Pictures

I am sorry I haven't been posting too much lately...I think everyone understands though, right? Just a little not of update, we at the Hodges home are doing well, just trying to find normal...I just don't know where I lost it! Bethany is a true answer to prayers. I honestly prayed for a baby who was laid back, content and happy, or the grace the handle one who was not, and the Lord has sent me a quiet, happy, content little girl who really only cries when her diaper is changed. She hasn't even cried when Josiah threw some toys in her bed and they landed on her head. Josiah on the other hand is a confused little fella and I feel so bad for him! He does not handle well any attention that is not on him. He has never been like this before, but he can't stand for me to put my attention on anything else, whether it be a phone call, the computer, cooking or anything. If my attention to him is missing, he acts out like there is no tomorrow. He has started to cry like the baby does because he thinks I will react to him faster. He also has become really good at just throwing himself into the floor and hashing out a real good fit. There have probably been many times during the day that he needed discipline, but all I could see fit to do was to hold him in my arms and tell him how much I love him. Last week, for an entire week, my parents were here to visit and to help me out with our new addition. I had a great time with them here and was so sad to see them go, but I think that Josiah was affected by their leaving much worse than I was. He still goes to the bottom of the stairs and says, "Da-daddy and Mamaw! Come play!". He also has informed me several times that "Da-daddy on the potty", and "Mamaw sleeping". He has cried for them a couple of times and repeatedly asks for them so much it is sweet. Anyway, that is the update on us for now. Please pray that I will know better how to react to Josiah and handle him through this rough time. I am going to add some pictures as I promised before. Hope you enjoy!

Time for an update!!!

Well, for those of you who don't know...little Bethany Arlene Hodges was born on 12/5/2008, a few minutes before 2pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 7 ozs and 20 1/2 inches long. She has a head full of dark brown/black hair, and by far, the hairiest ears I have seen on a baby...ever. It's like she is growing a garden on the back of her ears! She is adorable!!!

Let me take a walk down memory lane and share a little with you all...

As I said before, Josiah's birth was not the best and left me with an experience much to be desired. The biggest things were that I wanted to remember the first time I held little Bethany, and I didn't want to wait over 12 hours to try to feed her and I wanted her with me in the recovery room. I came away from the experience ELATED! Everyone thought mostly I was just on a drug induced high, but I was feeling great and was happy about how everything turned out. Less than 24 hours after my surgery, I was able to have my catheter and IV removed and was walking around like it was nobody's business.

After the birth, Bethany was great. She nursed great from the beginning and has not skipped a beat since. The afternoon after her birth, my nurse asked to check Bethany out and while she was checking her over, she got a weird look on her face and looked at me and said that she was going to take her to the nursery for just a minute and would be right back. She did come back a few minutes later, without Bethany, and she was talking really fast and acting really nervous and told me that she was checking Bethany out and noticed that she was rapidly breathing and not calming down. The called the doctor down to check her out and he said he heard a really bad heart murmur. From there, they ordered chest xrays and an echochardiogram. They returned Bethany to me several hours later and said that they checked her out and she appeared to have three small holes in her heart. These are the types of holes that are supposed to close when the baby is born, but these have not. They checked her again the next day and she had no sign of the bad heart murmur they heard before. We are going to see a cardiologist in about a month, but the doctor thinks that there is no reason the holes will not close between now and then, and also that if they don't, they are so small no surgery should be required. I will keep everyone updated. Well, in the middle of all of this, Bethany did have a good bit of jaundice and was kept under bili lights for about 2 1/2 days. One day she was kept under the entire time and no one was able to hold her but me, and I was only able to hold her for about 30 minutes at a time to nurse her.

I was discharged from the hospital the day before Bethany was, but the hospital staff was able to let me board in a room that was not being used...with the understanding if they became busy or booked, I would have to go home. Well, that did not happen, and I was able to stay the night, and Bethany was able to stay with me in the room. The next morning Bethany was released and we all went home! We had a great morning at home and a great day in general, with all of us getting much needed naps. Josiah had come home and we were all excited to be a family together again!

