Rory is 5 months old

We have now been blessed with our sweet Rory for 5 whole months now and we could not be happier about it!

She is the sweetest most snuggly little chunky girl! Rory's bright blue eyes just light up when she sees anyone doting on her which is most often her big brother and sister. They fight over who gets to say "Hello pretty girl" to her first in the mornings and after her naps and over who gets to be the first one to give her sugars. Rory is working on cutting a few more teeth and She has regressed a little between 7-10 of falling back into her colicky habits wanting only to be held by mom and bounced in a specific way during this time. She is very keen on her Mama right now and prefers to be in my arms above anyone else's. Dad recently had a full day alone with all the kids and Rory was not a fan, crying and screaming the entire time.




Rory is completely over her swing and never wants to be put in it. We moved it out to the garage and it made my heart break a little that she was already big enough to be done with it. She has discovered her exersaucer though and LOVES it! She is just like her sister in this way. She is having so much fun discovering the different textures and toys while spinning around in it. We have also put Rory in the walker and although she has some limited room to move in she is loving scooting around the house on her own in it. She has also really discovered her voice and makes the sweetest noises. Her laughter is such a joyful sound amongst all the chaos around her! 




Rory has had a few rough nights not sleeping through the night recently and I am thinking this is just due to a growth spurt. She is still sleeping by our bed in her bassinet but she has taken a few naps in her crib. Rory doesn't always need to be rocked to sleep as long as she is swaddled and her white noise is on she will fall asleep on her own. The girl is now continually wearing 9-12 month clothes and even some 18 month items! Her cousin Emma who is 14 months older, is outgrowing clothes that Rory is moving right into! Rory is not a fan of her bows, as she pulls them down over her eyes constantly. She is taking formula 6-7 ounces every 5-6 hours now. We have tried some banana flavored teether foods but she was not a fan!


We are all such huge fans of you Rory and are so thankful God put you in our lives!! 

Rory's 4 Month Update

We have had a lot of transition heading into Rory's 4th month of life. We moved from her birthplace and the town Drew and I met in and lived in for over 10 years Amarillo, to Midland, TX. Moving to a new town, house, life 3 and a half months after having a baby is a little challenging. Luckily our little Rory made her part of the transition seamless and even kicked some of her colicky habits.




Rory continues to sleep swaddled in her bassinet in our room. She is sleeping from her last bottle at 11 pm until close to 9 am! This sweet girl also takes a really great nap in the afternoon for roughly 3 hours along with a few catnaps in the morning. Rory continues to find amusement in her siblings and loves to watch what they are doing around her.

Rory finally cut two teeth in her front bottom gum and we are soo thankful!! She struggled with some pain getting these two teeth in but they are the cutest little teeth ever! It seems like they were trying to come in for a long time and just popped up overnight. Rory is still incredibly generous with her smiles and now she is proud to show off her two new teeth.

We had Rory's 4 month appointment with a our new pediatrician in Midland and he was very impressed with her strength and head control already. She has stayed right on track growth wise and is very "proportionate." Rory is 24.8 in long putting her in the 66%, 15lbs. 15 oz keeping her in the 89% weight percentile and has a 41.4 head circumference.

We were given the OK to start Rory on her first foods and so we started with carrots. She was not a big fan. She just spit it all right back out of her mouth but she was sure cute doing it!

Rory Ashton you are just the sweetest and we adore you!!

Rory's Birth Story: Part 1

Our Beautiful girl was born on Monday June 11, 2018. Outside of a feared complication that our sonogram thought she spotted in our 20 week sonogram in January, Rory's pregnancy was rather easy. I hadn't suffered any of the pelvic or back pain that had plagued me with Everett and Haven. My morning sickness was no worse and no better than the others. Every sonogram we got Rory's sweet little hands were up by her face and the tech would remark about how smooshed up against me she was in the womb. Every single time! I was positive that with Rory being my third child she was bound to come early. I did have braxton hicks contractions stronger and earlier with her than the other two and I just knew this girl was not going to make it to her due date! Rory's official due date was June 12th and as that week crept closer I was sure at any minute I would go into labor. Haven's birth was a planned induction due to heart complications and knowing exactly what day we would meet her spoiled Dad and I both. Drew grew more and more anxious with each passing day that I didn't go into labor. At my 37 week visit my Doctor gave me the option of inducing the next week. I was dilated some and had made progress between my two appointments but labor still seemed like it could be a bit longer. Knowing that having a plan for labor would be so much easier logistically with two kids already at home and a husband who traveled for work some I hesitantly agreed to scheduling an induction.




