In case she decides to come tonight, I thought I'd do one more pregnancy post! This last week or so has been tough off and on with all of the aches and pains. I feel like I say that so much, but they come and go and sometimes hurt so much and then they go away. I know it's the end and I really don't want to complain. She moves like crazy in there so that is always good! And, while back in June, I really thought she would come at least a couple of weeks early and was looking forward to that, now I am glad she held out. Vic and I have had a chance to do some last minute organizing and cleaning out that we weren't planning to get done. I am almost caught up on blogging and going through SO many photos and videos because I am bad to do that consistently. I've had even more downtime with the kids and even gotten 5 or 6 days now of play dates with Meghan and her kids!! It was unexpected, but has just been SO nice to visit with my precious friend while the kids play!
Vic and I have had time in the evenings to not be rushed and the kids have really, overall, been so good and helpful to me. I will be sad when they all go back to school. School starts in only 2 1/2 weeks and while I love getting in a routine and on a schedule after summer, this time, I would like for it to last a little longer. I still think it will be great timing because Vic gets two weeks off and GG will be here when the kids start school, so I can have help focusing on their first week as well as the little girls at home, all while Vic is getting back into the swing of work. It's going to be a busy, but good month I hope!
As far as names, we have a list! After we decide our final name, I will share our final list of names we have loved the most. It has changed so much and we even added one back, from long ago, this past Friday night! We got one final movie and dinner date to see Mamma Mia 2 and eat at Ninfa's and it was so nice!
So, that is where we are at. Hopefully, just going in and delivering smoothly on Friday morning and hoping it goes as smoothly as Everly's delivery. Although she surprised us 2 weeks early, it was a relaxing day as far as delivery goes.
I guess that is it! I am rambling, so I will go!
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Monday, July 23, 2018
My 4th Pregnancy
So, while I have not blogged regularly and am currently playing catchup (almost done!), I wanted to be sure to post a current pregnancy update before baby came. Well, right now it is 4am on July 23rd and while I am not positive I am in labor, I have been awake for two hours with contractions. They started low and are now rising up into my stomach. While I sit here and type, I plan to actually time them. Anyways, I thought since I can't sleep anyways, I might as well get up and type this pregnancy post.
So, we were so happy to get pregnant when we did. We really wanted to have 4 children, but knew that since I was already 34 (when we were trying to get pregnant), that I didn't want to wait too many years, if we could, to have baby #4. It took two rounds of Femara to help my body get on track to ovulate (TMI, but I want to remember this stuff!:)), but then we were pregnant.
My pregnancy has been good and pretty consistent with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies. I start out nauseous for the first 3 months, but take Zofran every single night and sometimes an extra one during the day when it would hit me and it certainly helped with the actual throwing up. I would still find that if I skipped a night of my medicine, I was sicker the next morning until I took that little precious pill again. I don't think it's common to take it all pregnancy, but my doctor didn't mind prescribing it and even if it was part mental sometimes, I loved having it. As always, I was pretty tired the first 3-4 months and that may or may not have been when I let Everly REALLY get to know Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with extra shows while I would crawl into a ball on the couch to get through the nausea and exhaustion.
But, as time went on, that exhaustion went away and didn't come back until the last 10 weeks of pregnancy. I told you already about my fall on my birthday, but otherwise, I did not have any other hard parts. I had a TERRIBLE stomach bug in the first trimester and that is just miserable anytime, but especially then. My cravings have been mostly cold food - any sandwich, salad, potato salad, pasta salad but mostly of all, FRUIT! I have eaten so many watermelons and cantaloupes since they have been in season. And peaches and grapes have been so good lately. And many times I cannot get enough water, but as soon as I need something else...I want a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes, I just want the taste. Unsweet tea is my favorite drink but at times, all I wanted was that ice cold water.
Once my 3rd trimester started, we were in full swing of baseball, t-ball, dance, and end of year activities and my body was getting tired by the end of every day. So, I was really glad when summer hit. We had a couple of weeks of swim lessons at noon and VBS and Sports Camp at night, but since then, for the most part, we have been home. The kids have been wonderful this summer to just play and relax and not beg to be out doing things. I love summer and I want to just be home with the kids because that is when we can all rest and be ourselves and do what we want to do. I have loved the outings we have had to swim and go to the library and some other fun weekend activities with Vic. But, mostly, it has been the best because we have been home.
