Evie - 2 Months Old

Evie is 2 months old, I cannot believe it! And Sunday night she slept through the night. I fed her at 11pm and she did not stir until 6:20 this morning. Praise the Lord! The truth is, she has been a good little sleeper from the start. She usually only wakes once a night to eat and this was actually the third or fourth night she has slept through, though not consecutively. I remember with Eason, hitting the once-a-night-waking was a major milestone. I remember thinking, ok we can make it through this.

Thank you Lord for such a good sleeping baby!

At two months, Evie is cooing and grinning up a storm. She especially loves making eyes at her daddy and her big brother. And Eason is quite enamored with her as well. For the most part he either is very compassionate towards her (gently placing her pacie in her mouth when she is crying) or simply ignores her altogether (just marches along in his own world).

Evie has started smacking on her fist some.  One day Eason heard it and asked what that noise was.  I told him Evie was sucking on her fist.  A little later, she lost her fist and seemed to get fussy.  So, Eason gently placed his fist in her mouth for her to suck on.  It was very thoughtful.

Her two month checkup is Friday and I cannot wait to discover her stats (weight, length, etc), although I could wait on the shots part. No fun.

She slept through the night again Monday night, Praise the Lord!

Monday, never boring

As I was getting my things ready to go this morning, Evie was sleeping so soundly in her car seat

and Eason was walking around drinking his milk. I loaded up my arms with by briefcase, my breastpump, my jacket, etc and took a step out to the garage when Eason announced, "I'm going to wake her up." "No, you are not," I said. "Yes, I am," came his reply, and then he stuck his face in her car seat close to hers and yelled, "HOOOOOONNNKK!"

Well, Evie woke up terrified and screaming as Eason giggled. This was the harshest he has been to his baby sister, but I do not think he realized really what he had done. I dropped all of my things and walked back to him. (a rather weak spanking ensued) But I explained that a harder spanking would come if he did that again. I told him that he had scared her, and that as her big brother his job was to protect her, not scare her. He finally began to realize that he had made her cry and so... then... he began to cry. Ah, life with two. :)

Eason told her he was sorry and I tried to get him to kiss her forehead, but he only weepily replied, "no, I don't want to." Instead, he followed my instruction to gently place her pacie in her mouth. He tried, but poor Evie was too upset to take it. Oh well. In the car we go to drive to grandmomma's. It was a rather quiet ride, other than Evie's pitiful whimpers. Usually, Eason and I have a nice chat the few blocks to gradmomma's, but not today. When we arrived at grandmomma's, I got Evie out and passed her on to grandmomma, then walked around to Eason's side.

I opened his door and Eason asks, "Mommy, do you have a 'gina?"

"Excuse me," I replied, hoping that I had heard him wrong.

To no avail, Eason repeats his question, "do you have a 'gina?"

"Yes baby, I have a 'gina."

Eason, "Does grandmomma have a 'gina?"

"Yes baby, grandmomma has a 'gina."

Thankfully, that ended the questioning.

Last week (as posted earlier), Eason revealed that he had learned that he has a penis and asked me whether I had one. Upon telling this story, a friend asked me whether I explained to him what I had. Since, he had not asked, I had not. That afternoon, when I picked the kiddos up, I asked his grandmomma, "have you and Eason been having anatomy lessons?" Momma B rather sheepishly grinned and said, "I think I know where this is going." I told her of that mornings conversation and she reminded me that she had taught sex ed when she was a sixth grade teacher.

No problem, I suppose it is best for him to know the proper terms. Warren and I just laugh, because at his age he has no governor to know when to say these things. I am just waiting for when we are out to eat and as the waiter approaches the table, to hear our child ask, "Mommy, does he have a penis?"

My child is the kid in the movie Kindergarten Cop, "boys have a penis and girls have a vagina."

Evie's Birthday

Monday, March 30

4:45 AM Called the hospital to ensure they had a bed for us.
6:20AM Arrived at the hospital.
7:00AM Pitocin started to induce (Dr. Salley had left instructions for the nurses to begin my pitocin & not to wait on the doctor)
8:00AM Dr. Guidice broke my water.
9:00AM Epidural administered.
2:35ishPM Began pushing.
3:14PM Evelyn Elizabeth Bazemore was born,

weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounzes

21 1/2 inches long (same length as Eason)

full head of dark hair

Labor was amazing. NO, I repeat no pain. Prior to the epidural I merely felt some pressure. That's it. PRAISE THE LORD!!! In fact, during labor Warren, my mom and our nurse, Winter, were cracking so many jokes that we were all laughing histerically. It was quite surreal. Winter commented that she often couldn't tell from my monitor whether I was having a contraction or simply laughing hard.

Of course, I was not allowed to have anything to eat from the night before until after labor. So, by lunch time I was a little hungry. No big deal. I made a comment that I would love some starbucks. Soon after that, Dr. Guidice stopped in to check on my progress, carrying a Starbucks in his hand. I told him that was cruel, as I drooled over the thought of a grande, 1/2 caf, nonfat, white choc mocha, no whip.

