Mother's Day Pictures

So content...

Sleeping like an angel.

Helping Daddy in the yard!

Working hard, while Mommy sleeps!

She is always so excited to hold him...even if it only lasts for a minute or two!

Such a great big sister, and Mommy's big helper!

Still loves her bubbles!

Taking a break from the yard work for a little fun!

Aunt Jenny holding buddy...it won't be long and this will be her own little one!

Our first bath at home...

Hurry Mommy!!!!!

Daddy was trying to keep him warm while I finished his bath!!

Awww, poor baby!!!

That is much better...snug as a bug!

Too much....too soon!

We had another slow and easy morning. I had a rough start to the day and knew it would be a rough day overall. I could tell immediately that I did too much yesterday and really needed to do as little as possible today. I was in tears most of the day, so Shane did great taking care of me. He took Olivia to Walmart and got groceries...while I slept. He then got her ready for Parker's birthday party...while I slept. He then took her to Parker's birthday party...while I slept. It was a tough day and Shane really stepped in to help me out. I didn't do much all day, other than sleep when Lucas was sleeping and take care of him. I called my nurse, Angie to see what she recommended, so I increased the Motrin I was taking per her advice, which seemed to help...not to mention she confirmed the fact that I probably overdid it yesterday!

After the birthday party, Shell, Tim and the kids came over to visit. The boys wanted to watch a fight on TV and of course they all wanted to spend time with Olivia and Lucas. They stayed all evening and although I fell asleep on the couch along with the kids, we had a great night. I definitely started feeling better after having rested all day. So, I let Shane sleep all night long. He had done so much for me throughout the day, that I knew he needed rest too.

I don't think I had the strength to take any pcitures today, so will make up for it and take lots tomorrow!

Rise and Shine!

We were up fairly early this morning and just stayed up after our early morning feeding. We took it easy most of the morning, ate breakfast finally took a shower before taking Lucas to the doctor at 11:00. I, of course, had to ride in the back of the car with him on the way there and back, just to keep an eye on him. We met with Dr. Cross for the first meeting, cause Dr. Baety was not available today, which was just fine. Olivia has seen him before and loved him. So, it went great. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, which they said was normal and was still 20 inches long. He had to take all his clothes off when getting checked all over, so he was a little mad about that, but calmed down pretty quickly. They ran his bilirubin test again and he was right about the same as he was when he left the hospital, so that was a good thing. Dr. Cross said it usually peeks about this time, so we should start to see it go dwn and his color get back to "normal." He was able to answer a lot of the questions we had and provided good information on breast feeding, pacifiers, circumcision care, etc. He also checked Lucas all over and said he was "perfect." I'm not being biased either, he really said it. I have to agree (even though I'm sure he says that about all his patients)!

After the doctor appointment, we got home and immediately I started working around the house, picking up, doing a load of laundr, etc...which come to find out was probably overdoing it toomuch. I was up and down the stairs several times and because I felt so good, I wasn't taking it easy like I should have been, and was instrcuted to do.

Shane picked up Olivia and Parker from preschool and again it was right up to Lucas to give him hugs and kisses. She is so sweet with him and I cannot believe how much she adores him. She constantly says, "Aww, Mommy he is so cute." She is going to be a great big sister and is already jumping into her new role. Shell got Kaleigh and came over for a little bit to visit. They didn't stay too long, but it was great to have her stop in and help with Olivia all week long! But, we were glad to have her back!

Later that night, we had several visitors. Dina, Jean, Bob and sherry all came over and actually brought us dinner, which was so nice. As they arrived, so did my grandparents with dinner and dessert as well. We have such a great family support system!!

We visited for a little while, but they didn't stay too long so we could eat dinner and get some more rest. I won't have to cook for a while!! After dinner, we relaxed and I loved it cause I had both my babies fall asleep next to me. I didn't realize how much I missed Olivia, but it almost brought me to tears...that, of course, could be the hormones talking though!

