July 2017

July was a full month! We transitioned from a family of 3 to 4, which is still weird to say. Landon loves his brother, but is acting out a little for attention. Breastfeeding is going well. I've made it farther than I did with Landon, and Rhett seems to be a lot better at it than Landon ever was.To be totally honest, I'm drained. Even though Rhett is sleeping decent stretches at night, it is tough having to wake up several times and then care for two kids + a house + a business all day.  I keep reminding myself this is just a session and will be over before I know it (and that actually makes me sad). It's amazing how much Rhett changed from the beginning of the month to the end. The last set of pictures in the crib are from his 1 month session. Landon picked out the giraffe as his present to Rhett in the hospital. I plan to use it for Rhett's monthly pictures to show his growth.  

Rhett's Pregnancy Story

I'll never forget the night I found out I was pregnant. It was Friday before Halloween right around midnight. I was up late prepping for my first "Moms With Cameras Workshop" the following morning and remembered that we were going to a Halloween party that next night. I had to take a test because I couldn't drink at the party knowing we were trying. Looking for a reason to procrastinate, I decided I would sneak upstairs and take a test. I'd taken several and Trip finally told me to stop taking them. This way he would never know because he was sound asleep. Of course, he walks into the bathroom so I threw the stick in the counter under my sink. Trip noticed the wrapper that had fallen on the floor in my haste and casually asked what I was up to. I admitted what I had done, but assured him it was going to be negative like all the others and I pulled the test out from under the counter. My heart stopped... "Pregnant" was clear as day on the screen. We did the math and started to get excited (and scared) about baby #2 coming in the summer. We didn't sleep a wink that night. I was also relieved that it wasn't the smoothies making me gain weight. :) 

The rest of the first trimester was spent sick mostly. I had morning sickness this time around (something I never had with Landon) and then came down with a bad sinus infection coupled with a fever right in the thick of year-end family picture craziness. I was so happy to start feeling better around 15 weeks. 

We decided to do genetic screening at 13 weeks. It was a two part test, part 1 being an ultrasound and part 2 being blood work. We went to the ultrasound excited to see our little peanut and were super excited when the tech switched over to 3D. We never did 3D with Landon so this was such a fun treat - it was an actual, tiny little person with their arms crossed in there! I noticed at one point the tech said "he is..." and then towards the end she asked us if we wanted to know the gender. She assured us that she was pretty positive (and I figured she had slipped earlier) and she showed us some little boy parts. We sat in the waiting room and I couldn't help but giggle - switching between "I can't believe we're having another boy" to "my whole life is going to be spent at the baseball field" to "I really thought it was a girl" since I had been so sick this time around. 

About a week later, while Trip and I were at the Biltmore celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary, we got a horrible phone call from my doctor. While the ultrasound didn't show any genetic disorder markers, my blood work did. We learned that our baby was at increased risk for Trisomy 18, which is fatal, and I would need to come in for more blood work as soon as we got back. We briefly talked about what would happen if the second round of more intensive testing came back positive, but I mostly just sat on the phone trying to semi hold it together. We were offered an amniocentesis, but declined since we were keeping the baby either way. The blood work came back a few days later and it put Rhett back in the "normal risk" category for Trisomy 18 which was a huge relief. We weren't totally in the clear because my blood work still wasn't completely normal so we were told we would keep an eye on it.

We did another ultrasound at 20 weeks to check Rhett's growth, and also to see if any trisomy 18 markers appeared. The unfortunate thing about Trisomy 18 is that the deformities it causes are so bad they would easily be picked up on the ultrasound. One of the markers is that the baby will keep it's hands in fists. I will never forget the relief of seeing two tiny, open hands plastered on his face. 

We were sent to the High Risk department at the hospital for an echo ultrasound to check Rhett's heart (a common problem with Trisomy 18 babies). This ultrasound was way longer and more detailed so it was neat to watch Rhett move around - and fold in half. The tech was so kind and talked us through everything she was looking for. Thankfully, the doctor didn't see anything alarming on the ultrasound so he sent us back to the "regular" doctor for the remainder of my pregnancy. However, he was still slightly concerned over my blood work and decided it could be IUGR (intra uterine growth restriction), which we would start checking a little later in my pregnancy. IUGR is a condition where a baby isn't growing at a normal rate. The most common cause is the placenta. 

