Too Controversial???
I pulled this from Crystal’s blogsite.
It never made it into the SuperBowl air time.
Latest Update
I’m so glad my husband stepped it up and guest posted here when I couldn’t. Even now… he’s posting this for me.
Because our birth suite doesn’t have internet connection (though they claim to), all I could do was write this up before hand and have him copy and paste over when he got home.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers. We’ve definitely needed it. Actually… I should just say I needed it. This cesarean wasn’t as “in & out” as I had hoped… but the nursing staff has assured me this isn’t uncommon in a second time c-section patient. I’ll just believe them. After all, they’ve taken VERY good care of me and Paxton. I have nothing but positive things to say about the maternity nurses at St. Vincent’s.
Paxton is perfect! He’s the sweetest little angel baby in the world. He only cries when he’s telling us he’s uncomfortable and it’s always easily fixed. We thought Chance was an easy baby… well, so far, Paxton is even easier. He IS pretty active though.
It’s pretty cool to see all his flailing arms and legs in action. It’s basically what I felt when he was in utero so it’s no big surprise… but AWESOME to see and not just feel.
Chance has been doing pretty well with the transition. It’s difficult to be away from both Mom and Dad for 4 days. My Mom has been great, being the in-between. She’s been the constant at the house so Chance can nap and sleep in his own bed. She’s even made meals for everyone. My Mom is staying for the next week to help us transition back into the house. We all know I’ll be worthless with this gash in my belly.
My sister, Renee, and her husband, Jason, also came up from California for the weekend. They mostly entertained Chance… but they came to the hospital everyday at least once to fight over their turn to hold Paxton. Literally… they would “rock-paper-scissor” for him then the winner would gloat. Hilarious!
Except for the first night, Brian has been home every night to help Chance feel more “normal”… and of course to sleep in his own bed instead of the crappy pull-out the hospitals have for these poor dads.
We’re checking out tomorrow sometime around noon. I’m partly excited… and partly scared… because this is where real life begins.
I’ll try to keep up with blogging, but don’t be upset if I don’t. I don’t feel 100% right now and I currently have help here at the hospital. I imagine I’ll be pretty much out of it once I’m home, so all your prayers are STILL appreciated and needed.
Uncle Kevin
New Pics
Here are a few more pictures from yesterday and today.
Mommy is doing much better and getting some rest.
Mommy and Baby Update
Brian again writing on behalf of Jenni:
So Yesterday went perfectly, Jenni was recovering quickly and baby slept most of the day. In the evening he woke up for the last few visitors and was just as happy as a clam. I don’t know why clams are so happy……Anyway, Jenni encouraged me to go home to see Chance and get a good night sleep, so I didn’t argue one bit.
I spent an hour with Chance and helped him get ready for bed. Renee and Jason had taken him to Barnes and Noble after dinner to read some books in the kids area. Normally when we take him, we don’t buy anything but hot chocolate or a cookie. This time he got some cookies and had a great time. When they came home he was so happy and giggly and I just loved on him. Then we took a bath and when we went to his room to get his pj’s on, there was a book on his floor. He was so excited, Jason had surprised him with the book they had been reading at the store. 
I told Chance he could watch a short show and read his book before bed. He was such a good boy it made me very proud.
After Chance went to bed I was able to put a post on my blog and finally send out an email to a few people with pictures. I ended up going to sleep about 11:30 thinking all was well with Mom and Baby. This morning I woke up about 6:15 and decided to check my phone for messages. There was a couple of texts from Jenni that had come in around 1:00am letting me know that she had gotten a bad fever and that Paxton was in the nursery. So much for sleeping in:-( I hurried and took a shower, got dressed and headed back to the hospital.
When I got here Jenni was sleeping and her temp was back down to normal or close. They were concerned about infection and gave her some antibiotics last night which seemed to control the situation. I think she will be fine but she has some bad bruising below her incision. Right after I got here they brought Paxton back to the room and he was sleeping soundly. I just held him and adored him then I got to change a poopy. He woke and was clearly hungry so Mommy is feeding and I am down in the cafeteria doing the update.
Keep praying for speedy recovery, God is good and I know she will be fine. Here are a couple more pics for you. 
Welcoming Baby Paxton!
This will be short since Mom is in recovery and Dad is managing photos and video. We are so thrilled and proud of our newest addition. He is adorable, in our humble opinions.
