Foster Scott

I know I'm late with this post, but we welcomed Foster Scott into our family on July 27, 2015. He has been a wonderful baby so far, and brought so much joy to all of us.

The quick story:
His due date was Friday, the 24th. The day came and went, no contractions (that I could feel), and we kept going on with our daily lives!

I went to the doctor on Monday for my weekly exam, and she said I was already 5-6cm and that we needed to go straight to the hospital unless I wanted to have him at home!

Last baby bump photo!

We got to the hospital around 3:30, they got me admitted, and gave one dose of antibiotics I had to have, then broke my water around 4:00. My doctor said he would be back at 6:00 to check my progress. I asked if he had any idea how long it would take, and he said we should have a baby probably by 9:00. My goal was to try to have a medicinal free labor and delivery, but 5 hours seemed quite far away! I was praying it would go quicker.

Contractions finally started picking up and by 5:40, I was in real pain and knew the doctor wouldn't be back to check me for another 20 minutes. Paul was a wonderful support and encourager, and kept telling me I could do it. A few minutes later, we were talking about an epidural, but I knew I was already in transition and it was too late. Then it got really bad, and he said "12 more minutes, Whit. You can do 12 of anything!" (a line he learned at CrossFit!). Well, literally the next contraction and I could tell it was time! Paul ran to get the nurse, she confirmed that he was coming, then ran out the door to get the doctor. I had to force myself and struggled to get back into the bed, and almost started pushing without the doctor! He was ready to come! Two contractions later, and Foster was born at 5:56pm. It was amazing. We were finally holding our second sweet baby boy.

He weighed in at 9 pound, 2 ounces, and was 22 inches long! And just as beautiful as could be.

Not to mention, he looked just like Hudson when he was born! Hudson is on the left, Foster is on the right.

Hudson was very excited to come see his baby brother, and did so well meeting him. He liked finding his toes, and fingers, and was even able to hold him for a little bit. Hudson will be such a good big brother - he proved that right from the start!

Reid family, party of four!

It was a whirlwind of labor and delivery, but we made it, and now we are holding our precious baby boy and so in love!

God Bless

This kid...

...is one of the best blessings I have been given by my Lord.

he brings so much joy...

happiness...

challenges...

love...

laughter...

sacrificies...

sunshine...

into our lives.

He loves to sing, play outside all day (despite the heat), run, play with his train set and blocks, rough house with Daddy, chase Vance around, read books, look at his boo-boos, try new things, push trucks, drink from someone else's water bottle, help Mommy around the house, vacuum/swiffer the floors, push any and every button with in reach, give Vance his food/treats, help Daddy with any and every power tool, wear his rain boots inside and outside, and make us laugh. 

 

 In a matter of days, he will become a big brother. While I do have some anxiety about it, I am also overjoyed. When we found out we were expecting again, I kinda prayed for another boy. I would love to, and hope we do, have a little girl someday. But right now, I just knew we were meant to have another little boy. They will be right at 2 years apart, and my prayer all along, ever since we found out baby is a boy, has been that they will grow up best friends; that they will love each other, grow with each other, challenge each other, speak the Truth to each other, support and encourage each other like only brothers can do. I know he will be a wonderful big brother. He is loving, kind, sweet, playful. He loves to be a helper, and I think he will really enjoy his new role and helping with the baby. 

 These past (almost) two years have gone by so quickly. It's been pure joy watching this blessing grow into the little boy that he is. I've learned so much from him, and I know I will never stop learning because of him. 

 Hudson Noah, you are our special gift from God. 

God Bless

Celebrating it all

Last weekend Paul and I traveled to Beaufort, SC to celebrate our 30th birthdays (a little belated, but better late than never), our 7th wedding anniversary, and our baby moon.

Beaufort is a cute town, and we really enjoyed walking around the main street, and along a new trail. The town is really old, like Revolutionary War old, and there are some gorgeous old homes, cemeteries, and parks. We spent the mornings exploring and walking, and then spent the afternoons resting, something neither of us do much of anymore! It was actually really nice to just be lazy and have nothing to do. :) Plus, we were able to walk to a great ice cream shop down the road and the inn we stayed at had homemade pies every night for guests - at 35 weeks pregnant, I was not about to pass either of those up (don't judge)!

The Rhett House Inn where we stayed. 

The Spanish Moss Trail - great for walking! 

Hudson got to spend the weekend with his Gigi and Papa, and I don't think he really missed us that much! He had a blast going on bike rides with Papa, swimming at the pool, trying new foods (Gigi is a great cook!), taking walks around the block, and playing with new/different toys. It was hard leaving him for so long, but he did really well, and now we know that we can leave him and we'll all be ok!

Trying corn on the cob with Papa! 

Not so sure about all the people and the pool,
but glad to see that he at least got in and tried swimming with Papa. 

