Birthday Queen turns 2!!!

Happy Birthday to the happiest, most joy filled, loving little girl ever!!! I can't believe that it has been 2 years since you were born, you truly are the most precious gift from God to your mommy and daddy. You make us smile a thousand times a day and your independent spirit is such an encouragement and inspiration to me. You have proven to be an amazing big sister and I know that Sutton will always look up to you. We are so very proud of the little girl that you have become, your kind heart touches so many and we are so blessed to call you our daughter! We love you with all our hearts! xoxo, Mommy and Daddy

Turning 2 is super cool but between our birthday and all of the big sister presents that we have received, I am not sure that we will ever be the same. Betsy Grace was not just queen for the day, she has been queen for the month and she is soaking up every ounce of attention :) We didn't have a big birthday this year because planning and executing a bash with a newborn seemed impossible but we did celebrate with our wonderful family. Betsy Grace didn't seem to mind....she had cake, presents and the undivided attention of her family and thats all that mattered!

It's my birthday and I will pick my nose if I want to :)

Betsy Grace loves the biscuits at Flying Biscuit (who doesn't?!?!) and so we got up early and the four of us headed out to breakfast. It was a perfect way to start off such a special day!

Daddy is not being corny and giving the peace sign, he is trying to get BG to show that she is 2 with her hands :)

And here is little sister, such a trooper as she sleeps and is soooo good where ever we go! We must have done something right to get 2 good babies!

Opening gifts

We haven't gotten any pics as a family of four, so I was determined to get a good one.

Attempt #1...not bad but not great

Sisters :)

SanSan and SuttonBear

Betsy Grace just about died when she saw the cake Aunt Haines made, it's ELMO!!! So perfect and fitting for an Elmo obsessed little girl! The only problem was that she couldn't understand why she had to wait to eat it, there is no reasoning with a 2 year old when it comes to cake!

Family pic Attempt #2...getting better

While taking this I realized that this is my first picture of just Sutton and I...poor second child.

And then I wanted one with both of my girls but Betsy Grace was not having it!

MMMMMMM, cake!!!!!

She takes after her grandmother B...eats all the icing first :)

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday girl

Sweet Izzie

Aunt Haines lovin on Sutton

Another generation of Sisters :)

As fun as birthdays are, we are exhausted!!!

Good thing we have a year to rest up before we do it again!

xoxo

Sutton's First Week Home

It has only been 2 weeks since Sutton came into this world but it feels like soooo long ago. I guess it's that so much has happened/changed and life just seems to be whizzing by but I am longing for time to stand still...just for a little while. The memories of Betsy Grace's first 3 months are so blurry and I don't want it to be the same this time. It's probably inevitable with the lost hours of sleep and an almost 2 year old who runs around all day like a tornado, so that is where I will rely on pictures and my blog.

We had a big week with lots of visitors and Miss Sutton was just as laid back and easy going as it gets. I apologize to those of you who came to visit and I didn't take a picture, please don't be offended, my mommy brain is to blame :)

For a child who is still not supposed to be here yet, she is very alert and aware. Even though she does spent most of her hours sleeping, we get a lot of wide eyed time. Betsy Grace loves when her eyes are open! We went to see Dr. Swetenburg on Tuesday for a weight check and this little muffin had gained 1/2 a pound in 4 days!!! She was one ounce shy of 6 pounds!

Aunt LouLou loves her nieces and we love our Aunt LouLou!!!

B and SanSan lovin' on Sutton

Poppy came to visit and brought Portofino's for dinner...yummmm

And then Sutton got to meet her great-grandmother

She was wide awake for their visit :)

Sweet Brooke came to visit too!

There were a lot more of you who stopped by and we loved our visits with each of you, sorry again for not capturing it in a picture!

Big Sister is obsessed with having Sutton sit in her lap! She is still so in love with her but is having a little trouble with the concept of sharing her mommy, so we are working on that. I am trying to do something with her each day, just the 2 of us, even if it's just for 30 minutes. I know it will get better in time but this part is hard...way harder than my easy, breezy newborn!