The next few months flew by. I was actually able to run way longer into my pregnancy than I did with Landon. I didn't really have any swelling and other than the southern heat, I felt great! 

At 32 weeks, I went back for an ultrasound to check Rhett's growth. He measured 25th percentile overall, so he was small, but nothing too concerning. Because of the initial trisomy 18 scare, we were still going to proceed with caution for the remainder of the pregnancy. 

At 35 weeks I started Non-Stress Tests. 

At 36 weeks, we did another growth ultrasound and Rhett had dropped to 10.4 percentile - anything 10% or less is IUGR - so he was still "okay", but toeing that line. They estimated him around 5 pounds and about 2 weeks behind an "average" baby. I also had some more blood work done that once again came back "slightly abnormal". My platelet count was low with effects blood clotting, something pretty important after birth.  The high risk doctor advised to start 2x per week testing and more blood work for me.  Basically both Rhett and I were separately toeing the line of being high risk so they were watching us closely. 

The following week (37 week appointments), I had an ultrasound to check my fluid levels and another NST test. Both came back fine.

On Monday, June 26, I went in for another growth ultrasound to decide if we were going to induce at 38 weeks or 39 weeks. I chatted with the ultrasound tech, who I've gotten to know really well since I'd seen her about 4 times, and she took all of her measurements. She finally told me that she had him about 3 weeks behind an "average" baby and around 5 pounds, 12 ounces. I went out to the waiting room and about 10 minutes later, the ultrasound tech called me back for a few more measurements to see if I was going to need to be induced right away. This is when I started to get worried. My doctor wanted her to check Rhett's umbilical cord to ensure that the blood flow wasn't restricted or back flowing. Luckily everything looked okay. I finally got to speak to my doctor who confirmed that we were going to induce Rhett the following morning because he was measuring in the 6th percentile and officially diagnosed with IUGR. 

(I meant to publish this the night before my induction, but life happened. I'm going to leave this part present tense...) 

That brings you up to speed. It's 10:00pm and I should be in bed, but I'M HAVING A BABY TOMORROW! They really should allow you to drink something to take the edge off the night before a scheduled induction. I'm hoping my brain will turn off and I can get some rest. 

It's the night before I'll meet you, Rhett, and I am so excited, but also nervous. This pregnancy has been full of so many ups and downs that I am relieved that come tomorrow, you'll finally be safe in my arms.

See you soon, sweet boy! 

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You can read Rhett's birth story here. 

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Happy Birthday, Rhett | A Charleston Birth Story

At 5:30am on June 27, my alarm went off. It was baby day (at least I really hoped everything would happen in the same day). I showered, did my hair, got dressed and kissed Landon goodbye. The drive to the hospital felt so surreal. I had imagined frantically driving through the neighborhood racing to the hospital, but our morning was slow and relaxed. 

We arrived at the hospital where I was welcomed by my nurse.  As we got settled into our room, I mentioned I wanted a natural birth (after the pitocin) and was going to do Hypnobabies as my pain management. I was a little embarrassed to tell her I was doing it because it's sort of out there, but she was so excited. She said she was game for anything, but I couldn't push on the floor - she didn't want to have to catch a baby on the floor.  We instantly knew we were going to love her. I even asked her when the shift change was because I needed her to be my nurse the whole time. 

About 9:30am they started my pitocin and my doctor came in to break my water. I remember nervously saying, "Well, there's no turning back now!" I was worried that I was going to go into instant labor because after my water broke with Landon, I was pushing him out a few minutes later. When nothing happened, I was a little bummed but also relieved. 

Trip took pictures (per my request) and I watched Southern Charm on my phone. Towards the end of the episode, my nurse asked me what my pain level was. When I told her no pain, she said "I'm not doing my job then!" and turned the pitocin up. Every time I heard her turn up the pitocin, I got a little nervous. I finally started to feel something, but it wasn't much. The next time my nurse came in to check on us, I told her she could turn it up more and she said no. My contractions, while not painful, where happening every 3-4 minutes. I laughed and said, "Okay, but I can take it." Famous last words. 

At this point, we were a few hours in and Trip and I were bored. I asked to sit on the birthing ball (a yoga ball) to see if I could work Rhett down. My nurse bumped up my pitcoin a little more and it didn't take long before I needed to stop talking and breath through the contractions. 