Labor with Evie was an amazing experience. With Eason I was so out of it from having contractions all night long, getting dosed with nubane prior to my epidural, and then pushing for 2+ hours that I don't really remember much of what was happening or happened. With Evie, I didn't have pain, but I could feel the pressure of her being born. And I cannot even put into words the rush of emotion and the wonderment of seeing her lifted up by the doctor upon her entry into this world. To say it was beautiful and overwhelming is only a start. What a miracle! What a precious gift from an amazing God!!!

When Evie finally came out Dr. Guidice (no longer with the starbucks) caught her and proclaimed, "I think she's a nine-pounder." And she was close to it. Thank you Lord for a painless labor. Thank you Lord for a healthy baby. Thank you Lord for the gift, blessing and honor of being a mommy to two fearfully & wonderfully made children.

"Behold, children are a blessing from the Lord!"

Psalm 127:3

Here are some happy grandparents...

"The one thing in life that is not overrated is grandchildren"

Ed Pendarvis, Granddaddy of 7

Week 40

So, my doctor's appointment for week 40 rolled around on March 27th, and I was and had been all ready for the doc to tell me we could just go across the street and check in to the hospital. Instead, Dr. Salley told me I was, you guessed it, 2 cm & 80% effaced. Seriously, that's been my stat for a month now. He suggested inducing the next week and encouraged me that it shouldn't be badsince my cervix was already ripe for delivery. I really did not want to be induced, but to have labor progress naturally. We didn't want to go Friday, since those are kinda crazy days. Wednesday was April 1st, and I was not going to choose to have my baby on April Fool's Day. So, we went with Thursday to give as much time for her to come on her own. I was supposed to go back to work after my doc's appointment, but I was so disappointed that I decided to take the day off.

As the weekend progressed, I grew more uncomfortable. After prayer an many discussions, on why I was so opposed to inducing. (Basically, I had heard horror stories about painful & long labors b/c of inducing.) We decided to call Dr. Salley, who was on call over the weekend and see if the hospital had availability to take us earlier in the week. Dr. Salley offered Tuesday, since he was delivering that day, but I said, "anyway we can do Monday?" He called right back and said we were all set. Can I just reiterate again how wonderful this doctor's practice is, from support staff to nurses to doctors. I am so thankful for them all.

We let the family know we were gonna meet Evie the next day and Mark brought my mom up so she could be with us for the delivery. Unfortunately Mark couldn't get off that day, so he had to go back to Charleston. It is really weird after wondering each day, if this was the day she would come, to all of a sudden know the day Evie would be born.

38 Weeks

So, two days later, Warren and I went back in to the docotr's office for my 38 week check. I had had 1 or 2 braxton-hicks contractions the past weekend, but no real activity to speak of. The result, still at 2 cm and maybe about 75-80% effaced. Let me tell you, I am ready to meet this little lady. I am trying to maintain a positive outlook, but am getting quite uncomfortable. I forgot to mention that at the 37 week appointment, I asked the doctor, "has she dropped?" His response, "oh yeah, she's dropped."

Her head is in the downward position and she is at about -1 station [+5 is crowning]. So here we are, just waiting. Praise the Lord everything is looking good though, we are so blessed!

37 & 1/2 Weeks

Warren had to return to MB Wed. AM and I felt "funny" all day. I don't really know how to describe it, but I felt almost a little lightheaded and had some weird downward sensations and my lower back was aching. So, I called the doctor's office. Have I mentioned how much better this ob/gyn practice is than the one I went to with Eason?

When I was pregnant with Eason, I called in one time after hours because I was afraid I was leaking amniotic fluid. The oncall doc made me feel like an absolute idiot and dismissed my fears as foolish. I called my stepdad, who is an amazing doctor with a very kind bedside manner, and expressed my fears to him. He said that when he practiced Ob and had a woman call in with concerns such as mine he would allow the patient to be admitted and checked on to assuage her concerns and fears. So, I called that snooty doc back and told him that I would like to be admitted to the hospital and checked out. He was hesitant, but complied. Now, as a first time pregnant lady I was reading up on anything about pregnancy and had essentially self-diagnosed myself as leaking amniotic fluid. Warren, who had been home everynight during that pregnancy was conducting interviews for the insurance company that he worked for in the upstate. Since he had to be there early the next AM, he was going to spend the night up there. We were several weeks away from our due date, but I was feelin' weird and he came home to take me to the hospital. What a sweet and precious man the Lord has given me.

When we arrived at the hospital a young nurse helped me change into a gown to set me up on the monitors. As she was helping me change, she noted that I was wearing a Young Life t-shirt. She remarked about being invoved with YL in college. It was nice to know I was being taken care of by a fellow sister in Christ. As she began helping me into the bed I asked for Warren to hand me my water bottle. The water bottle I used was a Silers Bald (SB) bottle from their debut of Thirst. As Warren handed me the bottle the young nurse noted the SB on it and, recognizing yet another thing we had in common, began to say, "don't tell me you're a Silers Bald fan too?!" Up to this point, she had not really noticed Warren and he was still wearing a suit from having conducted interviews all day, so he was not looking like band-Bazemore, but rather like business-Bazemore. However, as he handed me the bottle, she began her remarks and then...it clicked - standing before her was the Warren Bazemore of Silers Bald.