Paxton First Bath
He weighs 7lbs, 10 Oz’s his length is 19.5 inches and his head was a whopping 14 inches around. Wow, it was so much easier this time around and right on schedule. Jenni is doing great and just now starting to feel her body again. The pain is about to become real for her, fortunately she is tough.
Mommy and Baby
We have a bunch more pictures on Mom’s camera so I will get those on her computer shortly and do another post with the earliest photos of Paxton.
Thank you all for the prayers and thoughts for us during this exciting time.
Brian, Jenni and Paxton
Countdown – We’ve Arrived!
Today is the day.
Today…
- Chance will no longer be an only child.
- I’ll find out how it feels to love more than one kid with all my heart.
- I will be very aware someone important to me is missing.
- My sister, Renee, and her husband, Jason, is coming into town.
- I’ll cry because my heart will never be the same.
- All my organs will shift around inside of me.
- I will cry over feelings words could never express.
- I will most likely not get to eat.
- My weight will drop at least 15 pounds.
- The world, as I know it, will be changed forever.
Last Supper
My Chinese Mom is here!
It’s important that I include that she’s my Chinese Mom, because a Chinese Mom is totally different than any other Mom. Seriously… just ask any Chinese person. That is a blogpost for another day though.
My Chinese Mom just made me my “last supper” – HOT POT. I call it my last supper because I have to fast from when I go to bed on for tomorrow’s Cesarean. I can’t wait to welcome Paxton into this world tomorrow. However, I am NOT looking forward to not eating for the majority of the day.
I get grumpy.
Those who know me best, know I love my food – especially sushi and peanut M&M’s (can’t wait to have raw sushi again too… mmmm!!!!)
I’ll try to keep everyone updated on what’s going on here, but I’m not sure how the internet connection will be at the hospital. I’ll try to keep up via my TWITTER account… which also forwards to my Facebook page. But feel free to follow me on Twitter HERE for updates.
Now… I’m off to repack my hospital bag… because I’m Jenni Clayville… and I have an organizational disease.
24 hours from now, I will no longer be pregnant! 
Post-Partum Plans
So here’s the schedule… for all this may affect:
- 9am – Drop Chance off at school (he’s gonna hang out with his friend after school)
- 11am – Check into St. Vincent’s Hospital
- 1pm – C-Section (unless an emergency surpasses us)
- 3pm – Baby in arms??? There’s always an hour (at least) of recovery for C-Sections before we can be with the baby.
We’d like to ask everyone who wants to visit to come by St. Vincent’s from Friday through Sunday. You can come up to the Maternity floor and ask for us, but please just give us Thursday to settle in and bond with Paxton.
We’d also like to ask to be left alone the first week we’re home so we can get the family situated. Feel free to call or email, but please don’t feel offended if we don’t pick up, return your call or email.
Thank you SO much!!!
Countdown…
… more day till Paxton arrives.
This is my plan for today:
Work, get my last massage AND mani/pedi, finalize my prep for Paxton, settle my Mom into her room for the next 10 days… BUSY DAY
… what am I forgetting???
Countdown…
… more days till Paxton is born.
AND MAKE SURE YOU VOTE TODAY… and get your free cup of coffee at Starbucks!
C-Section News
“Giving birth via cesarean section puts you at increased risk of developing postpartum depression — a condition that affects approximately one in five new mothers. If you find yourself exhibiting any of the classic symptoms of depression, you will want to seek help from your doctor. The prognosis for recovery is excellent, but it’s important to seek treatment early. It’s also important to keep in mind that you will also experience the usual laundry list of postpartum aches and pains — except, of course, for perineal pain. (At least you got off lucky in that department!) So make a point of getting some extra rest during the early weeks postpartum. You owe it to yourself and your baby.”
Just read this on THIS website. Great! Just what I need.
I didn’t experience the baby blue’s last time. Please pray I don’t again this time
MEALS – The AFTER
Many of you wonderful people have ask when you could make a meal for us after the birth of Paxton.
First of all… if you weren’t planning on making us a meal, this is NOT the guilt trip. I was just trying to figure out the fastest and easiest way to get this message out to everyone.
Please don’t feel obligated to do anything. In all honesty, I’m not sure I’ll know which way is up or down… so this would be the perfect time to “slide by” and give me a hard time LATER for “forgetting” to send you a thank you note for the meal you slaved over… ESPECIALLY if you didn’t make a meal.