Within a few more minutes I went from joking with Trip about our nurse's face if we set up a kiddie pool in the room to telling him "Goodbye, I'm checking out." I put in my headphones and started listening to the Hypnobabies track "Your birthing time begins." My doctor came in to check on me. I heard her telling Trip she would check me after her C-section was over. After about 45 minutes of my contractions getting more intense, and moving into my lower back, I got in bed for them to check me. I was at 5.5 cm. I don't remember being disappointed because I knew I went fast after 6cm with Landon, but I also remember thinking that I was only half way there. 

One thing that was sort of funny this time around was that I kept having to go to the bathroom. I would tell Trip that I needed to go, we would wait for the next contraction to pass and then he would unhook all of my cords as fast as he could so I could potty. I kept getting stuck in the bathroom with a contraction. Afterwards my nurse told me she told Trip I couldn't go in there anymore because she was worried Rhett was going to be born in the bathroom! 

I got back on the ball and rocked back and forth through some pretty intense contractions while Trip pushed on my lower back. He asked the nurse to check me again even though it had been less than 30 minutes since my last check.  I was already at an 8. They wouldn't let me out of the bed this time because my doctor was getting nervous about Rhett's heart rate. My blood pressure also started to rise so they had me constantly changing positions. This part was super annoying to me because I just wanted to be left alone and I really wanted to get out of that bed! 

I guess I should explain that with Hypnobabies, the point is to be super relaxed. I describe it as "checking out." It almost felt like I was in a light sleep or super groggy - I could hear everything going on, but I didn't want to respond. Most of what happened after 6cm I was told later because I was so focused on breathing and staying relaxed through the contractions that I didn't even realize what was happening in the room. The nurse mentioned to Trip that my doctor was getting nervous about the baby and since my groans had changed she wanted to check me again. I think my nurse was worried that my doctor was going to start pushing a C-section.  She checked me and said I was at a 9. My doctor came in and I remember her telling me I could start bearing down if I wanted to. I remember thinking "Good because I already am" and "How am I already pushing?" What seemed like a minute later, my legs were being put up and I was told to start pushing as I wanted. Eight minutes and three pushes later my doctor said, "Open your eyes, Ashleigh!" and my baby was being lifted to my chest. I just laid there and sobbed. The pregnancy with so many scares was finally over and he was here! 

The day before, my ultrasound tech estimated Rhett weighed about 5 pounds, 12 ounces. We were all shocked when that is what he weighed at birth. While doing his measurements, they determined he was "small for gestational age" which meant that we had to do blood sugar checks before every feed. Luckily, his levels stayed up and it ended up not being a big deal. He was a tiny, but healthy little guy. 

The next day Landon came to the hospital to meet his brother. As soon as he walked in the room, he asked where the baby was and said he wanted to give him a hug. Before Rhett was born, we talked about throwing him a birthday party. We even went to the store to pick out a present and Landon wrapped it all by himself.  I was so happy Landon remembered and was excited for it. You can see the present in his hand and my mom said he picked out all the balloons by himself (notice the one polka dot one). 

Landon was born in Washington so we didn't have family in town. It was a treat for the Grandparents to start heading our way the morning of my induction so they could meet Rhett the same day he was born. 

And the poor baby wasn't going to escape without some First 48 pictures. I am so thankful I was feeling great after delivery and was able to take these. 

June 2017 - Part 2

I finally got around to editing Landon's birthday pictures. Landon - at the beach - by myself- while trying to take pictures of him proved to be very difficult. You can see we had an outfit change mid-session. As we were getting dressed in the car I told Landon how we weren't going to get wet until after mommy took pictures and he promised to stay dry. Well, that lasted all of 10 minutes, but it wouldn't be pictures of Landon if he wasn't in the ocean fully clothed! You'll also see that sand throwing was a thing. While I don't think this is some of my best work, I think it does capture his wild personality. 

Because waiting for your milk post-nap is just so difficult. Well, I guess when mom stops to take some pictures it is :) 

My time with this bump is coming to an end so I set up the tripod, got out the remote and took a few self-portraits. 

After taking a few bump pictures, Landon saw me working on a thank you gift for our nurses at the hospital (a bucket full of junk food). He found a "special treat" and asked if he could have it. It's amazing what this baby will do for a Nutty Bar... 