The nurse's comment "don't tell me you're a Silers Bald fan too?!" trailed off into rising decibles of "oh my god, oh my God, OH MY GOD...I hope you are ruptured" [which translates into, I hope your water has broken so I can be your nurse]. It was hilarious and awesome. I always enjoy running into fellow SB fans that appreciate my husband and the talents the Lord has given him. Turns out that she graduated from Clemson and was a huge SB fan. It was later determined that I was not leaking amniotic fluid and we were discharged to go home and wait several more weeks for Eason's arrival, but it sure made for an memorable experience. While that nurse and the hospital staff were great, the doctor's practice left much to be desired.

This new practice is wonderful though! And when I called in with concerns, they not only did not dismiss me, but also invited me to come in and get checked to assuage my fears. I took some tylenol first and put my feet up, but by that afternoon I was still unsure and decided to go in for a check. I arrived around 4:10 and the ob side was already shut down for the day, with the exception of the ob nurse, Sharon. She was so sweet and precious to me, she is invaluable to that practice! I said, "I'll just go home, I'm sure I'm fine," as I was starting to feel very silly for coming in. She refused, "Now honey, you came in and we are gonna take care of you, let me put you in one of the rooms and I'll get a doctor to come and check on you." Then she smiled and said, "I bet you're nervous cause hubby is so far away." She totally hit the nail on the head. With Warren in MB, he needs at least 2.5 hours to get to me and I keep hearing stories of labors going really fast. So, I am trying to stay tuned to the first sign of labor to get him on the road.

Well, the same doctor checked me that I had seen the Friday before, and he and his assistant were so sweet. They did not make me feel like a silly girl and as it turned out nothing had really changed. But the doctor remarked that I probably was feeling funny and that was probably because my body was getting ready for me to have the baby in the next week or so. I so appreciated their time, compassion and not dismissing my fears. I had my next appointment set for Friday and instead of telling me, "no need to come back." The doctor said, "Yeah c'mom back in on Friday and we'll check you again." I am sure knowing, that at this stage of pregnancy, women want as many updates as possible.

Li'l sisser.

Well, there it is. Warren and I went in for my 20 week doctor's visit and ultrasound and were pleased to discover that the li'l baby that's been doing cartwheels in my belly is a GIRL! It's kind of funny, because with Eason, we had a boy name picked out, but no girl name; and this time around we had a girl name, but no boy name. Here is a picture of...

Evelyn Elizabeth Bazemore

a.k.a. Evie (pronounced E-V)

Evelyn is Warren's mom's first name. Elizabeth is for my sister, both mine & Warren's grandmothers (including my Mom's mom who I and my sister are named for "Sara Elizabeth"), 2 of Warren's aunts, etc.

I had been open to whichever the Lord would bless us with...I mean, I have so much fun with the little man that we already have, that I would love another boy, but there's something neat about having one [at least] of each. As of late, we were thinking it was probably a girl, and everyone else was thinking that too, so I was kind of getting my hopes up for a girl, not to mention the whole name thing. Well, walking back to the car after the Carolina game Saturday, Warren, Eason, lil baby and I ran in to our dear friend Adrian Dupres. Adrian was one of our college pastors and discipled Warren for a while, and now is the chaplain for the Gamecock football team. We walked together and caught up and when we parted ways Adrian (in true Adrian form) bear hugged all 4 of us [we Bazemores are but grasshoppers in his sight] and prayed for us. It was so special, BUT he prayed for the little "boy" in my belly. So, then I was sure that it was probably a boy. But, nope, the pictures confirm that we have a beautiful little girl being knit together in my womb. Praise the LORD!

Warren said, that my response to being told the gender of this baby was the same I had for Eason. Both times I exclaimed, "YESSSS! Thank you God!" and cried.

The ultrasound went great, Evie seems to be developing just as she should be. It is so neat what all you can see and our tech was great about explaining it all to us. We saw all 4 chamber of her little heart beating [something, I remembered enjoying baout Eason's 20 week ultrasound], and she even opened and closed her mouth. Her ankles were crossed, like Eason's during his 20 week ultrasound. She also had her thighs clenched tightly together, making it difficult for the tech to get what she referred to as the "refrigerator shot" of her girl parts. I was very please that we have such a modest little lady. Wow, I am super excited!

Eason is excited as well. He now points to my belly and says, "Li'l sisser."
A few weeks ago, I started to explain to him that after the lil baby grows some more in Mommy's belly, the lil baby would come out. He appeared rather shocked at first and inquired, "lil baby come ouuut?" But now our regular conversation goes like this:

Sara: "Eason, who's in Mommy's belly?"
Eason: "Lil sister! " pause "Lil sister, come out?"

Sara: "Yes, after she grows some more. When she comes out what will that make you?"

Eason: "Big brodder!"

Warren & I would then reply, "and you're going to be the best big brother ever." So, now when I ask him, "When lil sister comes out what will that make you?"

Eason proudly proclaims: "Best big brodder ever!"

And Eason, you will be the best big brother ever. Evie will be so blessed to have you help her grow up! I love you both!