Cox Family Christmas

Saturday, December 11th we celebrated Christmas a little early with Jeremy's family. We were very blessed that everyone was willing to come to Charlotte this year so we didn't have to travel. Adrian and Jen hosted everyone and made an awesome lunch. :)

After lunch we gathered around to exchange gifts. The little kids got to go first. Owen did a great job opening all his gifts..he got quite a haul.
Grandma gave him a new DVD..Jay Jay the Jet Plane.
Our family of 4.
The whole clan
One of our twin nephews..love those chunky cheeks
Our other nephew..always so smiley :)
Everyone got a turn holding a baby....1st Aunt Emily and Uncle Jesse with the twins
Aunt Jen's turn
Last but not least, our cute little elf. Jesse and Emily gave all the boys these cute little hats. This is what Oliver did the entire time.
We had a great time and were so happy that we got to spend time with the ENTIRE family!

Week 1

Oliver's had a busy first week of life! We were blessed to have my mom here with us all week to help out..and boy did we need her seeing how I couldn't drive or pick up more than 10 lbs. :)

Tuesday Oliver went in for his 1st weight check. The doctor and I both agreed that he looked a little yellow and she had us go get his bilirubin levels checked. Due to a miscommunication between her and her nurse, we were sent to the wrong lab who then sent us to the hospital because they couldn't do it there. After trying to find his tiny veins, they gave up and did his heel prick. 3 hours later, we found out his levels were elevated but not high enough to have to do phototherapy. We had to go back on Thursday (to the right lab this time) and had his levels checked again. They came back more in the normal range so that was a blessing.

We've also had trouble nursing this time. Having done it before, I didn't think I needed any help. But after a week of painful nursing, I knew I needed something. I called the lactation specialist and went to visit her on Friday. Evidently Oliver has a really strong suck and he's not opening his mouth enough. Because of his shallow suck, I was being rubbed raw and it was causing me to bleed and crack. The specialist gave me a shield to wear to help me heal. Sadly though I have developed mastitis and am now on an antibiotic for it. Things are better but sometimes Oliver gets lazy and we have to correct him again. Good news though is that he is eating like a champ and was eating double the amount of most kids his age. He is back up to his birth weight!! :)

Owen is showing us a new side this week as well. He is acting out more and throwing more fits. He loves his brother and constantly wants to kiss him. We are working on how to be gentle and not to pick him up.

Because post are better with pictures, here are some from the week:

We attempted our first family picture.
Papa (my dad) enjoyed snuggling with his grandsons last weekend.
Nana and Oliver

Introducing..

James Oliver! He was born Thursday, December 2nd at 10 pm. He was 7 lbs. and 7 oz. and 20 inches long.

In my last post, I told you I started taking pitocin around 1 pm. Well it really didn't do anything! As they checked me through out the day, I wasn't making any progress, hanging out at 4 cm dilated all day long. Around 8 pm the midwife came in with the doctor on call to discuss my labor. I was starting to run a fever and they were afraid that I was getting an infection though I was already on antibotics. They gave me some Tyenol and told me to roll to my other side. We discussed my options and they really thought a c-section was in my near future since my water had been broken for over 24 hours now. They were going to give my body until 10 pm and then we would start the c-section if I didn't make any more progress.

So I followed directions and crazy enough I started feeling more pressure and pain. The nurse called the midwife to come check me at 9:30 and low and behold, I was 10 cm and Oliver's head was already super low. She ran to put on a gown and the nurses frantically got everything ready (they had already prepared everything for a c-section). I pushed maybe 5 times and Oliver was out. It was a fast and easy process! It was so crazy!!

Very First Picture
Meeting Mommy
Getting cleaned up

7 lbs. 7 oz
Pouty little lips
Looking a little rough but excited to have another son
The next morning


The whole experience was so different than Owen's birth. While I spent most of the day in labor with both boys, I could feel my body make progress all day long with Owen. I felt bad for hours before the actual delivery. With Oliver, I felt fine all day (well there was about an hour before the epidural that was kind of bad).

The post delivery experience was TOTALLY different for the boys. Owen spent days in NICU and the pediatric floor then came home with jaundice. After Oliver was born, he got to spend all of his time with us in the room. He nursed well without any assistance, he has been gaining weight, and really only cries when he is wet or hungry. He came home 2 days after he was born and has really just blended in with us.

We feel extremely blessed by this sweet little boy! I have a hard time realizing that we have another son. Owen hasn't quite figured out what's going on. He loves to give him kisses and show everyone who visit that there is the baby. I don't think he quite understands who he is yet. (Ok so I'm bad and realize that we have no pictures of the two boys together! I should get on that.)

Oliver is on the way!

