Tatum: Cheerful, Spirited One

Video: Welcoming One of Our Greatest Joys

Tatum Marie Woodward

Tatum Marie: Birth Story

Before I go into the nitty gritty details ( I promise I will leave most of them out ), if you aren't interested in the means, but merely the end, then feel free to scroll down and take a look at some pictures of our little sweet pea!

Tuesday morning (one day after my April 1st due date) Shane and I packed up and headed to the hospital. I had had contractions all night long and like a typical first time mom sat up and timed every single one for about 8 hours!!! I was exhausted. They were about 5 minutes apart and once the morning came they started to get more painful. I had called my doctor at about 5 a.m. and he instructed me if they increased in pain to head to the hospital since I was past my due date.

We checked in and of course all contractions STOPPED! I was checked and was only at 2/12 cm., in early labor, but I was told that if I truly desired a natural child birth I should go home and come back once my contractions were stronger. "You'll know" they said.

Disappointed, we returned home and tried to get some sleep : ) The following morning I had some signs of nearing active labor and called the doctor's office-they said it sounded like I was close and to simply monitor contractions and call back if my water broke or things progressed etc. Shane had just walked out the door and I called him on his way to work to let him know. Soon afterward I finally understood what people meant when they said "You'll know when its a true labor contraction"I felt like I was being torn apart and was completely incapacitated. These started very spread out (about an hour) so I didn't feel any need to call Shane. I simple laid low during the day as the contractions got more intense and closer together. Shane came home from work and we both monitored them until suddenly, after each contraction was about 10-15 min apart for about 2 hours things sped up extremely fast and before we knew it I was screaming and crying and urging us out the door.

It was a dark, cool, rainy night and I was nervous to say the least-I could not ever fathom the amount of pain I was going through and Shane was worried I was going to punch the window out during my contractions. Thankfully the Lord kept us safe on our ride there, but I never thought I would enter the hospital the way you see it on t.v. ! Unfortunately in real life you have sit at a desk while you can't breath and fill out paperwork-even if you are pre-registered-I couldn't even talk, and I could barely stand but I had to make sure I wrote my pediatricians name correctly on the form!

Quickly afterward Shane whisked me away in a wheel chair straight to the delivery room where I was quickly checked and found at 8 cm. and 80 % Even though I was very far along (which was the plan) -I hadn't slept in quite some time, and after 12 hours of contractions at home that nearly sent me over the edge I was fearing that I couldn't bear much more. In between my contractions (which were about a minute or two apart) I would talk about all the reasons I didn't want an epidural, and then as each contraction hit I screamed about how I couldn't do it anymore. If I hadn't experienced the pain I might have found the situation funny, but it wasn't. Poor Shane was standing by my side as I sat at the end of a rocking chair trying to answer the nurses questions, while another nurse tried to put an I.V. in in between contractions. My doctor finally showed up and told me he wanted to check me-I just looked at him and screamed "No." I was in so much pain and really felt like things were unraveling.

I eventually asked for an epidural, and the nurses were very sweet, as they could tell I was disappointed in myself. The doctor came in to administer it within 5 minutes and as Shane sat in front of me I quickly realized he didn't look so great. He was taken to a bench to lay down and some nurses brought in some smelling salts to help keep him alert. Thankfully I was in so much pain and didn't have see anything that the epidural didn't phase me.

Fortunately, the epidural did take well, and I was able to relax and calm down from my hysterics, but with this relief also came the slowing down of all contractions which led to 12 more hours of labor. I will briefly say that no one ever tells you certain aspects of labor, and there is probably a reason. No one ever told me I would convulse and shake uncontrollably for hours on end as my body went through traumatic contractions and changes, or that vomiting multiple times throughout the process was normal. After a long night, no sleep, and two hours of pushing, I was suddenly met by the subtle cries of our little girl as they placed her on my chest. Words cannot express the awe and amazement that I felt in that moment as Shane and I looked upon our little miracle of life-and although I cannot say that I "forgot" the pain, I can say that all of it was well WORTH IT!