Baby Reid #2 is doing great! I am now 36 weeks along and everything is on track! It is really hard to believe that he will be here with us in 4 weeks! Everybody keeps asking if we're ready - and the answer is yes and no. Yes, we're ready for him to be here, but technically, maybe not so much. We don't have the car seat, bouncy seat, swing, or infant clothes pulled out yet, nor is my hospital bag packed. But, we're also just ready to have him with us and to start our lives as a family of four. I'm anxious again about the all nighters and how Hudson will adjust, but we will figure it out one day at a time. We have a lot of support, and for that we are very grateful!

All we can say now is we'll keep everyone updated and informed as "the day" gets closer! Hudson was induced 2 days late, so there's no telling when this little boy will make his debut. Prayers for a safe and healthy (and optimally quick) delivery would be greatly appreciated!

God Bless

Summer is HERE

Actually it's been here for a couple of weeks, and we are loving it!

Before I left school for summer, we had to complete an assignment about what we were doing this summer. I basically said this summer was all about transitions. Transitioning to a full time stay-at-home-Mommy; transitioning Hudson to a new room with a big boy bed, and drinking from big boy cups; transitioning to having a new baby in our lives! Change is hard, especially for a little toddler boy, and two parents who like to have everything planned out and prepared for!

But so far, every thing is going great!

I am loving my time at home with my sweet little boy. Hudson loves his new room and is actually doing GREAT in his new bed! We started with just the mattress on the floor, and he did amazing. When his bed finally came, he was a little hesitant at first, but then got right on in, and has been fine since! He hasn't fallen out yet, which is great, and has learned that he has to stay in the bed until we come and get him.

We spend our days playing outside or in his playroom, reading, coloring, and exploring new things. Its not uncommon for Hudson to wear two or three different outfits each day just because he gets dirty, wet, sweaty, and hot. But I honestly don't mind the extra laundry - if it means my little guy and I are making memories in one form another, it's fine by me!

I'll post an update on Baby Boy #2 next week - I hope to get a 35 week photo this weekend!
Yes - 35 weeks along!! Hard to believe that he will be here in less than 6 weeks!!

God Bless

Spring and Spring Break 2015

This past week has been Spring Break for Hudson and me. It has been absolutely wonderful! I have LOVED every minute with this little guy and getting to know his little big personality! It's amazing how much of a little boy he is now. 

We started the week celebrating Easter and Our Lord's resurrection! We had to keep the 2-3 year old Sunday School room, so we just stayed in town and had a beautiful day as a family. 

The rest of the week, Hudson and I played out side a lot (this kid was seriously born to be outside), went to the park a couple of times, went to the library a couple of times, and played with new things here at home. 

Easter celebration at school last Thursday before we got off! He loved finding the hidden eggs, but then he also loves to share, so he gave most of them to his friends. :) 

We of course dyed our own eggs. He got to drop the eggs in the water and watch them turn colors. 

Playing outside was definite every day, usually twice a day! There are endless possibilities for what we can do, and his curious, exploring mind always found different things to do. Whether he was collecting sticks and acorns, pulling his lawn mower all over the yard, climbing up and down "the hill", throwing the ball for Vance, trying to catch ants, or simply sitting in the sun, he was the most content when he was outside.

Plus, when you add buckets full of bubbles or even just water, everything gets way better and exciting! Now we can't go outside without him grabbing his big blue bucket and taking it over to the hose for me to fill up!

Stomping through puddles is just as fun, though!

The park was a great place to run, slide, climb, swing, and explore.

Stroller rides in the morning - good for everyone! 

Homemade popsicles! Can't go wrong there - until the dog tries to lick every drop off the ground, your shirt, your shoes, your face, your hands...

Our local library has a neat little children's section. There are various activities for them to play with and explore, and the light up table was one of his favorites. We didn't make it to story time, but hopefully we will become weekly regulars this summer. 

I'll be honest, I tried to find ideas on Pinterest of "busy activities" for him to play with while I baked, cleaned, cooked, etc. We went to the Dollar Store one day and picked out some fun things. He enjoys the bag of pom-poms, and I provided a variety of things for him to put them in - ice cube tray, paper cups, old containers, etc, and he sits each day and plays with them! The cups alone provide entertainment for him - I never know what I'll find in one! :)

This week has certainly gone by too fast. It's hard to believe that come Monday we will be back at school, but the crazier part is that summer will be here in only 7 weeks! And I have a feeling these next 7 weeks are going to go by even faster! While I'm excited and ready for summer, I also don't want to wish away or just watch time go by. In 7 weeks he will have changed and grown even more than I can probably guess, and part of me really wants time to slow down. I try to never take any time with him, or any family, for granted. These are precious moments that we can never get back, and I want to savor them and soak them up as much as I can. 

God Bless