A funny story about Olivia tonight is that she was playing candyland with Sherry while they were here and all of a sudden she burst into tears because Sherry passed her and was close to winning. So we had to ave that winning/losing conversation with her and that she wasn't always going to win. It was so strange but it seemed maybe she was just a little more emotional too with everything going on. Because it wasn't as if she hasn't lost playing with us before and especially with spending so much time with Kaleigh and Parker! Everyone likes to win, but we all have to lose sometime too.

More evening feedings but nothing out of the ordinary. Shane helped again and did great! The pictures from our first night at home are listed below.

First Checkup with the Doctor...

Checking his bilirubin again...all is well!

Dr. Cross making sure all is good to go!

Our second car ride, which seems to put him right to sleep...just like his big sister!

More sleeping...

Our little monkey man!

Come to find out, Gma didn't get a chance to hold him in the hospital, so this is the first time she had help Baby Lucas!

Bob, Jean and Dina..look at the baby, look at the baby!

More kisses for Lucas from his big sister, Olivia!

Silly Olivia was sitting in the baby papasan chair...a little too big though!

I believe this is a result of our conversation regarding how big she was compared to Lucas!

She was so proud to show off the picture of her garden she printed from the computer...so sweet how she wants to show him everything she is doing!

Time to Go!

Today was the big day in which we were able to head home with our new baby boy! The entire time we were there, the nurses told us that we would be discharged around 11:00, so that is what we had planned for the entire time. So, we were excited and ready to go!!

6:00 - Shane got up with Lucas's last feeding and we kept him in the room for the rest of the morning. We had started to get things packed up and he even took a trip to the car to drop off some things we wouldn't need. The morning was going great and we were looking forward to hearding home!

7:00 - The nurses were in and out all morning checking on me and making sure we were all set to go home, which if course, we were! We were just waiting for the green light from both my doctors and Lucas's doctors to say it was okay to go.

8:00 - We ate breakfast at 8:00 and wanted to feed Lucas one more time before we left. We thought it would be good timing cause then we would be home by the time he needed to eat again.

10:00 - The baby nurse came in around 10:00 to discharge Lucas and he was all set and they checked him out. He was good to go!

11:00 - As I was changing Lucas, I noticed he started changing a little in color, so I called his nurse back in just to make sure I wasn't seeing something else, and wanted them to check him too. They checked his bilirubin again at that time, and did indicate it was a little higher than it had been. So, they had me call and schedule a follow up appointment for the next day instead of waiting for two days. I felt better about that and was glad I followed my motherly instinct.

12:00 - Shane and I watchd TV for a little bit just to pass the time. You could tell Shane was starting to get a little more frustrated as the time was passing though, cause it was passed the time in which they had indicated we could leave. This was of course starting to drive me crazy cause there was absolutely nothing we could do about it. However, he kept peeking his head out the door trying to see if he could get them to come in more quickly, but was not successful.

12:45 - We were told lunch would be coming around 1:00, so we decided to go ahead and eat and feed Lucas one more time before we left. Shane was extremely frustrated at this point and managed to tell everyone he talked to how they had told him we would be out of there by 11:00.

1:30 - Dr. Teverbough finally came in to discharge me at 1:30, but then it took forever for the transport folks to come and get us. They brought a cart for all of our things, and needed to wheel me out in a wheelchair.

2:00 - We finally left the hospital, packed up the car and headed home. Of course, I was nervous the entire way home, because I sat in the front seat instead of riding in the back with Lucas and couldn't see him to ensure his head wasn't moving all over the place. I did finally convince Shane to pull over on the side of the road once we hit Morton just to make sure he was okay, and he was doing just fine. Once we got home, we tried to get things put away and just relaxed for a while before Olivia got home.

