Sheldon and Growing Up

SHELDON, AT 18 MONTHS OLD!
Such a happy little man!

I just wanted to update a little bit on our littlest, little man! Sheldon turned 18 months on August 10th. I decided that this would be the day to wean him from breastfeeding, which we have done exclusively. I have been trying to gradually wean him and it did not go well, and actually stressed me out more than did any good. If he nursed even once, whenever he wanted, he thought he could try to nurse whenever he thought about it. I knew he would have to be weaned cold-turkey. I decided to do it on a Sunday, and realized that his 18-month birthday was a Sunday. I chose Sunday because, he would have a full-week until the next Sunday, to be weaned. Nursing was a comfort for him in church and was becoming quite embarrassing, as he was signing for it, saying words such as "nurse" and "bah" (his made-up word for it), and also pulling down the necklines of my shirts, suddenly. So, yes, it was becoming more embarrassing with each passing Sunday, than it was worth.

I nursed him once at church this past Sunday and that was his last! It was a very sad day for me. As much as I love breast-feeding and am an advocate for extended nursing (past 12 months, at least), I knew it was time! I am down to 95-97 pounds right now, and have been trying to gain weight with no success. I know I was just not getting enough calories! Sheldon would nurse 6 and 7 times a day (sometimes more). It was only a few minutes at a time, but I know it was taking lots of needed calories and I was just so tired of being bomb-barded by him each time I would sit down!

Well, soon I will be on to potty-training. He has become very interested in what his brother and sister, do in there. Soon, I will not have a baby, anymore! He has already grown up quite a bit in the last week, and it is quite sad, but time for me to officially declare that, after 6 years of pregnancy and nursing (with a grand total of exactly 48 months spent in just nursing), we are done breast-feeding! Sad as it is! :(

Sheldon has quite a few words right now...to include "horse, ball, doggie, dada, juice, please, mama, Zane, etc." He is not as efficient, as Abbie was in talking. He is more like Zane was, and I expect him to stay this way until he is past two, just like Zane did. He may surprise us and take-off in the vocabulary department, though. We'll see, I guess.

Well, I just wanted to write a little tid-bit about Sheldon tonight. He is definitely growing up and he is at that point where he understands most things you say and our household runs smoother because of it. He laughs at funny things and is starting to show his own goofy character traits (so much like his Daddy). It is a special time! :) And one that is quickly fading.....Mommies and Daddies, don't ever take that time for granted. You hear old people always telling you to cherish the baby years, and I know at the time, when you are in the midst of them, it is hard, frustrating and sometimes there are lots of trials. They ARE really short! Just take that to heart. And remember, that even what you do with your baby from birth to 2 years old, does make a humongous difference in the life of your child. I was extremely stressed out when Abbie was between 12 months and 3 years old, and she is sometimes despondent, disobedient and rebellious, more-so than the other two. So, I know I made bad mistakes with her and know I wasn't a very good mother. Sometimes I feel it is already too late with her, but I know it's not. I have been making changes since she turned three and it is getting better. She has her moments and so do I. That time is oh-so important in the health, mind and life of your child, so don't think that just because he/she is "only" 18 months or whatever age, that it doesn't really matter how good or bad of a parent you are. It starts at birth and the first 4 years actually are more of a "clay and potter- molding time" than you think.

Well, I hope you are all doing well! Blessings ~ Rachelle

Sheldon Walter's Birth Story

"SONS ARE A HERITAGE FROM THE LORD. CHILDREN A REWARD FROM HIM. LIKE ARROWS IN THE HAND OF A WARRIOR ARE SONS BORN IN ONE'S YOUTH. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL OF THEM." PSALM 127: 3-5

ME PREGNANT WITH SHELDON IN
THE CAMPER ~ WINTER '07/'08

SHELDON WALTER
FEBRUARY 10th 2007
With Grandma Sue

WHAT A GORGEOUS LITTLE BABY

OUR FAMILY IN 2007

In 2006 we moved to Idaho, and James was stationed at Fort Lewis, WA helping to start a new battalion for the 160th, there. The kids and I stayed on my parents property, helping them to start an organic cattle farm. The kids and I would visit James at Ft. Lewis quite often and he would come home on weekends. I became pregnant in May 2006 (Abbie was 13 months old) and in October we bought our camper. The picture of me pregnant with Sheldon was taken in it the day before I had him.

