Today I Gave My Baby a Book.

My kids love books.  I've posted about this before.  They get it from me.  I love books too.  I never did anything without a book in my hand growing up.  I would do my chores while reading (my mom loved that). 

Today, while Elle was hanging out on my bed, looking around and taking it all in, I thought I'd grab one of those black and white board books we have and let her look at it.  And she did!  She was actually really into it.  And then she wanted to eat.  Again.  For the fifty-billionth time today.  And now you know what I really did today!  :)

Today I Took Elle to the Doctor.

It was the first time Elle and her doctor met.  Pretty uneventful visit, for the most part.  Elle is down to 8 lbs 6 oz and has a touch of jaundice.  So, I've gotta be a meanie and make her stay awake to eat more now.  This baby is seriously a little blob and looooooves to snooze.  She is in the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height.  I was supplementing with formula until my milk came in.  This kid is a force to be reckoned with when she's hungry!  I used the supplemental nursing system and it was awesome.  I didn't want to use bottles because of the chance of nipple confusion.  I'm happy to say that practice DOES make perfect and she's now completely off formula and nursing quite well at this point.  Yay!

(ash can't get enough of her baby sister.  britt is not as excited as i thought she'd be.  we'll get there.)

Today I Had a Baby.

**squee!**

I have another little girl!  And I'm completely and totally in loooooooove.

Here's her birth story:

I was admitted to the childbirth center at 4pm on the 25th.  They put me on pictocin at 6pm.  I walked around and blogged and talked to Tony and my mom (when she showed up around 8 or 9).  The nurses had a beast of a time keeping the baby's heart beat on the monitor.  She has always been active and this night was no different.  She kept moving and hiding and then they'd have to stop me and adjust the belt and monitor.  Bit of a drag, but important in case there was a problem. 

(baby's first picture)

I think it was around 10 or 11pm when my midwife said I could have an epidural anytime I wanted.  I felt a bit like a cheater because though my contractions were painful, they didn't have me curled into a ball or crying.  But, I went ahead and ordered the epidural because last time (with Britt) I waited too long and then I couldn't hold still for the anesthesiologist because of the hard, killer contractions.  That was a terrible experience and he was a rude, angry doctor who did a bad job and poked me many times before he got it right.  So, needless to say, I was a bit nervous about getting the epidural this time around.  It was a wasted worry.  This anesthesiologist was sweet and kind and she did a great job.  It wasn't pain-free, but is it ever?  And it wasn't long before I couldn't feel anything from the waist down.

(profile shot)

Then we all took naps while I labored pain-free.  I think it was around 1am when I called the nurses to help me turn over to my other side.  They obliged and discovered that my bag of waters had broke.  They went to go get the midwife and when she came back everything went so very, very wrong.

(chubby chin and cheeks and everything else)

First, the midwife couldn't feel the baby when she examined me anymore.  Instead of being down where the midwife could touch and feel her, she had somehow bumped back up into me, out of reach.  And then her heart rate plummeted.  And I must have been hyperventilating because they gave me oxygen.  Though, I'm sure that was to help the baby too.  It was very tense.  They moved me back over to the side I'd been on, attempted to get a scalp monitor on to the baby, and then all of a sudden started prepping me for a c-section.  At that point I was so scared, and fighting back the tears and all I wanted was for my baby to be okay and for God to just help all my nurses and doctors to do their very best.  I didn't care if they cut me open from head to toe. 

On a lighter note, Tony (my husband) looks super hot in scrubs!  Who would have known? 

After everyone was totally ready to go, I realized that they'd managed to get the scalp monitor on the baby and that her heart rate was back to normal.  Everyone started calming down and breathing and they said that we were going to wait 5 minutes.  After those 5 minutes, they said that the baby must have compressed her cord for a while and that since she appeared to be doing better, they'd just leave me on my right side and continue to monitor her.  Later, the nurse moved me into an upright, sitting position and the baby liked that even better. 

(sweet girl)

Meanwhile, I was still laboring (and had asked the anesthesiologist to come back and turn my epidural down a tad so I could at least feel the urge to push) and sitting there, letting my body do its thing.  I was also fighting the urge to throw up.  They had given me an anti-acid medicine to drink when they thought they were taking me downstairs to have a c-section.  But instead of working like it was supposed to, it made me nauseous.  I eventually couldn't hold it in any longer and did vomit.  Not fun.  The baby really didn't like it either and her heart rate got iffy again.  The midwife and nurses rushed in and rolled me over into a super uncomfortable position, but it did the trick and baby calmed down. 