5:00 - Olivia was home!! We were so excited to see her since she had been staying with Aunt Shell and Uncle Tim all week while we were at the hospital. She was so excited about it too, cause she was with Kaleigh and Parker the entire time! Shell picked up the kids from school and brought her home.

We were going to leave it up to Olivia to decide if she wanted to stay home or spend one more night with Aunt Shell. The entire evening while they were still here, she pointed at me andsaid she wanted to stay with me. You could tell she was missing us very much, but at the same time, she was having fun with the kids. She said all night she wanted to stay with Mommy...until it was time for them to leave. Then, off she went. We packed up her things and she was out the door. Shell said she changed her mind on the way to their house and was crying for me. But, she talked her through it and she was fine the rest of the night, until it was time for bed. She cried for me a little bit, but then fell right asleep. Sweet Olivia!

After Shell and the kids left, Shane and I went right to bed as well, knowing it was probably going to be a long night. We did have several night feedings, and Shane managed to get up with me througout the night to help out by changing diapers before I fed him, which was extremely helpful and nice of him to do. All in all, it was a great first night home. We did get some sleep, but was up pretty frequently. However, it did feel great to be sleeping in our own bed.

The pictures of our last day in the hospital and first day at home are below.

Coming Home!!!

He looks so tiny in his car seat!!

It's been a long day, and we are glad to be home!

Miss Olivia giving more hugs and kisses as soon as she walks in the door!

Parker and Olivia...best buddies!

Kaleigh could have held him all night long if we would have let her. She is so sweet with him, and we can already tell she loves being the big cousin!

It keeps getting better....

It's day two at the hospital, and we had such a great night last night. Lucas came in every three hours to eat, and I loved hearing his cart being wheeled down the hall. Yes I was exhausted each time he came, but it was so much fun at the same time. He was eating like a pro and did well every time. He started eating for about 10 - 15 minutes on each side and latched on from the very beginning. Just like his big sister, it seemed he was going to be laid back and handle things with ease. We were certainly off to a great start!

8:00 - Shannon stopped by before heading to work this morning, which was nice. She stopped by yesterday as well, but didn't get a chance to see us, so now she had Lucas all to herself...at least for a little while.

8:30 - They came back to get him right after he was done eating, in order to do his circumcision. We didn't expect them to do it so soon, but knew it had to be done. So, off he went. And, just about that time, Dina arrived to relieve Shane long enough to go home and take a shower. He was a trooper all night long, so deserved some time.

8:45 - Dr. Mueller stopped by to check on me this morning, which was great as well. I was able to thank him once again for getting me through the delivery. He is a wonderful doctor and I was luckly to have him deliver both kids. He checked me out and said everything looks good, and out the door he went. He was only there for a few minutes, but it was great for him to check in.

9:00 - The anesthesiologist stopped by this morning too, which was not expected, but a nice surprise. She wanted to ensure the medicine had worn off and that I was not getting any eadaches or feeling side effects. I was able to thank her as well for getting there so quickly yesterday, and although I'm sure she hears it all the time, I was glad I got the chance.

10:00 - Lucas came back to the room around 10:00 to eat, after I had been looking at the clock all morning thinking he would need to eat again soon. It took Dina and I close to an hour towake him up to eat, since he was still a little sleepy from the medicine needed for his circumcision. He was exhausted, so I imagine he had been crying for the past few hours. They had given him Tylenol, but he was finally able to eat and then slept pretty good afterwards.

11:00 - Annie and Allison came to visit and it was nice to see all the changes in Allison. We of course were already comparing stories and looking at the similarities and differences in the two babies. It will be fun to have them grow up together, and I am hoping they will be great friends, as well as cousins!

12:00 - Angie came by to visit and check on with us this afternoon, and of course it was fantastic to see her! Thank you cannot begin to say how we feel about her and how grateful we are to have had her with us during this wonderful and special time. It is such a wonderful moment for any family, but then to have one of your best friends there as well is truly amazing! We couldn't have done it without her! And, while she was there, she was able to help pick out an outfit for him to wear for his hospital pictures.

