Sally's Grand and FAST Entrance... Part II

Since I was nursing Sally stayed in the room with us a good bit of the night. I was absolutely exhausted and in so much pain from my uterus contracting that I sent her to the night nursery after the last feeding of the night. I am guilty of letting her snooze on my chest every other time. There's  nothing better than a baby sleeping so soundly. Every time she would nurse it hurt so badly. I needed pain meds some kind of serious. I begged the nurses for something to drink every time they came in to check on me. I was ill as a hornet because I needed some Lortab and some Diet Coke; I also needed a shower in the worst kind of way! They finally came to get me late Wednesday morning to do my tubal. By the time they got me to the operating room I was in tears and cramping so bad that I begged them to put me under anesthesia again. They originally wanted to tie my tubes with me awake and to only use local anesthetics. After they saw the shape I was in they didn't hesitate to give me the good stuff! Let me tell you.... DO NOT GET YOUR TUBES TIED! Dr. Harper tried everything to talk me out of doing it. I should have listened. I wanted to get it done because I was already in the hospital, my deductible was met, and Scott doesn't have any insurance. I thought it would be better if I did it while I was there.... WRONG!! That tubal made my belly even more sore. I couldn't raise up out of the bed without assistance because my belly button had been cut open. It was a big yucky mess. Usually the incision isn't as large, but my tubes were shorter than anticipated so that caused a bigger cut (my luck).

After the whole tubal ordeal I was allowed to shower, take meds, and have something to drink! I was feeling much better!! The grands, Laurie, and KK brought Suzy to meet Sally shortly after lunch! Oh my gosh, when Suzy saw Sally it just melted my heart. She came over to her, rubbed her head, smiled, and teared up. She was in love. She said, "she's so cute. I love her". My heart turned to mush.

My girls!

The crew is complete!

He wouldn't have it any other way!

See how proud she was!

Memaw is excited to finally see Sally!

Nanny is too!

We are complete!

My heart is so full!

Once everyone got their time with Sally they packed up and left us. KK and Laurie stayed the night at our house with Suzy that night. When we got home the next day the house was clean, the fridge was stocked, and everything was taken care of! I owe them so big. I can never repay them for everything they have done for us. Their efforts definitely didn't go unnoticed. We are so lucky to have those girls!

I ended up in the emergency room Friday morning due to extreme swelling and pain. I seriously thought that my epidural had gone wrong. Scott was having to pick me up to move me anywhere. When I got to the ER I weighed more than I did when I was admitted into the hospital Tuesday night! I was absolutely miserable. They found that I had an infection in my tubal incision while I was there, too. They gave me some Lasix and an antibiotic through IV. As soon as some of the fluid starting coming off I started feeling much better. I was good as new by Sunday night. Our moms stayed with us the first couple nights to help out and Suzy was bound and determined not to stay at home. She was not dealing with me being sick very well OR the fact that a baby intruder had taken all the attention away from her.

Sally did wonderful her first few nights at home. She was absolutely perfect! She seriously spoiled me rotten.... She never cried. She ate. She slept. Perfect little newborn stage :)

Suzy's story of transition coming soon......