Summer, however, is hot! I feel for Ana, who is due at the end of September. I hope it starts cooling off for her last 3-4 weeks because I know that I am just hot. If I do not go outside all day and don't do lots of running around the house, I can stay pretty cool. But, even one outing outside keeps me hot all day long. So many people have told me to just stay in the swimming pool and while that has definitely kept me cool the rest of the day, it is a lot of work with Everly so I have not done that but one time by myself. But, it's just amazing how hot I am and what being pregnant in the summer feels like. And it's one of those things where I know I am not in control of my own body, so I can't push it. I don't want to pass out from heat or overdo my body, so I have had no problem mostly staying in the a/c at the house as much as possible.
I also have great kids at great ages. Atticus and Grace are so helpful when I ask them to do things for me or help Everly. Many times, I sit on the ground with Everly to play. Well, once I'm down, I don't want to hop up very often, so they will do anything I ask. And when I do get up - it's having to roll over onto all fours and then find ways to climb up! It's happened in the other pregnancies but you forget how hard it can be to get up without cramping a muscle or getting a ligament pain and you know you look ridiculous! And although I have to pick Everly up to put her to bed, change her, put her in her high chair, etc., for the most part she is mobile and sufficient enough to be helpful too.
So, as far as my body, here are things that are easy to forget until you are in the moment, but are so important to remember. It's just amazing how much your body goes through. I know women have been having babies since the beginning of time, but it's still work to carry sweet babies. I know God made our bodies just right to do all of this work and I am always grateful and never like to voice any real complaints about being pregnant. I am glad to do this job. But, it is amazing how BIG you get and how hard that stomach is. Every week that I think I surely can't grow any more and my stomach can not get any tighter, it does. The aches and pains change every week or sometimes day, so just when I think certain pains are just getting too tough, they change and I get relief. Otherwise, I have been lucky with other symptoms. I have never had heartburn during pregnancy and not usually in general, which is why I had no idea that I was having gall bladder attacks instead of heartburn after I had Grace. I just didn't know. But, this time I did have two different cases of what I believe was heartburn, but they went away and it hasn't been a problem. I also had one random week of terrible swelling in my feet - the kind that hurts to walk. That usually doesn't happen until after I deliver, but I had a bad week of it and then it just went away. And just a couple of weeks ago, I had the worst ligament pains that lasted a full week and would cause such pain every time I took a step. Then, I woke up one morning and they were gone.
But, besides the aches and pains, I want to remember what carrying a baby feels like. It's hard to really remember after time passes, but I love feeling her and the other kids move inside me. I love the end where you can pinpoint that a leg or foot is kicking your insides. At night, when I lay on my side and she is just punching and it feels like she must be making dents in the mattress where I lay is just amazing. I like feeling her from the top of my stomach to the bottom of my stomach stretch out or move all at once. I love the quote I've read that says "you are the only one that knows what my heart sounds like on the inside" because it's true! This baby knows my heartbeat and my voice and is just waiting to grow big enough to come out and meet us. I can get emotional very quickly thinking about this.
Anyways, I just wanted to do a quick pregnancy summary and say that I am so excited to meet this baby girl! We still do not have a name picked out - but we have several that we will try out at the hospital once she does arrive. Then, we can choose the perfect name for her.
While I am only 38 weeks and 2 days right now, I may have just been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for the last two hours, because guess what? I have not had ONE since I sat down to type this 25 minutes ago. That is ok; I have not had but about an hour and a half of sleep (because I took a nap this afternoon and that always makes it hard for me to go to sleep at night and then I woke up with contractions), so maybe I can go lay down and sleep for a couple of hours now. But, if I lay down and have more contractions, then I will wonder if we are going into labor soon! Oh my - the waiting game. Side note: usually when contractions start for me, it's go time and labor is starting. But, two weeks ago, I sat in bed watching TV with Vic and had 6 contractions in 2 hours. Then, nothing else. So, this one might be different.
Another side note: As I typed that last sentence, I had a mild contraction last only about 30 seconds. So, I have no idea what is happening right now. Headed back to bed to see if they continue and if so, I might as well get up and shower at least. Just in case. Then, I will start prepping for a babysitter. I hope someone is available early this morning or I will be calling friends here in a few hours to come watch kids! Seriously, I have no idea what is going to happen. But, this is my update!
Update at 4:35ish: another very mild contraction 5 minutes after that last one. Hmmm...
Morning 8am Update: No more contractions after 5pm; I fell asleep (hooray!) and woke up with nothing else. So, we will keep watching!
