Fall is Fun!

Happy Fall everyone!

I just love this time of year.  It's absolutely the best.  It's been so nice to be able to go outside and not have a bazillion bugs flying around your head.

Jane is walking and running all over the place and is just the most hilarious little person.  She's become so outgoing since being around her cousins the past few weeks.  They're in the middle of moving to this area for the time-being and even though it's a mad house it's so much fun and we love it.  She seriously loves her cousins.  She can barely contain herself when they walk in the door.  It's so funny.

Colette is growing way too fast and is so different than Jane was at this age.  She's so much bigger and just looks so different.  She's just a little squishy chunk.  I love it.  And her cousins love her so much.

^Here she is with her cousin Jacob.  So precious.

^Jane and cousin Noah just hangin out and watching a show.

^Aaah fall :)

^Little squish.

^Having some fun at the park.

^It was a tad sunny...

^Back at it with the drama sleep.

^Mmm, baking soda...

^Hey girl heyyy!

^The side-eye

^Piper is loving Jane these days.

^Seriously loving her.

^This picture makes me laugh SO hard.

^Jane found a little dip that was filled with leaves and was having a great time burrowing in there.  And that cat.  He's an idiot.  I love him.

^Colette with dad and Piper.

Andrew's new job with AT&T is pretty awesome, but the training he's been doing has been taking him away to Richmond from Sunday night to Tuesday night every week for the past three weeks. He then works Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during some hours that aren't super great since he's the new man in town.  And Sundays he is very busy with his calling and is gone from 6 in the morning until about 5.  So I see him at church for a little bit and then in time to have dinner and go to bed. It's definitely not the worst, but it's been rough!  I miss having my best friend and the best dad around.  I know Jane misses him a lot when he's gone.  But it's so cute to see her great big smile and run up to Andrew when he gets home.  

This fall season has been pretty great, with our new girl Colette, Andrew's new job, being able to spend time with family, and of course, the holidays!  Halloween was awesome and I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

Jane the Giant.

Jane is officially HUGE to me.  I used to think she was just so little, but now when I pick her up after holding Colette I feel so awkward and like my arms are going to fall off.  I still love to snuggle with her though.  There's nothing better!

^Here she is with cousin Noah, just drinking milk and watching some smart-kid shows.

^We went to a little celebration in the middle of town one day and the SPCA was there with some cats and dogs and this dog was so sweet.  I wouldn't normally let Jane put her fingers into a dog's cage, but this dog was beyond perfect (thank goodness!)  

^We love us some Oreos after lunch!

She was attempting to walk before Colette was born, but after we came home from the hospital she really STEPPED up her game (hehe).  She walks like she's been walking for years!  I guess she figured she's the big sis and needs to show little sis just how it's done.  

^This is an older video of her walking.  She's even better at it now!

She all of a sudden is so grown up and understands so much.  I'll ask her to throw something away and she knows exactly what to do.  It's so cute.  But make sure you don't leave anything important out, you might just find it in the trash can... 

^My mom came to visit for a few days and we went to a W&L field hockey game one afternoon. Jane loved it!

^She's not the most reverent child during sacrament meeting... She walked to the row in front of us and grabbed someone's scriptures and started "reading" them.  It was hilarious.

^Walks tend to put Jane to sleep, and that obviously isn't the case for Colette.

^Andrew took this picture at the airport when we had to drop my mom off to fly home.  Such a big kid!

We have some baby dolls that she LOVES to play with and she carries them around and wraps them up in her blanket, just like we do with Colette.  She also tries to give them her pacifier and pats them on their backs like she's trying to burp them.  She'll also drop them on their heads though... so, I guess she won't be holding Colette anytime soon!  She tries to though, and it's so precious.

^We hung out at the mall in Roanoke for a little bit after a job interview Andrew had (and he got the job! *insert awkward celebratory dance moves*).  Jane was loving the play place there.

^We also went to see the puppies at the puppy store, of course.  This pup was named Frances and she loved Jane!

^Jane loved her too :)

^A LOT.

^She kept her eye  on Jane as we walked out of the store.  it made me so sad and I just wanted to bring her home with us!  Someday...

She gives kisses to Andrew, Colette, and I, but so far hasn't wanted to do it to anyone else, which is OK by me :)  Keep them lips to yourself, girlfriend!  She doesn't love to brush her teeth, but she's coming around to it more.  We brush her teeth the best we can and then give her the toothbrush and ask her to do it too.  She definitely likes to do things on her own!  She also likes to try to brush her hair.  And my hair...  Let the rat's nests commence!