If Sutton is so sweet, she must taste good too, right?!?!

Very proud big sister!

Checking to see if her eyes are open and is delighted because they are :)

Next Saturday is another big day in our household, it's Betsy Grace's birthday!!! I can't believe that she will be 2 but know that we will have a blast celebrating!

xoxo

Love at First Sight

Mac and I woke up yesterday morning full of anticipation of how Betsy Grace was going to take to her new sister. I know I am not alone when I say that I worried about this meeting much of my pregnancy...was she going to be jealous, would she like the baby, would she all of the sudden start throwing tantrums to get attention? But from the minute she caught glance of her new baby, it was love and first sight and if these pictures do not show that she is obsessed, I don't know will :)

We had Sutton in her room, sound asleep, so that Mac, BG and I went to find her together. She took one look at her and gave a HUGE grin...what relief!!!

Then, we quickly turned our attention to the presents that Sutton brought her big sis. Turns out we didn't really need these to get BG to love her but presents never hurt :)

LOVES her new Abby doll!!!

Sharing Elmo and Abby with her sister...now that's true sister love!

Later that afternoon, Carl Sr. and Carl Jr. came to meet Sutton and we put Sutton in BG's lap for a photo shoot. This made Betsy Grace sooooo happy! I kept trying to help her hold Sutton but she said "Mommy No" and pushed my hand away.

Getting some more "lap time" with Sutton before bed.

Gotta love a daddy and his girls :)

Sutton sacked out after her big sister went to bed...we were all worn out after our first day as a family of four under on roof but it was wonderful. In fact, it was cousin Isabelle's first birthday party this afternoon and we all went. Sutton slept, of course, but Betsy Grace had a blast! The cutest thing was that about every 15 minutes, BG would say "Daddy, see Sutton" and Mac would take her back to the bedroom to sit beside her sister...this love melts my heart!!!

I went to get Betsy Grace up this morning and the first thing out of her mouth was "Baby Sutton". Normally, she is all about her juice and waffles but now we have a new obsession :)

Holding hands...sweetest sight.

xoxo

What's Big Sis been up to?

We miss Betsy Grace terribly but she is having a blast with B and SanSan! Here are some pics from this morning...there is nothing better than a little girl in the morning after a great night's sleep :)

Good Morning! Look like miss priss is feeling better and will be able to come home tomorrow!

First word out of her mouth in the morning..."JUICE"

Who needs coloring books?!?!

Pretty impressed with herself as she shares her artistry with George :)

Although things are busy and loud around B and SanSan's but they are pretty quiet around here. Little Sutton sleeps and eats, sleeps and eats...it's definitely a change of pace from running around and keeping up with an almost 2 year old. I have to admit though, I like the noise and the busy life! Betsy Grace, please get well so that you can come home to Mommy, Daddy and Sutton!!!!

xoxo

She's home!!!

Today has been wonderful, we are so glad to have our baby girl home!!! We had originally planned to take Betsy Grace with us to the hospital to pick up Sutton but she came down with a fever yesterday and so she is with B and SanSan until she is no longer contageous :( It kills me that she is not a part of Sutton's homecoming, nor is it what I hoped for but just like I wrote in my last post, it's not my plan, it's God's!

We started the morning by getting up with Betsy Grace, packed her bag and took her to breakfast at Flying Biscuit, yummmmm. It was such a special time for just the three of us. Then we headed to B's for the drop off and then to the hospital!!!

I don't have much time to write, as we are getting settled and enjoying the quietness of our house (which I know will change the instant our first born returns) but here are some pics from the day...

Sutton's disposition is much like Betsy Grace's when she was a newborn, as sweet and content as can be...I might be singing a different tune tomorrow but so far, so good!

xoxo

Meet Sutton: Baby Sister is HERE!!!