Around 8pm, I sat down to feed Bethany and became really cold. I thought I was cold because I was walking around in a sleeveless shirt and pants, so I got a little more dressed. After I fed Bethany, I was shivering, so I put on a coat and got a blanket out. Eventually, I knew something was wrong when my teeth were chattering and I was shivering uncontrollably and I had three coat and two blankets on. Danny called the doctor and the doctor pretty much said wait until the morning or go to the emergency room. Through the night, I had chills on and off and blankets on and off. I was so much sicker the next morning. We headed into the OB's office and he checked me out and determined I had a severe uterine infection...to which he said I must head back to the hospital immediately for 3 or 4 days and that I needed to be on some extensive IV antibiotics. So, off to the hospital I went! My sweet sister in law, Amber came and picked up Josiah and took him back to our house so he could take a nap, my sweet mother in law came by our house to pick him up later and take him back to her house. My DH kept Bethany with him the entire time. My main concern was whether or not I could still nurse Bethany while I was in the hospital, and all of my fears were relieved, she was able to still nurse and stay with me in the hospital as long as someone stayed with me. So, the way it worked was Danny took Bethany home at night with him and gave her formula through the night. Danny then came early in the morning with Bethany and stayed with me until our cousin Miracle or Amber arrived. Miracle, Amber and Danny worked shifts on and off to keep Bethany with me all day and home at night. This was so very special to me that they would do this as they knew how much it meant to me for Bethany to feed well.

My second time around in the hospital was not as rose-y and peach-y as it sounds, though! For two days, the stat blood work that was ordered by my doctor was never done. When it was done, it wasn't done thoroughly and had to be done two more times. One of the times, a phlebotomy student came in to draw some blood. The phlebotomist teaching him stood aloof against an opposite wall as the student asked me where I would like to be poked. It was then that I looked over at the "teacher" and told him what a bad stick I was and I preferred that he do the poking [it was the student's first week!!!!]. About this time, my nurse also walked in, so I had three people hovering over me trying to find the best place to draw blood. The "teacher" poked and missed, laid the used needle on my bed sheet, and then let the nurse have a try. Well, the nurse missed too. About that time, the student picked up the used needle and poked himself pretty badly on my used needle [Oh, yeah, didn't tell you that a few minutes before they all came in, I had gotten the news that I was diagnosed with a staph infection called MRSA - it was "colonized within my nose" and not serious, but I guess it was contracted by the student now!], dripped blood on my covers and washed and dried his hands, but left his bloody paper towels in the trash can and on the floor on top of my shoes. I didn't realize there was blood everywhere for about an hour. I asked the nurse to come back in and handle the dirty sheets and trash and paper towels. The next day I had two of my three IV's "blow" because of some minor negligence on behalf of a nursing student's part. Finally, last Sunday morning, I was able to come home from the DR and I have been feeling really good since!

Danny was supposed to go back to work Monday night the 15th, but since we had not really had much time together at home since Bethany was born, he was able to get a couple of more days off, and he did not go back for the first time until last night. This gave us a few days home with Josiah and Bethany together trying to get used to our new little addition.

Josiah pretty much ignores Bethany for the most part. He has done a few funny things, for example:

• the morning after we got home, we were all waking up for the morning and Bethany was crying...all of a sudden, from Josiah's room, I almost heard his wheels turning...then I heard him trying to cry like Bethany, little baby whimpers. I think he thought we would come and get him out of bed quicker if he cried like her.
• He has told her no-no about many things, including sitting in her swing - he still thinks it is his!
• If he sees Bethany's pacifier lying around, he will bring it to her saying "I help!" then shoves it in her face...somewhat gently...
• the only thing I don't know quite how to handle so far are the fits Josiah will throw out of the blue. One minute he will be standing in the living room, the next minute he throws himself on the floor in a fit, over nothing! I guess he is trying to make sure he hasn't lost any attention. This is going to be a balancing act!!!