Tatum Marie Woodward

April 4th, 2013 8:50 a.m. : 8 pounds-13 ounces-22 inches

Just moments after birth. . . . 

and she is already doing push ups. 

The nurse weighed her twice to make sure, and I couldn't believe it when they announced it. 

My little angel

Sweet bundle of joy

Mommy and her sweet pea

Daddy and his little snuggle buddy 

So serene

I really want to be able to share these sweet memories with Tatum as she grows up, as well as have something to give her someday when she starts her own family.

Baby books are great, but they also take a lot of work to keep up with. I completed the book up until her birth, but decided to do a keepsake box for her that I can easily toss small memorabilia, cards, and pictures in as well. When we got home I added her nursery cap from the hospital along with her foot prints and hospital bands. Eventually I will add things like her favorite blanket and a favorite newborn outfit that she can look back at in the future. 

We were met by these flowers sitting at our door from some of Shane's colleagues at GAC.

Soon after arriving home, Garrett and Amelia Granberg were sweet enough to bring us dinner and some very sweet gifts for Tatum, including this personalized blanket! Talk about speedy monogramming! 

It is so great to be home with our little girl and we are soaking up every moment! So many people put a negative spin on having a baby, complaining and warning you of the lack of sleep you will get, the amount of laundry you will do, and how life will "never be the same...ugh." In the midst of our sleep deprivation, feeling like we are in the Twilight Zone, and dealing with a few bouts of fussiness into the wee hours, Shane and I cannot help but feel abundantly blessed. Tatum has brought us so much joy that even when she is spitting up on us, every moment with her is a joy, and our love for her is overwhelming at times-we cant' wait to enjoy all her stages, but I am desperately hoping time will slow down and that she doesn't grow too fast! haha : ) 

We are blessed to have this week for our schools' Spring Breaks-so we are enjoying it as a family of three, and next week we look forward to the arrival of Grandma and Papa Sum : ) 

-M.W. 

Shane on the News

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/21727648/15-year-old-pursues-dream-of-driving-in-nascar#.UUmpmmmxw5M.email

38 Weeks

It seems like forever since I have last posted, but unfortunately as I have been forced to "slow down" nearing the end of this pregnancy, life doesn't.  Currently I am feeling exhausted as to be expected, and only experiencing minor contractions once and a while, or a few clumped together some nights. It is definitely getting harder and harder to get up in the morning and get to work. I was just telling Shane that I now feel as exhausted as I did at the end of the day after my first period of the day-which is scary-but causes me to have to rely on God's strength and grace all the more.

The baby is still active and sometimes I wonder if she is trying to escape. At this point I am really okay with that : ) Shane and I are very anxious to meet and hold our little girl and Shane has done a great job with last minute preparations. In the past few days he installed the car seat, put together the baby swing, and will soon put together a book shelf for the nursery as well. Unfortunately, he also spent some of this afternoon spraying our apartment for bugs! I had just mentioned this morning that we would need to spray soon due to the warm weather-and low and behold we came home from the grocery store and I spotted a big ole Georgia Roach in the laundry room. (Not one of our favorite things about living down here).  Needless to say, it was inevitable, but it is never fun! Shane ran out to Target and returned equipped with Raid to ward off any other intruders.

So, our bags our packed, our freezer is packed, and my belly is packed, and I think we are ready : )

In the past few weeks we also took an all day birth class that helped prepare us for what to expect from the first labor contractions all the way to postpartum recovery. Our instructor was a Doula, and she taught us a lot of helpful strategies to cope with pain, including ways Shane can help during the labor process. We found it helpful and hopefully can remember some of the techniques in the heat of the moment!

Below is a project I have been wanting to tackle. It wasn't major, but just one of those things you never seem to have time to get around to do. I've been wanting to do a series of pictures in our hallway of our first time seeing each other on our wedding day to exchange letters.