I didn't want to have another baby under the circumstances and always told James that I wanted to celebrate by becoming pregnant after we had built or bought a house. God had other plans for us, though. It was a hard pregnancy, mentally and emotionally. Physically, it was an okay, pregnancy, though I had a very hard time gaining weight, because I worked too hard.

That winter was hard and cold. I was feeding 7 horses by myself twice a day and caring for the other two kids, as well as trying to lug all my laundry everyday up through the snow to my mom's and haul the propane tanks each week into my car, to town and back down to the camper for our main source of heat. I also had to trudge through the snow up to my mom's to attach the hoses and fill our camper water tank up. I was very frustrated with our current situation and did not feel that now was a good time to have a baby, nor did I even want my baby, until about my third trimester. During the first 15 or 16 weeks of my pregnancy, I even hoped that I would miscarry. I was severely depressed like I had never been before and hope to never be again, until December 2006, when I finally snapped out of it and felt more normal. James was not home much, as he was very busy with the Army, and sometimes we would go 2-3 weeks without seeing him.

I was due February 20th, 2007 and I gained only 17 lbs with Sheldon. I had a wonderful midwife/OB GYN who tried very hard to help me with my depression without putting me on anti-depressants. She delivered Sheldon for me, as well! I remember that I could not stand to look at, smell or taste Ketchup...but I LOVED mustard this time around, (so weird). My biggest craving was raw spinach and vinegar straight out of the bottle. I would actually drink it straight! :)

James did not make it to my ultrasound this time, either, and I really had no clue as to if it was a boy or girl. The doctors saw him pee on the ultrasound and he was not shy at all in showing that he was all-boy! :) Having a boy and a girl, already, if mattered not what he was...only that he was healthy!

On the morning of the 9th, I pretty much knew that I was probably going into labor. It was the same as with Abbie....just hard, painless contractions for most of the day. I called my husband at about 4 o'clock in the evening and told him to go ahead and start for Idaho, so he would have enough time to make the 6-hour drive and not miss his baby being born. I think he left about 2 hours after I called him.

At about midnight, I called up to my mom's and told my sister, Naomi to go ahead and drive me to my sister, Sarah's, house. She did, and then I went with Sarah to Newport Community Hospital, in Newport, WA. When I got there, I was only at 2 cm. I got into a warm bath-tub and never felt my contractions, but know they were doing what they needed to, because when I got out I was at 4 cm. I had become restless in the tub, so decided to just go ahead and get back up in bed. Sarah and I talked and watched CMT until my contractions became too obnoxious. They weren't going anywhere at this point and I was still a 4 when I decided to just go ahead and get my epidural. Emotionally, I do not think I was even anywhere close to successfully having a natural birth. I got my epidural before I was even in that much pain. I just didn't want to think about it, and even though at this point I wanted my baby, I still didn't want to have him in the circumstances that my family was in. I wish I could have done it all over and stayed in that tub and had a natural birth, but I didn't and I can't go back. My husband wasn't there and I just didn't have the support I needed, I think.

My husband arrived around 1:00 am or 2:00am right after I had gotten my epidural and we talked and I rested. They checked me regularly, and I progressed at a pretty normal speed, and was ready to deliver Sheldon, at about 8:30 am on the 10th. Like with my other two children, I pushed about 5 times and he was out and hollering. I cried in my husband's arms, for the love I had for this new beautiful baby! He was born at 8:42 am. He weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19 inches long. He was gorgeous and nursed right away (he will be weaned at 18 months and has never had formula!). I didn't have any tearing with him or Abbie, and only a tiny bit with Zane, even though my babies come "flying" out!

I went home to 2 feet of snow and my husband was there with me for a week and I was back to my old routine. My postpartum period was pretty bad and it took 9 weeks for me to recover from having Sheldon, unlike the 5-6 period with my other children. It was hell, but gladly it is over and we are in a regular house again.