Now… down to business. For those of you who are wondering about the meal thing, my friend, Faye Whitacre, is scheduling all of this for us. You can contact her at: fayealicew@yahoo.com She has all our dietary details, date we need help, etc.
Thank you SO much, Faye!!! When we brought Chance home three years ago, Melinda Groth had done the same thing for us with scheduling meals and it helped out WAY more than we ever imagined.
I feel SO humbled, overwhelmed and thankful for those who are helping (mostly because I struggle with even getting a “thank you” card out… yeah… I suck).
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Last Vacation
We’re gonna go meet our friends, Matt & Jenn Wilson, at the beach for our last real getaway before Paxton is born.
All of it was dependent on what the doctor said I could do at this mornings’ appointment. Everything is about the same as last Friday so the trip is a go. Of course, I’m still on partial bedrest… and the reality of it all is I’ll probably do “bedrest” better at the beach than I would at home since not only Brian will be there, but Jenn will be there and won’t let me lift a finger.
My friend, Melinda, twittered this yesterday:
She’s right. She actually made me giggle. It may seem like I’m doing a lot… but I can guarantee you I’m really not. The stuff I AM doing, I’m doing while planted on my behind. I’m feeling quite lazy and inefficient… but I guess that’s the point, right? The goal is to keep this baby in till the 6th
Okay… back to packing… from my behind… which is TAKING FOREVER!!!
UGH!
Partial Bedrest
Good news: I’m glad to know I’m not crazy about feeling “not-so-hot”.
Bad news: I’ve been sentenced to partial bedrest… whatever that means.
Today was the third day in a row that I wasn’t feeling “quite right” so I called the OB advice nurse. After asking me all the normal questions and then some, she decided to have me come into the office immediately (not the hospital) to have a quick check by the doctor.
Once I saw the doctor on call, she decided I was more effaced than I needed to be at this point AND contracting a bit strong for her liking. So off to the hospital I went (which was 2 blocks away).
I checked in and was immediately put on monitors. I am DEFINITELY contracting… which is not the greatest thing since I had a C-Section scar from Chance. Imagine putting pressure on a balloon that has tape over an open gash for an extended amount of time. RIGHT!
They tried to stop the contractions by making me drink a lot of water… which only made me have to pee a lot. Then, then gave me an IV (which sent blood dripping down my arm… I wish I took a picture)… which only made me pee even MORE. Then, I got a lot of juice. More bathroom breaks.
Nothing worked… in fact, my “irritable” uterus (as they called it) only acted out more.
Brian and Chance came to visit around 6pm. First thing out of Chance’s mouth is: “I wanna get outta here!” Yeah… me too, Chancey! After 30 minutes or so, I sent the boys away to go get some dinner. Chance was like, “Come on, Mommy… let’s go! But leave THAT here!” – referring to my IV plug. I was jealous they were going to get to eat… but I sent them off anyway.
8:30pm rolls around. Mind you, I went to the doctors office at 3:20pm… I’m starving at this point. The doctor there tells me he’d like to keep me overnight to monitor my contractions.
My first question: “Can I eat?”
He says: “Yes.”
So I tell him I’d prefer to go home and call if I feel any more contractions. He gives me the “I’m-not-sure-I-like-that-idea” look but as soon as I told him I live less than 10 minutes away, he reluctantly says “ok”… but only if I agreed to be on partial bedrest.
That means, I can go out and have dinner or walk from point A to point B in my house… but I need to be sitting or laying down for at least 75% of the day. That means NO SHOPPING or VACUUMING THE CAR or CLEANING THE HOUSE.
Good thing I went to Costco EARLIER that day instead of putting it off
I didn’t tell him I was leading worship at the MOMS leadership retreat tomorrow or leading worship on Sunday morning. I just smiled.
No worries… I promise to take it easy and just pay attention to my belly. It’s not too difficult… it’s the largest part of my body right now.
I’m wiped out. Time for bed!!!
Overnight Miracle & the Beginning of Labor?
Thanks for all your prayers.
Chance is feeling WAY better. Other than him being a little bit warm this morning (only 99 degrees), his fever is totally gone.
He’s still a bit whiney, but that’s to be expected since he’s not 100% yet. It’s amazing he’s recovered so quickly.
I, on the other hand, feel like poopy.
