Hello, world! The Moore Family is still alive and doing well! Ha! I know it has been FOREVER since I blogged.
I'm really going to try to do better. I'm almost off work for a couple of months... big YAY...so I should have more time on my hands, and more time means more blogging and most importantly, more time with my babies to enjoy Christmas! :o)
We have been BUSY BUSY BUSY with our boys, work, and with Doodlebugz. The last time I blogged, I left y'all with the changes happening in our lives. I honestly can't explain how overwhelmed I was feeling at that moment. I'm so glad that that time and has come and gone, because all of these changes have been GREAT ones! God amazes me how he makes things so perfect!
Y'all may not really be interested in what's happened, but I really want to be able to look back and remember all of this, so let me rewind to 2011....... here we go!
 |
| 10 Weeks 1 Day Pregnant with Baby #2 |
 |
| 21 Weeks Pregnant...just in case y'all want to see how I looked! |
On Dec 3, our little family packed up and moved to our new house in Osceola (which we are loving). Please keep in mind, at this time, I was 36 weeks pregnant, very large and hormonal, and we moved 3 weeks before our second baby was due and 3 weeks before Christmas. Wow, right!? I wish I could say it went smoothly, but it so didn't. ha! We moved in and before we could even start unpacking that night, Cody came down with a stomach virus. While he got better, Manning, my fam and I unpacked and decorated as much as we possibly could. I don't know what we would have done without our family and close friends who came to the rescue and helped us unpack, put up our Christmas tree, and made life somewhat normal for us. Of course, though, a few days later, Manning and I both came down with that virus and weren't able to function, so we all moved in with my parents for a few days. The virus made me start contracting, so I was pretty much couch-ridden for about a week. Fun stuff, huh?
When we were finally well, we continued to prepare for our sweet McCarty's arrival and Christmas. The bags were packed, Christmas presents were wrapped, Manning's big bro shirt was made by yours truly, and we were scheduled for a c-section on Dec 20. I honestly never thought we'd make it to that date, and neither did my OB, Dr C. After 2 "false alarm" trips to the hospital, Dec. 20 seemed to be THE day. Here's his birthday story. If y'all are anything like me, you love birth stories & details. Again, this is something I never want to forget!
 |
| Trip to Bass Pro to see Santa which resulted in a trip to the ER for contractions...false alarm! |
On December 20, 2011, Cody and I woke up at 4:30 am to head to Baptist Women's Hospital in Memphis. Upon arrival, we got checked in, and they took me back alone for the usual 150 strange questions they ask when you're about to have a baby. While I was putting on my gown and preparing myself for the section, Cody waited in the waiting room with our families. Then, my mom, dad, and Cody took turns coming to see me before the big moment. When Dr. C said it was time, off we went to the OR. When having Manning, my spinal block went really smoothly and I didn't feel a thing. This time, that wasn't the case. It was awful! They couldn't get the needle in the right spot in my spine, and it HURT, really really bad! After holding my breath and spouting off a not-so-nice word, it was over, and I couldn't feel a thing. Then, they let Cody come in to sit with me and Dr C and the crew got to work. We talked about Christmas shopping, Black Friday deals that we racked up on, how crazy I was for shopping for 15 hours straight, blah blah blah, until we heard one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. McCarty Taylor Moore cried his very first cry at 8:05 a.m. He was the most beautiful, perfect little guy we'd ever seen, except for his big brother, of course!
This time around, I actually got to hold him and love on him in recovery. With Manning, my blood pressured dropped dangerously low and I was being monitored, and he swallowed some fluid at birth and had to be suctioned, so everyone else got to see him first through the nursery window. But, with McCarty, he was immediately placed in mine and Cody's arms. Before he was born, I had often prayed and wondered about how I could possibly love a second child as much as I loved my first. The moment I held him, those worries were long gone. I instantly loved him perfectly and completely. Just like Dr. Seuss said, my heart grew 2 sizes that day.... and what a wonderful feeling it was. Cody and I sat in recovery and just talked about beautiful and perfect he was and how blessed we truly were to receive such a miracle.
I don't know what it is about having a second baby, but everything was easier to me this time around. I knew what to appreciate and expect in the hospital. I knew not to worry about rushing home. I allowed McCarty to sleep in the nursery (we were crazy and didn't with Manning). I enjoyed each and every visitor without turning into an emotional wreck. I knew to not expect sleep and for things not to be normal, so in a way, that's exactly how they felt, "normal," if that makes any sense at all. Things were just peaceful and perfect. I think it's because God knew we needed McCarty to give us balance and make our little family perfect and complete.
 |
| First Photo as a family of 4 :) |
I'm sure you're all wondering how Manning reacted to his new baby brother. This was another one of my worries. I was scared to death that he would resent him or want to hurt him. Only part of that fear came true. ha! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. When he first saw him, he loved him, but I could tell he was nervous and wasn't sure how to respond. He kissed and hugged him, but he was really more worried about me being in a hospital bed. He couldn't stand seeing me like that. He kept saying "Mommy, get up." Talk about break your heart!!!!
 |
| Kisses for McCarty |
 |
| One of my favorites :) |
After 2 nights in the hospital, the doctors cleared us to go home. I think the nurses were sad to see us go. They always complimented our festive attire. McCarty is our Christmas baby, so he was dressed in monogrammed Christmas gowns with matching hats and reindeer socks each day. I even wore Christmas pjs and socks. Y'all know how much I LOVE Christmas, right!?! Anyway, Cody and I had to go to a class for caring for a newborn... I have NO idea why they didn't make us do that the first time around when we actually needed the training, but we did it and re-learned everything. Then, we loaded up our precious new bundle and headed home to our new house in Osceola.
 |
| Sporting our Christmas attire... ignore my swollen self! ;) |
 |
| Going home! |
How was our new life at home with 2 babies??? Stay tuned to find out! ;o) Here's McCarty's birth announcement! Oh, how thankful and blessed we are to have him!!!!
 |
| Welcome McCarty Taylor Moore! |