Sheldon is the joy of my life! He is beautiful, 100% all- boy and is full of go-getting life. He came at a horrible time in our life and marriage but I am thankful he is ours! :) He looks just like his Daddy and has a free-spirit, just like him, too! ;)

Abigail Virginia's Birth Story

"FOR YOU CREATED MY INMOST BEING; YOU KNIT ME TOGETHER IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB. I PRAISE YOU BECAUSE I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE."
PSALM 139:13-14

ME PREGNANT WITH ABBIE
SPRING 2005

ABIGAIL VIRGINIA
APRIL 19th 2005
With Daddy and Mommy

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BABY!

ZANE ENTHRALLED WITH HIS
BABY SISTER!

ZANE KISSES ABBIE ON HER
BIRTHDAY!

When Zane was 10 months old I became pregnant for the second time with a baby that I miscarried, at 8 weeks. It was a very hard time, and sometime I would like to write about that, but not now! After miscarrying we tried again, hoping to get pregnant fairly quickly and when Zane was 13 months, we did! :) We were still living in the single wide, and by January 2005, James was deployed to Iraq, and due home in March. I was due with the new baby on April 28th 2005.

I found a house to buy in LaFayette, KY in February, and when James returned from Iraq in March, we signed the papers and moved to a newer manufactured home (a double-wide) with 10 acres and lots of outbuildings. We moved in on March 13th. The rest of my pregnancy, I spent moving in, getting organized and doing some major nesting! We loved our new house and were so happy to be able to do what we wanted. Zane had a big backyard with a pool, sandbox and sometime later, his trampoline. He loved it there a lot!

This pregnancy was the best one out of the three. I was hardly sick at all and I didn't do much, so I was able to gain 31 pounds. James was in Iraq when I went in for my ultrasound, so he was not able to be there and "see" the news that we were possibly having a little girl, this time. The doctor said he was pretty sure it was a girl, but not 100%. I felt like it was a girl, but we never really knew for certain until she was born! :)

This time I had the same doctor the whole time! Another humongous baby boom had occurred on Ft. Campbell and many expectant mom's ended up being "farmed-out" to civilian hospitals, and I was one of them. I was very pleased with everything and had a wonderful and caring OB/GYN. Though it was a male, he did a good job! :)

While I was pregnant with Abigail, I couldn't stand to eat Yogurt, and to this day, I cannot finish a little carton, where I used to eat a whole one, before. Weird. She likes yogurt, though! My main craving was anything lemon! I loved and had to have lemon-water, and lemon cakes, muffins and pancakes. She does love lemon, and even eats Lemon-Heads and slices of Lemon, and doesn't make a face! :)

With Abigail, I woke up one morning, (the 18th of April) and as soon as I started the day I felt very hard, painless contractions, and more intense (though not painful) Braxton Hicks. I wasn't too sure if I was in labor since I wasn't due until the 28th, but decided that it very well could be and did the "flight of the honey bee" through the house, getting things ready and organized. When I lost my mucus plug in the middle of the day, we knew it was real labor and called my in-laws to come down, so Sherri could go with us to the hospital and Jim could watch Zane at the house, for us. We stayed around the house until the contractions were painful, which was not until midnight. We thought it was neat that it was very likely I would deliver on the 19th (the same day of the month that Zane was born).

So, off we went to Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, TN. My contractions were very close together but definitely not as painful as with Zane (we think this is due to the "natural" labor occurrence, instead of what I experienced with Zane). We stopped at Dairy Queen (I think) to get me a vanilla milkshake....I don't know why, but that is what I wanted, even though it was not very healthy!

When the doctors checked me, I was already at 4 cm! I was ecstatic!...and thought to myself, that maybe I could have a natural birth this time! It didn't last long, and my contractions were so close together and so painful that I gave up yet again and got another epidural at 6 cm. My labor was very fast with Abigail. I got to the hospital at midnight and she was ready to be delivered at 5:00 am on the 19th. I stayed in the same room for my labor and delivery which was nice. When it came time to push, I think I pushed 4 or 5 times and she was out. I was so happy to hear her cry that I didn't even think about whether or not she was really a girl. I guess James was interested though, and since he had seen her come out but she was face down (like normal), he did not see whether it was a girl or not!...They had taken her to clean her off and do all they do, and so he went over there to see for himself if he had gotten his little girl! He came over to me and whispered in my ear, that it really was a girl! :) I was like..."oh, yeah.....I forgot about that!" And we were so happy. About a minute later, they brought her to us and she nursed on both sides for 15 min per side and I was the happiest mommy, ever! :) She eventually weaned at 17 months and has never had formula! I am big on breastfeeding, and always have this nagging worry that I will not make milk or the baby will not nurse, and she did wonderfully.

