Four Five Seconds (Ellis's birth story... Part 1)

 I don't blog much anymore, however, today is Ellis's original due date and addition of our sweet girl should probably be mentioned on the family blog...(mainly, so I don't hear about this is therapy when she's 17.) This is her birth story, it's crazy, it's happy, it's sad and it's life..our life. It went a little something like this...

 Goodbye old house. Hello new house. Welcome to the world Elizabeth Slade "Ellis" Hodges! When I named this blog “Casa de Crazy” I didn’t mean for my life to actually go that way…so I think I may change it, to something like, “The simple life: Where Sleep is Plentiful, Children Are Angelic, and Life Goes According to Plan.”

Then I would be delusional.

The last few weeks have been some of the craziest of my life. Apparently, the way Slade and I roll is to do all of your MAJOR life changes in ONE weekend. This is NOT a good way to roll, people. The last few weeks consisted of packing up and moving out of our home that I loved, finishing a complete renovation of our new house, moving in with my parents, unexpectedly welcoming our PRECIOUS baby girl just over 6 weeks early, leaving her in the hospital, moving into our new house, parenting the boys at home and her in the hospital, all while in the middle of icemageddon WF 2015. Good times.

At the beginning of February, I was pregnant with what seemed to be the world’s largest baby,  and put on partial bed rest due to contractions. We were supposed to be moving in to our house Feb 12^th, and it’s just wasn't ready. We (thankfully) sold our house, but had to be out. We decided to ship the boys to Hereford, then try to move as much of our stuff into our new house as we could.We had to move in with my parents so the house could get to a point where we could actually live there. Not in my plan, but it was what we had to do, so be it. Funny thing about moving…it’s the exact OPPOSITE of nesting, which is what I so desperately wanted to be doing.

We had been living with my parents for a few days when I started to feel pretty bad. I was 33 weeks along and looked like I was 33 MONTHS along. Honestly, I thought me feeling bad was my body just being DONE with everything. I was trying to pack up one house, deal with workers at the new house, make decisions, raise kids, all while being 8 mos. pregnant. I was exhausted.

On Feb 19th, I had a doctors appointment and was dilated to a two.  I was told…bed-rest…for real. Not the BS "bed-rest" I had been attempting for the last few weeks. So, to re-cap, I'm in the middle of a move, living with my parents and have a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old and now I'm laid up. Awesome. 

My poor parents helped us pack up my old house, haul it to the new one, and were now trying to unpack my new house while dodging painters, workmen, and who knows who else all while I am trying to direct traffic from on their couch. 

The next day, (Friday the 20^th) we get the boys to school and Mom and I have it all planned where she will drive me to my new house, plop me on my bed that she set up the night before, and I could help direct which boxes went where. Then that weekend, we would get the house all set up and be totally moved in by Monday. Excellent plan! I was 20 minutes into getting dressed when my phone rings. Its my Dr. office…my blood work from the day before didn’t look so hot so they need me to go to a specialist. My platelets were way too low. Okie Dokie.

A minute after I get off the phone with the office, Mandy (my dr.) calls. As soon as I saw it was her, I knew…she was putting me in the hospital. She explained that she didn’t like my blood work and after having preeclampsia with Knox, she wanted to monitor me more closely, so I needed to go into the hospital. I was more annoyed than anything because I had things I really needed to get done. I burst into tears, ran into my mom’s room and bless her heart, she came out of the shower to find me sitting on her bed sobbing. I was freaked out, scared for my baby and now SERIOUSLY overwhelmed. The Lord knew where I needed to be when I got that phone call. With my mom. Beck is good under pressure. 

I get up to Labor and Delivery and tell them I am there to be monitored. The nurse looks at me and says, “Oh! Mrs. Hodges, we actually are going to put you in a delivery room because Dr. Winfrey has decided that she is going to go ahead and deliver today!” I stop mid stride, look at her with utter disbelief and say, “DO WHAT??”