(peeky-boo!)

 

Then my midwife examined me, discovered that I was completely ready to push and that the baby was down in position.  Hallelujah!  So, I pushed for 25 minutes and out slithered Elle.  As soon as I saw her, I cried.  I was just so relieved to see her all safe and sound.  She weighs 9 lbs 1 oz and is 21.5 inches long.  She's totally adorable and looks like her sisters and like her own little self.  She has a very strong suck and loves nursing, her pacifier, sleeping, and her mommy and daddy.  Can't wait to introduce her to Ash and Britt!  She's doing very well.  I'm healing nicely so we'll probably get to go home tomorrow afternoon! 

Today I Am Being Induced.

I had an appointment with my midwife today.  When I got there they said that because I am 41 weeks that they'd like to do a stress test and an ultrasound.  I, of course, had no issues with that.  Nor did I have a problem when she asked to check my cervix.  I'll never forget how surprised she sounded when she said, "You're 75% effaced and 4 cm dilated!"  Naturally, I then decided that since I rely on a ferry to get to the hospital that an induction makes a lot of sense.  So, here I sit, contractions slowly getting more intense, on a clear liquid diet (dumb), waiting until I'm in enough of a rhythm to get my epidural.  Hopefully I'll be posting baby pictures tomorrow!!!!!

(i look like i'm wearing a tent)

Today I Babied My Baby.

Britt isn't going to be my baby much longer and she's getting some new molars so I babied her a lot today.  Those mean teeth are hurting her a lot and have caused a yucky cold too.  She keeps crying and saying, "my nose!" over and over.

I was pretty amazed when I went into the girls' room this morning to discover Ash on the floor, surrounded by a million dolls and Britt ASLEEP!  This is the kid who wakes up at least a full hour before me, yells for her sister to get up and give her toys and then plays in her bed until I go in and get her. 

She had been awake and played and taken off her pajamas, but obviously doesn't feel well.  Hence, her crashing again.  She also took an extra long nap this afternoon.  AND she's gone straight to sleep tonight.  I'm sorry she doesn't feel well, but I'm enjoying all this extra quiet time!  :)  Britt just doesn't, generally, need the amount of sleep that her sister did/does.  Ash totally spoiled me in the sleeping department.  She's always been a dream in that area. 

(this is the best pic i could get.  didn't want the flash to wake her.  this pic also shows how she likes sleeping with her blanket best.  over her shoulders like a cape.  tony thinks she dreams of being a super hero.)

It's going to be very interesting to see how my current baby (Britt) reacts to being moved to middle child status.  To be honest, I think getting used to a new baby will be easier for her than for Ash (who is going through a rough phase right now anyway).  But, we'll see!  Ash had a hard week after Britt first came home and then quickly adjusted with no issues.  But every kid is different. 

Today I Felt Much Better Than I Did Yesterday.

I'm not sugar-coating this post.

I haven't been sleeping well.  My brain won't shut off.  It's impossible to be comfortable with the size of this belly I'm carting about.  I have restless leg syndrome baaaaaad.  I got 4.5 hours on Sunday.  I need 9 hours to be at my best. 

I got out of bed yesterday and was immediately taken over by sadness and gloom.  I had been so sure that I'd either be in the hospital by the 22nd, or home with a new baby.  I sobbed twice throughout the day and moped about feeling very depressed.  Is my body even capable of going into labor by itself?

Tony is the sweetest ever and was patient and upbeat and eventually managed to help me think more positively.  I also sat down and made a list of things that would be really nice to accomplish before the baby arrives. 

I worked on that list today and have been feeling more positive and patient.  I'm going to be talking to my midwife about induction when I go see her on Wednesday. 

Today I Am Due!

But nothing is happening.  It sure has felt like the 20th was a long time in coming and yet, it appears that it will have come and gone and be totally uneventful. 

Tony was saying that 20 is his lucky number.   Baby doesn't care.  :)

Any bets on when the baby will actually make her debut?

I just can't wait to see if she looks like this:

(newborn ash)

Or this:

(newborn britt)

Or completely different all together! 

Today I Stayed Home. Again.

