Emmitt

I have meant to update for a whole week now, but things have been a little crazy here! Between roofers showing up unexpectedly to our house (long story) and Jesstine's hives and stomach flu, it has been an interesting few days! So here are some pictures!

For Fun:

Comparing my belly in the hospital before Emmitt was born to him in front of my belly after birth.

 Comparing Emmitt's first days at home (left) with Jesstine's first days at home (right).

 A spectacular gift that was made for Emmitt by his great aunt, Sandra Gail Hutchins! She made Jesstine a Sunbonnet Sue quilt a couple of years ago as well! Some of the fabric in both Jesstine's and Emmitt's quilts is from some left over fabric that their great grandmother, Jessie Hutchins, gave to Aunt Sandra.

First Week:

 Mommy made Emmitt wear these gloves so he wouldn't scratch his face!

 I think I posted this already, but I was super proud of how Kylie was SO enamored with Emmitt!

 Jesstine had a lot of fun having Mommy and Daddy home the first week!

 Emmitt has liked the swing a whole lot more than Jesstine did. Don't know how much longer that will last though.

Week 2:

 Our neighbor and sometimes babysitter, Melissa, didn't have school the Monday before Thanksgiving and it was my first time to be alone with both kids all day because Stephen had gone back to work. So she came to hang out and have some "down time."

Emmitt's first "bath" at home. We have a similar picture of Jesstine like this. 

 I told Stephen he needed to get the camera at one point while giving Emmitt his bath. Jesstine of course had to get hers too...."CHEESE!!"

 Jesstine LOVED this part. Emmitt didn't like ANY of it!

 Emmitt in his bouncy seat...his second favorite sleeping spot, his first being in bed with Mommy or Daddy or on Mommy's chest.

 Just finished a bottle. Now he is holding Mommy as he goes through his milk coma.

 Needed a new picture at church. He was nine days old here and lost his umbilical cord stump AT church!

 And of course here are my favorite people in their team gear! His first time to watch a Cowboys game with Daddy!

 TOUCHDOWN!

 Because his stump had fallen off, it was time for a REAL bath! He didn't like this much better. The water was not warm enough. Daddy and Mommy had forgotten what all they needed and needed to do for a newborn bath! We had everything better prepared the next go around though!

 Sporting his "Little Brother" shirt! I know his pants are hiked up! That was not done on purpose, he hasn't filled out yet so they ride up! Should meet Papa's dressing standards though! :-)

 Already trying to hold his own bottle!

 Emmitt's hospital pictures came in the mail and were wrapped in bubble wrap. Jesstine was enjoying it!

 Told you it was one of his favorite places to sleep; next to Mommy or Daddy!

 He also likes this corner of the couch.

 Thanksgiving Day! His FIRST Thanksgiving! Grandma couldn't get enough of him!

 Neither could Alexis (Grace's second oldest).

 Or Conrad for that matter (Grace's oldest).

 Charis had to have a little help from Daddy.

 This is Aunt Grace (my sister).

Third Week: (2 weeks old, but into his third week)

 Having some fun with Jesstine in her bed!

 Then when Mommy gave Emmitt to Daddy, more cuddling ensued in Mommy and Daddy's bed! I love how Jesstine is holding Emmitt's hand in this picture!

 Big sister wanted to feed Emmitt a bottle!

 Again in the bouncy seat! He is starting to get is original chub back.

 Mommy's Rock Star!

 Aunt Ola and Uncle Ryan came in after Thanksgiving. So yesterday, Luke (almost 3, Left) and Corbin (4, right) came over to play!

Aunt Ola held him when I would let her! I have trouble letting others hold him for too long after being apart from him the whole day after the day we came home from the hospital.

Today has been a bit eventful! Jesstine woke up at 1:30/2:00 throwing up. It lasted until about 5 AM. It has been a very LONG tiring day! Well, my computer is having problems, so I need to go! Until next time.