^Demolishing an apple while she sits in her little corner.

^She wouldn't be Jane if she didn't give me at least one sassy look.

Now I'm off to figure out some Halloween costumes!  At least I'll try... Probably won't actually get around to it until the night before.  Oh well :)

Colette's Birth Story.

Sunday, September 14th, at 12:04 am, we welcomed the newest Brandt to our family.

Colette Susan

7 pounds, 11 ounces, 19 inches long.

She came fast and furious, and I wonder if that's a sign of her personality :)

Let me start off by saying that this labor and delivery was very different than my labor and delivery with Jane.  So very different.  My due date for this little miss was September 16th.  The midwives all kept saying that the second baby tends to come early for a lot of women, and that was also the pattern with my mom.  So I was expecting her to come early, even though I tried really hard not to just in case she decided to come late instead.  

Since my labor with Jane was pretty quick, I figured this one would also be quick (thank you for the fast-labor genes, Mom.  But seriously.  THANK YOU).  It also made a difference that I had Jane only 14 months ago, so my body was already prepared for delivering Colette (or something like that).  I was kind of worried the whole pregnancy about not being able to make it to the hospital in time.  I did NOT feel like having a baby in our car, and I'm pretty sure Andrew feels even more strongly about that one.  I think he would have a heart attack if he had to deliver a baby.  Hopefully that type of emergency won't ever have to happen :)

So the whole week I had been having contractions.  Braxton hicks contractions (practice contractions) which during the span of the week turned into some stronger ones that I consider "real" contractions.  Whatever they specifically and scientifically are, they got stronger, but they were never consistent.  So I never really worried about them.  And they weren't so strong that I couldn't walk or talk through them.  

So Saturday the 13th comes around, and there was something going on that morning, or we were busy doing something, I can't remember.  But around noon I went to a Stake Relief Society Conference.  Well the end of it anyway.  I can't remember what was going on that morning that didn't let me go to the morning sessions of the conference, but my mother-in-law and I were able to make it for the final speaker and lunch afterward.  While we were eating lunch I was feeling some pretty strong contractions, but I think I hid them pretty well, so they weren't super strong.  I was definitely stuffing my face though, so that should have been a sign that my body was gearing up for a crazy night.  

The contractions were pretty strong the rest of the afternoon and evening, but were so irregular and inconsistent that I just didn't really know what to think.  I forget what time it was, but at one point during the day I did have some bloody show (sounds gross, but not as bad as I thought it would be).  I think that happened after Andrew was already at work.  He was scheduled to work from 5 to midnight or something, so I texted him and told him about that, just so that he knew that something could be happening that night.  

Around 9pm I was downstairs with my in-laws and Jane to say family prayer for the night and I told them about the contractions, just to keep them informed.  Then Jane and I came upstairs to get ready for bed and we were just hanging out and watching a movie when my water broke.  It wasn't like in the movies with a giant gush that ends up all over the floor.  But it definitely felt like I was peeing my pants.  El grosso (definitely spanish for "gross", right?).  I didn't run down to tell my in-laws, which maybe I should have :) But I texted Andrew and told him my water broke, so he should probably come home now.  So I just stayed upstairs and was getting things ready and calling the hospital and what-not when my mother-in-law came up to the room to see if everything was OK, because Andrew had called her to tell her my water broke and that he was on his way home.  The midwife on duty said it was really up to me to decide when to go in to the hospital, since my contractions were still really irregular and not super strong.  

So around 10:15pm we left to get to the hospital, which is about 45 minutes away.  We got to the hospital around 11pm and it was so weird, because I was still able to walk through contractions and they just really weren't super bad.  They were definitely getting worse, don't get me wrong, but compared to when I had Jane, at that point in my labor I was in so much pain and absolutely hating it.  This time it was so different.  

When they first got me checked in I was 6cm dilated and I think about 100% effaced.  So obviously things were happening fast and they nurses knew it.  As it got closer to midnight the contractions got stronger and more frequent and I became more and more uncomfortable.  It was really only the last few contractions before pushing that were REALLY painful.  I was so surprised when all of a sudden I felt like I needed to push.  It just came so fast!  All I could say was "Uh, is she coming??".  And the midwife checked to see and she said "Oh yeah, she's coming" *insert light-hearted laugh*.  So I started pushing!