We got majorly snowed in yesterday and I canceled my trip to the midwife.  I re-scheduled for today because it was supposed to be back to our normal winter temps.  I woke up to ice.  It was seriously raining ice!  I canceled again.   I didn't want to drive in it!  Based on what I'm seeing in the news, it has been a royal mess with a lot of accidents and power outages.  We've been blessed/lucky.  Lots of flickering with one 15 second loss of power and that's all.  I stayed indoors and let Tony take care of the girls while I worked on a present for my newest nephew. 

(a small part of my project)

(my adorable month-old nephew)

(my brother, sam, thought he might shoot some hoops, but everything outside is frozen solid!)

Today I Thought About Blessings.

I have decided that something is out to get my poor little Britt’s left eye. AND that she is most seriously being watched over and protected. God must have something great in store for her vision because that eye has been preserved over and over again. This is her most recent scrape up.

(seriously, so lucky!  look how close it is to her eye and yet nothing on her eyelid.)

She tripped over an extension cord at the neighbors’ yesterday and landed on the sharp edge of their outlet box. And the week before that she slipped on a game at Mom’s house and caught the edge of the china cupboard with that same eye. She had a red, vertical welt for days. The week before that she stumbled in our bedroom and bruised her left eyebrow on our laundry hamper. And I’m sure most of you remember her concussion at the Space Needle almost a year ago. Same eye. The doctor was actually more concerned about fractures in her eye socket that could cause long term eye damage (the cat scan showed us that she was ok).

(here's that pic I took after she got out the hospital for her concussion)

So, needless to say, I am counting my blessings right now.  The little pill bug, of whom I am referring to, is currently yelling "Mom" and "Yay!" at the top of her lungs (and yes, I'm ignoring her) even though she's in bed and was supposed to have been asleep 40 minutes ago.  But instead of feeling picked on because she doesn't go straight to sleep like she used to, I'm just grateful that she is healthy and whole (with a few minor scratches). 

Today I Played In the Snow with My Family.

It started snowing after noon yesterday and we were able to go out and play in it.  Tony and Ash did all the snowman building.  I held an umbrella and took pictures.  Britt just walked around and observed everything.  After the snowman was finished, my siblings and Tony and Ash got into a huge snowball fight.  So, Britt and I decided it was naptime.  :)  It snowed quite a bit and the roads were not ok for driving on this morning so Tony stayed home.  After breakfast we went over to the neighbor's house and went sledding since they have a good sized hill on their property.  Ok, I didn't sled, but the girls and Tony did.  It was fun and I love that the kids are really enjoying themselves in all this snow.  Supposedly we'll get a bunch more tonight and tomorrow night and then it'll all melt away.  Perfect amount of time, if you ask me.  :)  The pics are from yesterday.

(ash was just about to throw a snowball at her aunt.  this pic is my new fave.  i can't look at it without smiling.)

(the girls with frosty the snowman.)

Today I Had Normal Blood Pressure.

And the baby passed the stress test with flying colors.  Yay!

The good and bad news is that means no induction for me this weekend.  That also means no baby, unless I miraculously go into labor spontaneously. 

We're supposed to get snow this weekend.  I don't know how much, so I'm debating whether I should go on a nice long walk tomorrow morning or not.

I would like to play in the snow with Ash and Britt.  They are so into snowmen this year.  Maybe I could put myself into labor by building a snowman with them?  Hehehe.  That would be an interesting way to self-induce. 

Hope everyone has a great 3 day weekend!

Today I Vacuumed a Lump Off of My Bump.

I was sitting on the floor, cleaning and vacuuming in my bedroom (nesting?  maybe, not sure).  I had made great progress and the girls were being really good, entertaining themselves with books on my bed.  I was clearing out my husband's side of the bed and the foot of our bed.  Kind of a no-man's land that I really like to avoid.  Most of it was clothes so now the hamper is stuffed.  In the middle of this clean, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.  I looked down and crawling across my baby bump was something that looked a lot like this (only darker):

(source.  and based on what i've read about them, they can give quite the nasty bite!)

Needless to say, I let out a loud whoop and promptly sucked it up with the vacuum hose I was holding (thank heavens for that!).  Ash then asked "What happened?"  I totally lied and said, "I hurt myself."  She said, "Oh" and went back to reading her book.  And if you remember reading my last spider posts (and here), then you know why I fibbed about it.