So, I know this is a long update, but it is over due. Danny told me tonight over dinner...you need to update the family blog, don't you? You know you are behind when your husband tells you you need to catch up on something!!!

Well, I am going to close this for now and maybe in a couple of days add some pictures. My parents are coming into town for a week, so maybe I will post again after they visit. We look forward to having them!

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, visits, dinners and gifts. Your kindness is more than we could repay! We love you all!

The Hodges Family

Danny, Melanie, Josiah and Bethany

My DH Rocks!

Sorry I haven't kept up with this, but it is way past time for a new entry!

For the past two weeks at least, I have felt almost perfectly helpless to do a lot around the house and also to do any lifting of Josiah, including, but not limited to, changing diapers, lifting in and out of the high chair, or big boy seat, whichever floats his boat at the time, bath time and bed time. I have really only been lifting Josiah once a day and that is out of the bed in the mornings. So, Danny has been doing it all! Here is a little of what Danny's schedule is like: He works 3rd shift, so he generally goes in to work anywhere from 10pm to midnight each day of the week except for Wednesday nights. Danny generally gets home anywhere from 5am to 7am. When he comes home, he eats a little meal, usually washes any dishes I have had to leave behind, straightens up the dining room and living room - just because he knows how important it is to me! - and then comes to bed after slipping Josiah a little morning milk and coaxing him back to sleep so mommy can sleep some more. But wait! That's not all! Danny sleeps from about 8am to 3pm - roughly - we all spend afternoon time together, doing whatever needs to be done, and Danny usually helps me with more clean up and dinner. We might slip in a hand or two of our favorite card game after dinner, but after dinner, Danny gives Josiah his bath, readies him for bed, brushes his teeth [man, is he good or what???] and then, if Danny has time, he might catch him an hour or two of a nap before work. I just don't know what I would do without such a devoted husband and father. He never complains and loves everything he does. I look forward to having our little girl and taking some of the strain off of Daddy, but you know, he won't let me do that! He will just keep chugging along, doing everything he loves to do so much! Thank you, my sweetheart, for all you have been doing and for being such a wonderful father and husband!

While having said all of this, please pray for Danny as well. I know that he is becoming extremely nervous as the date for my c-section approaches. He worries about me and the baby and it is a very rough time for him. I know he feels lost without me at home too and thinks that everything including care of Josiah and everything else will fall on him even while I am in the hospital. I have care of Josiah taken care of until we return home, then Danny has about a week off with us and then Josiah will go back to Danny's mom's house. Danny is stressed and I think he feels pulled in many different directions, so please, as you pray for me on FRiday, remember him too.

But, needless to say, MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!!

Putting all of your eggs...

...in one basket...

Okay, so don't ask me how, but I seemed to have ended up with about 4 dozen eggs in my fridge and have been meaning to do something with them all for the past week or so. I bought a lot of english muffins, sausage and bacon and I am going to try to put together some muffins and freeze them. Right now I have three different little egg casseroles going on in the oven. One has ham and cheese in it...just for Amber [sorry, J/K, my dear sis - n - law!], the others are plain old egg and a little seasoning. I have learned to fluff my eggs up a little bit with milk or water to the scramble, so these are light and fluffy looking so far! So, does anyone else have some constructive ways I can cook up the rest of these eggs before I go into the hospital? I can't stay on my feet for long at all, so I am a little limited!

Josiah has been a delight this morning wanting to "help you mommy?", and I realized I still must be doing too much around the house and on my feet if my 21 month old walks around saying, "Wanna clean, mommy?"! So, while I have been cooking, and in an effort to be close to Josiah because I am sad about being away from him for a few days, I filled up the kitchen sink with water, got his potty/stool out and have been letting him "help" wash dishes. This has been his most fun thing to do in the last couple of weeks. Yes, it is messy, but sometimes I realize there is going to have to be a little mess to clean up in order for everyone to have fun, right? Plus, this will occupy him for a LOT of time and it beats just putting him in front of the "boob tube" to drain his brain! I am blessed that he does not like TV too much anyway. Every now and then when I need a break, he will sit long enough to watch a 30 minute VeggieTales movie, sometimes Elmo and sometimes Winnie the Pooh. Other than this, he could care less and would rather be doing other things! I hope it stays that way!