Oh yes, Mandy had talked to a specialist at Cooks and it was decided that I was getting too sick to remain pregnant. The baby was fine. I was the problem. This is a lot for an overwhelmed pregnant woman to digest. I call Slade. He doesn't answer. SERIOUSLY!?! I call again... and maybe a few more times...finally, he answers and says, "Lindsey, I'm in a meeting! What is it?"

 Me: "We are having a baby today." 

Him: "......" 

Me: "Slade?" 

Again, DEAD SILENCE. 

After what seems like entirely too long of a time, he says, "okay... so what do I need to do?" I tell him that if he would like, he can go ahead and come to the hospital...ya know, for the birth of his child. Poor guy, I REALLY keep him on his toes with this whole baby thing. To say he was shocked and overwhelmed would be a vast understatement. He gets to the hospital to find out they are going to deliver his baby, way to early, so that his wife doesn't stroke out. It was a lot. 

Did I also mention that we didn't know the sex of our baby? Also, that our infant carrier had expired so we had no car seat? Or, the fact that Briggs was still in the crib so, technically, we didn't have a crib for the baby. Or, that we didn't have a name picked out? Oh, and that we had no baby clothes for a girl? So, you ask, who was NOT AT ALL READY TO HAVE A BABY?" These two parents, thats who. 

Funnily enough, one of the most popular songs on the radio during this time was Rihanna's "Four Five Seconds" The hook of the song is, "Now I'm Four Five Seconds from wildin'" and every time I would hear it, I would think to myself, "girl.. you got no idea, I know exactly how you feel." I consistently felt like I was four or five seconds from completely losing my sh*t. Basically, I was trying not lose it in such an epic way that I ended up in a strait jacket somewhere... and this is only part 1. 

To be Continued...

All I've got is time...

Someone asked me the other day, "why don't you blog as much anymore?" 

Two words: Knox and Briggs. 

Those days of Knox napping and Mommy blogging are long gone my friends. Like now, as in literally at THIS moment...both boys are napping. However, Knox is actually in his room singing at the top of his lungs and saying to me, "Mom! Come in here, I need to pray for you!" "Mom, come in here! I need to tell you what I'm going to get you for your birthday!" not to mention singing "Simon Says" and follows with "HERE WE GO GUYS!" before each new song. 

Briggs...oh sweet Briggs...he got off schedule this morning so he's alternating between whining and talking and yelling, "mama" and "dada." 

So a nice peaceful afternoon to blog about the goings on in our life...absolutely. 

When they are "awake" its not the peaceful Norman Rockwell you are picturing with us all laughing and baking cookies. Nope. It's basically me saying, "No! Briggs" as he tries to electrocute himself, dump all of my kitchen drawers contents on the floor, put the remote in the potty, stir the potty with his arm or walk out the front door. I have to monitor all of that while avoiding the football that is thrown in my direction at least 200+ times a day. I would guess that I rival any NFL quarterback in how many snaps per day I take. 

Oh, did I mention Briggs is the 1% of kids who got the ACTUAL chicken pox from the vaccine? So yeah, that happened too. Oh! I almost forgot, he also go a vomit virus because his immune system was so depleted from the chicken pox. Oh! AND he got kicked out of school until all of his pox have scabbed over even AFTER I had TWO different doctors clear him and one send a note. 

So why don't I blog as much anymore? Getting lazy in my old age, I guess.

But just about the time I think I am going to lose it.....

Knox yells at me, "Mom! I need to get up! Alex is going to call me!" Ok. This piques my curiosity so I just went in there. I ask him who Alex is and he proceeds to tell me that Alex is his brother who is 13, in first grade and lives in New York City. I literally have NO idea where this came from and all I can think is whoa, Alex must not be too bright if he is 13 and in first grade. I ask who his parents are and Knox tells me they live in College Station. Hmmm, not sure how this is his brother then....unless he knows something about Slade that I don't. 

These are the types of things that happen everyday being Knox and Briggs mom, so while I would love to blog all the time, right now I need to learn all I can about Knox's other family....

Hannatizer

This post was from a few months ago and never got posted .... so here goes.
P.S. it's slightly PG-13


Ever since we have had the pneumonia outbreak of 2013, Knox has been very into Hannatizer (hand sanitizer.) We pretty much have it in every room and he loves "washing" his hands. Well...this kind of became an issue the other day....