I promptly resumed my cleaning on my feet (which totally hurts my back) but didn't see anymore bugs.  Such a random happening.

Today I Ate Fish Tacos.

We went out to eat with friends tonight.  It was fun to just eat, talk, laugh and relax.  Too bad Ash wouldn't go to sleep and finally my sister (the baby-sitter) had to text us and let us know that she wouldn't stop crying and being scared.  So - our outing was cut short.   When I got home, she was fine and even smiling.  Stinker.  I told her to go to sleep and 10 minutes later, she was.  Total stinker.  I think she was completely playing my sister. 

I had an appointment with one of my midwives today and my blood pressure was slightly up.  Lame.  Now I have to go in again on Friday for another bp check and a stress test.  **sigh**  I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.  Can't this baby just come out already!?!?!  At least she is still head down and has dropped.  Yay! 

I'm tired.  If I can just keep myself off of Pinterest tonight, maybe I can get into bed early.

(via Facebook - this picture is a very accurate depiction of how i feel right now.)

Today I Figured Out What I'm Making for Valentine's Day.

Every year I wrack my brains for a cute idea that I can do over and over for my millions of siblings.  Ok, I'm exaggerating the number of siblings a bit.  but I just like what I make to at least be a cool valentine since it's not exactly tailored to each individual sibling.  We're talking mass production here.  Obviously, this isn't something I can mail to nieces and nephews (will come up with something different for them).  But this fab idea from Tonia of The Gunny Sack is my new favorite. 

(source)

How awesome is this?  A valentines balloon stuffed with things that scream, "I love you" and a note with handy toothpick attached!  My dad hates balloons but he'll love this because he won't have to go around popping all the kids' balloons after they've gone to bed.  Yes.  He has always done this.  As a kid, I'd go to bed being the proud owner of a beautiful balloon and wake up to discover it's demise.  Sad. 

Anyways, I know January has just barely started, which means I've got over a month to prepare valentines, but with new babies it's just best to get all the busy work done before their arrival.  Plus, it'll help take my mind off the fact that I haven't delivered yet.  :)  Nevermind that Ash and Britt already do a great job in that area.  Haha! 

What are your valentines ideas? 

Today I Completed My Latest Sewing Project.

Here she is!

Ever heard of Wee Wonderfuls by Hillary Lang?  Well, I purchased this book earlier last year and just barely decided to have a go at making something out of it. 

(source)

I chose to do the Tag-A-Long doll.  She was fairly simple and easy to make.  The part that totally kicked my butt was the dress.  Oh, how I loathe that little dress now!  I think I picked it apart 5 times, at least.  The original problem is that I put the arms on the doll a bit too high to work with the pattern for the dress.  So, I decided to make up my own pillowcase-type dress and I kept doing it wrong in one way or another. 

It's all good, though, right?  It's a learning process and it looks fine now.  I'm looking forward to making more of Hillary Lang's doll.  If you want to try out one of her patterns without buying the book, she's got some freebies on her website here.  Cute stuff. 

Are you working on anything fun right now?

Today I Laughed at the Muppets.

(source)

The Muppets finally came to our little rural community.  Tony and I decided to take Ash to see it.  Britt got to hang out at home with her Aunt Rachel.  :)  I tried to get a picture of Ash in the movie theater seat, fist full of peanut m&ms and looking all excited, but she couldn't bear to look at the camera for two seconds and all the pics are dumb.  Oh well.  It was fun.  Except Ash lost interest half way through.  And though it was a cute film and funny at times, I prefer the old Muppet movies best.

 

Today I Was Poked and Prodded. A Lot.

Today started out normal. If only it had stayed that way.
The appointment with my midwife also started out very routine. Then when she examined my stomach she discovered that my baby is no longer head down, but at a diagonal. She said that basically if I went into labor, there’s a chance the baby’s shoulder would try to come out first, which is worse than breech. So, I had to go to the birthing center to have an OBGYN move my baby back into position.

He was a great doctor and it only took him a minute to move the baby. It didn’t hurt at all and I should have been able to just head home at that point. What made it a less than fun visit? Well, they wanted to put an IV in my hand (standard procedure for when you’re having your baby turned), but the nurses couldn’t get it in right. The doctor finally told them to forget about it since it wasn’t like he was turning a fully breeched or even sideways baby. But now I’m left with a very bruised paw.

