Month ONE...

She's already ONE month new!!

We love you so much Finnie Foo-Foo!!

Self Portrait...

Easton LOVES taking pictures with my camera. His favorite things to photograph are his toys. His second favorite thing is photographing himself. This one is from today...I love everything about it. His goofy personality is shining through...he is my child!!

The Many Faces of Finley...

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

At Finley's first doctor's appointment we were told that something abnormal came back on her newborn screening test. My heart instantly sank. Thankfully after additional testing we were told yesterday that the results came back normal. It was a great sigh of relief. There are things that are not perfect in our life at this very moment but I feel so so so so very thankful, grateful and blessed to be the mama of not one but two beautiful, HEALTHY, perfect little people. As long as we have them all is right with the world :)

Happy Father's Day...

Don't be jealous...

But...We know Batman.

Bye-Bye Bellies, Hello Babies...

The picture on the left was taken on Memorial Day. Less than 12 hours later I would give birth to the baby girl I've always wanted...Finley Claire. Fast forward three days later and Jamie would deliver a beautiful baby boy...Holden Ryne.

It seems like just yesterday I got a text late one night from Jamie asking if I was awake. I instantly knew this meant she was pregnant too!! Having a fellow pregnant buddy was beyond fun this time around. We could whine about feeling nauseous, tired and such during our first trimester. Compared those early ultrasounds. Laughed about the "tool" they use for those early ultrasounds. As our bellies grew we compared how and where are bodies were changing. We laughed about the cute things our kids thought about the babies on board. We ate ALOT of lunches together and even more ice cream together.

Literally we were walking cliches for

pregnancy when it came to food...

Extra cheese? Yep!

Chocolate dipped cone? Obviously!

Are you hungry again too? Assume the answer is always yes!

We were both over the moon when we found out it was a boy for them and a girl for us (just what we'd been wishing for!) Jamie & I even took our hubbies and registered for cute baby gear together (which was then followed by a tasty steak dinner...naturally.) As the weather warmed up we both threw caution to the wind and put on our bikinis (rockin' it big belly style, as Jamie referred to it) and laid out by the pool with the kids...this led to many laughs about the oddities are belly buttons were shaping into...although I think I won that contest, seriously it was FREAKY looking and really poked out when I laughed. This only made us laugh more. Even more when Easton said our bellies were, "Gigantic!" We shared countless text messages when we weren't together about how the other was feeling and when we thought the big event was coming. We celebrated the babies with two super cute showers.

We hung out until we literally went into labor.

Jamie...I just want to say a great big thanks for making this pregnancy so much fun! I appreciate all the times you listened when I complained about morning sickness, not fitting into my clothes, contractions, our mutal fear of the epidural needle (who knew that should have been the least of my worries this time!). It was so cool comparing notes after doctors' visits and laughing about the "glamorous" gifts that pregnancy brings. I couldn't have picked a better girl to share 40 weeks (give or take) with! :) Love you to pieces! Can't wait to see our kids play and grow together!

"Do the roar!!"

Boppy...

One of many uses for the boppy pillow.

Crazy Love...

I can hear her heartbeat for a thousand miles

And the heavens open up everytime she smiles...

She gives me love love love love crazy love

She gives me love love love love crazy love

Love love love love crazy love

She gives me love love love love crazy love

Yes I need her in the daytime

oh but I need her in the night

Yes I want to throw my arms around her

Kiss and hug

Kiss and hug her tight

And when I'm returning from so far away

She gives me some sweet lovin

Brighten up my day

Yes it makes me righteous

It makes me feel whole

And it makes me mellow down to my soul

She gives me love love love love crazy love

She gives me love love love love crazy love

The New Arrival...

The story begins...

Matt thought we needed to document me while I was in agony.

Finley Claire

June 1st, 4:14am

7lbs 15oz

21 inches

Love at first sight.

xoxo

A brand new love.

The Wagoner Four.

My two babes' first meeting.

Easton is in love with his sister.

He counted all her fingers and toes. And kissed her all over.

He's a natural at being a big brother.

Daddy and his sweet girl.

Couldn't be any prouder!!

The three loves of my life.

Our world is complete.

So it started out like any other Memorial Day...

We took Easton to see Shrek 4 and then headed over to the Goebel's for a bar-b-que. I had been having mild-ish contractions on and off throughout the day but nothing consistent. We finished dinner and watched the kids put on a show to "Ice, Ice Baby" (HA-HA-larious).