In true Cox fashion, our boys like to arrive before their schedule due date. Last night around 8 was helping Owen brush his teeth when I felt a small trickle start. I went to the bathroom to release that I had lost my mucus plug. Jeremy quickly put Owen to bed and I called the nurses' line. Unlike with Owen, this time it was just a trickle so I wasn't really sure that my water had broken. We decided to wait it out and see what happened. I didn't really have any contractions through out the night so this morning I finally called in again and they said to come on in.

So we've been here at the hospital since about 8 am. They started me on an IV and I got my first dose of antibiotics for the beta strep. Once that finished, I was finally allowed to get some pitocin, which has been going for about an hour now. I'm finally starting to feel something now so I'm hoping that we're making some progress.

Please pray that the delivery will go quickly and Oliver would be healthy. He is considered full term but there is the possibility that his lung could not be full matured. We went through all this with Owen and we're hoping not to have to experience it again. Thank you for your prayers... we hope to update soon!

Full-Term!

We've made it! We have now reached the full-term mark of this pregnancy! This pregnancy has really flown by! I can't believe how close we are to meeting our new little guy. I have been horrible about taking belly pictures this time so enjoy this one. :) Wow, I'm big!

I saw the midwife today and she said everything looks great. My blood pressure was awesome and I have gained a total of 19 lbs. (I actually lost 2 lbs this week, thanks to the 24 hour stomach bug I had on Friday). He is measuring right at 37 weeks and he is constantly dancing and rolling over in my belly. Lindsey (my midwife) did tell me that I tested positive this time for beta strep so I will have to have antibiotics at delivery. She also checked and I am 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and he is in the -2 position. While this isn't much, it is some progress! Owen came 2 weeks early so if his brother follows the same route, we could meet him in a week or so.. so crazy!

Please pray for us as we go into this transition to a family of 4. Pray for Owen, that he would adjust to having a little baby in the house. Pray that he would quickly learn patience and have the ability to share his mommy and daddy . :) Also that he would be gentle with his brother.....no biting, pulling, or hitting. Pray for all of us, that we would be able to sleep a lot in these next few weeks in hope of storing up some extra hours. Pray most of all for a healthy and safe delivery...pray that Oliver would be healthy and strong upon his arrival into the world.

Thanks friends.....we look forward to sharing the exciting news with you very shortly!

Thankful..

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chron. 16:34

This year the Cox family has so much to be thankful for. The Lord has shown His sovereignty, grace, faithfulness, and provision for us in so many ways. We are thankful for:

• a personal relationship with the one true God. Through uncertain times and a fallen world, we have assurance that He is in control and we will get to spend eternity with Him because of His son. We are thankful for the cross and that Jesus gave up His life so that we may live.
• each other. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if it weren't for my 2 boys. They bring me such joy and love! Jeremy is an amazing husband and father; he daily shows me grace and what it means to love unconditionally. I love seeing life through our little guy's eyes. Everything is so fun and new; he can entertain himself with the simplest things in life. He also shows me what it means to put one self aside for another..mostly due to his lack of patience, but I have learned that my desires don't always come first.
  
• our families. Thank you for your love and support!
• our friends near and far. I am especially thankful for Sara and Claire, who were here to hang out with when we first moved here and didn't know anyone else. Sara, thank you for always including me in your little group and calling me when you are headed out somewhere fun. :)
• a healthy pregnancy. In 3 short weeks (or less) we will become a family of 4 with the addition of our new little boy. I'm thankful for the gift of life and that we were able to get pregnant easily this time. I'm thankful for the little (or big) kicks that let me know he growing inside of me.
  
• for Cheryl Price and the Children's Development Agency of Charlotte. We are thankful that they have been so helpful this year in helping us get Owen the services that he needs to succeed. Cheryl has been a true advocate for Owen and gone out of her way to make sure his therapists and services were matching his needs.
  
• my HOME club..this is my moms' group at church. These 20 women have been so welcoming and inviting and have made the transition to Charlotte so much easier. I'm thankful for all the playdates, calls, and emails.
  
• our small group...we missed having a small group when we lived in RM. It's so nice to have a consistent group to share life with on a weekly basis.
  
• Jeremy's job.....thankful that he is doing something that he loves (and that it pays more).
  
• that I get to stay home with Owen. Though we make sacrifices for it, I'm thankful that I get to experience every day with him.

There are so many more things but the list would go on forever. We truly have a lot to be thankful for and I pray that we never forget how blessed we really are. I hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving!

Owen's Baby Book

A friend of mine, Leah, sent me a coupon for FREE photo book from Shutterfly. I have been wanting to compile all of Owen's monthly photos to make a baby book sort of thing for a while now. This coupon was a great excuse to finally make it! While it did take me a while, I am really pleased with the results and can't wait to receive the final product in the mail next week. For now, I hope you enjoy seeing the last 24 months of Owen. He's gotten so big!

Click here to view this photo book larger