Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Tragedy

This has been a tough week for our whole family. My cousin John Edward Rielly, 18, was killed in a tragic car accident. The weeks leading up to this car crash were almost equally as hard for his parents and our family. This year John had dropped out of school, his senior year. He moved out and into a home with his girlfriend and her parents, against his parents wishes. John began doing drugs. At my grandmother's funeral in March, he looked like death. His face was sucken in, he was thinner than ever and looked awful. Our whole family agreed he must be on drugs. Well the week before last he was driving around our neighborhood, and I must tell you everyone on our road is either family or friends, so he was spotted walking up and down the road and driving up and down our road with two cars full of his friends. He asked a couple neighbors for money. We were all worried. The first place a drug addict will go for money or steal from is family. Well the next day his parents found their guns were missing. His mother somehow got him to the crisis center at the hospital where he tested positive for heroine, meth and pot. John tried escaping from the hospital, but was caught fairly quickly due to the fact he had no shoes or shirt. The hospital sent him to a near by rehab center. Choices (the rehab center) kept John for 5 days before releasing him. Just my opinion, but it takes more than 5 days to get off of heroine and meth. On Sunday morning I recieved a phone call from my cousin Kara, Johns aunt, who told us the horrible news. John had died in a car crash. At 7 am he had been driving erratically passed a car crash. The police decided to chase him. He tried passing another car and hit another state trooper head on. John was ejected from the car and died from internal injuries. The other boy in the car died in the fiery blaze, and the trooper was life flighted to a hospital nearby for emergency surgery. Well, each day we learn a little more. Not from the police, but from the tv and the newspaper. They just released the other boys name yesterday, Matthew Harrison, 19. The boys sister called my cousin Kelly, Johns mother and told her that they were leaving her house. She lived 3 miles from the site of the crash. She also said that her brother not John was driving. The sister also told Kelly that John had confessed to the police that he stole the guns. The police called John and told him that if he returned the guns then his parents would not press charges. This is what John was doing when the police were chasing him. He had gone to this girls house and picked up the guns to take back to his parents, and ironically they somehow got chased by the police and got in a car accident. So instead of John being alive right now and getting help we will be putting him in a grave.

I believe that the system has failed John. Choices should have kept John in the hospital and helped him to get clean. My cousin Kelly begged them to keep him. The police should have arrested him for stealing the guns, but they had no proof. Then when he confessed they should have arrested him instead of telling him to return the guns. If they arrested him he would have been off the streets and able to detox in jail. The police also should have not chased these two teenage boys who they thought were acting funny. They said the two slammed on their breaks as they were driving past another accident, but did not stop. They had no reason to chase them, they could have followed the boys until they got the license plate number and followed up with them later. Now there are two boys dead and a trooper who may never walk again. I am not saying John was innocent, he had made a lot of bad choices lately, but he was trying to right a wrong. He didn't need to lose his life.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Tyler and Bryce

Well everyone says that two is easier than one, I believe this to be false. Maybe when Ty is4 and Bryce is 2 it will be easier because they can play together and keep each other entertained, but right now it is tough. Tyler loves his brother, he always is asking "where baby" or "where Bryce"? Or he says "let's go Bryce" or "come on Bryce". But Tyler is very jelous and has been acting out, especially when I need to be holding the baby to feed him or when I am changing him, or when I am trying to get Bryce to sleep. Ty has been doing things he would have never done before such as climbing on top of the hot tub to play with toys we put up there, climbing on top of the futon and turning the thermostat up to 80, pouring the dog food into the dog water, coloring on the walls, ripping his Notre Dame penant in half, and the list goes on and on. I have been trying to keep him in his daily routine as much as possible. In the morning when he wakes up, I go in his room to get him, get him his juice and we watch cartoons. I have been taking him outside to play and for walks as much as I can, now that the weather is warm again. And when he is acting up I try to have some one on one time with him, if time allows.

Bryce has been really good so far. He sleeps alot, and sleeps much better at night than Ty did. Bryce loves to eat, if he is awake, he wants to eat. Although he has started eating an oz and falling asleep and then waking an hour or two later and wanting to eat again. This has got to stop. He is also pooping constantly. It seems like 10 times a day, a little bit at a time, and then as soon as I change him he wants to be changed again! For a little guy, boy does he stink!

