What's in a name?

Byron Leo Dodd. That only took us 5 months to figure out. When we went to the hospital we honestly had no idea what we were going to name this kid that was about to be born. Picking a name hadn't really been my top priority over the last month or two so the thought of committing to a name on May 11th was more stressful then the thought of giving birth.

The delivery process took no time at all so we suddenly had a tiny baby in our arms with no name. We had narrowed down our options to 3-4 names so we started what I like to call negotiating what name to choose.

First up was Bennett, I liked the name but was worried it was too contemporary. I wasn't in love with it but it was a good name. Sam told me that if we named him Bennett he would call him Ben. That ended the negotiations on that name because to me if I wanted to call him Ben then I would just name him Ben. I was sad to let this name go because Porter really liked it and wanted to call his brother Ben 10.

Next up was Remington which I just thought was cool because it was a gun name and I thought Sam would like it. In the end it was too long, I didn't like the nickname "Rem" or "Remi", and Sam didn't like it. Done. Sorry Carri, I tried.

Then came Cliff. Sam has an uncle and I have a great-uncle named Cliff. Its definitely an old-fashioned name. The problem is Sam and I can't agree on Clifford (his uncle), Cliffton (my great-uncle) or just Cliff. Clifford Dodd sounds too much like Clifford "the Big Red" Dodd (Dog), he would totally get called that at some point in his life so I refused. Sam didn't like Cliffton. We couldn't figure out a family middle name (we always choose a family members name as their other name) that we liked with Cliff. Also sad to let this name go but we just couldn't figure it out.

Our last name we had been holding onto was Byron. I liked it, Sam liked it, but most people we told really didn't like it. In the end we had to just pick a name that we liked and know that everyone else would come around.

Byron's name found its way to us through my sister, Trisha. In an effort to help us Trisha had found some relatives names on NewFamilySearch.com and emailed them to me. Byron was on that list and sounded like a good old-fashioned name that wasn't used very much anymore. Sam and I thought we were so clever and funny because we figured that by or bi meant twice or two and Sam's Dad's name is Ron so it would be funny to say Byron is Ron II. We told Sam's family mostly as a joke at the time but the name just stuck around after that. So in the end we chose Byron because it was a family, old-fashioned, seldom used name that was the closest we were ever going to get to naming a baby after Sam's dad.

I chose Leo as his middle name because that is my Grandpa Miners name and I liked it.

After the birth certificate was signed and done I started to think about what the name Byron means. I vaguely remember it meaning "bear" so I looked it up and sure enough it was an Anglo-Saxon name meaning "bear". My little Byron is going to be a little animal because Byron Leo means Bear Lion.

GG

My Grandma Miner (GG or the Geeg to the Great-Grandkids) came to see Byron when he was a week old. She had been at my Aunt Ruthie's house for a couple of months and was ready to go home so Ruthie brought her to my house to go home with my Mom.

From the minute my Grandma got to my house until they all left the next day we all had to fight her to get our chance to hold Byron. Grandma was more than happy to sit in the chair and hold him all day long. I am so glad that I have a Grandma who loves me and my kids!

Glow Blanket

On Friday May 14th I took Byron to his first dr appt. I had the big kids so it was my first adventure out with 3 kids. The biggies were horrible at the appt and the dr even asked my kids, in a sweet voice and way, to be still and quiet so mommy didn't get stressed out.

Before the appt we had to get Byron's blood drawn at the hospital and that was no fun with the biggies either. At the appt the dr. told us Byron's bilirubin was high and he had to have a bili blanket. Me and all the kiddos went and picked up the blanket and made it home alive. (My friend gave me this SwaddleMe blanket and it was a lifesaver when we had the bili blanket because it would hold him tight and had a place for the cord to come out)

Luckily my mom and sister were on their way to my house, but unfortunetly the bili blanket meant we would have to be sitting around attached to a wall socket.
I took Byron to the hospital to get his blood drawn 4 days in a row. I was an expert at the binky in the mouth and holding Byron tight with his foot out to the technician. Finally after 4 days on the lights Byron's levels were good and we got to leave the house again. For the first week of Byron's life he only wore onesies because the bili blanket was really warm and it was much easier to stick the blanket up the back of a onesie then a sleeper.

First Day Home

May 13th was our first day home and I loved it. It was so calm and relaxing to be home spending time with my sweet baby boy. I love my big kids but the time without them was wonderful. I took some pictures of him in one of my favorite outfits. His cousin Zak was at the store with his mom and saw this outfit and asked his mom if they could get it for Byron. We dont get to see Zak very often and it was very thoughtful of him to think of us.
It was hard taking pictures of him while he was on my lap so all the pictures aren't centered.