So, we were so happy to get pregnant when we did. We really wanted to have 4 children, but knew that since I was already 34 (when we were trying to get pregnant), that I didn't want to wait too many years, if we could, to have baby #4. It took two rounds of Femara to help my body get on track to ovulate (TMI, but I want to remember this stuff!:)), but then we were pregnant.
My pregnancy has been good and pretty consistent with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies. I start out nauseous for the first 3 months, but take Zofran every single night and sometimes an extra one during the day when it would hit me and it certainly helped with the actual throwing up. I would still find that if I skipped a night of my medicine, I was sicker the next morning until I took that little precious pill again. I don't think it's common to take it all pregnancy, but my doctor didn't mind prescribing it and even if it was part mental sometimes, I loved having it. As always, I was pretty tired the first 3-4 months and that may or may not have been when I let Everly REALLY get to know Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with extra shows while I would crawl into a ball on the couch to get through the nausea and exhaustion.
But, as time went on, that exhaustion went away and didn't come back until the last 10 weeks of pregnancy. I told you already about my fall on my birthday, but otherwise, I did not have any other hard parts. I had a TERRIBLE stomach bug in the first trimester and that is just miserable anytime, but especially then. My cravings have been mostly cold food - any sandwich, salad, potato salad, pasta salad but mostly of all, FRUIT! I have eaten so many watermelons and cantaloupes since they have been in season. And peaches and grapes have been so good lately. And many times I cannot get enough water, but as soon as I need something else...I want a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes, I just want the taste. Unsweet tea is my favorite drink but at times, all I wanted was that ice cold water.
Once my 3rd trimester started, we were in full swing of baseball, t-ball, dance, and end of year activities and my body was getting tired by the end of every day. So, I was really glad when summer hit. We had a couple of weeks of swim lessons at noon and VBS and Sports Camp at night, but since then, for the most part, we have been home. The kids have been wonderful this summer to just play and relax and not beg to be out doing things. I love summer and I want to just be home with the kids because that is when we can all rest and be ourselves and do what we want to do. I have loved the outings we have had to swim and go to the library and some other fun weekend activities with Vic. But, mostly, it has been the best because we have been home.
Summer, however, is hot! I feel for Ana, who is due at the end of September. I hope it starts cooling off for her last 3-4 weeks because I know that I am just hot. If I do not go outside all day and don't do lots of running around the house, I can stay pretty cool. But, even one outing outside keeps me hot all day long. So many people have told me to just stay in the swimming pool and while that has definitely kept me cool the rest of the day, it is a lot of work with Everly so I have not done that but one time by myself. But, it's just amazing how hot I am and what being pregnant in the summer feels like. And it's one of those things where I know I am not in control of my own body, so I can't push it. I don't want to pass out from heat or overdo my body, so I have had no problem mostly staying in the a/c at the house as much as possible.
I also have great kids at great ages. Atticus and Grace are so helpful when I ask them to do things for me or help Everly. Many times, I sit on the ground with Everly to play. Well, once I'm down, I don't want to hop up very often, so they will do anything I ask. And when I do get up - it's having to roll over onto all fours and then find ways to climb up! It's happened in the other pregnancies but you forget how hard it can be to get up without cramping a muscle or getting a ligament pain and you know you look ridiculous! And although I have to pick Everly up to put her to bed, change her, put her in her high chair, etc., for the most part she is mobile and sufficient enough to be helpful too.
So, as far as my body, here are things that are easy to forget until you are in the moment, but are so important to remember. It's just amazing how much your body goes through. I know women have been having babies since the beginning of time, but it's still work to carry sweet babies. I know God made our bodies just right to do all of this work and I am always grateful and never like to voice any real complaints about being pregnant. I am glad to do this job. But, it is amazing how BIG you get and how hard that stomach is. Every week that I think I surely can't grow any more and my stomach can not get any tighter, it does. The aches and pains change every week or sometimes day, so just when I think certain pains are just getting too tough, they change and I get relief. Otherwise, I have been lucky with other symptoms. I have never had heartburn during pregnancy and not usually in general, which is why I had no idea that I was having gall bladder attacks instead of heartburn after I had Grace. I just didn't know. But, this time I did have two different cases of what I believe was heartburn, but they went away and it hasn't been a problem. I also had one random week of terrible swelling in my feet - the kind that hurts to walk. That usually doesn't happen until after I deliver, but I had a bad week of it and then it just went away. And just a couple of weeks ago, I had the worst ligament pains that lasted a full week and would cause such pain every time I took a step. Then, I woke up one morning and they were gone.