Before you read the rest of this story please know I think it's quite funny now, at the time not so much, so please feel free to laugh at my pain...we have :)....

After getting home and getting Easton put to bed, the contractions were coming a little closer and quite strong and mostly in my back. Probably a sign that we should have headed to the hospital BUT instead I just wanted to go to bed and pretend everything was fine...This baby could come when I was ready and I just didn't feel ready. I had a 2:00pm doctor's appointment the next day, she could check me then. After my feeble attempt to sleep and Matt's insistence, I hopped into a quick shower and then headed for the hospital. We checked in around 2:30 am. The nurse told me I was dialated between 5 & 6 centimeters. Awesome!! I was already halfway there!! Now I could sit back and wait for the pure bliss of the epidural to come and ease my RAPIDLY increasing pain. I thought the pain I felt when I was in labor with Easton was intense at 4cm...that was like a tickle compared to the intensity these puppies were coming with. They moved us to a labor & delivery room, got my i.v. going and the nurse said as soon as it ran through one bag of fluid I could have the glorious drugs. This is when things started to really get crazy...

I started to feel a strong urge to push. Can't be! That's too fast. Apparently the nurse thought so too, but upon checking me I was dialated to a 7!!! She tells me not to push and to "just breathe"...I tell her if she wants me not to push and to "just breathe" she should probably bring the epidural... But the bag of fluid wasn't finished so that couldn't happen yet. DAMN! Why didn't Matt carry a Swiss Army knife so he could poke a hole in the bag and get this party started?? It seems like only 5 minutes have passed and this time there is no denying it, I NEED TO PUSH!!!! Panic strikes the nurse's face...checks me again, "You're an 8!!" She again gives me the whole don't push, you need to breathe speil...which translates to me as , "Blah, blah, blah." I again insist, in between what feels to me as my back breaking and an urge to push that is beyond my control at this point, tearfully asking, no BEGGING, for her to get the drugs. My very sweet husband is trying to get me to calm down and get through each insane contraction. My mom arrives and tells me, "You look so pretty." I have since apologized but at the time I told her something along the lines of, "Shut up!!!" FYI: I don't like to be complimented while I'm in pain. I'm going to save myself some dignity and just say that I was very vocal (something between a scream, a wail and a cry) during this labor. I'm clearly not having fun yet and ask again, "When do I get the epidural??" I'm dialated to a 9 now...I need this pain to stop...why aren't you helping me....why does it look like the nurse is hiding behind Matt...and then she tells me, "If I tell you, you can't have the epidural, you have to squeeze your husband's hand and just breathe." Um, lady that's what I've been doing and I don't know if you've noticed but THAT'S NOT WORKING!!!! I ask again, "So you can't do ANYTHING to help take the edge off at least?!" ....I look at Matt and announce that I can't do this. Now, obviously I know women have had and are having babies everyday without drugs...I never planned to be one of those women. I was not prepared to do this, I can't do this. In a feeble attempt to make me feel better the nurse says, "Even if we tried to get you the epidural now, if you sat up to do it the baby could be born and the doctor is not here yet." NOT HELPNG. At this point the doctor arrives, sits down and checks me and says, "That's a good size baby." AGAIN NOT HELPING...Panic strikes, I have to do this without drugs AND she's BIG!! Heaven help me....the pushing begins, despite my cries that I can't do it. It seems like I've been pushing for an eternity (7 minutes, lol) and that I just can't take anymore, when the doc says, "You're 90% there." To which I feel the tiniest shimmer of hope, "Does that mean I only have 10% to go??!!" I've never been good at math. Matt tells me, "You CAN do this, you're ALREADY doing it!!" A couple of hulk sized pushes and I feel her head come out followed by her little body. We hear her little cry, they hand this little miracle to me...I did it. We did it. At 4:14am, (only an hour & 45 minutes after checking into the hospital) the lovely Finley Claire was born!!!

I could not have gotten through it without the patience and support of those around me. My mom was awesome with trying to keep me cool with cold washcloths and being so brave to not cry while watching me cry. Matt was amazing. He kept his cool and stood strong while I was falling apart and helped cheer me on even when I didn't want to hear it. They are much braver than I to be able to be there for me even though I know it was so hard watch someone they love going thru so much pain and not be able to stop it.

There is no denying that I would do it all again in a heartbeat to have this beautiful, healthy, perfect little girl in our life.