Meet Tyson Brett Crandall

Our family grew by about two feet this last week and we are so in love! Tyson Brett Crandall was born on Wednesday, October 22 at 2:28 AM weighing 10 lbs 9 oz. and measuring 21.25 inches long. 

We had a doctor's appointment on Oct. 21 with my OB. I had been debating back and forth a lot prior to this because I didn't want an induction but also wanted to be sure to have the baby while my mom was here to take care of Kayla. I had four strong and regular contractions the night before and thought for sure I was in labor and then they stopped, much to my disappointment. 

At that appointment around 10:30 AM, he told me I was dilated to a three and that I could just head over to the hospital right then if I wanted to. I was kind of surprised since I wasn't having any contractions. We decided to go out for a nice lunch and then walk around Costco for awhile to see if that helped. I still wasn't having any real contractions besides a random one here or there. We came home, got our bags loaded in the car and decided to head in. 

Just before we left for the hospital. 

We got to the hospital around 3:00 and got checked in pretty quickly. I was then dilated to a four and 70% effaced, but still no real contractions! I was beginning to wonder if I'm just amazing and have high pain tolerance. They got me all hooked up and then started some pitocin after about an hour. I started feeling contractions at that point and knew I was indeed not superwoman because I felt them for sure! Time went by really fast and it wasn't until 7:00 PM that I asked for the epidural. The contractions were pretty awful by that point. They gave it to me around 8:15.

Kicking back and waiting. We watched a lot of LOST on Netflix. 

The epidural was great for about an hour, then it wore off! I was in a lot of pain at this point and really disappointed! My epidural with Kayla had been so great and I hadn't felt a thing. I called my nurse and she told me there wasn't much to be done. I kept trying to tell her I was feeling every contraction completely and they finally decided to call the anesthesiologist. 

Now, here in the Valley, there is a very loose usage of the phrase 'right now'. This has been a source of irritation and amusement to me at different times since living here. It can be used to mean past tense, future tense, as soon as I can, in a little while, etc. It never really means RIGHT NOW. Never has this misuse of the word upset me so much as it did when my epidural wore off. The nurse came in and told me the anesthesiologist was coming 'right now.' I stupidly assumed that meant relief was just outside the door. What it actually meant was that he was in a c-section and would be there in 45 minutes. Oy! He came in around 10:00 and gave me a bolus in the epidural which totally numbed me up, including my legs being dead and lifeless. I didn't love that but it was better than feeling the contractions.

My OB came in around 10:45 PM to break my water. At this point, I was still only a four and 85% effaced. I couldn't believe I hadn't progressed at all for so long! After my water broke, things really got going. Brett was able to sleep while I watched reruns of 19 Kids and Counting, I remember getting irritated at some point thinking that she had done this so many times. Hormones are fun, huh? 

At 12:45 AM, I was at a seven and still feeling pretty good. I fell asleep for awhile but then around 1:30 AM, the numbness in my legs wore off and I started feeling an intense burning pain in my pelvis. At 1:45, I was dilated to a nine and the baby was all the way down. They got everything prepped and around 2:00, I started pushing. I pushed a couple times and then the doctor walked in. I pushed once, maybe twice for the doctor and he was out! With Kayla, I thought pushing was easy and didn't make a sound. With Tyson, I was screaming a lot and the pain was awful! I can't even compare the feeling I was having to anything else. I felt like I was being ripped apart inside and out. 

They laid Tyson on my chest for a second and then took him to clean him off and check him out. When Brett saw him, he said, "Its another big one!" They weighed him and called out 10 lbs 9 oz. I heard them say it but it didn't process immediately! The doctor was finishing everything up and about 5 minutes later, I asked, "Wait, how big is he?!" Everyone laughed at me. :) I was just in shock that I had just pushed out such a big baby! And thankfully, he's perfectly healthy. 

Don't mind my appearance! It was the middle of a very long night. I was just so relieved to have him here and to be done with labor. 

Father and Son

Brett got me these beautiful flowers.

 The next morning, we FaceTimed with Kayla on my mom's phone. We showed her Tyson, and she said, "Oh, Baby!" My heart melted. Kayla loves Tyson so much. She asks where he is if he isn't in the room or is out of her sight. She hugs and kisses (licks) him constantly. She has gotten a little jealous and upset a few times when I've been nursing him. It was hard when I came home since they said not to lift any older children. She would cry for me and I would have to walk her over to the couch to comfort her. But overall, she seems to adjusting well to having Tyson here. It helps having Grandma here to give her a little extra attention. 

Kayla got Tyson a present. 

 We bought Kayla a baby doll and gave it to her at the hospital so she'd have someone to take care of when I had Tyson. 

Checking Tyson out. This was when we decided on his name actually. 

I love how Brett is looking at me like he's waiting on me hand and foot, which he was.
I love that man!

First family photo with the 4 of us. 

Me and my little man!

Feeding her baby

I sure missed this girl while we were at the hospital.

Grandma Betsy with her first grandson.

Just like Kayla was, Tyson seemed to be quite swollen and has slimmed down considerably in appearance

and weight. He lost a pound in the first week. I wasn't concerned thoughbecause he's a great little eater. 

Heading home!

Even for such a big baby, he still looks so tiny in his car seat!

 He's also a great sleeper. He's gone 4-5 hours at night between feedings, giving me some nice rest. The trouble is getting him back to sleep occasionally. Brett and my mom have both taken turns sitting up with him so I could rest. 

We love our little man and are so happy to have him here in our home and in our family. I'm recovering well, although not as quickly as with Kayla. That might be due to the fact that Tyson was a whole pound and a half bigger than Kayla. Either way, I'm loving being a mom of two, even with the challenges it brings. I hope that Kayla and Tyson will be good friends and cherish each other.