But, besides the aches and pains, I want to remember what carrying a baby feels like. It's hard to really remember after time passes, but I love feeling her and the other kids move inside me. I love the end where you can pinpoint that a leg or foot is kicking your insides. At night, when I lay on my side and she is just punching and it feels like she must be making dents in the mattress where I lay is just amazing. I like feeling her from the top of my stomach to the bottom of my stomach stretch out or move all at once. I love the quote I've read that says "you are the only one that knows what my heart sounds like on the inside" because it's true! This baby knows my heartbeat and my voice and is just waiting to grow big enough to come out and meet us. I can get emotional very quickly thinking about this.
Anyways, I just wanted to do a quick pregnancy summary and say that I am so excited to meet this baby girl! We still do not have a name picked out - but we have several that we will try out at the hospital once she does arrive. Then, we can choose the perfect name for her.
While I am only 38 weeks and 2 days right now, I may have just been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for the last two hours, because guess what? I have not had ONE since I sat down to type this 25 minutes ago. That is ok; I have not had but about an hour and a half of sleep (because I took a nap this afternoon and that always makes it hard for me to go to sleep at night and then I woke up with contractions), so maybe I can go lay down and sleep for a couple of hours now. But, if I lay down and have more contractions, then I will wonder if we are going into labor soon! Oh my - the waiting game. Side note: usually when contractions start for me, it's go time and labor is starting. But, two weeks ago, I sat in bed watching TV with Vic and had 6 contractions in 2 hours. Then, nothing else. So, this one might be different.
Another side note: As I typed that last sentence, I had a mild contraction last only about 30 seconds. So, I have no idea what is happening right now. Headed back to bed to see if they continue and if so, I might as well get up and shower at least. Just in case. Then, I will start prepping for a babysitter. I hope someone is available early this morning or I will be calling friends here in a few hours to come watch kids! Seriously, I have no idea what is going to happen. But, this is my update!
Update at 4:35ish: another very mild contraction 5 minutes after that last one. Hmmm...
Morning 8am Update: No more contractions after 5pm; I fell asleep (hooray!) and woke up with nothing else. So, we will keep watching!
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
It's a girl!
For our last three kids, we have not found out the gender of our kids until birth. It has always been a fun surprise and we always kind of hoped we could have that waiting room experience where our families are all there and Vic gets to walk out and say "It's a Boy! It's a Girl!". But, we don't live close to our families, so that has always ended up via text or phone call. However, for this last baby, I really wanted to find out ahead of time. I kind of just wanted to experience it and Vic was on board, since we plan for this to be our last baby. So, it was fun leading up to the big day for our 20 week ultrasound. The kids all thought we were having a boy and I was convinced it was a boy too. Vic's guess was a girl. So, we went to our appointment that morning and the tech finally found the gender and...it's a girl!
This is the photo I posted on IG and that we sent our families to tell them the news!
The girls will outnumber the boys, but Atticus is a great big brother, so adding another sister under his wing will be perfect.
I was truly so shocked when she said it was a girl. But, I decided that it was actually really fun finding out and since then, it has not bothered me once to know. Although it hasn't really changed our preparations (I thought I would go ahead and get rid of all boy or all girl things depending on gender, but who has time to do that?), it has been fun to know we are adding a girl to make our Seidel Six!