I love this moment, because we were supposed to do it under the big tree in our yard, but due to the huge storm the morning of our wedding (and the still wet grass), our photographer chose the porch as an alternative at the last minute.

I love not only the memories of the moment captured in these photos, but that the spot on the porch where they were taken has history to it, as it was the exact spot the previous winter (lit up with Christmas lights in the snowy cold) that Shane proposed : )

 I was so frustrated when my pictures came in the mail to find that out of the three- 2 were doubles of each other!! So, low and behold, I had to place another order! I wanted badly to blame the photo company, but couldn't find evidence in my receipt and know full well that the closer I get to labor, the more I am losing my mind!!!

In all reality, my next post will probably consist of me announcing the addition of one more little person to this couple and we can't wait : ) 

-M.W. 

32 Week Update

 Pictures of my growing shape are becoming more and more sparse, but I snapped a quick picture last week because I know someday I might regret not chronicling the whole process : ) I will attempt to take at least 1 more before the baby is born, but pictures definitely are not my favorite activity (at least when I'm in them).

It is crazy to think that not long ago our little growing girl was the size of this apple-and now she is weighing in at the same weight as a Jicama (seen to the left). "A Jicama!?" you ask? Yeah, I know, I was equally as confused-so much for a point of reference!!! I don't understand why the pregnancy website that sends me these updates picks the most obscure produce you ever heard of-or haven't heard of for that matter : )

Here is a picture of tiny little Shane kicked back and taking a nap. I can't help but see the resemblance in his little profile to that of our little one in her sonogram picture. I have a feeling she is going to take after her dad-at least her little nose : ) 

I don't have any pictures currently, but last weekend a bunch of the GAC FB players' mom's put on a brunch to honor the coaches' wives and to throw me a baby shower. I was very humbled at the support we received from so many people that only know me through their sons being coached by Shane. 

Shane and I have felt complete exhaustion and at times great moments of being overwhelmed, but at the same time are mindful of all the ways the Lord has blessed us and the trust we can have based on his constant faithfulness. In different ways we both have felt the weight of our decision to have me stay at home with the baby. In some ways it feels like Satan has been on the attack giving us many reasons at every turn to freak out and anxiously turn away from putting our trust in the Lord. It seems whenever you make a decision to step out in faith that is bound to happen-a true test of your resolve, but God is good and even if we can't see what's up ahead or "The rest of the staircase," as Martin Luther King Jr. put it, we know we are in good hands. 

Last weekend we also celebrated the GAC players at the 2012 Spartan FB Banquet. Cindy and Roger Kahn (parents to sophomore player Eli Kahn) opened up their venue hall, 50/50 Trackside, to the banquet and it was beautiful. It is set in the downtown historical part of Lawrenceville right off the train tracks and has a very rustic cozy feel (oh and the food was great....) 

During the brief introductions of coaches and their wives at the banquet Coach Hardy briefly announced that Shane will be stepping in to the role of Defensive Coordinator next year-I am so proud of my husband and the opportunities the Lord has continued to place before him to grow as a coach and leader and continue to live out the future that the Lord has prepared for him.  It also always brings back flash backs to the Wheaton Football Banquet when we were dating and Shane was coaching there when Coach Swider introduced me as Shane's "Special Friend."Haha

Below are some pictures of Shane on the field with his players and fellow coaches. We've officially celebrated this past season, and of course with Football being a year round sport ; ) we prepare for next season!!!

                       

                       Coach Woodward

Game Time Huddle

 Coach Woodward & Coach Wood- Never Confusing : ) 

         

Brothers???

haha

                           

The man I love. 

This weekend Shane has made it to the half-way point in his Masters Program-and we feel blessed that we are able to, Lord willing, reach this goal soon after the baby arrives!!!

Until Later, -M.W. 