We landed on the very next Monday, June 11. It was so important to me to have a clear cut plan for Everett and Haven when I went into labor so that they wouldn't be panicked. It was also so incredibly important for me to have Neeley at the birth, she and Drew were the ones by my side for both Everett and Haven's births but this was even more special as it was Neeley's namesake to be born. Since Neeley was living in Midland at the time Monday seemed easier for her to be here right off a weekend as opposed to coming in in the middle of the week.

I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 7 am on Monday morning. My alarm was set for 5 am so I could get up shower and try to look like I wasn't going to be in labor all day. However at 3 am I was awoken with severe contractions. They were the most intense contractions I had yet experienced, too scared to time then and too strong to sleep through I woke up and began preparing for the hospital. The contractions never eased up and I knew that had we not already planned on going in to have Rory that day we would be doing it anyway! This girl was coming!

We left bright eyed Everett and still sleeping Haven at home with Mimi Susie with promises to come back to bring them to see their new sister. Upon arriving at the hospital we were quickly ushered into a room and I settled into the oh so comfortable labor bed. Our nurses were quick to get my paperwork done and began measuring my contractions. They were coming a cool 4 minutes apart at this point and both nurses remarked on how this was to be Rory's birthday whether we had chosen it or not. I was put on pitocin to increase the rate of contractions and help dilate me beyond the 3 I had come in at. Around 9 am Neeley arrived and we settled in for a wait. I received my epidural and welcomed Aunt Kelsey and Mimi to our labor room around 10. My doctor came in and broke my water before noon.

Haven's delivery was sudden and fast and I had heard that your third can be even easier. I was prepared to "sneeze" Rory out with ease, I also thought she would be here before early afternoon. Time came and went and as I kept saying she'll be here anytime she kept not arriving. My nurses came in and put me in some of the most uncomfortable positions ever. The dreaded fire hydrant that I remembered from Everett's labor was reintroduced to me. Aunt Kelsey had to go to work and so Drew,  Neeley, and Aunt Tammy and I were there just waiting. My nurse came and told me to lay on my side with my legs straddling a ball and one arm behind my bag, it was torture but a "sure fire way" to get this baby out. I laid that way for maybe 5 minutes before the pain was so strong I couldn't stand it. I was feeling immense pressure. The nurses checked me and called for Dr. Appel to come running because Rory was ready. My little snuggle bug was finally willing to be pushed out of her comfortable home for the past 9 months.

Rory's delivery was by far the most painful I had experienced. Possibly because Haven's was so easy and she was so small that being the last memory I had did not help me. With my people on my side and nurses surrounding me I pushed and pushed and pushed. I was in pain feeling like my epidural had worn off and like I was feeling everything. I was giving my all and feeling like I was getting no where with each push. I remember crying and shaking my head thinking I can not get this girl out! I just can't do it! After another push I heard Neeley crying say "She's almost here Meg, your doing so good!" I somehow managed to pull all my strength together and pushed again to hear my beautiful girls brand new wails into the world. Rory was born at 2:47 pm! She was stunningly beautiful! I held her against me for the first time and couldn't believe how incredibly blessed I was to get to have another daughter!




It soon became apparent why Rory's birth was the hardest, our sweet girl weighed in at 8 lbs. 13 oz, our biggest baby by far! She weighed at 19 inches long like her siblings. My doctor couldn't get over her big cheeks and remarked on that being the reason she got stuck in the birth canal. She was beautiful and chunky and absolute perfection!

A little Everett & Haven update

Everett has really grown in a lot of ways the past 6 months. I look at him and often wonder where my baby went because at 4.5 he already seems so old to me! He still very much acts like a 4 or maybe even a 2 year old though at times! Everett has been the best big brother since Haven was born but it has been kicked into extra high gear since welcoming Rory! He loves to dote on his baby sister and will not go to bed before giving her kisses goodnight even if she’s asleep in the other room. He loves to run up to her and say “Hello Pretty Girl” in the sweetest little baby talk voice. He has also taken on the role of boss to Haven and feels it necessary to tell her what to and what not to do! 

Everett continues to be the pickiest eater ever although his go to foods are slowly increasing! He loves to eat a blueberry waffle in the morning or a McDonald’s biscuit with cheese only. His favorite dinner is pasta with buttered noodles. He drinks apple juice and water like crazy and has recently taken to liking Orange Juice! Everett is crazy about all things animals and dinosaurs... crazy!! He sings songs from the Lion King either excellent precision and reinacts them! 