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Sarah's 35th Birthday
I turned 35 this year and while we celebrated big the weekend before with DWTS and a weekend with Erwins, Vic and the kids still celebrated me on my day, Wednesday, the 28th. What started out as a great morning turned scary quick. We had MOPS that day and it was so fun to go and we had plans to meet Vic for lunch (girls were with me) and then come home for fun at home that evening. Well, during MOPS, we were playing Minute to Win It Games and although they are not hard or anything, I tripped while half running about 20 feet from one spot to another. Well, when I tripped, I fell. Hard. Right on my stomach. I did not catch myself with my hands and it happened so fast. I jumped up fast and said I was ok and smiled (because that is what I do) and then started thinking about how hard I hit my stomach. At 17 weeks pregnant. I went to the bathroom to get away for a minute and the tears started. And I was just worried. And then the girls and my mentors started coming in and I could NOT stop crying and that is not how I like to handle things. I like to handle things without freaking out. But, for some reason, my hormones and just being scared kept me from being able to not cry. One of the girls was a delivery nurse and she advised that I call my doctor and even go in for a heartbeat check. I did that and the doctor on call (mine was not in that day) said that at 17 weeks, to just watch for bleeding for 24 hours and any pains and to drink lots of water. And that was it. While I can follow instructions, it was just going to be a long 24 hours. And really, there was nothing that could be done at 17 weeks if I had hurt the baby. It was just scary. I wasn't feeling kicks yet to help me know that baby was moving around and it was just scary. I had never fallen during pregnancy and I felt SO DUMB being so clumsy, especially since I know I am clumsy. But, anyways, I called Vic bawling and decided I was in no form to go to lunch. We went home but then all I could do was think about it. And cry. I had so many MOPS girls calling and praying and just realized that a group of mamas like that are an army! And every one I talked to told me to go get the heartbeat checked, even though the doctor didn't say to come in. I called and the doctor's office said to come in and they would check. So, Vic came home early (poor guy - I was a mess and there wasn't much he could do) and I went in to wait to see a nurse. It took two nurse's to find the heartbeat, but my only hope was that it had taken Dr. Bertsch longer to find the heartbeat on this baby at every appointment. Then, all of a sudden they found the heartbeat. I was so thankful and so relieved. But, boy was I emotionally exhausted. I was so glad baby was ok and for the next 24 hours, I didn't have any symptoms to make me think anything was wrong. I was so thankful that God makes our bodies to carry our babies and protect them so well inside us.
Anyways, we ate a delicious dinner and had cake and relaxed the rest of the evening. What a scary day, but so thankful for my 35th birthday and that all was ok.
Anyways, we ate a delicious dinner and had cake and relaxed the rest of the evening. What a scary day, but so thankful for my 35th birthday and that all was ok.
I loved the sign Vic made - GOAT (Greatest of All Time)!
My kids and me!
This is my favorite lemony shrimp pasta dish!
Nothing Bundt Cake for dessert!
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Ana & Charley's Big Announcement
One thing I LOVE when we go to Sanger or Aubrey or Lewisville for events and trips is when we can all get together, even if just for a fast meal! To keep us from going all the way to Sanger to get kids and then get on the road again, the rest of the Erwins met us at Ana & Charley's house for brunch and to celebrate the February birthdays: me, Vic, and Melbo (88!). It was nice to sleep in and have our kids arrive dressed and packed! ah! So nice!
Everyone watched Ana's dance from the night before!
And we got to eat birthday cake and sing!
Hooray! They are pregnant and having their first little bambino due on September 26th, 2018! Ana always said she would get pregnant when we were pregnant with our 4th baby - she was right!
Everyone is pointing at Ana's tummy! There's a little baby in there! Oh we were so excited! Although, in the video, you could tell it took Melbo a little while...that was so funny!
It was a great way to finish celebrating the weekend before everyone went their separate ways (Dad headed to work!). So so thankful for so many blessings! A weekend I won't ever forget!
Sunday, December 31, 2017
A Big Sister!
When we went to Sanger, we were about 9 or so weeks pregnant and thought we would go ahead and tell the Erwin's since we were in person. However, I am not always creative with this. So, for this time, we put a piece of masking tape on Everly that said Big Sister and waited for people to notice! ha! Pop asked if we were getting a puppy! GG didn't notice for awhile! It was a fun way to tell people. So, our 4th baby had a due date of August 4th!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
MLK Weekend in Lubbock
***Disclaimer: So...I started blogging this two months ago and then realized all of Mary's good photos were still in a link for me to download. I still have not downloaded them. Yikes. But, I have a couple I can put on this blog just to publish it!!***
This year for MLK, we went to Lubbock to not only see all of our favorite people, but to celebrate at a baby shower for Mary! I don't think I've blogged that Mary and Taylor were expecting their first little one (who has now arrived as of March 9th!! - Paul Taylor Verett via c-section at 35 weeks and was 5 lbs. 15 oz.!). And just to continue on that note, he is precious in his pictures and I am really hoping that life will allow us to go visit them this summer in Olathe to meet him and let him meet his new little cousin! We are so excited for Taylor and Mary and know they are naturals; may favorite texts right now come from Mary with her hilarious thoughts and sweet baby moments and cute little Baby Paul pictures!!