Nesting: Nursery Set Up

Okay, so they say nesting kicks in during the third trimester. They would be right, but it is also true that an unbelievable exhaustion accompanies it. It really is cruel! It is probably just the accumulation of 7 months of not sleeping, but it makes "To-Do" lists seem like they are taunting and mocking me!

With hospital tours, baby showers, and a busy schedule at work for both Shane and I up ahead-I really wanted to have nursery set up behind me so that I could focus on some other preparations (finding a long term substitute teacher, getting all my leave paperwork in place, finding a pediatrician, etc.) I  usually bite off more than I can chew, but Pinterest makes D.I.Y. stuff look so easy! I didn't really take into account how big I would be, and how hard it would be to simply bend over or breath while I was doing my little projects : )

Below are some pictures of our finished nursery/guest room (thankfully we can still use it as both!).

 Living in an apartment we decided to be minimalists in terms of baby gadgets/furniture. We decided the multifunctional pack n' play would suffice as a changing table and a place for the baby to sleep when we have guests (just wheel it in our bedroom) I was going to get a really fancy one that was gray and teal and would have matched the teal coral color scheme-but this one was on clearance and practical-so I couldn't resist!

                                               

Hanging above it is a gift from Auntie Chanel : ) 

Bath toys might be a little premature right now-but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.  

Moby says "Safety First" 

Here is our little reading nook area. We tried to just utilize things we already had-like our ikea rocker and guest room floor lamp. In some ways the dark wood in our guest room decided the color of the crib. 

 With minimal space we decided on hanging shelves for the books-and I found these little crates at Michael's for way cheap and rigged them to our liking. 

Another idea I saw on Pinterest. Wood letters that had been covered in pages from children's books. I didn't really think about the logistics of finding pages big enough for the size letters I purchased, but in the end it worked out. 

Here is the crib with the paper heart mobile I made-hanging a little crooked, but I'll fix that some other time-haha. 

Coral lamp from Target : ) 

And this picture I actually stole from Pinterest. I couldn't actually post a picture of the one I made from the guest room door or I would be giving away the baby's initials! And then I would have people who would want to ruin it and guess her name!!! But . . . there is something that looks similar to this hanging from the bedroom door : ) 

These details were "fun," and now I'm ready to get some of the not so fun details out of the way before this little girl arrives! I am now beginning my prenatal check ups every 2 weeks, which seems ridiculous in some ways, but in others reinforces that we are truly in the homestretch!!!

-M.W. 

Baby Shower: Chicago

Here are the pictures from my sister of the baby shower my mom and sisters threw me at my sister Danielle's house. 

We truly felt so loved and blessed and can't thank them enough. 

I really tried doctoring up this photo of the three preggo women : ) It was practically black when I started...so there was only so much I could do. 

Racquel- 3rd Child-Due Date Early March, Auntie Toni-5th Child-Due Date Late February Early March, and Me- 1st Child-Due Date Early April : ) 

Both having girls : ) 

Mom and Dad : ) 

 Opening Gifts with Nicole our helper : ) 

 Struggling with ribbon. Heck, life is a struggle right now. 

 Lorielle and Bonnie

Grandma and William 

Lorielle and Chanel 

Preggo and Lor

 Auntie and Nicole

Catching up with Uncle John (It's been a year!!!!) 

Byron and Mr. & Mrs. Schultz-So blessed by their presence and Lifelong support!

Uncle Tom and Lorielle

I wonder who the "photographer" was....

Chanel and Andrew 

Cousins 

: ) 

Me and Mom

 Nic and Gideon (who had just woken up and was lightly overstimulated by all the guests)

Nani and Bonnie : ) 

 I had to post this picture. It's real life. 

Shane, Nani, and I (and her fourth great-grandchild)

Trying for a "Girls Shot"

And even though this is entirely unflattering in every way, I just thought it was funny that the pregnant woman who can never stop eating was caught red handed!!! 

If there is one thing I know..my child is well fed : ) 

-M.W.