Everett is such a Mamas boy and has the most tender heart! He comes up to me at all times and gives me kisses and he asks to tell me a secret to which he then whispers in my ear “Mom I love you soo much your my bestest Mama in the whole wide world!” Sweet Everett still sleeps with his best Myer and I love it! I don’t know how in the world to capture all that he is in this moment in time except that he is truly the best!! I am so lucky that Everett was our first... we have made mistakes with him and grown so much being his parents! 

Sweet Haven is still ,at 2.5, our little wild child! She is moving constantly! She has to do whatever her big brother does even if it’s something he’s just gotten in trouble for. She pushes all boundaries! She loves to push her Bubba’s buttons also! She is a huge fan of her baby sister and loves to bombard her with kisses and rough hugs! We are still learning how to be gentle with those smaller than her, Haven just has lots of love to share! She wants to be held all of the time! 

Haven is a ham! She prances around being silly all the time and keeps us laughing nonstop. If Haven hears music she automatically jumps up to dance. Moving always! Haven tries all foods and comes to eat food off of mine and Dads plates after finishing her dinner. She loves to eat chicken and carrots! I’m hoping she won’t get her Mom’s eye problems with all the carrots she eats. Haven wants to wear her rain boots with everything and is adamant about it! She wants so badly to do things on her own. Haven insists on sleeping with her blanket that she carries everywhere and her bunny! She has been in a twin bed for a few months now and has just now realized she can get up out of it on her own. Until a week ago she would lay in bed waiting quietly for me to come get her after she woke up. It’s a bitter sweet thing to see her sweet little self coming around the door in the mornings but sad that she’s growing up so fast! 

Haven loves her Daddy like crazy and wants to be with him as soon as he gets home but she wants Mom to clean her diapers and put her to bed. She wakes up every morning wanting to go to her Gran-Nana’s house  which is heartbreaking to me since we just moved to Midland. Haven is fearless and will approach any animal or person she encounters. She shouts “Hi” to everyone in earshot at stores. Haven is ornery and silly and sweet! She has the puffiest perfect lips that are the best to get sugars from. She melts my heart when she randomly says “ Mama I love you so so much!” In her sweet little lispy voice. I find myself looking at Haven still finding it hard to believe God gave me this sweet daughter and praying that we can develop a friendship like I had with my Mom! 

These babies of ours have grown up so quickly and every single day I get to be with them is such a blessing! This has been a very hard season of change and growing our family but I’m so thankful for the gift of being their Mom! 

3 month old Rory

My intentions with this blog have been to keep a record of memories for my children and myself of our lives. The story of my life before them, Drew and mine life together, their Nana’s journey, the story of their lives as they have grown and conquered new milestones. I have the best of intentions to write these stories in a timely manner as things occur but life happens and right now 3 young children and a move has happened. All that to say, Rory turned 3 months old 3 weeks ago and I am just now posting about it. In these early years the changes come fast and furiously but I am determined to document each one for Rory just as I have with the other two even if they come a bit late! 

So Rory, my beautiful perfect precious girl time is flying by with you and we are loving every single day!! You are such a sweet baby Rory! You are a fairly easy going babies with the exception of riding in the car at times and during your “witching hours” from 8-9:30. You love to be held especially by your Mom and are content to be worn in a carrier on me during errands. You are really loving to sit up more and watch the world around you. You find your siblings most fascinating as they make loud noises around you. 

Rory you have been sleeping through the night consistently for about a month now and it is wonderful! You take your last bottle between 9:30-10:30 and have slept on occasion until 8 the next morning! For now you are still sleeping in the bassinet in Mom & Dad’s room, why mess with a good thing right?! You are eating 6-8 oz every 4-5 hours and taking a good long nap in the afternoons with your siblings. 

After some initial Hesitation you are now a big fan of your baths and getting covered in lotion. You love to smile Rory! Your sweet smile lights up a room and your little laugh is really starting to come out louder! I need to get out our 6-9 month clothes because you are growing so fast and the 3 month clothes are getting a little snug on you. Your sweet red hair is slowing getting longer and looking fuller. Rory your beautiful blue eyes are so bright and look just like your Nana’s! 

Rory you have captured the hearts of not only the 4 of us who can’t get enough of you but your Gran-Nana and Aunt Doss are some of your biggest fans as well! You have brought so much light and joy into all of our lives!! We all adore you beautiful girl!! 