The name Abigail is Hebrew for "my father's joy", and that she was and still is! :) She is definitely a daddy's girl! She was born at 5:01 am and weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz and was 19 inches long! She had a ton of dark brown hair and my awesome friend, LaNette brought barrettes for her hair when she came to visit us in the hospital.

When Zane came to see us, he was enthralled! He was 22 months old and was not talking very well at this point. But he was very adamant that this was "His BEE-BEE"! Oh, it was so cute to see his reactions when he held and kissed his new little sister! And she has worshiped him as her older brother, ever since! :) But not over her Daddy! :)

Zane Christian's Birth Story

"THE FATHER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN, HAS GREAT JOY; HE WHO HAS A WISE SON DELIGHTS IN HIM. MAY YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER BE GLAD. MAY SHE WHO GAVE YOU BIRTH REJOICE." PROVERBS 23:25

ZANE CHRISTIAN

JUNE 19th 2003
With Daddy and Mommy

ZANE AND A FAMILY FRIEND,
DENISE PRUITTE

ZANE CHRISTIAN ~ ONE DAY OLD

I have been meaning to put my kid's birth stories on here for awhile, now....I have probably forgotten a lot of the details, but maybe in writing it out, I will remember, more!

James and I got married in Priest River, Idaho on August 2, 2002. About a week later we moved to Ft. Campbell, KY to start our new life together. We had dated/known each other for 5 1/2 years before marrying, so we were actually quite ready to start a family. We did want to wait to get pregnant a little longer than we actually did, but we were very happy and so excited. I found out I was pregnant in late September. James, I remember, was very proud! :)

We were living in this itty bitty house that was not the greatest, so we started looking around for a new place to rent. We moved to Clarksville, TN in December right before Christmas, to a nice single wide, where we could also keep our horses. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, with lots of land, so it was perfect to start our little family.

We prayed everyday for a little boy, and sometimes we even asked for a little boy when we said Grace over our food. When we had our ultrasound, the doctor asked if I could tell what my baby was, and so I looked for a few seconds, and saw that he was a boy! We were so excited!

I wasn't sick while I was pregnant with Zane. I remember that the smell of ground beef cooking made me a little nauseous, and I couldn't even stand to look at mustard (he has hated mustard, all this time until just recently)! I gained 25 pounds exactly, with him. I walked a lot, with our Blue Heeler, Sissy, and I rode my horse the most during his pregnancy than with the other two.

I was due June 19th, 2003. On the 18th of June, I went in for a regular check-up with whoever was to be my doctor that day. There was a big baby boom, when I was pregnant with Zane, and I never had the same doctor more than two or three times, which was kind of frustrating, but also kind of fun! Every time I would get a new doctor, he/she would get deployed to Iraq. So, anyway, the lady checked me and casually asked if I was ready to have my baby. Of course, I said yes. Well, apparently, when she checked me she also ruptured my membrane, which very quickly put me in labor. Oh, you do not even know how absolutely angry I was. Mostly, because James had been sent out for some little mission and I did not know where he was or when he would be home. So, as soon as I left the hospital the contractions started and they were painful from the very beginning. I had to go to the commissary, so I bravely decided I better go while the getting was good. It was busy in there and by the time I got out with all my food and into my car I was in quite a bit of bearable pain, but my contractions were about 15 min apart and regular.
I get home and call my mom, and she says the doctor probably just irritated me when she checked me, and that I am probably not in labor. I call my mother-in-law and she says I probably am, so I really have no clue if I am or if I am not...........all I know is that my husband is gone and I do not know where he is. I am praying to God that he comes home soon, with each contraction. I am kind of getting scared when I make myself some dinner and it is getting dark. We didn't have a cell phone at this time, and I wouldn't have called him anyway. So, I put my bag by the door, and decide it is too late to call anyone to drive me to the hospital, so I think to myself that I will go to bed for awhile and then if the pain gets worse I will drive myself to the hospital and somewhere, someone can contact my husband.

