March for Babies!

March for Babies (the walk held by the March of Dimes, previously known as Walk America) is an organization that is very close to my heart. I know that for a lot of people it is difficult to understand, help and/or donate to charities and organizations unless they have been directly affected by them. So, if you are that person, and even if you aren’t, I encourage you to continue reading. My story is just one of millions.

My family has felt the stress and aftermath of not one or two, but three premature births. My first pregnancy was seemingly normal and no one was expecting me to deliver early. Premature birth isn’t something that people typically anticipate. Taylor was born at 1:35 pm at just 35 weeks gestation. He weighed in at 5lbs 10 oz. He would be my biggest baby. I was terrified by the unknown. All of my diligent research on pregnancy and common complications couldn’t have prepared me for any of my pregnancies or deliveries. I was only able to hold Taylor for mere seconds before they whisked him away. I wasn’t even able to see him that first day. He was having some mild breathing problems and therefore required an oxygen hood that he would stay under for a few hours. He stayed in the NICU for 2 days before he was released to the nursery. He and I were released from the hospital shortly afterwards. Taylor’s birth was unexpected and scary. Despite our lack of preparation and knowledge of what to expect with a preemie, the entire experience was mildly smooth. Today, Taylor is a very active and healthy 8 year old boy who has no restrictions.

Austyn is the second of my preemie babies. He was born at 34 weeks gestation. This time around, things were a little different. I was monitored much more closely with this pregnancy due to a discovery of a uterine abnormality. My doctor and I were always on the lookout for signs of premature labor. She also ordered steroid injections to boost growth and development in Austyn. I do think that the steroid treatment helped things go much smoother this time around. Austyn was born at 5:05 pm and weighed 5 lbs 7 oz. I was able to see him and hold him once the doctors had thoroughly looked him over. He didn’t require oxygen, and didn’t have any complications. This hospital didn’t have a NICU, let alone a nursery, so Austyn stayed in my room with me. We were able to go home on day two, but were readmitted on day three to treat his jaundice with photo therapy. I thank my doctor for taking extra precautions to ensure the health of my baby! Today, Austyn is a rambunctious 4 year old who also has no restrictions.

Ryleigh is the last, most difficult and scariest delivery of all. We pretty much anticipated an early delivery from day one. I had extra complications with her that I didn’t have with the boys, so we were always on edge. I entered the hospital at 32 weeks gestation. I was put on magnesium sulfate in an effort to delay labor. It was a horrible drug and the biggest reason I was on it was because my doctor hadn’t started a steroid treatment soon enough. If the injections had been ordered when they were supposed to, the magnesium may have been a last resort option, but in this case it was pretty much mandatory. The magnesium ensured that I wouldn’t give birth to Ryleigh until she had most likely absorbed the steroids and was able to benefit from them. Ryleigh was born at 32 ½ weeks gestation and weighed in at a whopping 4 lbs 3 oz. I didn’t even get to hold her. They showed her to me once they had done vital checks and bundled her up. All I saw of her was her teeny face poking out of the blanket. She stayed in the hospital for two whole weeks where she recovered from a badly bruised face, jaundice and a really bad stomach flu. She also mastered the art of breathing on her own and drinking from a bottle while she packed on the ounces. Her birth was by far the most daunting. Even so, today, Ryleigh is a petite 2 year old who can do anything her peers can do!

There were many different obstacles that we had to overcome throughout our three deliveries. Through the March of dimes and advances in science and technology, I am able to have 3 healthy, beautiful kids today. Through donations from caring and thoughtful people who want to make a difference in a baby’s life, the March of Dimes is able to educate women about pre term birth. Not all pre term births are due to a medical problem (like mine); some are outcomes from drug use or unhealthy ways of life. The donations that March of Dimes receives are dedicated to support programs and funding for research. Without those funds, some of the recent discoveries in the field may not have occurred.

My personal goal is to raise $200 for the March of Dimes. I set a small goal because I know many families are feeling the stress of the economy. I’m not asking for people to donate hundreds of dollars, just a small amount that they can personally afford. You can also help support our efforts by joining our family team. We are team T.A.R. Rummel, which obviously stands for Taylor, Austyn and Ryleigh. I plan on walking every year from now on, or at least I would like to walk every year in the future. This is my second year walking. The last time we walked was when Austyn was a baby. I also hope to grow our family team as the years progress. This is the only way that I really have to say thank you to an organization that has done so much and had such a huge impact on my life.

Happy Birthday to Taylor!

