Samuel Wright Martin

Samuel Wright Martin
June 4, 2009 8:18 pm
7 lbs. 6 oz.
20 1/2 in. long

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Well, we are back-tracking a little, but I wanted to make an official post about our newest addition. Sam's labor/delivery was a completely different experience than Winston's. He surprised us and all the nurses and doctor by being born just 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital! In case you are counting, yes, that means we didn't have time for the epidural!!! Here's the quick version...All through the night on Wednesday (june 3) I contracted, but they were never consistently spaced. Once I got up for the day on Thursday (june 4), they seemed to subside a little so I got some things done. Katie and Campbell and Winston and me went for a walk around mid-morning (I wanted to get things started back up so we could just "get the show on the road"). Anyway, we had a fun lunch together and Winston and I went back home for his nap. Thursdays are pool days for the girls in my Sunday School class so we planned to go. Over the course of Winston's nap, the contractions returned a little more intense and consistent, but I still didn't feel an extreme urgency. However, I knew if I went into the hospital they would probably keep me. Needless to say, I wasn't real sure I still wanted to go to the pool, but not wanting to disappoint my sweet boy, we went. I just thought I would rather be in the pool with friends and hurting than sitting at home by myself. We came home from the pool around 5:30 and that's when things started to shift to a higher gear. I took a long, hot shower, and told Joseph to pack some things for him for the hospital (I just thought we would head in-still not rushing-that evening so I could get some drugs that would make the pain stop!). Anyway, by the time I was out of the shower, I changed my mind. I told Joseph to get in touch with Paul so he could come watch Winston until his or my parents got here. At this point I was not even able to talk through the contractions. I was just trying to get through each one (i think they were 3-5 minutes apart). Well, the ride to the hospital was the worst part (no way to "get comfortable"). We arrived around 7:30 pm. They were ready for us and the first thing I said when I saw the nurse in the hallway was, "I NEED and epidural!". She calmly expleained that there were a few steps to do before I could get it (which I knew). I was checked and was 6 cm dialated. I quickly double-checked about getting that epidural, and she looked at the other nurse standing there and said, "We are going to hurry". The doctor came in and checked me again and I was 6 cm with my water about to break. THey were drawing blood and waiting for a whole bag of IV fluid to go in me before I could get the epidural. They all kept looking at each other like I wasn't going to make it, so I kept asking about the possibility of the epidural (in between contractions). Five minutes after the dr. initially checked me I mentioned feeling more pressure so she checked me again and I was 9 cm!!!! I quickly made one last plea for the epidural and when they went into delivery-mode (gowns, masks, etc.) I just gave up. However, I then panicked a little since I didn't prepare for this. I just assumed I would get the magic shot and go through it all pain-free. Not so much. After more preparation, a few pushes, and 15 minutes, Sam was here. Thankfully a whole pound less than Winston. In hind sight, the recovery was better without the drugs. If I knew my next would go that fast, I would consider doing it "natural" again. So here are a few pics from Sam's first few days: the third picture is Winston's first encounter with Sam, the fourth is our first new family photo, and the last is with cousin William.

Mother of Two

Hello all! Okay, so now that I am officially the worst blogger in the history of blogging, I think I will make a few posts. I have been a little busy the past 7 weeks since Sam's arrival. Samuel Wright Martin was born on June 4, at 8:18 pm weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long (it was a crazy night...look for the story on the next posting). It has been a pretty smooth adjustment to having two kids. Winston has done so well (with the exception of a few moments) and I envy his energy. The hardest thing to get used to has been the part where I don't get as much done during the day, whether it's errands or cleaning or even a shower. I know this will get better soon. The biggest accomplishment has been that Sam is already sleeping through the night!!!! He eats around 10-10:30 pm and I wake him at 6 am to eat!! He started that about 2 weeks ago. I sometimes get overwhelmed by all the things to do and responsibilities and the lack of time to do them all, but then I look at my precious baby's face as he smiles innocently at me, or I hear my 2 year old say "You know what Mommy?...I love you so much!", and it is all worth it. God is so good to have given me a loving husband who steps in to help with whatever, whenever, and two precious boys! I just want to leave you with the words from a song that probably all of you know, but these days we sing it a lot around here, and our pastor last Sunday repeated throughout the sermon...

Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me; yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.

Hi, I'm a big brother.

Sam came to hang out on June 4th. It appears he'll be staying a while. That's ok though, I think I love him.

