A new way to update...

Well, I have had little time to update my blog and any time on the computer that I do have I spend *catching up* on our yearly family album. I thought of an idea today to post a link to my family album when I update each month and it would give an overview of what we did that month. Here is our January-October (if this works). It won't have as much written detail, but it will have plenty of pictures to give an idea of what our month looked like. For now, this will work. And if I have more time to go into detailed posts, I'll do that too! :) I still have a few pages I'm not done with in between and the words are hard to read when you view it this way, but it will do. :)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AbOGzhq5ZNHKQ

A quick update since I'm posting!

Sterling is 6 months old and is growing like a weed! I can't believe how fast he is growing and how old he is looking. My little baby is looking so old! It's bittersweet. He and Jace have such a sweet bond forming. It is so sweet to watch Jace bring Sterling toys when Sterling starts to cry and to try to make him laugh. And Sterling always has smiles for Jace. It's unreal.

I do a lot of updating on Sterling since he's the newest and so much is changing with him. But Jace is growing so fast too. He has always talked well for his age, so the things he is starting to say just cracks me up. He has such a sense of humor and I don't understand how he knows to talk certain ways at such a young age (he uses accents all the time when he makes jokes). He has a bold personality and it couldn't be more different than mine. He has no fear, is very out going, says hi to anyone he passes, and his imagination is through the roof. He played with 3 popsicle sticks that he pretended were the characters of a Disney show called PJ Masks for weeks... and is still playing with them. Everything can become anything in his mind. While it has been so much fun watching him grow and take on his own personality, it has also been a challenge. He is boisterous and strong willed and it has really kept Matt and I on our parenting toes to discipline well. But over all, he is a joy and we love him so much. He's a little clown full of energy and he always has something to say.

Sterling is up to 17 pounds now. I have now noticed a trend with my kids. They start off on the *smaller* side and by 6 months get closer to the 50th percentile. Jace surpassed it by 7 months and I have a feeling Sterling will too. He still doesn't like food much. We have tried butternut squash and carrots so far. I am in no rush though. We will keep trying. He is still nursing and I have to supplement during the day as well. My goal is to hit 7 months and I will re-evaluate it all come that time. He still wakes at night 1-2 times. He went through a rough patch for a couple months of being up a lot at night. He slept better as a newborn at that point. But that's okay. He is starting to outgrow it and do better again. Still no teeth, but man this kid drools like a running faucet. Jace was not a drooler so this is new for me. Holy cow. He better pop a mouth full of teeth within a week with all the drool he dribbles. :) He is attached to his puppy blanket/animal and sleeps with is every nap and at night time. He also loves a chewy giraffe toy and will play with that all day. He started scooching a bit yesterday and we are working on sitting. He does pretty well but topples if he leans forward too far. He LOVES his door jumper and squeals when jumping. He loves to be held still and is such a cuddle bug. He is usually a pretty happy baby and I have had so many comments about what a happy, chill, easy going baby he is. And for the most part, that is true. He loves to be out of the house and take in new scenery. If he is cranky in the afternoon, I will pack the boys up and run errands. Instantly happy with that. He loves being worn, so it makes outings a lot easier.

I just love being a momma to my two boys. I've really been reminding myself that to love well means to be consistent in discipline. And if I'm going to shepherd their hearts well I need to be shepherding mine well first and foremost. I can't play leap frog over my heart to shepherd theirs. This is such a busy crazy stage of life and I'm loving it.

A few of our Christmas Card pictures! My brother-in-law took a few for us! Jace is in a stage of not wanting to smile for the camera... oh boy. We were happy with what we could get.

1 Month, 2 Months, oh my!

So I'm way too behind to go through each month separately, so I'm combining the first couple months of Sterling's life into one big blog post.

This little guy is such a sweetie. He has been an amazing sleeper over all, eats well, and just LOVES to cuddle. Like his big brother, he has reflux and is likely allergic to dairy, which causes bouts of fussiness at times, but that's to be expected. He is nothing like Jace who screamed for hours on end, so we are thankful. Even if he is fussy, if he is being held, he is happy and easily calmed.

 1 month young!

9#6oz.

21.2 inches

 swimming for the first time

 our first 4th of July

 Meeting second cousin, Fox, who is 2.5 weeks older than he is.

 We were preggo buddies, due 7 days apart.

 Sterling went to the cabin for the first time and met his Omi and Opa.

 first cow appreciation day at ChicFile

Sterling is 2 months old!

11#7oz (at 2months and 9 days)

22.8 inches

 first bath with brother

 started smiling around 7 weeks

some pics are out of order but i am typing this one handed, bouncing sterling on my lap so this is as good as it gets. ;)

Sterling is such a sweet baby. We love him so much and the transition to 2 has been so much easier than i had expected. sterling is getting feisty so time to end this post that had no organization and was everywhere. :)

Pics from the OR

Here are some of the pics that Matt took from the OR.

Cue ugly cry! :) I sobbed like a little baby, especially when I saw him for the first time.

 9:28 AM

This is the closest you get to holding your baby while you have a section, but I wouldn't trade this moment for anything.

 First picture of us with our precious boy!

Sterling Davis Has Arrived… 3 months ago. Oops!