Andrew was at the head of the bed with me holding my hands while I was leaning on the top part of the bed and kneeling.  With Jane's birth, the pushing was welcome relief from the pain of the constant contractions.  This time, the pain from trying to push was HORRIBLE.  Definitely the worst part of this labor and delivery.  There was one point where my brain just freaked out and I wanted to get up and run out of the room.  I just wanted it to stop!  I'm sure Andrew saw that moment of serious panic in my eyes.  But, then the calm side of me (read: Andrew and my common sense) kicked in and told me to breath and that I can't stop this and that the pain will be over in a matter of minutes.  Probably more like seconds because Colette came out pretty fast once I calmed down and pushed.  There is no better feeling than when that baby comes out and knowing that the pain from your body stretching open is over.  SO GOOD.

I was a little bit traumatized from the pain of pushing that when they were trying to have me lay down on the bed and hand Colette to me to hold that I just kind of knelt there and was like, what??  Talk about being kind of brain dead for a minute.  So I layed down and held her for a few minutes until Andrew cut the cord and they took her get cleaned up and weighed and measured.  She came out so fast that she had some mucus in her throat and nose and it was there for a few days after.  They sucked as much out as they could and she was perfectly fine.  Nothing to worry about, thank goodness.  

I had some tearing again.  I think it was less than last time, but it still stinks to have to get stitched up down there.  I was bleeding a lot more than I should afterwards, so they hooked me up to some pitocin to help my uterus clamp down more to slow down the bleeding.  The midwife said that because the labor happened so fast my uterus worked so hard and then was just like "bleh" after Colette came out.  "Bleh" meaning very tired.  It worked a little bit but I was still bleeding more than I should, so they gave me a big ol' shot in the thigh of something that I can't remember the name of.  Basically a stronger version of pitocin.  It helped a lot.

We stayed in recovery for that whole night and all day Sunday.  Sunday evening my in-laws came and brought Jane to meet her little sis.  I missed Jane way too much!  It hadn't even been a full 24 hours that I had been away from her...  Jane was so cute just looking at her and trying to poke her eyes...  Jane's big thing right now is to point out where everyone's noses are, so she was constantly pointing at and touching Colette's nose.  So precious.  It was really hard to have Jane leave that night after visiting.  Like, REALLY hard.  But we survived :)  We stayed there for most of the day Monday but went home that evening.  

^Just poking her eye out.  No worries.

^Pardon the not so great picture quality.  And lack of pictures, as well.  

Colette is a real strong baby and is doing great nursing, and so far I am too :)  She's very sweet and takes her sister's abuse very well.  Jane isn't all that rough with her, but obviously...

... she knows what big sisters are supposed to do to their little siblings.  She was only 6 DAYS OLD.  Parenting fail.

We had a tough time picking out Colette's name.  We mostly had it narrowed down to two, and for a good 30 minutes or so we just kept going back and forth, then throwing in a different name, then going back to the original two.  It was tough.  We liked these names ever since we had Jane, and it was just hard to try to choose one that would fit her best.  We finally decided that Colette just really fit her.  Her middle name, Susan, is after Andrew's mom.  I also have an aunt Suzanne, so it's not directly after her, but it is a form of the name.  

Some of the first things I noticed about Colette when I first held her were 1. She looks SO different than Jane. 2. She has hair! (Jane had none). 3. She's got some looong fingers. and 4. Her eyes are dark.  Well darker than Jane's anyway.  

We are so happy to have Colette in our family.  I can't wait so see her personality come out more and more as we get to know her.  Jane is already a great big sister and loves Colette.  I can just tell. 

Being a mom of 2 is really stinking hard.  But I also really love it.

^Tiny squishes on my now-squishy belly.

Jane's Birth Story (a year later...)

Now that baby #2 is almost here, I'm going to post about Jane's birth!  Hopefully it won't take me quite as long to write about the next one's birth.  I don't like forgetting some of the little details!

Everything about my pregnancy with Jane was pretty standard.  The only thing that ever worried me was a UTI that I never actually felt the pain of, and it was gone as fast as it came once I started taking antibiotics.  The midwives I saw kept saying Jane was on the small side, so naturally everyone, including myself, assumed she would come later than her due date, which was July 17th.  Well, she decided to make a fashionably late entrance by coming a day late.  Little drama queen.

My mom was able to come a couple days before the due date and I am SO glad she was there.  Andrew and I had no idea what we were doing and would have starved to death and just straight up lost our minds without her there.  Andrew's side of the family was in New York having a wonderful time at their family reunion, so those family members who normally live close by were not so close anymore to help us out if we needed it.  Buuut I guess that's our fault for having a baby during the family reunion that had already been planned about a year in advance :)  So having my mom here was really awesome.