His big personality is so exhausting at times (mostly just because I'm 100 months pregnant and would rather just sleep all day), but, gosh, I love it.  I can't imagine life without my silly boy.

June 2017 - Part 1

June is the month that I need to go slow and go fast all at the same time. It's the last month before Rhett joins our family, but it's the last month before Rhett joins our family - know what I mean?! 

The month started off with some typical nesting... planting flowers and putting down new mulch. I'm pretty sure I also did major yard work when I was super pregnant with Landon. At least one boy had fun :) Landon is really into watering the yard and likes to announce that he's being a "biggggg helper!" 

Did you notice his shirt tucked into his undies? When I saw that I ran inside to grab my camera because it just doesn't get cuter than that! 

I finally finished the baby's nursery and I LOVE IT! I am thrilled with how it turned out even thought it took me 35 weeks and a few meltdowns to figure out. I purchased an entire airplane blueprint set that I obsessed over for weeks. When it finally arrived, I hated it and ended up switching back to 'ol faithful - nautical/sailboats. It's probably for the best anyway, the boys will probably share a room at some point (Landon's room is also nautical/whales). 

I also almost changed the baby's name, but "Rhett" survived (and so did his already monogramed homecoming outfit!)

Landon is still obsessed with airshows, airplanes (which he calls "the Air Force") and helicopters. 

We did even more testing on Rhett. This pregnancy has been much tougher than Landon's. This time around I had morning sickness and then got really sick with a fever, which apparently is bad while pregnant, the same week Trip was working nights. Thank the Lord my mom drove up to keep Landon. Then Rhett tested at increased risk for Trisomy 18, which was terrifying. That required additional blood work, an echo ultrasound to check his heart and now weekly non-stress tests. AND because Landon was thought to have IUGR, I've done two extra ultrasounds to check Rhett's size (those were just fine with me though!). Anyways, we will be happy when a healthy baby is placed on my chest and this will all be behind us. 

We also had maternity pictures taken by my friend and fellow photographer, Alisha at Hampton Park (downtown Charleston). It's one of my favorite spots.

Despite how cute Landon looked he was SO bad. Landon is always hyper- but this was next level. 

I have such a love-hate relationship with the lovely age of three. He is already asking a million questions and there are moments when I just want a few minutes of silence. But then he does sweet things like tuck Catboy and "Monkey George" in for his nap and my heart explodes and I want him to be three forever. 

Hopefully the last half of the month is just as fun. I could use some rest, but honestly, I'm enjoying how fast time is moving at the moment... until Rhett comes. Then it needs to go slow because babies just don't keep! 

April 2017

March 2017

I've been bad. Like really bad at taking pictures of Landon lately. Mostly due to growing his baby brother, but I've also been a little uninspired lately. I decided to pick up my camera and shoot anyway. Catching Landon in the most beautiful morning light jumping for dust was exactly what I needed to feel inspired again.

This last picture is not one I'd usually take. I'm reading through a photography class focused on taking "everyday pictures" at home. Normally I would see this as clutter but this class is making me look and think harder. One day when the boys are grown, I'll miss little jackets hanging on my kitchen chairs.

Stay Safe Charleston!

I might be a little slow to answer emails as we wait to see what happens with Hurricane Matthew. I'm still planning on getting galleries from last week out in the next few days. Everyone stay safe out there!

Baby at the Beach | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Landon has a few places that he loves: Sky Zone ("the jumpy place"), the playground ("wanna slide" and the beach ("beach pleaseeeee") As we were packing the car to go to my inlaw's beach house, I threw the tricycle in the car just in case. Well, on our second night there, I found myself sharing a twin bed with a restless toddler who was up before the sun. I go him dressed, grabbed the bike and headed to the beach. Let me tell you, sunrise and the beach is the best thing in the entire world.  

I was a little worried about trying to take pictures of Landon at the beach by myself because he really comes alive/goes crazy as soon as his toes hit the sand. 

These pictures are some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken of him. Like my mom said, "these are just SO Landon!" 

Two years of taking pictures and he's starting to figure this thing out. These are the various reactions to "show me happy teeth". 

I had no idea what was in my camera after that worldwind of a session. I dragged him out of the water, threw a towel around him and headed back to the house to hose him down as everyone was starting to wake up. It sort of felt like out secret little morning together.