Well, life has been busy to say the least. I couldn't remember the password to my log-in (sorry no replies to those who have blogs… that's why i haven't been responding), didn't have a chance to get my pictures from my phone to my computer, and haven't had a lot of time to get on the computer lately. But, here I am! Here are some pics of his first month!

BABY BOY PAGEL ARRIVED on June 3rd at 9:28 AM! Here is his birth story that I wrote for our family scrapbook:

My desire from the start was to have a VBAC with Sterling. I truly believed that I would go into labor easily and be given the chance to attempt the VBAC. I knew the odds of a repeat c-section were still high, even if I did get to try, but I still wanted to be able to attempt a natural birth. However, God had different plans for us. Despite doing everything possible to naturally induce labor, nothing worked. I even post-poned my c-section from June 1^st to June 3^rd, hoping the extra couple days would give me a better chance of going into labor. Matt and I had prayed from the beginning of the pregnancy for God’s protection over baby’s delivery, whether c-section or VBAC. Both have their risks. I prayed that whatever we faced, we would have a peace about it and see it as God’s answer to our months of prayer. So when June 3^rd came, we saw it as God closing the door to our VBAC.

The night of June 2^nd, I barely slept. I was so nervous and excited—nervous for the c-section, but excited to meet Sterling. I got out of bed at 5:00 AM and showered, curled my hair, and did my make-up. I figured if I was going to be in the hospital recovering for a few days, I might as well have my hair done. Kerry came over to watch Jace at 6:30 so we could head to the hospital. We got there at 7, and once we were checked in, we were sent to triage where I was hooked up to a couple IVs, signed consent forms, and waited for the 9:00 hour to come when our c-section was scheduled for. Once it arrived, and all of the doctors were there (3 doctors who worked on me, 2 anesthesiologists, and 2 nurses for the baby), I was taken to the OR where I was given a spinal block and I was surprised that it  didn’t really hurt much at all. Matt wasn’t in the room for that, which he appreciated. Once I was prepped for the c-section, Matt came into the room. This c-section was different then my first with Jace in that I felt more of it then I would have liked. But a short time later, out came baby Sterling, crying! I didn’t think I would be emotional as I didn’t cry when Jace was born. However, as soon as I heard Sterling cry, I sobbed like a baby. And I couldn’t stop. He was the answer to so many months of prayer! After they gave me a quick look at baby, they took him to get cleaned up. They had to suction him a bit and give him some oxygen because he was a little purple. But he pinked up pretty quickly. Sterling Davis was born at 9:28 AM weighing 8 pounds and 6 ounces, and was 19 and ¼ inches long. We got a couple of pictures and then Matt and Sterling were taken to the recovery room while I was stitched up (that took an extra 30 minutes). Once in the recovery room I was able to nurse him and do some skin-to-skin. He was so precious. We stayed 3 nights at the hospital, and within the first day, Sterling pooped 8 times and went down to 7 pounds 15 ounces. I tried walking the halls the first night because I know that’s good for my recovery, but every time I stood up I would throw up. So I couldn’t walk until the next morning. Our stay went so well and the nurses were amazing. Sterling was healthy the entire time (no jaundice, low blood sugar, etc) and he slept and ate very well. By the time we left the hospital, he weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces. I was nervous to come home because I remembered our first nights with Jace very well—lots of crying and no sleep. Sterling is the complete opposite. I had to wake him up in order to eat and he sleeps like a champ. He is such a chill baby. Matt and I feel so blessed! We love him so much and are so excited to have another son to raise. God has been so gracious to us in answering our prayer for another baby, to allow a smooth pregnancy, to grant us a safe delivery, and to give us such a sweet baby boy. We are in love.

Morning of the C-Section! Last bump-pic!

Matt has all the pictures of Sterling from the OR room on his phone. So no first pics to post quite yet. He got a picture of me seeing him for the first time… Cue Ugly cry! Oh man it's a hilarious picture! I'll post it when I get it to my computer. :) 

But here he is! 

 Jace seeing him for the first time!

 They have a little garden area outside of the Maternity Ward at my hospital. So I walked Sterling outside a couple times when I walked the halls for recovery purposes.

Coming home!

I tried taking a couple newborn pics of Sterling… this was one of the only good ones I got. haha.

First day a church for Sterling! (My hair is strategically placed… let's just say that's the last time I leave the house without nursing pads…)

Jace wanted to tickle Sterling's feet. 

Jace wanted to help give Sterling his blanket. I died laughing. He tries so hard to be a big help.

 Suns out, guns out! Tank tops on babies are just too cute!

 Matt on the left. Sterling on the right. I think there are some big similarities. Everyone I see says that Sterling is Matt's mini-me. I have to agree. I don't see much of me in him. 

Well, the first month of Sterling's life flew by. I am so blessed to have 2 boys that I love so incredibly much. God has been so so kind to Matt and I to bless us with another child. He is everything I could have prayed for and more. It's amazing to look back and to see the struggle it was for me in trying to get pregnant for a year without success. Those times were so hard. But looking back, that time was so crucial for my spiritual growth, dependence upon God, and for drawing me closer to Him. I wouldn't trade it. It was perfectly designed by God for MY good and ultimately HIS glory. In the recovery room we stopped and prayed to thank God for His blessing of another son. He is good.