Haven’s Asthma Attack

We have been so fortunate that in our 4 years of being parents we have only had to take our children to the hospital once so far. The one time was when Haven was a year old and had a bad virus we wound up in the ER for a long night but we able to go home. Our one time record was broken a few weeks back when Haven wound up being admitted to the hospital one night and staying for 3 days.


            (Playing with blocks in the hospital)

Finding a house in Midland initially proved to be a bit of a challenge and we spent 3 weekends/weeks in a row down there trying to get a contract on a house that would suit our family. While we were down there the kids got to play with their cousins and in the dead heat of summer that mostly meant playing in pools and sprinklers. Haven got a little snotty nose and cough the last weekend we were there. When we came home she was still coughing some and not feeling quite like herself so I gave her some medicine and put her to bed early thinking she needed some good sleep in her own bed. At 10 pm that night Haven woke up crying and breathing very hard. I immediatly got concerned and thought back to her heart issue in the womb not knowing if that could come back. I took her to a new remote Emergency Room that opened up not far from our house thinking it would be a clean place to get fluids and antibiotics quickly to help her.

(Strawberry ice cream was the first thing to make her smile after a horrible night being admitted) 

If there were to be any silver lining to your kids being sick it would be that they just want to be held by Mama. Haven is up and moving constantly and is not in a stage where she really wants to be snuggled much unless she is about to go to bed and thinks it will get her a chance to stay up a little bit later. The horrible part of taking your little baby to an Emergency room is that they want to run all sorts of test and gather blood, which is good to figure out whats going on of course, but she couldn't understand any of what they were doing and it was absolute torture as a Mom. Haven's cousin Merritt had gotten strep throat while we were in Midland and I was sure that our little visit would prove that she also had strep and we would be sent home with some meds for that. However, the nurse came in and told me that the doctor was going to be admitting us to Northwest Texas hospital for Haven's trouble breathing. He said that Haven's heartrate was also accelerated and that her oxygen level was extremely low. I was shocked! Haven was put on oxygen and a breathing treatment along with an IV in her arm to get her some meds and I began frantically calling Drew who had stayed home with the other two kids. I was told that we would have to be taken via Ambulance to the hospital to keep Haven on oxygen. As we waited for a room and the ambulance I held Haven in my arms, she was only wearing a diaper because she had thrown up all over her pajamas, and I wept not knowing what in the world was going to happen with my girl! Her strep, flu, and rsv tests had all come back negative so we were not sure what was causing this reaction.

     (Playing in the playroom after two days in bed) 

The ambulance came and I got on the gurney and snuggled Haven down against me while they strapped us in to take us to the hospital. She was absolutely exhausted as it was now 4 am and had been up for hours with no sleep. Thankfully Aunt Cindy was in town visiting Nana and was able to come over to stay with Everett and Rory so Drew could come meet us at the hospital. Immediately upon arriving we were swarmed with nurses, doctors and techs. They began frantically examining Haven and analyzing her every vital without indicating much to us of what was going on. Things like "Reactive Airway Disease" was thrown out along with "Intensive Care Unit." I was freaking out! They began giving Haven some aggressive breathing treatments to help her labored breathing which would hopefully help her heart rate and oxygen to normalize. After hours of unknown and constant treatments the admitting Doctor finally came to tell us what was happening. He told us that Haven had Reactive Airway Disease, which meant basically she is too young to be officially diagnosed with Asthma but that she has Asthma. A mild ear infection, a Urinary Tract Infection and possible other infection all contriubuted to her having a massisve asthma attack. He didn't think we would need to be admitted to Intensive Care but we would remain in the hospital for 2-3 days to get her lungs and infections cleared.


We continued a routine of aggressive breathing treatments every 2 hours, which Haven hated until she was just worn down from fighting them. In between the treatments we were challenged with trying to keep a 2 year old content to staying in a bed all day and night. Not an easy task but especially for a child like Haven who just wants to be up moving constantly! Initially I was upset about being taken to Northwest Texas hospital bcause it has never been our preferred hospital but God knew what he was doing. We received amazing attentive care while at NWH where a circulation of doctors, nurses, and volunteers were constantly checking on Haven’s progress. After about a day and a half Haven’s IV blew out and was able to come off all the cords containing her to her bed with the exception of occasional oxygen use. This allowed her to get to move about her room and we even got to visit the pediatric kids playroom. Haven was like a kid in the candy store at this point getting to run and play in a room full of toys. 