Bringing Home Byron

After being in the hospital for 24 hrs I was pretty bored. The hospital only had a few TV channels and they were a little fuzzy. I loved all the attention/service/help I got from the nurses but I wanted to be in my own home. I loved, loved, loved having time with just Byron and me. Sam was working (I told him to work because he would be bored sitting at the hospital and if he isn't working we aren't making money) and I just got to hang out with my sweet little baby. We would turn off the lights and nap together, I would watch TV while I held him in my arms, and we would surf the internet together. Byron and I were having fun but I knew my big kids were at their grandparents, having tons of fun, so we would be able to relax at home and spend more time bonding in our space.

Sam got off work around 3pm and we were home by 5pm. First we had to get the nurses to hurry and get everything done for us to check out, get Byron dressed in real clothes and in his car seat, and finally we had to pack up all the stuff we had accumulated at the hospital. Then we had a mini trip to the pharmacy but made it home and started getting use to a new baby in our house by 6pm.

So good to be home and not pregnant!!!

The Wild Ride

At my 37 week appointment I was 3cm and thinking I could have this baby at anytime. At my 38 week appointment I was 4cm and couldn't believe that having my membranes stripped didn't put me into labor. I begged and pleaded and got my Dr. to schedule an induction on Tuesday May 11th @ 7am, I just felt so done.

On the Saturday morning before my induction Ruby and Porter were jumping off my nightstand and onto my bed, and Ruby hit her mouth on her brother and knocked her bottom front tooth forward and down into her gums. I then started to pray that I wouldn't go into labor before Tuesday because I had to get Ruby to a dentist first thing Monday morning. (more to come about this story)

Tuesday morning I woke up and called the hospital to make sure I could still come in and they said they were ready for me. We took the kids to my very nice and wonderful friends house right before 7. Thank you Keri, you were a lifesaver!

As Sam and I walked to labor & delivery we passed my Dr. in the hallway and I asked him if I could get my epidural right away since it hadn't fully worked with Ruby. My Dr is the best he said that was fine and called L&D right away to tell them. I got to my room and got my IV. I was about to tell the nurse to get my epidural started when she said the anethesiologist would be there in just a min. Getting an epidural seems to take forever, probably because my hips are uneven and my back is twisted but I swear he kept putting the needle in, hitting and nerve taking it out and putting it back in. The anethesiologist took his time trying to get it perfect. I told him that the last time the epidural hadn't worked because I dialated faster than the epidural could work. He said that if I dialated faster than 1cm every 15mins that it wouldn't work. It wasn't too painful but Sam said he put the needle in 5-8 times before it didn't hurt.

After the epidural was in but before it was really working the Dr came in, checked me (4+ cm), broke my water, and started the pitocin, I am guessing around 8-8:30. Around 9 I called my Mom to tell her how everything was going and I started to feel contractions. While I was on the phone they were getting stronger and stronger and closer together so I got off the phone so we could start writing them down and timing the contractions. I had another contraction and Sam wrote 9:20 on the whiteboard but that is when things went crazy. I dont really remember exactly what happened because the epidural wasn't working at all down one of my legs and only partially down the other and the pain was totally unbearable for me. I was swearing, crying and clawing Sam's arm. At the start of each contraction I just wanted to cry because I knew how bad it was going to get before it got better. The anethesiologist came back to give me a higher dose in the epidural but said we wouldn't know for 15 mins if it was going to work. I was freaking out because I knew I could not handle 15 mins of this kind of pain. Before it started to work I felt pressure and knew the baby was coming so the nurse checked me and said I was complete and started to run around to get everything set up. My Dr. showed up and everyone said that pushing would help with the pain so I started pushing. Pushing did help with the pain and with every contraction the epidural worked better and better. After 5-6 contractions at 9:45 my baby boy was born and then the epidural was finally working.

I normally have lower blood pressure and a tendency to pass out and the epidural lowers blood pressure so after the baby was born my pressure dropped down to 70/39. I started to not feel so good and felt like I was going to pass out. I had the nurse take the baby off of me so I wouldn't drop him. They gave me oxygen and 3 shots of phenemine before my blood pressure went back over 100.

This delivery was definately crazy and every second I was in pain seemed like an eternity in my mind (my eyes were closed most of the time), but from the time I started feeling contractions to him being born was less than 45 mins. I have been told that I should consider myself lucky that I can have babies so fast but I would rather have a slower painless delivery.

Here he is:

Things happened way faster than we expected so we dont have any pictures before he was born.

Originally posted May, 21st but moved so the story goes in the correct order.

He's here!

(Ruby looks a little crazy with her wild hair, I left too early to get us both ready.)

I was induced this morning at 7am and at 9:45am he was born:
Byron Leo Dodd
7 lbs. 12 oz.
20 in.
More details and pictures to come, it was one wild ride!