Anyways, back to MLK, but I do love talking babies! So, GG came to watch the kids, bless her, and Vic and I loaded up for a little road trip to Lubbock. That was the first time we've driven there together and actually only the 2nd time we've been there together. I decided flying just didn't sound fun - you know, the whole nausea thing. And actually, the road trip gave us lots of relaxing and visiting time and really didn't seem to be 7 hours at all. We left about 6ish or so and stopped in _____ to eat at a restaurant called _____. Delicious! We got to Lubbock to Steve and Patricia's house and all was right. Whitney convinced Katie and Kristofer to abandon their house for the weekend and stay at Steve and Patricia's so we all got maximum time together. So, we stayed there too along with Katerina and of course Mary, Taylor and Whitney. Steve and Patricia have a GREAT place to host our crew. Katie, Kirsten and Jonathan stayed at Jonathan's house. We pretty much did the same thing we do every year and it's always something I look forward to: eat delicious food made by everyone there who cooks (somehow I always get lucky and don't have to cook...), visit, laugh a LOT, make Vic play charades practically by himself (this is only year 2 of that, but it is so fun!), take naps, maybe have an outing of some kind (this year, Mary and I stayed at the house to rest our pregnant bodies and visit while the rest went to the farm), drink fun drinks (um....why did I not know Ginger Beer with lime was non-alcoholic and delicious?), and just spend time with the best people.
I'm telling you...when you find friends like these that are like family (and actually they really are family now....thank you Mary and Taylor), you don't let them go. Sometimes, we only see some of them once a year, but I always think the best friends you can have are the ones you can pick up right where you left off. They are the ones you reach out to on group texts for fun laughs or for serious prayers and the ones that you KNOW if you need them, they will be in your doorway in a heartbeat. Literally, Katie and Kirsten have shown up at our doorway at 2am to watch Atticus when Grace was born! ha! But, I know if we would have called anyone around the country, it might have taken them a few hours longer, but they would be there if we needed them. And we would do the same for them! Okay off my emotional soapbox.
So, this year was equally as wonderful as always and it was icing on the cake to see Patricia and Steve and to attend Mary's sweet baby shower. Even Mom and Milly came down for the shower. And, it was a really nice little break for Vic and I. Sometimes, he and I can get so caught up in life, we don't spend enough time with one another to really visit and just be with one another. So, thankfully, GG took the hard part of keeping 2 toddlers and gave us a wonderful time away as well. I mean...I napped...when I wanted to. I didn't wash little hands, get little sippy cups, hear "yucky" when food was served, buckle and unbuckle carseats constantly, or hear any whining or backtalk. I do love my two little kids, but sometimes everyone needs a break to re-energize. I, of course, loved all of the hugs and happiness we got (before the to-do's above started) when we got home! haha!
So, I think I'm just babbling right now. But, it was a wonderful MLK! And it was really special to be pregnant with Mary during it too. One of my favorite pictures ever of the two of us is below as well!
This year for MLK, we went to Lubbock to not only see all of our favorite people, but to celebrate at a baby shower for Mary! I don't think I've blogged that Mary and Taylor were expecting their first little one (who has now arrived as of March 9th!! - Paul Taylor Verett via c-section at 35 weeks and was 5 lbs. 15 oz.!). And just to continue on that note, he is precious in his pictures and I am really hoping that life will allow us to go visit them this summer in Olathe to meet him and let him meet his new little cousin! We are so excited for Taylor and Mary and know they are naturals; may favorite texts right now come from Mary with her hilarious thoughts and sweet baby moments and cute little Baby Paul pictures!!
Anyways, back to MLK, but I do love talking babies! So, GG came to watch the kids, bless her, and Vic and I loaded up for a little road trip to Lubbock. That was the first time we've driven there together and actually only the 2nd time we've been there together. I decided flying just didn't sound fun - you know, the whole nausea thing. And actually, the road trip gave us lots of relaxing and visiting time and really didn't seem to be 7 hours at all. We left about 6ish or so and stopped in _____ to eat at a restaurant called _____. Delicious! We got to Lubbock to Steve and Patricia's house and all was right. Whitney convinced Katie and Kristofer to abandon their house for the weekend and stay at Steve and Patricia's so we all got maximum time together. So, we stayed there too along with Katerina and of course Mary, Taylor and Whitney. Steve and Patricia have a GREAT place to host our crew. Katie, Kirsten and Jonathan stayed at Jonathan's house. We pretty much did the same thing we do every year and it's always something I look forward to: eat delicious food made by everyone there who cooks (somehow I always get lucky and don't have to cook...), visit, laugh a LOT, make Vic play charades practically by himself (this is only year 2 of that, but it is so fun!), take naps, maybe have an outing of some kind (this year, Mary and I stayed at the house to rest our pregnant bodies and visit while the rest went to the farm), drink fun drinks (um....why did I not know Ginger Beer with lime was non-alcoholic and delicious?), and just spend time with the best people.
