one of the healthiest she had ever seen! I'm not sure exactly what that means but was happy to hear it anyway. Dr. Jeansonne delivered the placenta and stitched up a small periclitoral tear. She was reporting the tear to her nurse and Scott and I heard the name and both looked at each other and winced. Haha.

It took a few hours for the epidural to wear off enough that I could walk and be moved to the mother baby unit. I don't remember much right after the baby was born because I was so exhausted. I do remember seeing Scott hold and rock him for the first time and thinking that Franklin had my eyes.

Everything was so uncomplicated and straightforward. After a nights sleep I felt much better and all day on Sunday I took tons of photos of Franklin and soaked in his cuteness. I was so enamored with him! He has a tongue and lip tie and a storks bite on the back of his neck, just like Charlie! I can see similarities between Charlie and Franklin but Franklin definitely looks a bit more like me, which I love. Franklin had a bit of jaundice but it cleared up on its own because he nursed so much. We got home from the hospital on Monday morning. It was so sweet to let Charlie meet Franklin. He was gentle and loved holding him. Over the past few days he keeps bringing Franklin his bottle and binky. My mom and grandma kept Charlie for a few more days so Scott and I have been able to spend some relaxing time together with Franklin. His tongue and lip tie have made it extremely difficult to nurse and we are in the process of trying to get them released and do some mouth exercises to help improve his latch. 

It's felt a bit different bringing home a second baby. Less stressful and less novel but still so fun. Franklin fits in perfectly and I feel so curious and excited to see the kind of boy and man he becomes. We love him!