I’m wondering if I’m in labor. My belly is tight, I’ve got pressure down under (ew), I keep breaking out into a cold OR hot sweat every few minutes and I’m just not feeling “quite right”. Brian’s keeping a close eye on me… whatever that means.
With Chance, I went through prodromal labor the month prior to his birth. I can’t exactly remember what that felt like since all I can remember is the 38 hours of ACTUAL labor after being induced a week late in the hospital, including transition. I do vaguely remember the couple weeks prior being “kinda uncomfortable” in comparison. Kinda like now.
After dinner, we came home and I packed our hospital bag right away (just in case)… so now we’re ready for anything. I even cleaned our toilets.
Why not?
To Do List
I currently have FOUR things left to do on THIS list… but of course, now I have another list to add onto:
- Have all of November’s Worship Sets (LiveWorship Presentations & Cue Sheets) completed by the first week of November. DONE!
- Finalize the worship team schedule for November/December. DONE!
- Put the crib together in Chance’s room (well… Brian needs to do this). DONE!
- Purchase a shoe rack for the entryway closet. DONE!
- Prep a months worth of freezable meals for after Paxton’s birth. DONE! Well… half done but I keep adding to it, so might as well say “Done”.
- Mail my “Thank You” Cards that have been sitting by my front door for longer than I’d like to admit. DONE!
- Make room in our room for the cradle. DONE!
- Write a devotional for December’s Church Newsletter (this will be a nice break from the other things).
- Figure out music for Christmas Eve Service and chart it out.
- Get Brian out for a golf day or spa day before Paxton arrives. DONE! Weekend with the boys last weekend counts!
- Prep the email announcement for the hospital – make it easier for Brian to send out DONE!
- Find my birth plan from Chance’s delivery and create an updated one for Paxton’s. DONE!
- Vacuum out my car (Brian again) DONE! I just decided to do it.
Weekly Doctor’s Update
Other than feeling more nauseated than I had in a couple months, I had a great OB appointment this morning.
I gained ONE pound since last weeks appointment, which was a SERIOUS shock to me since I ate like a horse this past week. Then, I found out my OB won’t be working on the 7th (when we had originally planned the C-Section), so we set it for THE DAY BEFORE instead. YAY!
So, Paxton will be here on November 6th in the afternoon.
Baby Shower (x3)
Yesterday, Faye Whitacre & Janice Clemson threw me and two other girls from church (Mandy & Kristine) a baby shower. All of us are due November/December and so the bumped us all together and celebrated our babies in one party.
Mandy is having her first and Kristine is having her third.
I have never seen so many baby gifts all in one place as I did yesterday. Seriously… there were about 20 women at the party. Each one brought 3 gifts each, plus the three of us who brought gifts for each other. It was crazy.
The gifts we received were mostly handmade/homemade – from quilts to scrapbooks to soft baby blocks. Most of my good friends know I’m quite crafty myself… but I was BLOWN AWAY by the amazing talent and skill around the room. I’m looking forward to learning some of these skills for myself.
Though I still truly miss my family at Sunset (my best friends are still there), in all honesty, my heart is starting to be filled with love for my new church family. It’s extremely easy to love them.
Faye and Janice threw an AMAZING shower. Great job, ladies!!!
I’ll have to post pictures later since I just emailed Faye to send them to me
I came home with a LOT of great gifts for Paxton. It took me multiple trips back and forth from the car to get them all in the house. Of course, I went right to organizing everything. I even reorganized all the reusable gift bags and tissue paper. I still have barely used bags and paper from Chance’s baby shower. So what did I do??? I organized them by size and color.
I know… it’s a disease.
ROLL CALL!!!
It’s that time again…
I know you’re out there. I can see it in my stats – but I’d love to know WHO’s out there… so let’s do a roll call PREGGO style:
Your name
Where you live
Weight of Paxton at birth
Length of Paxton at birth
That’s right. I’ll even throw in a gift card to Jamba Juice or Starbucks for the winner. I’ll even give you some help: At my last appointment (last Monday), I had gained 33 pounds from my original weight and measured 35 across my abdomen. It should make it easier that I’m scheduled for a C-Section on November 7th.
So, in case you haven’t done this before… it would look like this:
Jenni Clayville
Portland, Oregon
Weight: 8.5lbs
Length: 21 inches
I’m not betting… those were Chance’s measurements. Here’s an old picture from the hospital of him during his hearing test just for fun.
Thanks for playing… and now…
Jenni on Skype: jclayville 