Okay, so I'm a couple of days behind on Taylor's birthday blog. Shame on me, I know. lol. But, truth be told, I've been a little busy lately. Imagine that, a mom to 3 kids . . . busy. =D On Friday the 13th, he had a sleepover which was a lot more mild this year than last. Last year, I think there were about 10 boys that ended up showing up at the party and this year a mere 3 made it. It was perfect for Taylor though. He tends to get a little overwhelmed with too much all at once. The party got off to a very late start because there was a really big accident on the 198 (the highway by our house). One of the boys lives in the next town over, so he didn't show up until 6:30 and it took Mark until 7 to show up with the pizzas. The boys were all good sports about it all though. Everyone got along great and had a great time. Taylor got flag football, which he was thrilled about. I didn't know that they sold flag football kits for kids to play with. He's looking forward to clearer weather so he can play. He also got legos and bionicle guys as well as cards from family and lots of money in them too! He's pretty excited about all the money he got and can't wait to spend it all. I'm trying to convince him to save it, but he's not into it. We'll see. After the party we headed down to San Diego to visit with some of our best friends. That of course, wasn't the sole purpose of the trip. Trips to So Cal are usually associated with Mark leaving for a period of time on the ship. This time was no different. We celebrated Taylor's birthday with a lunch treat at Yogurtland. It was pretty delicious! I think I had the healthiest yogurt of all. I had strawberry yogurt with strawberries, bananas, coconut, crunchy granola and a teeny bit of cheesecake. Everyone else loaded up with chocolate and sweets. We also went to Chuck E Cheese for dinner, where the kids had a blast, of course. The service was ridiculous and the games were half broken, but that didn't stop them from having fun. Anyhow, so here are the pictures from his sleepover all the way through our trip down to SD.

And, as I have done in birthdays past, I will talk about the day Taylor was born. First of all, I never would have imagined (8 years ago) that I would have three beautiful kids at the age of 26!
I still remember the day I found out that I was pregnant with Taylor. It wasn't a happy day for me. I was only 17 years old. I was scared, no, terrified. I didn't know how I was going to take care of a baby. I didn't know what to expect. I was shocked. I was also sick for the majority of my pregnancy. Mark, unfortunately was sailing the blue seas for pretty much the entire pregnancy. He was only there for the last two months of it all. The night before Taylor was born (Valentine's Day) Mark and I were at dinner and I kept slouching and was very uncomfortable the entire time. I didn't eat much, and Mark said if I wasn't careful, I'd end up having him right then and there. lol. I had read and researched and learned all I could learn about pregnancy, labor and delivery, but nothing really tells you how labor feels, so I was oblivious that I was actually having contractions. I called my mom at 1AM, who thank heavens was still awake. I told her I couldn't sleep and was in some mild pain. Before long, Mark and I were walking around the neighborhood, stopping every 10 minutes and going back home because I felt like I needed to pee. We ended up going to the hospital closer to our house, which wasn't the hospital my Dr. worked at, so they gave me 2 shots to stop premature labor, and sent me home. I told Mark to go to work anyway, and I'd call him if I needed him. Well, by about 9 or 10AM, I was calling him and we were on our way to the hospital in his extremely bumpy car that hit every single crack, rock and hole in the road during a contraction. I know I yelled at him more than once. haha. Anyhow, we got to the hospital and were admitted right away. At 1:35 PM, Taylor Jay Rummel was born. He had some problems breathing on his own, so he was admitted to the NICU. He weighed 5 lbs and 10 oz, the biggest of the kids. It wasn't until later that night that they came in to tell us that he had a VSD which of course scared me beyond belief. Thankfully, it isn't anything major and doesn't affect him at all. =D I still can't believe that he is EIGHT years old now. He makes me feel so much older with every birthday he has. He is such a great kid, and he is so athletic. He's great at pretty much everything and excels in all aspects of his life. He's laid back, calm, and shy. He's a lot like me, but he's also a lot like Mark. I am so thankful for having him in my life, as well as Austyn, Ryleigh and Mark! I have such a wonderful family. =D

If You Need a Laugh, Austyn is Your Boy!