(Such a trooper with her breathing treatments at home)

After 3 days in the hospital Haven’s breathing finally regulated and we were able to bring her home and give her breathing treatments ourselves. We were sent home  with the knowledge that Haven will have triggers that could set her down this road again and we need to be hyper aware of what those could be. It is highly likely she will face these attacks again and be diagnosed with asthma within the next few years. This was very disappointing news to hear for our active girl but we know there are easy treatments now to help her cope with this in the future. And more than that, God has got her wrapped up in his hands!! 

A little weekend getaway

This summer has been full of readjustments for our family. The first part of the summer was all about welcoming Rory to our family and ensuring that Everett, Haven and Rory have all been well adjusted to the changes. This involved a lot of time indoors hiding away from the heat.  Quickly and simultaneously as we were doing this we began preparing mentally and physically for the move to Midland. We have all been a little drained and disconnected this summer and needed an opportunity to pause for a minute to regroup with one another.






We decided to take a long weekend trip to Oklahoma City because it was a somewhat quick drive with our one not very tolerable rider (Haven) and it offered an array of fun activities that Amarillo doesn't supply. Our number one priority while in OKC was visiting the Zoo. Animals are Everett's absolute favorite thing right now, he loves every single one. Haven's favorite thing is anything that Everett loves so naturally she is very into animals as well. We lathered all three kids up with sunscreen and hats and set out for a fun day. Quickly after walking past the first habitat Rory decided a stroller was not for her and I wound up wearing her in a Moby wrap around me the rest of the day. Everett and I read over all the animals that were on exhibit at the zoo before we left to amp up excitement for our weekend. He and Haven were very excited to see the tigers and bears but when we finally got to them they were more interested in moving on to the next animal than lingering on watching them. Everett's most favorite while we were there was a massive Orangutan that he watched climb up to a perch high in his exhibit. Everett immediately began calling him "King Louie" from the Jungle Book and loved all his orange hair. Haven's favorite of all wound up to be a carousel that she rode with her Dad. They both also loved the tank of stingrays where they could pet them although neither of them managed to do so, they both enjoyed being so close and putting their hands in the water with them.







We were all exhausted after a long hot few hours at the zoo. After a quick bite and check in at the hotel the kids and Drew headed to the pool where there was a large kids splash area for them to enjoy! While there Drew and I both wanted to go to the Memorial of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I had been once before when I was in college but it took on a completely different meaning to me being there with my precious children on the grounds where others lost their lives. As we walked around the serene beautiful monument and I got on to Everett and Haven for pestering one another I couldn't help but be so incredibly grateful for the gift of being their Mom. The rest of our trip was soaking up time just being together whether out shopping, eating good food or playing in the pool it was all about being a family of five.








This trip was greatly needed for each one of us! I have realized how important it is to take time to just refocus on being a family now more than ever.

Rory is 2 months old

Oh Rory what a JOY you are! Somehow two months with you has crept up on us and yet it feels as if you have always been here with us! 

For the most part we have gotten all of our colic issues under control and you are a pretty easy baby. You have discovered your smile and it is the absolute sweetest sight! You are extremely generous with it and smile at anyone smiling at you, who is of course anyone looking at you. You are such a beautiful baby Rory! You have the brightest blue eyes just like your Nana’s. I feel as though I’m looking in her eyes when I look into yours. Currently your hair is also a beautiful red color like hers and I am hoping it stays that way.

You love to be cuddled up in someone’s arms but have been really good about taking long naps in the afternoon in your bassinet. You have also teased me by sleeping through the night a time or two but haven’t nailed down your consistency on that yet. When 7:30-8 pm rolls around you still like to be bounced on a medicine ball while being held tightly against my chest, I think it reminds you of being in the womb when I bounced with you. 

At your 2 month check up the Dr was thrilled with how much neck strength you had and how alert you were. You follow noises and movement like a pro but you’ve been that way since almost the beginning! You weighed in at 12lbs. 9 oz and were 24 inches long putting you in the 90th and 98th percentiles. 

Rory your siblings continue to be completely in awe of you! When either of them wake up you are the very first person they want to see. Haven can hear you make a peep from across the house long before I can! Everett will come peek at you and marvel on how “adorable” you are or tell me “ mom she is just a beautiful girl “ to which I couldn’t agree more! We all adore you my love and are so thankful God chose us to be your family!