So I went to a bachelorette party a few weekends ago and one of the gifts I received for mine was a Honeymoon kit of..shall we call it... "women's personal needs for intimacy" and I thought it was a great idea, so I was going to recreate this as my bachelorette gift. I go buy a cute little bag and then fill it with all the essentials that were in mine then, as is always the case, got distracted or pulled away by a kid and forgot about it.

A few hours later, I am sitting in the kitchen feeding Briggs when Knox comes out of my room with a strange look on his face. He comes up to me and says, "Uh, Mom. I put on some hannatizer and its not working!" I thought he was just being dramatic and said, "what do you mean by "not working?" By this point, I can see that there is indeed something all over him. "It's all sticky and won't come off!" he says.

I tell him to bring me the "hannatizer." He comes back a minute later with a small bottle of PERSONAL LUBRICANT. Oh yes, my three year old has LUBE all over him because he thought it was "hannatizer." When it didn't dry up like hand sanitizer, he preceded to try to wipe it off....all over himself. So thaaaaat would be the time I remember the "honeymoon kit" on my bathroom counter. I promptly informed him that this "hannatizer" was, in fact, defective and we promptly went to the shower.

Briggs is ONE!

I know...I know...I haven't blogged in forever. Well...having two babies makes things a little... busier. Shocking, I know. We have had LOTS going on, but, feel that the least I can do is post about sweet Briggs' first birthday!

This little love bug is one!

He looks like he is two. Bless him, he has been large since the moment of conception. Actually, bless ME..I am the one who has had to haul this kid around, in utero and out! Funny thing, after a pregnancy in which I looked like I swallowed a small whale and just about shut my body down... does he love and adore me? No. That would be reserved for his father. The one who DIDN'T birth him. Good thing he's cute. Briggs is the ULTIMATE Daddy's boy. Literally, if Dad is in the room and not holding him...he's probably crying or screaming, "HAAAYY!!!" at him.

We celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago with "Briggs' First Fiesta," and it was so much fun for all the fam to get together and celebrate this special little man.

Knox helping Bebo with the cooking.

Uncle Thomas! (all of us squinting)

Briggs and his best friend/main love ...Gan

Grandad and Briggs

first sugar ever....

He LOVED it...shocking 

Briggs and Bebo

Besties

Bob and Bebo with the grandkids

Little guy that snuggles...

Me: (lying in Knox's bed) Man, I am lonely up here on this bed.
Knox: "Well! Here comes a little guy that snuggles! Get excited!"

Poor Sweet Briggs...

Poor kid, by the time Knox was 9 months old he already had quite a few posts under his belt and his accomplishments were chronicled by his mother. Poor Briggs. Mommy got tired...and busy. So here goes, he got his top two teeth yesterday and so now he has 4! He's not quite crawling but wants to REALLY bad. He gets frustrated because he tries to go fwd but for some reason goes backward.

He loves to play patty cake and is in the 90% for height and weight!! He weighs 23lbs and is 9 mos old. Pretty sure he's going to be bigger than me when he's six. Oh joy. Overall he is just the sweetest, happiest little (err not so much) guy.

Sick boy.. Sweet brother

Took Knox to the Dr. Yesterday and he has strep and possibly pink eye. Funny thing is, no one really explained Pink Eye to him so yesterday I notice he keeps looking at himself in the mirror... Well, more than usual. When I finally ask him he said, "mom! I really don't think I'm sick... My eyes are still blue!" Poor kid thought his iris would turn pink.


I do think its so sweet that he's not sad about missing school, hasn't said anything about missing a birthday party, but he's DEVASTATED that he has to stay away from Briggs. He keeps saying, "I promise I'm not sick, I feel so much better. Please let me hug Briggsy now!!"
He just ask me, "after my nap if I don't cough at all, can I please hug Briggs." I said maybe, it will be a quick one and he says," no it's gotta be a long one, I didn't get to hug him at all yesterday!!"
I hope he is always this adamant about loving his little brother... Probably wont be, so ill enjoy it now!