1:15 - We were finally able to eat lunch, and I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to be able to take a shower myself. We had so many people in and out all morning, that I was starting to wonder if I would have to wait until I got home. So, lunch was good, but then it was time to feed Lucas again.

2:30 - The photographer came by to take his pictures, and she did a great job! They turned out so good, that there was really no way I was going to be able to decide...as usual!

3:00 - I was finally able to take a shower and actually started to feel like a normal person again. Being in my own clothes and more comfortable was a wonderful feeling! I was actually getting better and quicker on my feet and was able to get out of bed and actually sit in a regular chair rather than my bed for the past two days!

3:30 - I showered just in time for more visitors. Mom and Marc came by after they got off work, and Cayce stopped by for a few minutes as well.

4:00 - For the next hour or so, we were just able to relax and spend some time with him alone. It was so nice to have visitors, but it was also nice to get him all to ourselves! We really had a nice relaxing evening and got a call from Craig's mom, Kathy who was able to add Shane to the food orders from now on, so we both got dinner delivered to the room and was able to enjoy together.

7:00 - Aunt Pam came by for a visit and stayed for about an hour, which was nice to just sit and chat. I do believe she held him for the entire time, and enjoyed having him all to herself!

The night feedings were a little more sporadic this evening, and started with them being two hours apart, and then he went three hours before coming back for the early morning feeding. So, I didn't get as much sleep this evening, but actually let Shane sleep the entire night and did not get him up one time to assist. Overall, we had a great night. The night nurse was amazing and she was the one that sat with me in the morning for the discharge educational conversation. I was able to ask a lot of questions and she was wonderful, we had a great conversation.

The pictures for our second day in the hospital are below.

More Family Photos

Mama and her sweet baby boy!

It doesn't get any better than this!!!

I could literally hold him and look at him all day long!

Daddy was changing diapers like an old pro, although he did mention it was completly different plumbing with a boy that we would have to get used to!

Our favorite nurse in the entire world!!

Baby Lucas - Day Two

Gotta love the hospital blankets and baby boy hats!

Such a good boy for his pictures!

Although, he looks a little bored!

And, he certainly couldn't be expected to stay awake for the entire shoot!

Such a life...being held in a warm soft blanket all day long!

Happy Birthday Baby Lucas!

Ok, so for those that know me, you know that I needed to recap the entire hospital stay so that I could remember later down the road. So, bare with me as this is a play by play our the arrival of Lucas Allen Cline!

4:45 - Check in to the hospital. Had to come in to the admitting desk to get paperwork going. Not too many people were around considering it was so early, so we got a great parking spot and there was no wait.

5:00 - Made it to our room, which come to find out was the exact room we delivered Olivia in, so that was pretty special. We got settled in to our room, I got in my gown and the nurse got all the monitors on me in order to keep an eye on Lucas.

5:30 - Another nurse started my IV, and that was not the most pleasant experience. She definitely took her time, and numbed the area first (needle #1) before putting in the IV (needle #2). However, she missed the first time around and could not find a vein. So, on the second attempt, she had to numb again (needle #3) and then started the IV (needle #4). Finally, she was able to get it, but didn't have everything she needed in place, so blood started to spurt out all over the bed, blankets, floor, etc. So, that was nice and we were off to a great start. I was hoping this wasn't an indication of what's to come.

6:00 - The nurse started petocin on the lowest dose, just to see how it would do. She said she would wait and increase the dose every 45 minutes as long as everything was working properly. So, let the fun begin!

6:30 - The petocin was working and I was already dilated to a 2, so she decided not to increase the dosage just yet. She would see how things were progressing after another hour or so.