I'm telling you...when you find friends like these that are like family (and actually they really are family now....thank you Mary and Taylor), you don't let them go. Sometimes, we only see some of them once a year, but I always think the best friends you can have are the ones you can pick up right where you left off. They are the ones you reach out to on group texts for fun laughs or for serious prayers and the ones that you KNOW if you need them, they will be in your doorway in a heartbeat. Literally, Katie and Kirsten have shown up at our doorway at 2am to watch Atticus when Grace was born! ha! But, I know if we would have called anyone around the country, it might have taken them a few hours longer, but they would be there if we needed them. And we would do the same for them! Okay off my emotional soapbox.
So, this year was equally as wonderful as always and it was icing on the cake to see Patricia and Steve and to attend Mary's sweet baby shower. Even Mom and Milly came down for the shower. And, it was a really nice little break for Vic and I. Sometimes, he and I can get so caught up in life, we don't spend enough time with one another to really visit and just be with one another. So, thankfully, GG took the hard part of keeping 2 toddlers and gave us a wonderful time away as well. I mean...I napped...when I wanted to. I didn't wash little hands, get little sippy cups, hear "yucky" when food was served, buckle and unbuckle carseats constantly, or hear any whining or backtalk. I do love my two little kids, but sometimes everyone needs a break to re-energize. I, of course, loved all of the hugs and happiness we got (before the to-do's above started) when we got home! haha!
So, I think I'm just babbling right now. But, it was a wonderful MLK! And it was really special to be pregnant with Mary during it too. One of my favorite pictures ever of the two of us is below as well!
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Everly at 3 weeks
I wanted to post a quick little update on Everly at 3 weeks and my postpartum issues. Everly has had another good week; is really filling out more and more everyday. The little wrinkles on her knees are gone!:( She is starting to hold her head up a little more and be more awake in between feedings. She still prefers a routine of waking up to cry and begging for food while we change her diaper. Then, she eats and falls asleep in between feedings and then decides whether to hang out awake for awhile or go right back to sleep.
She is still a great little sleeper! We have had two nights of her just not falling asleep and only wanting to nurse and just being mad. One time, we think she had gas because either exhaustion or gas drops finally worked. The other night was not as bad, but still took her awhile. We have even tried to top her off with a bottle of milk and that has actually worked. So, I'm not sure if she really was hungry (which after nursing constantly, she couldn't be) but something helped with that little ounce in a bottle to put her to sleep. She sleeps SO good in between feedings and has gone about 6 hours per night the last 3 nights. This is so great at 3 weeks old! That has not been the case with Atticus or Grace at this age. This means, that I am only having to get up one time! Her schedule will continue to change, but hopefully it is just to go even longer in between feedings as she gets older. I especially hope this since GG and Grandma are not here anymore! GG stayed 3 weeks and just left yesterday and Mom got to come in for 4 days to help with kids. So, I have had great help!
She sleeps best when swaddled but if she is loose enough for just a daytime nap, she will grunt and groan and pull her arms out, but keep sleeping. She is still in new born size clothes, but within another week or two at the most, I bet we are headed to 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She is not yet interested in the paci, but I plan to start teaching her to take it soon. I loved it with Grace and I would really like her to use it. She has used her thumb a couple times, but doesn't have that figured out yet. I wouldn't mind her thumb, but a paci is easier to break. Her hair is still so red on top and strawberry blonde around. Her little face is filling out so much and of course, I think she is just so pretty! I have witnessed two tiny little half smiles while she has been awake. I'm anxious for that first smile to come!
Atticus still wants to love her and hold her and kiss her. He actually told me the other day that he would carry her for me, as if it was no big deal. Grace, too, likes to tell us she is cute and touch her hands and toes and now, after Steve taught her Patty Cake, she wants to do Patty Cake with Everly. She also loves to bring Everly her glow-worm that GG bought and turn the music on for "the baby to fall asleep". It's pretty cute!