Me I am feeling good. A bit tired, but good. I have started my diet yesterday. I'm not doing so good. It is really tough to diet after nine months of pretty much letting myself eat whatever and whenever I want. Started with this weeks shopping trip there will be no more soda, no more chips, no more ice cream in our house. Once what we have is gone it's gone. There will be many more fruit and veggies in our diets. I think this will help my energy levels increase a lot. I gained 25 lbs with this pregnancy, not too bad, but I still had a few pounds left from my first pregnancy with Ty, so I have some work ahead of me. Wish us all luck!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Welcome Bryce Thomas Casey!

Well, he's here! Sorry it took me so long to share the good news. Friday I went to the hospital for a non-stress test. I was on the monitor for about an hour, when the dr. decided that he was going to induce labor. Due to a lack of nurses I wasn't induced until 12:30 PM. Everything went well and went very quickly. Too quickly for an epidural. If you know me at all I am a huge baby when it comes to pain. I see no reason to suffer if you can have an epidural. I had told them all day that I wanted an epidural, but when it came time I dialated too fast. The contractions where storng and very close together and I was terrified. At about 3:20 the Dr. came in and checked me and I was fully dialated and ready to go. I started pushing at 3:27PM and at 3:32PM we had a healthy baby boy! Yes it only took 5 minutes to push him out! Bryce weighed 7lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long.
We are both doing great. I feel much better this time than when I had Ty. Second time was so much easier and I attribute that to doing it natural.
Tyler also loves his new brother, but he is starting to get jelous. He's been acting out, doing things he would have never done. Jim and I have been trying to pay as much attention to him as possible and doing things that we know he will really enjoy such as playing outside, taking walks, and I even took him to see the horses the other night. His big cousin Karisa took him on the horse with her, which he loved! He's our little daredevil. I know it will take him sometime to adjust to the baby and not being the center of our world. But it kills me to see him so hurt. He will love having a little brother to play with in a year or two,which I will love too.
It may take me longer between posts, but I will try and post as often as possible!
So far Bryce loves to sleep so we are getting a good night sleep, but I don't want to jinx myself!

Friday, May 4, 2007

Is today the day?

Today might be the day! I went to the dr's on Wed and everything was good. I was already 2 cen. dialated, he is 7 1/2 lbs, and in head down position. Dr Kim did a non-stress test and he was concerned that the baby wasn't moving a lot so he scheduled another appt for Thursday. Again on Thursday I had a non-stress test and he was even less active than on Wed. I was sure it would be different because Kim and I had gone for lunch at a mexican restaurant, shopping and then to Starbucks. Well, he wasn't and Dr Kim still seemed concerned. He scheduled another non-stress test at the hospital this morning. I need to be there between 7 and 7:30, my test is at 8 and if baby still is not active then he will be inducing labor. I am scared and excited all at the same time. I am worried about Ty. I feel like it is so cruel giving him a new sibling. So many people have more than 1 child, and I want him to grow up with brothers and sisters, but I can't help feeling like he is going to get pushed aside and be very hurt. Did any of you other mom's feel this way when going on baby number 2? I am sure these feelings are normal.?

I think Tyler knows something is going to change. He has been very clingy lately. He wants to be held and carried everywhere. He snuggles much more, rocking in the chair with me while he drinks his juice or watching cartoons sometimes for way too long. But you see he was never a cuddler, and I really enjoy snuggling with him. And this morning we got a wake up call from him at 5:30! He never gets up this early.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Where are you?!?!? Bryce???

Well I made it through the wedding this weekend and the display shower. Thank God! And everything went well with both.
The baby has decided that he is going to stay in there at least for now. I have 11 days until my actual due date. As of this week he should be around 7 1/2 lbs. This is starting to scare me. I know, I know many women have babies that are 7, 8 or 9 lbs. But Tyler was only 6 12 1/2. So I am nervous about having a larger baby. Although, Tyler was really small and looked so fragile. A bigger baby wouldn't quite be so fragile. Maybe it would be nice to have a little meat on his bones.
This brings me to my next dilema. Jim and I have had many people lately tell us that Bryce is a girls name or that they know a girl named Bryce, and then we saw a girl in the news paper named Bryce. So what do you think? Does Bryce scream girl to you? Do you think it sounds like a boy name? I couldn't find Brice or Bryce under girls names in any baby books, only under boys. So we need your help!