7:00 - The gangs all here! Mom, Marc and Shell arrived at the hospital, which was expected. Since I was being induced, they knew to take the day off to be here the whole time...they didn't want to miss a single moment! And, shortly thereafter, Angie arrived! It was great to see her too!! She wasn't technically on staff that day, and was supposed to be working her other job, but she switched and was able to be there to help out the entire time! I am so lucky to have such a great friend!

7:45 - Dr. Mueller came to the hospital to check on things before going to the office. Since things were progressing with the petocin, he decided to break my water. This was the most painful part of the entire day! He used his hands first to see if he could break it that way, and with no luck, he got out the needle/hook. This was the most intense pain I have ever felt, and I was sure glad when it was over. Thank goodness Angie was there to literally hold my hand...luckily I didn't break any fingers, but I definitely could have.

8:00 - Dina arrived around 8:00 this morning, as she had taken the day off to be with us too! What a great family..or should I say nosy family! :-) Regardless, the entire gang was there and ready for Lucas to arrive!

8:30 - By this time, I was progressing even more quickly and the contractions were already getting stronger. I was only dilated to a 3, but they were very strong and getting painful. I had to really breathe through them, and remembered that I was a 5 with Olivia before I needed the epidural. But by this time with Lucas, I was already asking for it.

8:45 - Angie, being the wonderful friend and nurse that she is, really had to push for the anesthesiologist again. There was only one on staff, and she had about 4 other nurses asking for her. So, I was feeling a little guilty that Angie was pushing so hard for me, but on the other hand, I was ready for it. I just hoped Angie didn't make any enemies that day!

9:00 - The anesthesologist came in to the room, and I was so thankful to see her, but then she got called right back out! I started to panic at this point because she got called back in to a surgery and I could see the look on Angie's face, which scared me a little too. I was hoping she would be able to get out quickly and come back to my rescue.

9:20 - The doctor came back in, which felt like another hour, but then she was able to give me the epidural. I wasn't scared of the pain, cause the contractions were getting stronger. She took her time as well, and it seemed like a long process, but when it was over, I felt much better! Everyone had to leave the room at this point, but could see how much more comfortable I was when they were able to come back in the room.

10:00 - I was still dilated to a 3 at this point, and thought we were in for another long day. We were all just hanging out and visiting, knowing it could be a while before anything happened. Grandma and Grandpa Davis had arrived by this time too, so we were all just waiting and keeping an eye on things.

11:00 - Everyone was starting to get hungry, so with the exception of Dina, they all went to the cafeteria to get some lunch. Dina stayed with me, and I was going to try to close my eyes and get some rest before the big delivery.

11:15 - One of the nurses came back in to check on my progress and much to hers and my surprise, I was fully dilated and his head was already coming down. She was so surprised that she had another nurse come in to check as well, and called Angie right away. They called Dr. Mueller immediately as well, as he was still at the Morton office and Dina texted Shane to get back to the room as quickly as possible!!

11:30 - Angie had me "practice" push three times just to see where he was, and how he would do. Immediately, he started moving down and was ready to go. She basically had to tell me to stop pushing in order for Dr. Mueller to arrive. Dr. Croland was on the floor and was ready to step in if Dr. Mueller couldn't get there in time, which was how fast things were moving.

11:35 - Dr. Mueller arrived just in time! He got in the door and asked me to start pushing again. I pushed about 4 more times and literally Baby Lucas was born at 11:37! We were all shocked that he came so fast! It was amazing and I just kept looking at Angie saying, oh my gosh!! He's here! They layed him on my chest, which is the best feeling in the world. They kept him there for a quite a while actually, so much that I started wondering if they needed to take him away to get him cleaned up and work their magic. He started crying right away, so was doing great! He was 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 inches long with quite a bit of dark hair. He was beautiful and we were amazed he had finally arrived!

We took some time to enjoy him by ourselves before allowing the family to come back in, which I know was torture for them, but we were loving every second. Also, they still had to get me cleaned up, and take out my epidural. And, I actually tried to feed him right away too, which he latched on like a champ. So, it was quite some time that we were able to enjoy him during this time!