I go to bed and probably around 10:00-10:30 pm, my husband comes home and apparently they didn't need him to go on this mission, but that he had to go somewhere.....Jimmy help me out on this ....I can't remember.......Anyway, he flew on a helicopter somewhere, to go to the mission, but didn't go on the mission, so he flew back to KY and then drove home. So, he sees my bag by the door when he comes home and is like "OMG".........I was asleep actually when he came home, with a little break from the contractions. After he got home, I tried to sleep, so he could get some sleep. I think he got an hours worth or so, before I couldn't stand it anymore. Thank God he was home to drive me! On the way there, the contractions were about 9-10 min apart and horrendous. I knew nothing about breathing or positioning, really, but did my best. We are driving our huge white 1991 Ford F-350, that my parents gave us. About halfway there, we get pulled over. James thought he was speeding, but the cop was just telling him that he had a taillight out. So, as soon as the cop comes to the window, James is making excuses for speeding and saying, "my wife is in labor, etc"....the cop is like, "no, I didn't pull you over for speeding...." And so, the cop is asking all kinds of questions while I am doubled over in the truck....finally, I say, "JUST GO!" ....and so we did.

We get there around midnight. They check me and I am only at 1 cm. I am disappointed, since I have been in pain since lunchtime the day before, and really thought I would be farther along then that. I tell the doctors I want to have an all natural delivery....I don't even think I knew what I was talking about.....anyway, but I do tell the assistant that if it gets too bad that I would like to have an epidural. My husband is not a very supportive labor person and just sits there and holds my hand (same for all our babies). Oh well, so for an hour or two I try to breathe through my contractions which are getting harder and harder and getting me nowhere really. I think I was only at 3 cm when I finally got my epidural. My epidural must have been a great one, because I didn't feel a thing until way after Zane was born. I got my epidural at about 1 or 2 in the morning and it lasted until after Zane was born (at 12:53 pm, on June 19th--my actual due date). You hear stories about epidurals not lasting long enough, but mine sure did. Anyway, so from the time I got it until I was wheeled into the delivery room, my labor progressed slowly. I knew I should probably change positions every now and then to help him out, so I did that quite a bit and rested.

I am a great pusher and have never had to push longer than 30 min and my babies are out. So, I pushed with Zane a few times and they laid him naked and slimy on my tummy and I cried and told him I loved him, and it was a very emotional time for both Daddy and I. Zane was tired and a little cold so they put him in the incubator thing, and i was pissed royally, because I just wanted to nurse him before he was way too tired, but wasn't brave enough to just tell them. So, by the time he is warm enough (to their standards) they finally give him to me, to nurse him and he is too tired and will not latch on. I try and try but he is just so asleep that nothing is working. Finally, they take him and sit him up and force a bottle into his mouth and he drinks some but is still too tired to drink much. Of course, I am furious. With my next two babies I made it very clear what I wanted and didn't let this type of thing happen again.

When he finally wakes up and is alert, he nurses like a champ and since I am a new mom, they make me stay in the hospital for like 3 days, which was fine. I didn't mind, really and I got good rest. I could have had a midwife at that time, or had him in a birthing center, I'm sure, but it is a lot of paperwork and I think you have to pay for it, and with my husband as an E-3, we just couldn't afford that, so obviously we went with our 100% covered medical, hospital birth, with free epidural! :) I had epidurals with my other two kids as well, and both of them nursed right away (I will write their birth stories sometime this next week probably) and weren't tired like Zane was, but he was my longest labor, at 23 hours long....so I don't think it was the epidural. He was just plain exhausted. He was born at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, on Ft. Campbell, Ky. Sherri Phipps (my mother-in-law), and James were there when he was born. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 1/2 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He had some hair, but not much and was a pretty good baby. Eventually, when he was about 8 weeks old, after some major colicking/tummy upset, I figured out that he was sensitive to dairy products and eliminated those out of my diet for a few months and slowly added them back in. After one day, he was like a different child! I was so happy to have a happy baby! So, if you are a new mom and are having this type of problem (vomiting after nursing and crying a lot after nursing, it could be dairy products).

We brought Zane home in our cowboy truck and the first song he ever heard was something by George Strait (Jimmy, correct me if I am wrong), and he has been a little cowboy ever since! :)