Sally's Grand and FAST Entrance- Part I

April 12 I was home alone for the day. I cleaned a little, napped a little, and caught up on House of Cards. Suzy was still on her same schedule even though I was officially on maternity leave. I figured it would be best if she continued doing exactly what she was used to doing in order to keep some stability in her life. She was about to have her spoiled little world rocked enough in a few weeks (or so I thought). I had been having some slight cramps that day, but just assumed it was trapped gas, constipation, Braxton Hicks, etc. I picked Suzy up from Memaw's house around 3:30 and we headed home. Scott was already home from work when we arrived home. I told him how bad I had started feeling and that I needed to lie down for a little while. He agreed and started making plans for he and Suzy to go play golf for a little while. Of course, Suzy insisted that I tag along with them.... So, I did what all mamas would do. I drug myself on the bumpy ride to the golf course. After an hour or so I had all I could stand. I came home and got in the bath tub hoping it would ease some pain. Nope. Didn't work. I called my mama to tell her my symptoms and then called the doctor's office and talked to Dr. Patton (he was the on call doctor). Within a few minutes mom was here to entertain Suzy while I contemplated what I should do. Dr. Patton assured me that I was just having BH contractions and not to come to Oxford until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and they were hurting so bad that I couldn't talk through them. I should have told him that I lived in Senatobia and that Suzy came very, very quickly. Mom took Suzy home with her just in case things worsened. I hugged Suzy so tightly and cried like a big baby. I wasn't ready to let her go. I wanted just one more night with her being my only baby. I wanted to squeeze her tight and tell her I loved her all night long. Thankfully, Suzy didn't really understand what was going on. She just told me to quit crying because grown ups don't cry. She left around 6:30 that night and my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. I still thought they were BH contractions or that I was in false labor. Scott was ticked off at me because this routine was exactly how I ended up almost having Suzy on I-55. Bless his soul; I should probably listen to him more often. He knew in the back of his mind that I was having a baby that day, I think. He started packing bags and getting things together while I was still fiddle farting around debating on whether or not to make the humiliating trip to Oxford just to hear them tell me it was false labor and send me home. Around 7:30 my contractions started getting worse and they were about 3 minutes apart. I decided I may need to get my rear in the car and go to the hospital. I let the girls know what was going on and Scott let the family know. We were on our way to BMH around 7:45. By the time we hit Hwy 6 I thought I was going to DIE. I checked into the hospital at 8:20. The girls arrived shortly afterwards followed by the family. I went from 4 cm to 9 cm in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, I got there in time to get an epidural. Sally was coming and she was coming fast. Kalon headed to the waiting room which left Scott and Lauren to endure the madness of delivery with me. My nurses earned every dollar they made that night. One nurse, in particular, should have gotten some of Dr. Patton's pay. I had almost fully delivered Sally by the time he showed up. I think all he did was the episiotomy. I had to quit pushing for 20-30 minutes while we waited on him. After he did his part, Lauren said I pushed once or twice and she was here!!! She weighed 7 lb even and was 20 inches long. She entered the world crying a healthy beautiful cry at 10:27 pm.

7 lb of pure preciousness already wrapped around Daddy's finger

Smitten

Sally meets the grands! Memaw and Papa stayed home to take care of Sue Baby for us. Gigi kept Nanny informed by phone.

Mimi lovin'

Gigi was tickled pink.

I hope KK has baby fever after all this! She has stolen lots of kisses from that moment on.

Proud, proud Laurie. She seriously watched the whole entire thing. She's the only person I know that wants to see the whole process and loves every minute of it. She coached along with the nurses while Hubs stayed by my head the whole time :)

Daddy loving on baby girl!

 

My two very best friends and the newest addition to our crazy crew!

Her sweet little bow didn't last long at all, but it sure was cute!

 

After the family got some Sally loving they headed back to Senatobia. KK, Laurie, and Oakey stayed for a little while longer. I sent KK and Laurie to get me something to eat and the biggest Diet Coke Sonic had. They arrived back around 11:45. The nurse cut me off from all food and liquid at midnight because I was scheduled to have my tubes tied the next morning. Little did I know that being cut off from those things meant that I couldn't have any pain meds for the rest of the night or the following day. That's when MY hell started.......... 

 



Sally's Nursery

Sally's nursery has been a long project. When I was decorating/designing Suzy's nursery I knew exactly what I wanted immediately and had big plans that were executed far before my due date. Sally's has been a bit of a challenge. It took me a while to decide on fabrics that I wanted to use, find a dresser that would fit in the space that I needed to fill, and wall coverings... gracious alive that was just finished over the weekend. There are still a few little things that need to be added, but I will just have to find them as I go.
After I picked my fabrics out and handed them off to SheShe all I had were little swatches to go by when picking out paint colors and accessories. I still carry those swatches around with me. I always have them handy in case I run across something that catches my eye. While SheShe was working on the bedding, I had the nursery painted (two different times, remember). I also started hunting for furniture to use. I wanted Sally's dresser/changing station to be in the closet in order for me to have a twin bed. I was adament about having a twin bed for myself in there. I am a big time "don't let the baby sleep in mama and daddy's bedroom" kind of girl. Suzy slept in her nursery from day one and I really hope the same goes for Sally! I finally found a dresser in the window of a resale store in town. It was a whopping $75. I sanded it down, painted it, and added new knobs. The finished product turned out perfectly. I already had a changing pad holder from Suzy that Papa made for me. He secured it for me, and tada..... brand spanking new changing station!

before

during 

after, minus the changing pad

I made the rookie mistake of buying a white chenile rocker for Suzy, so needless to say I had to have it recovered. Gigi also had a black nightstand that needed some TLC. I repainted it the color of Sally's closet and found some new glass knobs to replace the brass ones that were originally on it.

