I am so far behind on posting on my blog!! Having 2 little boys has been CHALLENGING but so rewarding at the same time!! I haven't had much time for anything but I really wanted to make sure that this wonderful experience was recorded.
On Thursday, January 12th 2012, I had an appointment with Dr. Cole. I had had no signs of starting labor but was dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced and so we were discussing possible courses of action that we could take. We finally decided on striping my membranes at the appointment to see if that would get the ball rolling since the due date was the very next day. I left the office feeling super tired and experiencing a little bit of cramping. I decided to go home early from work to rest and so I left Toa at the babysitters and went home to take a little nap. I was super nervous about going into labor on my own since with Toa I was induced and knew exactly when the baby was coming (Alofa was frustrated with me this time because I couldn't tell him when Siaosi was going to be here, I didn't know :))
Alofa went and picked Toa up from the babysitter after work and brought him home. I cooked dinner and my mom showed up at the house. She was planning on waiting till the next day but then decided to come a day early just in case. We weren't sure if striping the membranes would actually start labor since my membranes were striped with Toa as well on a Monday and I didn't end up having him till that Friday. At 5pm I started having pretty consistent contractions but I still was sure if they meant anything since they were no where near as painful as when I was induced with Toa. At 9pm they started coming every 3 mins or so and that is when we decided to head to the hospital. When we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 5 so they admitted me and then I knew that it was baby time :) The contractions continued but they were not as consistent as they needed to be in order to help me progress in dilation so at around 1am they gave me some pitocin to help move along the delivery. At 2:30am I got an epidural (which DIDN'T even work except for making my right foot go numb and therefore I felt EVERYTHING with the delivery). Alofa starting getting a little impatient at this point and kept asking when the baby was going to be born. I, in a little bit of pain, was pretty irritable but didn't say anything except just kept telling him to be patient. Dr. Cole was wonderful and kept coming in to check on me and make sure that I was ok. At 6:30am I felt very strongly that I needed to push but when they checked me they said that I was only dilated to a 9 and that the baby was at station -3 which I understand to mean that he was still really far up in the birth canal so they thought that I would be pushing for quite a while before he would be born and they gave me the go ahead to start pushing to try to move him down the birth canal. Dr. Cole is a 1st year resident so they needed to have an attending physician there when the baby was born to make sure everything went ok so they called him and told him that the baby would probably be born in about an hour, they also called the nurses for the baby and told them the same thing. I started pushing at 6:30am and Siaosi Fuaofe Laulu was born at 6:43am!! That is right, 13 mins of pushing (a HUGE difference from 2 hrs of pushing with Toa) The attending physician and the nurses for the baby missed it!! Dr. Cole told me to stop pushing right before he was born but since I could feel EVERYTHING, I couldn't and so he gave me the go ahead to push and my sweet Siaosi Fuaofe Laulu was born!! The attending physician and the nurses made it just a few mins after Siaosi was born and everything turned out perfect. I ended up only needing 1 stitch (which was also very different from when I had Toa and needed a few stitches)
7 lbs 13 oz ; 23Inches long. Born at 6:43am January 13th, 2012
My sweet Siaosi, a healthy baby boy!!
Daddy holding Siaosi for the very first time. I love seeing Alofa with his baby boys, he is such a wonderful daddy and he just beams with pride and joy when he is interacting with them. Every time I see Alofa with our boys and see how good of a daddy he is, I fall even more madly and deeply in love with him!! He has given me two of the sweetest, most precious and handsome baby boys!! I will forever be grateful!!
Dr. Cole with Alofa, Siaosi and I. Such a great Dr!!
I CAN NOT explain the emotions that accompany having a baby, seeing and holding that sweet baby for the first time. When I first saw Siaosi after he was born and they laid him on my tummy, I broke into tears and once again my heart overflowed with pure love that that little angel. I have only experienced that feeling one other time, when I had Toa. It is an experience and feeling I will never forget and will cherish forever, the very most spiritual experience of my life. I love this picture of Siaosi and I. I love the way he is looking at me. So pure, innocent and sweet. 
Toa meeting his little brother, Siaosi, for the first time at the hospital.
Siaosi loves to have his hands up by his face :)
Ready to go home!!
This picture was a few days after we came home. Toa wasn't too fond of Siaosi and tried pushing him off his lap right after this picture was taken. The night we came home from the hospital, Saturday, Toa was really sick and throwing up. What a stressful time!! Alofa stayed downstairs with Toa and I stayed upstairs with Siaosi to make sure that Siaosi didn't catch whatever Toa had. The next day, which was a Sunday, Toa was running around and playing. He didn't have a fever, I had checked him multiple times just to make sure that he was ok, so Alofa decided to take Toa over to Ben and Miala's for lunch so that Siaosi and I could rest. I took Toa's temperature right before they left and it was 97.8* He was fine. About an hour later I got a panicked phone call from Alofa. I could hardly understand anything he was saying. I heard him say that he was going to the emergency room with Toa and I THOUGHT I heard him say it was because Toa had a fever. I FREAKED out!! I handed Siaosi to my mom and aunt Carrie, who were over visiting, started running around the house getting dresses so that I could go to the E.R. to be with Toa. My mom was really worried about me driving but I left anyway and on my way to the hospital I called Alofa's phone to try to figure out what was going on. Tasi, the daughter of a friend of ours, answered the phone and when I asked what had happened she said that Toa had a seizure and wasn't breathing. I don't remember the rest of the drive to the E.R. I don't remember anything. I started crying hysterically and when I got to the hospital I ran into the E.R. to be with my baby. When I got in the room there were nurses and Doctors everywhere. He had tubes everywhere and Alofa was trying to keep me out of the room because he didn't want me to see my baby like that. Alofa was crying and so was Toa as he faded in and out of consciousness. He was shivering and his lips were blue. There was NO way Alofa was going to keep me out of that room. I was going to be with my baby no matter what. They took x-rays, blood and ran a bunch of tests. His temperature was 103.8* They gave him Tylenol and let me hold him. I cried. I sobbed. Alofa cried and sobbed with me, holding me and our baby Toa in our arms. We weren't sure what was wrong. Toa cried as I held him and finally fell asleep in my arms. The Dr. came back and said that he had a febrile seizure and that he would be fine. I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and started crying again. I was so grateful that he was going to be fine. After that Alofa and I were super paranoid about making sure that Toa and Siaosi were fever free and took their temperature MULTIPLE times a day just to make sure neither of them were sick. I love my boys and am so thankful to Heavenly Father for giving me healthy, happy baby boys, hearing our prayers and protecting them when they need it.
Siaosi at 1 week old
Toa LOVES to poke Siaosi. He will try to poke his eyes, nose or mouth. I love this picture of both of my boys.
Toa giving little brother, Siaosi, a kiss :)
Momma and her sweet little man
What a handsome little guy!
Our sweet family!!
Great grandpa Howerton and Siaosi
Great grandma Howerton and SiaosiWe are so thankful that Siaosi joined our family on January 13th, 2012 and that he arrived a healthy, happy baby. We are so in love with him. I love my little family so much! I am grateful that I get to be the mother to 2 very sweet boys who have completely captured my heart.
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