In Him,

The Hutchins

Smilestones

Emmitt is growing and changing each day! He has had a few milestones lately. We were in church on Sunday and I went to change his diaper. As I pulled his shirt up, his cord stump fell off! I was shocked! It had been less than nine days! Jesstine's took nearly a month! The downside is that I think it must have been jarred loose a little early. It is still bleeds a little!

That is not as fun of a milestone as today's milestone! Today I saw the most beautiful thing I have seen! Emmitt smiled at me, not once, but TWICE! It wasn't even in his sleep like usual! The only thing that is even on par with that would be when Jesstine smiled just minutes after birth and then again when my mom was holding her. I think I have even seen glimpses of Emmitt's laughter. When he knows he is SO close to getting a bottle he fake coughs and kind of chatters a little...almost like he is chuckling with giddiness awaiting his bottle!!

One thing is for sure! I love this boy SO much! There is nothing like it! It is starting to set in that I have a son AND a daughter! I will let you know about his sleep another time though!

In Him,
The Hutchins

At It Again

Jesstine is at it again. Some of her favorite people were in town for the weekend (Uncle Seth, Aunt Jenni, Noah, Ian, and Connor). We spent a lot of time at Grandmom's house. Like most grandmas, she has "pretties" around on coffee tables and end tables. She has a bowl of potpourri that is in the shape of balls. Jesstine picked one up to examine it and shake it. I looked at her and gave her a stern look and said, "Jesstine, you know better." She put it back, but continued to stand there. After a few minutes, she picked one up again, looked at me and said, "I don't know better!" In Him, The Hutchins

Morning Report

When I thought about writing this post, I kept thinking back to the movie, "The Lion King." There is an annoying little bird that is the advisor (of sorts) to the king. There is a song that came out on the first DVD released version of the movie, called "The Morning Report." Anyhow! Here is the morning report.

Things are going well here. Jesstine went to both days of preschool this week (which was surprising to some that we still sent her even though we just had a new baby). Emmitt is doing great and I am feeling much better as well! So, what's with the "report" part of this? Well, we got a report card of sorts from Jesstine's preschool today. I kind of had a chuckle at remembering reading through some of Stephen's school papers when we were dating and engaged. I read things from his teachers like, "Stephen seems to be preocupied with food." My favorite (which is a running joke in our household) is when he would fill in the answers to to things like, "Who is the hardest worker in your family?" His answer: My mom. OR "What is the hardest job you have to do in your house?" His answer: Cleaning my room. "Why?" Answer: Because I have to make my bed. (Earlier on the list it asked something about his least favorite chore which of course was making his bed.) I was interested to see what Jesstine's teachers have said about her because I have my guesses on what they would say. I was especially interested when my friend Kelly, (Jesstine's best friend, Kylie's mommy) drove by and said Kylie's paper said her teachers would like to see her playing with other students other than just Jesstine. HEHE!

Jesstine of course has a few things that she needs to work on. Most are just things that we have never really explored for one reason or another. Others are unfortunately just part of her age and personality. One of the days that Grandmom went to pick her up, she heard the teachers telling Jesstine that she needed to walk in the classroom instead of bouncing. As a teacher I can TOTALLY understand this! As a mom, I know that it is a part of Jesstine's bubbly, happy personality! I hate to quell that, but at the same time she needs to know when it is appropriate and when it isn't. And wouldn't you know one of the things that is "still developing" is that she needs to use "walking feet" in class. The note said running though, not jumping which is even more understandable to me as a mom and a teacher. Jesstine just LOVES to run!

We were immediately interested though in what it said about how Jesstine plays. To our surprise, it says, "Play has progressed from playing besides or with Kylie to playing with others. Working on learning to share." Hehe. So there WAS a note about Kylie on Jesstine's note too!

I have really seen some growth in certain areas for Jesstine since she has started preschool. I am interested to see where she is at the end of the school year. Since having Emmitt, it has become very apparent just how big Jesstine really has grown! I love my little girl SO much and feel so blessed that God saw fit for me to be her mommy!