Sutton Jane Barksdale was born at 7:33 am on Friday, July 1st!!! She weighed 5lbs, 7oz and was 19 inches long and is perfect in every way! We learned last Tuesday that she would be joining the world earlier than expected and so we scrambled to tie up loose ends and get little things done in preparation for her arrival. Betsy Grace was set to spend split time at her grandparents, as Mac was staying with me in the hospital...the dogs were taken care of...Sutton's room was finished...all the laundry was done...you name it, I had it checked off the list! BUT, as soon as Sutton took her first breath, all of my planning and preparation went out the window because we weren't really prepared to have to send our new baby girl to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). We knew she was small, which was why they were delivering her at 37 weeks but so was Betsy Grace and she was fine after birth. I was very calm after Sutton was delivered and so were all of the doctors. Mac and I both commented that we didn't hear her cry but I couldn't see anything because I had that huge sheet in front of my face. Finally we heard the beautiful sound and Mac went to see her, only to learn that she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice and she was breathing fast. The plan was to take her to the NICU, check her out and then she would probably go to the regular nursery. The docs had it under control and so we were fine. I got to see her quickly, as the took her off oxygen for a sec to bring her over and then she was whisked away. I went to recovery and it was there that we learned that she had RDS(Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and she would be staying in the NICU. RDS is very common in babies that are born early and although it is scary to parents because of the labored breathing and all the machines, they NICU sees it all the time. So, all of the sudden we were in unknown territory, on a different floor, with a different plan, filled with so much joy and so much worry at the same time but we knew weren't alone. God was right there with us and we had to trust in HIM...his truth and his plan was our guide and he was going to get us through.

I got to see Sutton after recovery, on the way to my room but I was still on the stretcher and was pretty sick post op, so that was not our best visit :) You can't walk for 12 hours after a C Section, so my next visit with her wasn't until the next morning. This is the first time I got to hold her and even though it was complicated with all the wires and machines and I only got to have her for 2 minutes, it felt like heaven! Mac stayed in the hospital room with me but it was kind of sad without a baby. Not to mention the fact that I desperately missed Betsy Grace, I now had two children and couldn't be with either of them. NICU mamas stay on a different floor, so that they can be closer to their babies but it was weird to not be a part of the hustle and bustle of the maternity floor. Plus, Sutton was really struggling to breathe and so the more time she was left untouched to rest and breathe the better, meaning not many visits from mommy and daddy :(

Because Sutton was in the NICU, we originally decided that BG would not come to the hospital but by Sunday, I just couldn't stand it...I had to see her, so Mac brought her to visit me :) She loved the hospital room and I loved loving on her!!!!

Then on top of the RDS, Sutton became jaundiced, so she underwent phototherapy for a couple of days. This meant more restricted time with her because she needed continuous light coverage. This is my dad chatting it up with her while she got her rays:)

Then they did a couple of trial runs off of her CPAP machine and this was our first "skin to skin" time....so pure and wonderful.

Had to share the view from our room, we were there over the 4th and it was perfect for watching fireworks!

Getting some daddy time but still on the CPAP, she was breathing room air but she needed the CPAP for keeping her lungs fully inflated.

A couple of pics of big sis while we were away, she had a big time with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and then some!

Then after 4 days of CPAP and Jaundice drama, I went to see her on Tuesday morning and she was off the CPAP and was so peaceful. I couldn't believe it how she had turned the corner in such a short time but the docs had said that she was right on the cusp and it could happen any time. Pardon the pic of me, it was early in the morning, but I was soooo excited and we had to capture the moment. It was also just the second time we could really get a good look at her. All of those machines and masks made it hard to tell what she looked like!

Her nurse, Trish, and I made this sign...our very first art project!

Then, on Tuesday, I was discharged and Sutton had to stay. It was sooooo hard to leave her, even though I was ready to go home and see my first baby. You never imagine the car ride home from the hospital with out your child :( But, in no less than 5 hours, Mac and I were back by her side!

Changing her diaper

Feeding her

Staring at her

(poor little thing has scabs on her face from the tape that kept the machines in place)

and giving her LOTS of kisses!

She has continued to do awesome and if she stays the course, we can bring her home on Friday. We know that things can change in an instant but we are soooo thankful for her good health at this point. She is a sweet and content little love bug and we can't wait to share her. Thanks for the love, support and prayers...it has meant so much to us!

xoxo