labor story (and then some)

I can't believe I never wrote down my labor story this time around! I guess that's one of the differences between #1 and #2... less time to reflect on labor, more "labor" when you get home! I'm figuring out why no one's written a book about having a second baby. It's hard to find the time to really capture the changes and the emotions and the new frantic normal in words. ANYWAY... here's the birth story!

We decided in advance to set an induction date (my due date was the 6th, we set a date for the 1st if he hadn't come out on his own by then), which I wrote a post about before. So we went into the hospital the night before (a Wednesday night). The labor and delivery floor was packed and we actually had to spend the night in an outpatient room, but we got moved into the nicest (HUGE) labor room early the next morning so it was no biggie. That night I was already between 1 and 2 cm dilated and about 75% effaced. They gave me Cervadil, which started some small contractions in the middle of the night but we were able to get a pretty decent night's rest. They moved us into our new room at about 6 am and started me on Pitocin at 7. I wanted to try and go as long as I could without medication but had no set "birth plan" this time around. Contractions started picking up pretty quickly and I felt like I was managing the pain pretty well at first. Sometime around 11:30 or 12 the pain got suddenly very intense. The only position I was comfortable in was standing holding onto the arms of the rocking chair basically bent in half and my legs were literally shaking. If I tried to lie down or sit I felt like I was going to rip in half (nice, I know). So I decided to ask for the epidural. My doctor came in as I was getting it at about 12:30 and said he "liked how I was sounding" and would stick around to check me after I got it. When he came back about 15 minutes later, I was at 8 cm! No wonder it had gotten so intense! Almost as soon as he left, I told the nurse I was feeling a lot of pressure. The epidural had just started to take, so I still had some feeling and control of my legs. She checked me again and said I might already be ready to push so she would go find Dr. Goggin. I got more and more uncomfortable waiting for him to come back and got my mom to get a nurse so I could start pushing. I pushed for about 30 minutes (the doctor showed up about 15 minutes in) and still could feel PLENTY. Lawton started crowning and my doctor was able to pretty much push on me rather than me pushing to help guide him out. A little after 2pm, Lawton (Joseph Lawton Caldwell the FIFTH) was born at 7 pounds, 13 ounces (and ounce smaller than Laine). No tearing, no stitches, and so much less exhausted... I actually felt great! And he's been such a good baby... so far! Laine has been an absolute rock star of a big sister... she LOVES the baby and hasn't been jealous at all. Although she does want me to hold her a lot more often whenever her daddy gets home and my arms/lap are free!

To respond to some of your other prompts, Emily...

1. Potty training: We haven't really started yet. We got a "potty" and she has used it a few times, but haven't been pushing it yet. We tried a few days of wearing panties in the afternoon before Lawton was born but I don't think she was quite ready for it. She didn't seem to be aware of the need to go or very bothered by having accidents. So we're just kind of waiting til she seems more aware... I will probably start encouraging her to sit on the potty more often again soon.

2. Big girl/boy bed: SO not an issue. We talked about it a few days before hand and got the Elmo book "Big Enough for a Bed" which we read a couple times and then just went for it. I thought she would just sleep there at night for a few days, but she seemed to have so little problem with it that we started naps in bed the next day and she was fine. She still doesn't get out of bed on her own in the mornings or after naps - she waits for me to come get her, even though she can get in and out on her own no problem. She's been sleeping in her bed for about 4 months now and we have loved it. It's a day bed with a rail on the open side, which I think helps since it is enclosed.

Posts I want to see...

Hello ladies!

I hope you are all doing well. Greer, still waiting on Lawson's labor post! :-D

As our kids are reaching 'transition stages' (this is my name for them), I was thinking there were a couple of different posts I love to read from y'all.

First: if you are potty training or thinking about potty training, or have potty trained already, I would love to hear how you did it, what worked, what didn't work, how you rewarded, etc.

Second: if you have transitioned to a big girl/boy bed, how did that go and how did you do it. And I'd love to see pictures of the new rooms or beds!

We are doing well. Molly was sick from Sat-Mon so we missed out on some fun things this weekend and haven't been to the gym yet this week but her fever was gone this weekend so hopefully we can jump right back in tomorrow morning!

I am in a big time nesting phase which is awesome, but the problem is all the things that (I think) need to be done involve furniture moving or heavy lifting so I have to wait until Todd gets home. And by that point in the day I don't want to do it anymore!

If you have Halloween costume pictures I'd love to see them!
Emily