Well, I have taken my mandatory rest and am going to do a few more things [I will get up and do something around the house for about 10 minutes or so, then come and sit down for 30...hey, don't knock it til you've tried it! :-) ].

Playing with my blog...

I have enjoyed rearranging and changing my blog this evening. I did not know that it could be this easy! I chose pink because "pink is in the air" around this part of Roanoke, Virginia! Friday 12/5 is the date that my husband, son and I should meet little Bethany Arlene. I am so excited! Of course, there is a very slight chance that Friday will be a no go, but it is so slight I am not even considering it! We have been busy here trying to get last minute things done. I have mostly been sitting and delegating as my DH is doing. Going into the hospital is like going on a vacation. I hate coming home to a messy or unorganized home and there is only so much I can do from a resting state. I like to come back home to nice smells - you know, not the kind where...oops, you forgot to empty the trash before you left... or dishes piled up at the sink waiting to be washed. I really want to come home to my haven and rest, so we are still plugging away at at few things here in our home.

Thursday is a packed day for us with three different dr appts and a presurgical appt at the hospital, so that morning, really early we are going to drop Josiah off at Grandma's house [Danny's mom...who btw...is such a great mom and grandmother! I feel great with Josiah in her care for a few days now and a few days later. She has been such a help to me/us!!!], go to all of our appts, and we even thought we might be able to throw one more quiet night in the mix for just Danny and I. This will probably consist of one of our favorite things to do...Barnes and Noble...we love to go, sit and read! I told Danny tonight that I already miss Josiah and he is not even gone! Josiah melted my heart tonight when, for the first time, unprompted, got a baby doll[okay, so it was actually a naked Barbie doll...I have no idea where it came from...], put it in the new swing we have for Bethany, and turned the music on and said her name. He has been calling Bethany "Baby Betty" which I have been working really hard on, so tonight he turned the music on and gleefully exclaimed "Bet-a-nee!", over and over again. It really did do my heart good!

So, Friday morning is fast approaching and I am excited yet really nervous about my surgery. I don't want to go into too much detail, but my c-section with Josiah was not planned, but that is what ended up happening. The surgery was very invasive and some things were not what I wanted at all. Since the surgery was so invasive, it is a very bad idea for me to have future births naturally. Trust me on this, I could go into further detail, but will spare you unless you want to talk privately. But, I hope things will be different with this delivery. With Josiah, I was not alert AT ALL. I remember only a few things because right before we decided to go ahead with the c-section, I had been given two very powerful pain medicines...stadol and something else. I was loopy! In the operating room, I remember my DH with tears in his eyes getting down in my ear and singing "Great is thy faithfulness". I remember waking myself up snoring...yes, I snored through most of the surgery... and I remember hearing Josiah screaming and trying to comfort him from where I was. Danny was able to hold him and Josiah finally stopped crying when he was held up to my face and I was able to sing to him and whisper in his ear. I don't remember anything after this. I don't remember the first time I got to hold Josiah and I don't remember the first time I got to nurse him. I know that both were very long periods of time after Josiah was born and later I was really sad about this. Anyway, I guess what I am getting at is that I am glad that I expect this surgery to go better. I can be as alert as I want as long as the anesthesiologist knows what I want. I have already talked to the L and D nurses at the hospital and I have been assured that unless there is a problem with me or the baby, I can take Bethany with me to the recovery room and hold her or nurse her as long as I want or when I want. So, I am thankful that since I have to have a c-section, it will at least go the way I want it to this time. Well, I have gone on for long enough. I mostly wanted to say I am excited about our baby and seeing pink!!!