And they had to monitor me for over an hour after the move because my baby had a high heart rate and wouldn’t stop moving around. I tried to explain that she’s been a very active baby for 4.5 months and that it was pretty normal. Nevermind I was staaaaaaaarving! Nope. I had to lay there while they tried to get a baseline heart rate for over an hour and my little stinker did the cha-cha the whole entire TIME. **sigh**

Needless to say, when they finally decided it must be normal and let me go, I ran over to Whole Foods and got two boxes stuffed full of salad, mac n cheese, turkey, roasted veggies and a lemon bar and gorged myself. 6 hours is a loooooong time for a pregnant girl to go without eating!

Also, though I’m 38 weeks tomorrow, I’m measuring 39.5 right now. I’m thinking that I should try some self inducing methods. Any suggestions you have will be considered EXCEPT castor oil! I tried that when I was 39 weeks with Ash. It was not pretty! And it didn’t work.

Today I Threw Away a Shoe.

(her answer to the question, "what do you have in your mouth?")

I am constantly finding this kid with small items in her mouth.  What the heck?!?  She'll be 2 in March and seems to be getting worse with it.  Ash never put anything in her mouth except the toys she was supposed to chew on.  It's really annoying because although I've had CPR training, I'd really rather not have to ever use it!

So, one by one all of the princess dolls are getting their shoes thrown in the garbage.  Along with the Kelly dolls and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.  If Britt keeps up this oral fixation with doll shoes for long, all of the dolls in this house will be bare foot.

And since I'm getting closer and closer to adding Baby #3 to the mix, just some updates.  I've got an appointment tomorrow and probably an exam.  Yesterday I had quite a bit of painful cramping, but today nothing more than random Braxton-Hicks type contractions.  I have finished washing and folding the baby clothes, so we are good to go there.  I think I'll pack my hospital bag tonight and then will have nothing to do but wait (riiiiiiight).  Hope my blood pressure continues to be low.  On Friday I'll be 38 weeks.  I keep feeling like it's gonna be soon.  I was worried about decreased fetal movement this morning, but I must have just had a sleepy baby because she's pretty active right now. 

Today I Went Thrifting.

Ash and I decided to go peruse the local thrift store this afternoon.  My original goal was to look for fabric to use on my latest sewing project (will share more when I'm done with it).  We hit pay dirt (what does that even mean exactly??).  We got lots of inexpensive pieces of fabric, yarn, lace, books, a wooden doll cradle, blocks and a melissa & doug toy.  I'm really excited about this Amy Butler bit that I found.  I'm going to have to come up with something special for it!

(not my usual color combo choice, but there is just something about it....)

On a side note, I finally made myself go through all the baby clothes and wash them.  **sigh**  I feel like doing this and packing my hospital bag (not done yet) are like admitting I'm ready to go into labor.  I'm not.  I think I need to read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth again.  I did that right before I had Britt and it really made me feel excited, empowered and really ready. 

P.S.  For those of you who have experienced spontaneous labor before (I have not), did it just hit you?  Or did you get a bit of a warning to let you know it would be happening soon?

Today I Just Had Fun.

(ash at the zoo entrance)

I didn't use today as catch-up (though part of me wanted to).  Can't take the tree down until Amazon finally delivers our tree bag (the original box died this last year).  Tony had the day off so we decided to take the girls to the zoo because Ash has been asking to "see the animals" for weeks now and the closer we get to the 20th, the less likely we'll be able to just go on spontaneous outings. 

(the crazy-eyed tiger)

We took the zoo very slowly so that I wouldn't put myself into labor and it worked out well since the girls liked lingering over most of the animals.  It was kinda funny because I felt like we were on display a bit too.  So many of the animals came up to the glass to inspect us like we were the zoo instead!  It was pretty cool. 

(coming up to inspect me - so glad there was solid glass between us!)

We also had lunch and a Target run.

(the walrus hung out, staring at us, for a long time!)

In the evening we had dinner at a friend's house and I stayed late to chat and we worked on our latest sewing projects together. 

(i just thought this was so cool.  the whole zoo was still completely covered with holiday lights because yesterday was their last day of the season for zoo lights.  kinda made me sad that we decided not to go this  last year.)

A good day.  :)

(tony has just said, "look at mommy" and she did.)