Lauren had the blanket made for Sally. She did the same for Suzy. They are called Flubbs and they are to die for. That minky dot material is heavenly. Gigi gave me the Peter's Pottery pig for my birthday, but I thought he belonged in Sally's room. I found the lamp at Tuesday Mornings for like thirty bucks. It matches the glass knobs to a T. Kalon's mom, CinCin had an old ottoman that she wasn't using. She recovered it for me using some of the extra fabric I bought for the chair. 

All of the fabrics for the curtains, twin bedskirt, and baby bedding are made by Joel Dewberry. It is from his Bontanique Fabric Collection. The colors are just amazing. They are bright and upbeat without being too overwhelming for a nursery in my opinion.

Sally even has her very own SheShe made quilt to match her bedding! 

The monogram above the crib is what Piper Yount made. This was the gift the hostesses from the shower gave me, remember! 

The closet was the biggest challenge of the nursery project. There was no light in the closet originally. Papa and Scott spent a great portion of a Saturday installing one. The attic space above the closet was extremely tight, so they ran into a few hiccups.... but, our Papa can do anything. The light was installed that day! There was originally two doors to the closet which we removed and the painters patched the trim work. We saved the doors and will add them back when Sally outgrows this set up. I repainted the shelves that were originally in the closet the coral color to match the walls. I found baskets at Marshall's to hide all her little knick knacks and blankets in. Everyone seemed very concerned as to where I would hang her clothes, but don't worry.... We cut the bar that was all the way across the closet into small sections to hang in the opposite corner of the shelves. She will need more hanging space eventually, but for right now it is perfect.

I scored this "honeycomb" light fixture at The Tin Roof Market before they went out of business. It was on sale for 75% off. I almost posted it on Facebook to sell when I couldn't find a use for it when we moved in our new house. I am so glad I hung on to it. It looks perfect in the closet. 

Scott picked up the mirror from Lowes. It is a bathroom vanity mirror, but works perfectly in the space.

I still haven't sanitized bottles and put up all the stuff that will eventually live in the kitchen (bottle brushes, detergent, etc). I am trying to keep a clutter free kitchen as long as possible. All the stuff in the floor beside the dresser will eventually take over my kitchen counters! 

Poor Sally doesn't have quite the wardrobe that Suzy did, but I have tried very hard to be more practical this time. Suzy didn't wear a 1/3 of what I bought for her. Hoping I don't make that same mistake again.... Oh at the money wasted! 

Dresser with changing pad added. 

Kalon and I met Lauren in Batesville over the weekend to cash in the gift certificate that Kimmie gave me for Sally some pottery. I went in just looking for a massive circle piece to hang over the twin bed. I wandered around the store several times, but I couldn't' find anything that I thought would work. I did keep seeing these little paintings that caught my eye because they were the colors of the nursery.... I grabbed a few and started playing around with an arrangement using them and a piece of pottery. I ended up taking them home! I am in love with how it turned out. The paintings are called Gospel Art and the pottery is Peter's, of course.

My coworkers had a diapers, wipes, and gift card shower for me at school. While I was putting all those goodies away, Suzy was practicing on her Baby Alive.

She also decided that she still loves the Nap Nanny and that they should make them in her size! 

All those baby clothes and such were Suzy's.... She is loving having all the wee little things handy again. Her baby dolls are pretty well dressed these days! 

The long project is complete and waiting on Sally Scott to come enjoy it. I love just going in there to sit and look. I am very happy with how everything turned out. I hope Sally loves it as much as I do!

Sally's Day of Showering

My sweet, sweet little group of girlfriends had an adorable shower for me March 13 at Mary and Richie's house. Lauren, Kalon, Mary, and Renee planned and executed everything perfectly. The plan was to keep it simple since Sally is my second girl. Of course, they went above and beyond what I had expected (they always do), but it was absolutely wonderful. I was 35.5 weeks pregnant when they held the shower for me. We did everything a little early this go round due to thinking Sally may surprise us like Suzy did and come earlier than anticipated. My goal was to have everything out of the way at the end of Spring Break. Mission accomplished... the shower was the Sunday before we returned to school from our break.