Big Boy Bed!!!

Well, this morning I was half asleep when I heard one of the most dreaded sounds you can hear as a mom -- the sound of a loud thud followed by Winston crying. Yes, he had climbed up and fallen out of his crib. He is fine, and I am fine, other than being thrust into getting the guest room in order for him to sleep there. We took a trip to Target to get the bedding I had picked out previously, and I have cleaned out most things other than furniture so he can't get a hold on anything he shouldn't. We washed his new ABC sheets and Thomas pillowcase for it to be ready in time for his nap. All that being said, it's been 30 minutes and he still hasn't cried or made a noise!!! What an answer to prayer. However, I am still cautious about how tonight will go. This is much harder since Joseph is out of town. Oh, I also bought one of those doorknob things so he can't open the door. Anyway, just thought I would give y'all a quick update on the crazy day we are having so far in the Martin house. Hopefully soon I can get some new pics put up...

The end of our perfect record...

Yep. It finally happened last week - Winston had to get an antibiotic. He is two months short of being two years old, and we haven't had to take one until last week. We have the wonderful ear infection to thank. Thankfully, he loved taking his "new new medicine", so it was easy to give him each day. His doctor said it came from all the congestion he had. Anyway, we are well and healthy now.

One more thing...

Another exciting thing that happened the week I went to film Wheel of Fortune is that we found out we are having another BOY!!!! He is healthy and moves around a lot. He is like Winston in that he really likes church (he moves the whole time I am sitting there). We have decided to name him Samuel, but aren't sure on a middle name. That will come soon. The sweet thing is that if you ask Winston who is in mommy's tummy he says, "Sam". He rubs my tummy and gives it hugs, but I don't know that the whole concept is registering. June will be here before we know it. I just pray our transition to the "big boy bed" will go smoothly.

WHEEL...OF...FORTUNE!!!!

Ok, so obviously I am the worst blogger in the history of blogs. I have so much to catch you up on. One thing in particular is that yes, I finally made it to the "Wheel"!! I got "the call" about a week and a half before Christmas asking me to fly to LA to shoot the show on January 15th. Boy, was I excited. Thankfully, my sweet sister, Hayley, and two precious friends, Kendall and Katie, came with me. We were immediately in LOVE with the weather (it was 85 everyday we were there)!! The day before the taping we packed every site to see in LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach all in 24 hours. What fun! The day of the taping was fun and very memorable. I was never nervous, and really took in the whole experience. Pat is just as down-to-earth as you would imagine, and yes, Vanna, really is that pretty...and skinny! I must admit it was even more fun to look up in the audience and see my three trusty supporters sitting up there. As for how I did, you will have to watch Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday, February 3rd!! Hopefully I will get some pictures on here soon. The only sad thing is there are NO pictures from the taping -they were not allowed.

At last...

Hello all! I have gotten several comments about how I haven't updated the blog in a while so I thought I would try to catch y'all up on our summer. We had fun at the beach, welcomed baby William, visited the McWane Center, swam in our little pool, went to the lake, and just played with family and friends. As summer came to a close we started MDO (Mother's Day Out), and Winston loves it! I can't believe he is such a big boy!

Thankfully on August 29 football season started! Although last week's loss to LSU still stings, we are eager to cheer on our Tigers again this weekend. The weekend of the Southern Miss game, we took pictures of Winston at Samford Hall. We also had our first trip to "Dega" (Talladega Superspeedway) for my dad to ride in a racecar at full speed!! He said the ride back home felt a little slow even though we were going 80 mph.

I truly feel blessed everyday to have my sweet husband and precious son. God is so good!!

It's finally here!

Dear bammers,

Win a game in November, then get back to us.

Thanks in advance,
Winston

WOW!

I knew I was really behind on posting, but I just noticed the actual date of my last one, and all I can say is "Wow!". I haven't had a computer during the day for the past month and a half, and at night I don't really think about posting. Anyway, hopefully I can get back on track. A lot has happened since my last post. Winston's first cousin, William, was born, Winston turned 15 months, cut more teeth (including molars) and we got a small pool for him and me to cool off on these hot summer days. I am going to try to post several things over the next few days to catch up. So, stay tuned...