The due date came and everything was fine and dandy.  I just felt ginormous, like most pregnant women feel in their last few weeks of it all.  Andrew came home from work and my mom made some lumpia for dinner.  One of my favorites!  Dipping it in that sweet chili sauce... mmm.  Delicious.  Since it's a little on the spicy side, I blame that for getting things started that night.  

So around 9 that night, we were just hanging out watching a TV show and I started to feel real crampy and uncomfortable, so to the bathroom I went!  I think my water actually broke while I was sitting there, but I hadn't experienced this thing called child birth, so I had no idea what was going on.  So I told Andrew and my mom that I thought something was happening (ha), and I was having some contractions at that point too, I think.  I called the hospital and they said to wait a bit before coming in, especially since this was my first, and she really didn't think my water had broken (to this day, I still think it had!).  

So began the hour or two of pacing and extreme discomfort.  To me, contractions felt like REALLY intense period cramps.  There have only been a few times where I have had such bad period cramps that I felt like throwing up, and this was beyond that.  I just felt sick to my stomach and had to keep walking.  So I was pretty much useless, and Andrew did a pretty good job not freaking out, though he did leave to get some gas and stuff... but I think it's OK that he took a few minutes to himself before watching his wife endure one of the most difficult and painful things in life, which in turn changes his life completely :)  He did that pretty early on, and my mom was here (again, thank GOODNESS!).  She was timing the contractions.  Once they started to be about 7 minutes apart I called the hospital again and they said we should come in, especially since they were rather intense contractions.  

So we left around 11pm to drive a good 45 minutes to an hour to get to the hospital.  I was worried about handling the contractions in the car, because it was NOT comfortable sitting down during the contractions. In fact, I was dreading it.  Heavenly Father was very merciful and answered my prayers, because I swear I practically fell asleep in the car.  How I could sleep through contractions is unfathomable, but something happened to help me just keep my eyes closed and be relaxed enough to feel like the drive took only 10 minutes.

We got to the hospital around midnight and they got me in a wheel chair and up to a delivery room.  There was a woman in there that had to ask me a bazillion questions, so in between contractions I'm trying to answer all these questions.  And goodness, she was taking her sweet time!  Andrew was getting more annoyed with her than I was, but she just didn't realize that things were moving pretty quick for me.  A few different nurses came in and out getting things ready and checking stuff, and I can't remember if the midwife on duty either was on her way or was really busy.  There was one nurse that was really awesome, she was super calm and kinda took charge.  She could probably tell that I was kind of freaking out because, well, child birth is scary, and I was hyperventilating a little bit (a lot).  That's one thing I am hoping to do better with the next time around.  Practicing your breathing really is important!  At one point she checked to see how dilated and effaced I was and she was like WOAH! And that's when people started getting things ready in a more timely manner.  Jane was coming fast!

The midwife, Mary, finally got there around 1am and she was seriously awesome.  So calm and quiet, and she was rubbing my back most of the time.  So major points for that.  I think she wanted me to try to go to the bathroom at one point, so we hobbled over there and man, it felt good to just sit there and crouch on the toilet.  WAY better than sitting on the bed.  I've had a bad back ever since taking a bad spill off a horse a few years ago, and having a weak core from not working out much during pregnancy (and having my ab muscles split to fit my giant uterus...) didn't help the back pain that contractions give you.  

Oh, before this I was asking for the epidural.  Mary said the anesthesiologist was really busy and probably wouldn't make it for about another hour, and I was mortified.  It all just hurt so bad!  So the whole time I was just hoping and hoping he would come, but he didn't walk in the door until I was already pushing.  A little late there, buddy!  But it all turned out for the better.  I was able to learn that I could get through the contractions and pain on my own, which I think is something to be proud of.  I don't have anything against mothers who choose to use drugs during child birth (heck, I was begging for that epidural!), but that pain is really something different, and it really has helped my feelings as a mom to know that I can get through that, with the help of a massaging midwife and a husband's hand to squeeze :)  Having a baby, naturally, with an epidural, a c-section, whatever it is, is HARD WORK.  Congratulations to all women out there that do it!

As I was sitting in the bathroom I started feeling that I should probably start pushing.  So I climbed onto the bed and stayed on my hands and knees, because like I said, sitting on my butt and having all that pressure on my back and tail bone was NOT working for me.  So hands and knees was way more comfortable for me.  And gravity was working with me too while in this position.  So thank you, Gravity.  