One of my very favorite things in life are Sara Embrey's petit fours... I may or may not have had a dozen of them for myself. All those little monograms just melted my heart. 

Mary can make a pretty table setting, can't she? 

After eating and socializing for a while we headed into the sunroom for presents! My, oh my, little Miss Sally Scott is set! We got everything from baby toiletries to fine smocked dresses. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends and family that spoil us rotten.

SheShe (my aunt, Sheila Hartsfield) and I communicate via Facebook Messenger on a very regular basis. We send links back and forth of stuff that we have come across that we love. Lacey slipped up at her baby shower and let SheShe know that we had wish lists full of stuff that we wanted her to attempt when her schedule cleared up. I caved and told her one of the things on my wish list was a baby bonnet. Little did I know that she already had a pattern for one and had already made some bonnets in the past. You see, SheShe is swamped right now due to all my other cousins having babies too. She makes all our baby bedding (yes... she makes every single set for everyone in our family as a gift. I tell ya, she is one impressive lady). When I opened that sweet little blue bag and saw that she had squeezed in some time to make Sally her very own bonnet my heart just filled with joy. Everything that she makes for us is so special to me. She has always been a super special aunt to me. I cry nearly every time I get something from her. They are happy tears, I promise. That sweet little pink bonnet with Sally's monogram..... Gosh, I just love it.

Shocked!

Let the waterworks begin...

As if she had to do anything more than baby bedding, she shocked me with a bonnet AND more little monogrammed goodies. She's too good, I tell ya. 

Kalon's sister Jonna Cain made Sally's door hanger for me.... Sally is sure to have the cutest hospital door at BMH Oxford. 

Teresa carried on the tradition of getting a fancy smocked dress for Sally. She did the same for Suzy. These dresses are to die for. Definitely a picture outfit ;) 

Now this little smocked number is from Linda Till. I like to refer to her as Tillie... She taught me 5th grade math when I was at Senatobia Middle School. She then taught Casey, I believe. Throughout the years we have always kept in touch because her and her hubby followed Casey's racing career and share common interests with our family. I ended up having the privilege of working with her when I transferred to Senatobia Middle. She retired a few years back and broke all our hearts. We still talk and see each other all the time, even if it is at Shell while getting Diet Cokes. Tillie is one of my favorite people on the face of the planet. I love her dearly and respect her to the fullest. She has truly been an inspiration to me. I still have the little dress that she got Suzy, too. I guess you could say, Tillie likes to follow the smocked tradition too! 

This is a gift card from Lauren's mama, Kimmie. It was to purchase Sally's very first piece of pottery! Us Smith girls love Peter's Pottery! 

Becker and the girls got us this wonderful bathtub. Things have changed so much since Suzy was a wee little baby! 

Mrs. Pam Ayers spoiled us big time with a brand new swing!! I see Sally spending lots of time in that bad boy! 

Isn't her monogram just so pretty and fancy looking?! I ordered this from Piper to hang above Sally's crib, but they girls went behind my back and intercepted it :) This was the gift all the hostesses gave me! Piper grabbed the paint that they used in Sally's closet so it would match perfectly. 

Mary, Renee, Lauren, and Kalon.... The greatest hostesses ever! Thank you girls! 

One of my favorite people ever, Molly Flynn! I could listen to this girl talk all day everyday. 

Memaw, Gigi, and Mimi... Memaw was excited about something, wasn't she?! 

My oldest friendship.... Mandy Morgan (Amanda Elizondo, now)... We may not see each other often or talk daily, but my love for her has never stopped. 

Laurie and KK! 

When you see one of us..... You usually see all of us! If it weren't for these girls when Sue was a baby I would have never made it. They were my saving grace when Scott was working out of town! I can't wait to add Sally to our crazy mix! 

I wish I would have done a better job at taking more pictures of all the sweet gifts and friends that were able to come. I am truly so grateful for everything everyone has done for us. We are so blessed. We are ready for Sally to make her appearance so everyone can meet the girl they have already spoiled so badly! Thanks again for everything!