Winston and Alder: Shopping Spree

Winston and his close friend, Alder are having fun in the buggy at Target. Tuesday their crazy moms decided to make the trip together so it would be more enjoyable. Meg (Alder's mommy) took him out of her sling and sat him in the cart with Winston, who thought he was the greatest toy ever. We laughed about just how different they look (dark/light skin, brown/blue eyes, dark/light hair, etc.). After about 20 minutes Alder was tired of it, maybe because Winston kept giving him "love pinches" on his leg. Once we filled the cart to its capacity, we realized that two may have been better. Oh, well! Anyway, we are sad that they are officially going to move since they sold their house. Winston is pretty upset about losing such a fun playmate, especially one that has a sweet dog.

hannah

100% BOY

Hey everyone! I am sorry I still haven't gotten Winston's birthday pictures up, but I am having a hard time getting to them on my computer. Hopefully I will have them in a nice slideshow by the end of the week. Anyway, I thought I would still give an update on what has been going on since we have a one year old!! He is officially walking!!! I can't believe it. It has been a process of a couple of steps here and there since his birthday weekend. Now, he favors walking rather than crawling unless he wants to go really fast. He is such a big boy!

Well, yesterday after I went for Bible study Joseph and Winston had some real "guy fun". In addition to eating dirt, sticks, and acorns from the yard, Winston definitely likes Dada's truck. Joseph calls it Winston's new playpen. He is all boy that's for sure! I love my boys and thank our Lord everyday for them. What a blessing!

hannah

And we're back...

Sorry for the lapse in my posts lately. My computer has been messed up for a couple of weeks, but thanks to my father-in-law we are back in business. Stay tuned for some pictures from Easter and our baby boy's first birthday party (I know I can't believe it either)!

hannah

My Big Boy!

I just can't believe we are a little short of one month away from Winston's first birthday!! Where did the time go? Two weekends ago I finally caved in to Joseph's request to cut Winston's bangs (they really did need it). Mom and Dad were here so they snapped pictures and video while I held Winston and Joseph played the part of the barber. He really did a good job. Also, I am not sure why we have so many toys when the pantry is where Winston loves to play. I mean what is more exciting than a box of dry macaroni noodles? I guess you could say he is learning lots of new things to teach his two new baby cousins coming soon (one in June and one in October).

hannah

Winston and "the Wheel"

Hello all! Well, I finally got Joseph to teach me how to post (definitely easier than I thought). I became even more eager to learn since this is a very busy time of the year for Joseph, and doesn't have much extra time to put things on the blog. Also, I am having a lot of alone time these days and thought I could use it to have "outside" communication.

We have had some exciting things happening at the Martin house, and I thought I would share them. First of all, Winston is growing faster than I ever thought. He is exploring new things everyday, and I give our Lord all the praise for his good health, sweet disposition, and good development. He now has four teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom). He is pulling up on anything that will hold his weight (sometimes on things that won't), and has even let go to "free stand" for a few seconds. He is starting to build quite the little vocabulary as well (probably gets that from me since I used to get in trouble in school for talking). He says "dada", "momma", "ight" (light), "nana" (banana), and "hot" (stove). He also recognizes several toys and body parts. For example, if you say, "Winston, where's your duck?" or "Winston, where is Dada's ear?" he cheerfully points it out or goes to find it. I just can't get enough of this little guy (can you tell?).

Secondly, a couple of weeks ago my audition process for "Wheel of Fortune" came to an exciting end! After the initial tryout and the final audition round, I received the much anticipated letter in the mail. I have been chosen as a contestant, but it be 18 months until I get called to the show. Therefore, I am trying to forget about it (except for answering any call to our house - even the annoying telemarketers) as I wait for "the call". I am extremely excited since I have been a "Wheel Watcher" for as long as I can remember!

hannah

...

Da-da, you got fat.

BIG WEEK FOR NEW STUFFS!!!

This week I crawled, got a tooth, said ma ma, and started feeding myself some food!

Me, friends, and some pumpkins...

I love Mommy, Daddy, and Auburn...

First time in Jordan Hare!

I can do more stuff now like...

sit up, roll over, eat big boy food, eat my feet, and roll over. And here are more pictures of me.

Mommy taked me to the zoo

Talent

I don't have too much to worry about these days...

Winston's baptism - 19 August 2007

I'm just exercising a little bit to get big and strong...

Visit to the Doctor this week: I'm almost 16 lbs!

But I dont like shots, I got 4 of them :( I tinda cried a widdle bit.

They dont feed me much.....