In Him,

The Hutchins

P. S. Again as I was typing blog post, Jesstine hit us with another funny moment. Today at school they learned about Indians. Daddy and Jesstine were playing "Princesses" downstairs which consists of her and Daddy trying to get Dumpty to safety in the "tower" which is the stairs, before the Monster gets her. They of course wield swords. At one point, Jesstine stopped and said, "Uh Oh! We need bow and arrows." To which Daddy replied, "Well, we only have swords. We don't have bows and arrows." Jesstine said, "I do!" Daddy said, "Where?" Jesstine, "I have lots of bows in my room!" (She was referring to her hair bows!)

Also a funny note. There is a well known "app" for smartphones, iPads, and iPhones (possibly other electronic devices and even for computer too), called Angry Birds. Jesstine has played this on Grandma Griffee's phone as well as the iPod. She always sees the stuffed animals in the store and gets super excited. So, when Emmitt was born, Grandma Griffee brought her some Angry Birds toys! One is a yellow triangle. So, she brought her Angry Bird to show and tell today! Hehe! It was pretty funny in my opinion.

First days as a family of 4

Emmitt is FINALLY here as you can tell by the last post! It is a far different birth story than that of both of the girls, but isn't every birth different? I of course was unable to sleep much the night before. I was ready to see this little guy! We went in at 6 AM on Friday, November 11. It was still dark out. Jesstine had stayed at Grandmom's (Stephen's Mom) house the night before, so she was already settled at that point. They started the pitocin (the drip) at about 7:30 AM. It was fairly easy at first. Didn't take long though and the contractions started to pick up. I was begging for an epidural not too long into the process. It was very strange. My cervix was only dilated to about a 1.5 when I came in. But it was very soft, so it was difficult for them to really get an accurate check on it. By the time I wanted the epidural, it was still only at a 2 or 3, but off to the side so it was hard to check (once again). I got up to go to the bathroom before the epidural and low and behold, my water broke! I had never had that happen before! Usually my M.O. is to get the epidural and then they have to break my water for me. Not this time! Went to the bathroom, got the epidural. They checked me a short time later and was only a 4 and it was again WAY off to one side. That is when you would think I could take it easy, right?! It wasn't much longer and I really started to have some pain on my right side! I was freaking out! I am not supposed to feel ANYTHING with an epidural! The anesthetist nurse said that the epidural only works for tissue related pain. What I was experiencing was the baby's head against my pubic bone. It was INTENSE to say the least! He was trying to watch his way out of the birth canal (not a great position for either him or me). So, they rolled me to my side (I WAS a 4 at this point for sure) and we coaxed Emmitt into shifting a little. It was still QUITE uncomfortable. About this time my doctor came in to check on me, he kept saying, "Humm, I think we are hitting transition if we aren't there already." It was also at about this time (perfect timing and had to have been a God thing) that my mom surprised us on her lunch break! She had come when I was at my worst and needed her there! The anesthetist nurse did a fantastic job of calming me and getting me into a zone of sorts. But I really needed my mom! About 15 minutes after they moved me to my side, I started to feel that pressure that you KNOW is a sign that it is about to happen. I told mom. She kept telling the regular nurse that they had better check me. The nurse was putting it off because it had taken SO long to get to a 4. Finally she did. I had gone from a 4 to complete with in 15 minutes! They rolled be back to my back and I started pushing. The doctor made it right before I started pushing or right as. He hadn't even left the hospital (lucky for me and for him). It took 7 pushes and 3 contractions and Emmitt Boyd Hutchins was here at 12:41 PM on 11-11-11!!! Here are some moments from our day.

 There is a new practice now in the hospitals (new to us and new as far as with full term births) called kangaroo care. The infant is cleaned and IMMEDIATELY placed on the mother's bare chest for at least an hour! No one else can hold the baby or handle him/her. Just momma! I have to admit, I kinda liked that part!

 Back when I had my breast reduction surgery two years ago, I had decided that my next baby would be bottle fed. So, here Emmitt is, less than an hour old having his first bottle.