12:30 - Everyone else was finally able to come meet Lucas Allen, and no one could believe how fast he arrived! They were eating lunch and all of a sudden received the text to get back up there, so we relived that story over and over with amazement!

1:00 - We were able to move to our private room at this time, which was really nice. I was a little nervous with how many patients they had, that I wasn't going to be able to get my own room. But, we did and were able to move in to it right away. During this time, Lucas was taken to the nursery for his bath, to get his weight measured again, his footprints taken, etc. So, they were getting him all ready to go!

2:00 - Aunt Jenny came back to the hospital to meet Baby Lucas and I was finally able to eat lunch! I was exhausted, but definitely hungry too! We all visited for a while and was awaiting the arrival of Big Sister, Olivia! She had spent the night with Aunt Shell so that we could get to the hospital early and she took her to preschool for us. Uncle Tim was picking all the kids up and bringing them to meet Lucas that later afternoon.

4:30 - Steve, Mel, Tim and all the kids made it to the hospital to meet him. Olivia was so sweet with her Big Sister shirt on! Uncle Tim had stopped at the store for Olivia to pick out some flowers for me, which was so sweet and of course, she picked the most expensive, roses! Thanks Uncle Tim! Olivia was so proud walking around the corner with a dozen roses in her hand, and she had the biggest grin on her face. I was so excited to see her, and how she would react to Lucas. Of course, she was so excited too and couldn't wait to give him hugs and kisses. All three kids were right up in the bed with me and Lucas and all she kept saying was he was so cute. All three of them wanted to love on him and took turns sitting in the rocking chair holding him. Of course, the cameras were flying and we got a lot of the first visit with him. It was everything I expected and much more! The sweetest thing was when all three kids were in my bed with me and Lucas and wanted to sing Happy Birthday to him. It was one of the best moments!

They didn't stay too long, cause they were getting hungry and a little restless. But, I was able to give Olivia the gift I bought her, which was a new baby boy of her own. It was so sweet and she absolutely loved him. So, now she could take care of her baby boy when Mommy is taking care of Lucas. She loved on him just as much and off they went.

5:00 - After everyone left, we didn't have any other visitors that night, so it was time to relax and enjoy our alone time with Lucas. It was such an amazing day and again we could not believe how wonderful the experience was. I was feeling great and couldn't stop smiling!

6:00 - We finally ate some dinner and just wanted to rest a little bit, knowing we would be up most of the night to feed Lucas. I actually planned to send him back to the nursery after he ate throughout the night in order to get some rest ourselves. I felt guilty every time I sent him back, and was so excited when I heard his cart being wheeled down the hall. But, it was nice to get some rest throughout the night.

His evening feeding times were 8:00, 11:00, 2:00 and 5:00, so every three hours. He was already starting to get on a great schedule, so I was hoping he would keep it up. Shane did great throughout the night and helped as much as he could. He helped to change him, while I went to the bathroom and got ready to feed him. The chair he was sleeping on wasn't too comfortable, but he was so tired, it didn't stop him from snoring most of the night. The nurse had to help me in the restroom the first few times I went, but I was already starting to feel good on my feet.

8:00 - We kept him in the room after his 8:00 feeding the next morning, knowing we would have visitors again and we couldn't stop loving on him! We were so glad he was here!!

The pictures from the first day are listed below.

Lucas Allen Cline

Baby Boy Cline

Lucas was 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 inches long!

Has quite a bit of dark hair, just like Olivia when she was born!

Looks a lot like sissy!

Gotta love the first pictures before thier bath!

Lucas definitely has Daddy's feet with long toes!

Family Photos

Our first photo with Baby Lucas, right after delivery!

Mommy and her sweet handsome boy!

Daddy getting some kisses!

Proud Papa!

Nana and grandchild number six!!

Paw Paw and Baby Lucas!

Grandma with number two...soon to be three!