So, we all know that Austyn is just completely out of this world with the things that he says and does sometimes and he never ceases to make me laugh. If I am ever in a bad mood, he is always there to cheer me up with something silly to say or do. Anyhow, last week, we were at Taylor's basketball practice. It ended up being outside because our practice space in the gym was being used by the middle school kids' basketball team, so we practiced at the outdoor courts instead. Austyn and Ryleigh both get bored watching Taylor practice, so we played a game of tag. It was no problem for me to chase down Ryleigh who sort of prances around rather than runs around. Austyn on the other hand is a bit more of a challenge. He darts one direction and then swerves a different. He keeps me on my toes to say the least. Anyhow, it never took me long to catch him, and we always giggled and I'd tell him that he was it. When it came time for him to chase me, he suddenly would get so tired. He would stop running and say, Mom, lets take a break. Naturally I would agree, and I would stand there waiting for him to catch his breath. Or so I thought! Next thing I'd know, he was creeping up behind me and I'd take off running again. Anytime I was near Ryleigh he would gasp and say, MOM! Look at what Ryleigh is doing. I fell for it the first time, as he charged me and said, HAHA, I caught you! He continued this throughout our game. He also would say, okay, lets just walk and play tag. And there he would go, charging his way straight to me. He is a riot, and apparently a pro at distracting people. I guess I should keep a closer eye on my scammer of a son! And the best part of all, when we were done playing tag, he gives me a hug and says Mommy, I had soooo much fun playing tag!
And just for laughs, I'll tell you what he tells me all the time. He has a hard time not talking. He wants to talk all the time and about everything. He sounds familiar. (ME! lol) So, I will sometimes just ask him to zip it. Occasionally, this comes at the most inopportune time for zipping of the lips and his response is, I can't zip my lips, because then I can't eat. I have to keep them unzipped. I will zip them when I am all done. What a smarty pants, and compromiser he is. When he isn't eating food, he does what I ask of him and he zips it, locks it and puts it in his pocket. Then when he can't find his pocket, he unzips his mouth and says, I don't have a pocket to put my key in! He's great for laughs. How can you stay mad at such a comedic as him.

A Pretty Busy Weekend

For starters, Mark came home Friday evening, just in time for dinner! We were all really excited to have him home after being gone for the last 3 weeks. Ryleigh of course, didn't waste any time getting back into "Daddy's Girl" mode. She just wanted to hug him and love him. The boys on the other hand just wanted to show Daddy the cool new things they learned to do and whatever cool new gadgets they accumulated while he was gone.

Saturday morning was pretty relaxed and we were able to bum around for a couple of hours before we had to get up and get moving. Taylor had his very first basketball game. It was a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. I don't ever recall going to a boring basketball game as they are far and few between. They actually play for 5 periods instead of 4 quarters. Taylor played a good portion on the game and he did pretty good overall, considering it was his first game. Their uniforms, of course were not in. I just don't get that after being here for 6 years now that they still can't manage to get uniforms in on time. Its not like it is a new program. Anyway, so his team just wore shorts and white t-shirts. Taylor made one of his free throw shots! WOOHOO! Sometimes his team was ahead, sometimes they were behind and a few times they were tied. They ended up losing the game by one point! The score was 21-20. Oh, he's on the Wizards. They were supposed to be the Jazz, but something happened with those uniforms and they are now the Wizards. One of the moms (the coach's wife) asked if there was even such a team. I didn't want to embarrass her and tell her that they are the Washington Wizards and happened to be the team that Michael Jordan got together and retired with, so I just laughed and walked away. There were also cheerleaders at the game, and they were cute. Austyn was a little embarrassed because one of the girls is about 9 or 10 and she would play with Austyn all the time at Taylor's baseball and soccer games because her little brother was on our team. I think he has a minor crush on her! lol.

After the game it was time to come home and get ready for Austyn's 4th birthday party! After all the invitations were sent out and RSVPs were made, only one family was attending. Austyn was a little bummed that his friends from school didn't make it, but I wasn't expecting any of them to show up. He also didn't let that get in his way of having a great time. There were 6 kids in total at the party, which ended up being a good number. I didn't do half of what I was planning on doing since there weren't a lot of people showing up. We only played one game, which turned out to be plenty for our small group. I made Austyn's cake at the last minute and improvised due to my slacking. He is such an enthusiastic boy and makes the most out of everything. I love him and how positive he is!

Yesterday, was the Superbowl, so we didn't do too much except lounge around the house and graze on food all afternoon with our eyeballs suctioned to the television. Dave, of course was in attendance. Anytime food is involved, Dave is here, no questions asked..

Today, Mark had the day off, which was great, so we took the opportunity to have a "First milestone" for Ryleigh. She got her very first haircut ever!! She was okay with it before hand, but the second we walked in, she was over it. I finally calmed her down by telling her that I would give her some bubblegum when she was all done. I'm telling you that girl is a sucker for bubble gum! Her hair was past her shoulder blades and it wasn't even. She had two different layers with all of her curls, so I had them even it out. Now her hair is just to her shoulders.

I have no idea why these pictures are showing up sideways, I rotated and saved them and all of a sudden, they show up sideways in the slideshow. Weird. Anyway, you know the drill, click view more pictures, then click on original size to sit it LARGE!