 I have a similar moment where Jesstine looked up at me after she was born. We were BOTH in heaven at this point! Yes that is a paci in my hand already. He wasn't 5 minutes old and already had found his thumb! We don't want that! I know that there are many different opinions on this, but it is our decision to not let him have his thumb! I was a thumb sucker and don't want him to be. End of story!

 This was after the hour that he was on my chest. They put him in the warmer and started to clean him and get all of his vitals and scores and such. 

 Just a look at him before he gets cleaned off. You can tell how much bigger he was than Jesstine!

 Checking his vitals.

 We have a close up of this same angle of Babe B.'s ear. I cry when I think that I am getting to experience little pieces of her through my son.

 He DIDN'T like the bath!

 Getting dried off now!

 This was the view I had from my bed across the room. I could see his little foot on the glass and wiggling! Once again, he has another piece of Babe B. His feet look just like her feet, only smaller. They both have feet like Mommy!

 Weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 (almost 4) oz. Big boy!!!

 All that work deserves a nap!

 Meeting big sister for the first time! She was SO good with him!

 She was really reluctant to, but she gave him kisses.

 He even brought her a present!

 When we asked her what he brought, she said, "Princesses because I am a princess!"

 As mentioned, Mom barely got to see him born before she had to race off to her next patient (who cancelled by the way)! She didn't get a chance to hold him until they brought dinner up later that night.

 Grandpa came with her.

 This is Auntie Terri. She is the main music teacher at the school where I teach and a GREAT friend! Thanks for coming to see us, Terri!

 We both like sleeping this way!

 Getting ready to ask for a bottle or yawning. I can't remember, but he is NOT protesting.

 Eyes are open!

 The next day some good friends from church brought us donuts from the Donut Whole and came to see little Emmitt.

 Future babysitter getting her practice in!

 We had a LOT of these snooze fests!! It was very difficult for me to sleep the first few days because I was in pain.

 Cuddling before getting to go home!

 All Shockered up and ready to go!

 Daddy wheeling the cart of stuff out.

 I got to have Emmitt on my lap while we rode home!

 Jesstine was waiting at the door when we pulled up! She was quick to get a bonding session in as well.

 Didn't take long for THIS to happen. They are watching football together!

 I came in and saw how he was sleeping and thought of one of my favorite pictures of Jesstine at this age. So, I snapped a photo!

Saturday I was in quite a bit of pain and pain meds were not helping. We were worried first that it was a bladder infection. But when the over the counter medicine that helps with pain reliefe for that didn't work, we started to worry that not everything was expelled at birth. So, I headed back to the hospital to be checked out. After a sonogram and a CT scan, they couldn't determine anything and admitted me to see if they could at least find something that would help me to manage the pain better. We finally found something that seemed to work. I was sent home at around 7. So I missed the first real day at home with my baby and Jesstine! She was SUPER excited to find Emmitt and I on the couch the next morning!

 She didn't waste anytime getting some holding time in!

 Just a close up of my cutie!

 Monday is music class day, but none of us were around or ready in time to go, so after music class, Jesstine's best friend stopped by. She had been waiting for the chance to hold Emmitt since the week before he was born! She kept petting him very gently! It was SO sweet! Her mommy said that when she got home, she immediately started to baby her baby doll!

 Jesstine turned yellow very quickly after coming home. So, to avoid that with Emmitt, we put him in the sunshine when we could. Here is my future beach bum hanging out!

 Here he is meeting his Dumpty for the first time. Jesstine wore this SAME outfit when she met Dumpty for the first time!

And one FINAL picture of Emmitt bonding with Dumpty.

I am feeling MUCH better. Jesstine got to show Emmitt to the rest of her class at school and she thought that was the coolest thing! We of course didn't let anyone else touch or hold him. The class is pretty much used to this routine at this point! There was a mom who delivered in the beginning of October and one that is due in the beginning of December as well. So they are getting their fair share of big sisters in the classroom!

Hopefully when I get around to it, I will be able to post more about Jesstine. She is such a fun girl and a good big sister! She got her class picture this week too! It is pretty comical so I have to share!

Until then....

In Him,

The Hutchins