I started pushing probably around 2am, and that was some tough pain.  But to me it was a lot less painful than the contractions.  Part of it was probably because I knew it meant that things were close to the end.  Baby was almost here!  As I'm pushing and Jane was starting to crown, Mary was like "Her head is coming!  Want to reach down here and feel her head?".  She probably would have smacked me and thought I was the sassiest and rudest person on the planet if she saw the look I had on my face when she said that.  I just said "Um, no."  I was not in the mood to do that.  Which is kind of sad, I guess.  Child birth shouldn't just be all about getting through the pain.  But I just wanted to keep pushing and get her out so I could get to recovering and hold her whole body!  So I continued pushing and that was that :)

Andrew was at the head of the bed most of the time while I was pushing.  He didn't want to see everything going on at the other end, which was fine by me.  I was surprised at how easily my sense of modesty and privacy flew out the window once I was in those late stages of contractions and actually pushing.  I'm a very private person, so it really was weird.  But I'm thankful that Andrew stayed by my head, so that he only had to see the beautiful faces I made while I was pushing.  Also, I'm pretty sure my hair was a huge mess.  I wish I could be one of those moms who is gorgeous throughout the whole birthing process.  Oh well!  

My mom was also there by my side the whole time, though she didn't want to be too pushy as she let Andrew and I go through this experience together.  But even just her presence was very comforting.  I'm so glad she was there to see Jane be born and to be one of the very first one's to hold her.  

So after about 15 minutes of pushing Jane was here!  I wouldn't have had any tearing, but apparently at the last second Jane stuck her hand up there to try to help get herself out.  Typical Jane.  Just HAS to do it all herself! :)  I held her as Andrew cut the chord and they stitched me up and got me all cleaned up (a shower never felt so good).  They wheeled me to the recovery room, and then commenced what seemed to be the endless cycle of nursing and sleeping.  But it does end eventually, and it's bittersweet.  

My mom and Andrew were exhausted, so my mom drove home to sleep and Andrew tried to get himself comfortable on the couch in the room.  I wanted to decide on her name before either of us fell asleep, but poor Andrew, I don't think he was fully conscious when he said OK to her name being Jane Eloise.  When he woke up he asked, "So did we name her Jane Eloise??" haha  He wasn't upset about it, but next time we'll definitely take our time and make sure it's just right.  

We stayed there for about a day and a half and then went home.  It was so strange to be going home with a whole other person in the car.  So weird to think that this little person is completely dependent on Andrew and I.  I'm not a huge kid or baby person, they just always made me nervous (still do).  But having one of my own has really taught me a lot about children, and myself.  I have had a lot of lessons to learn, and obviously more to come.  Jane was sent here to Andrew and I for many reasons, and one of the most important ones was to learn to love.  I know a lot more about love now than I ever did before, and it's something I have desperately needed.  

Thank you, Jane for choosing our family.  You make your father and I better every day because of it.

As for her name... Jane is a family name on the King side.  I have a great-aunt named Jane, and I believe there are some other ones down the line, though I'm not sure if it's just on my dad's side or also my mom's.  Andrew and I both really loved the name Jane, whether it was a family name or not.  So that was an easy name to decide on.  Eloise comes from the name Lois.  Andrew and I both have grandmothers named Lois.  We thought it would be a good way to bring in a family name, but also make it unique to us.  I think Eloise is just the cutest name.  I would've been happy with it as a first name!  But I love the name Jane Eloise Brandt as much as I love the little girl it belongs to :)

Now that you've read through all of that, here are some recent pictures of Jane. 

^Jane and her cousin Ella.

^Hangin' out in the little pool we got her.

^We saw some barrel racing at the Horse Center a few weeks ago.  She obviously loved it.

^She wants to be just like the cats.

Baby #2 is due in about a week and a half, and I can't believe it!  We'll see if this one is on time like Jane was.

After 2 years of marriage and nearly 2 children later, I finally was able to change my last name!  We went to the DMV the other day to do my license and one of the ladies there thought Jane was so cute and then realized I was pregnant and muttered something under her breathe.  So some people might think we're crazy for having 2 children only 14 months apart, but it's what is right for our family right now.  Sometimes it seems crazy to me too, especially since our financial and living situations aren't exactly what we wish they were.  And things will definitely be hard.  But we are so happy to have another little one joining us, and for Jane to have a sister so close in age to grow up with.  It'll be much more of a blessing than a burden.  In fact I wouldn't call it a burden at all.  Heavenly Father has blessed us with something that some people never get to have, and I am so thankful for that, and will always try my hardest to be.

Sorry for all the different thoughts in this post, but I hope you've enjoyed reading about Jane's birth, even if it is more than a year later :)

And thank you to all of the family and friends that have showed so much love for Jane.  It means the world to all of us!