As far as me, this week has been up and down with nursing. First, as far as my body, I feel really close to back to normal. I cleaned house yesterday and was not sore and exhausted at the end like I was at the end of my pregnancy. I can bend, get on and off the floor, and move around with just some soreness in my abs and around my incision area. So, that has been so great! It's amazing how your body is just not your own when you are pregnant. My little scar that has not healed is still trying to heal, but getting better. The only crazy thing is how dry my skin is! My cuticles and fingers were in pain for a few days because they were so dry! And my face is dry and I can't drink enough water! Anyways, as far as nursing, it changes almost every day, and sometimes every other nursing. As of today, I have gone almost 48 hours with no pain during nursing, but only pain when she latches on. Otherwise, before, I was still having lots of pain latching, nursing and in between. I was switching positions, using ice packs, and pumping instead of nursing a side sometimes. But, in the last two days it has been better. I keep saying I am going back to the lactation specialists but haven't yet because it starts to get better and I get optimistic. Hopefully the current state we are in just keeps getting better. I'm not giving up! I've googled and researched a little thinking her mouth was too small or there was other normal latching issues I could fix on my own, but now I'm starting to think that it is just taking a little extra time for she and I to both figure it out and my body to cooperate. So, fingers crossed! She is still eating 6-7 times in a 24 hour period, so there is never a true break for my body, but it's definitely getting better.
Right now, I am at the house by myself while Everly sleeps. Vic, Atticus and Grace went to OG for the weekend to visit his family and give me a little quiet weekend. I have cleaned house, taken a nap with Everly snuggled up next to me, started binge watching Parenthood, (which by the way, is really good so far at 5 episodes into season 1), and have more plans to get a new daily schedule started for the kids and I, work on some VBS emails, check out birth announcements, and plan a grocery store trip based on Weight Watchers (here we go again!). So, I will get back to that!
She is still a great little sleeper! We have had two nights of her just not falling asleep and only wanting to nurse and just being mad. One time, we think she had gas because either exhaustion or gas drops finally worked. The other night was not as bad, but still took her awhile. We have even tried to top her off with a bottle of milk and that has actually worked. So, I'm not sure if she really was hungry (which after nursing constantly, she couldn't be) but something helped with that little ounce in a bottle to put her to sleep. She sleeps SO good in between feedings and has gone about 6 hours per night the last 3 nights. This is so great at 3 weeks old! That has not been the case with Atticus or Grace at this age. This means, that I am only having to get up one time! Her schedule will continue to change, but hopefully it is just to go even longer in between feedings as she gets older. I especially hope this since GG and Grandma are not here anymore! GG stayed 3 weeks and just left yesterday and Mom got to come in for 4 days to help with kids. So, I have had great help!
She sleeps best when swaddled but if she is loose enough for just a daytime nap, she will grunt and groan and pull her arms out, but keep sleeping. She is still in new born size clothes, but within another week or two at the most, I bet we are headed to 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She is not yet interested in the paci, but I plan to start teaching her to take it soon. I loved it with Grace and I would really like her to use it. She has used her thumb a couple times, but doesn't have that figured out yet. I wouldn't mind her thumb, but a paci is easier to break. Her hair is still so red on top and strawberry blonde around. Her little face is filling out so much and of course, I think she is just so pretty! I have witnessed two tiny little half smiles while she has been awake. I'm anxious for that first smile to come!
Atticus still wants to love her and hold her and kiss her. He actually told me the other day that he would carry her for me, as if it was no big deal. Grace, too, likes to tell us she is cute and touch her hands and toes and now, after Steve taught her Patty Cake, she wants to do Patty Cake with Everly. She also loves to bring Everly her glow-worm that GG bought and turn the music on for "the baby to fall asleep". It's pretty cute!
As far as me, this week has been up and down with nursing. First, as far as my body, I feel really close to back to normal. I cleaned house yesterday and was not sore and exhausted at the end like I was at the end of my pregnancy. I can bend, get on and off the floor, and move around with just some soreness in my abs and around my incision area. So, that has been so great! It's amazing how your body is just not your own when you are pregnant. My little scar that has not healed is still trying to heal, but getting better. The only crazy thing is how dry my skin is! My cuticles and fingers were in pain for a few days because they were so dry! And my face is dry and I can't drink enough water! Anyways, as far as nursing, it changes almost every day, and sometimes every other nursing. As of today, I have gone almost 48 hours with no pain during nursing, but only pain when she latches on. Otherwise, before, I was still having lots of pain latching, nursing and in between. I was switching positions, using ice packs, and pumping instead of nursing a side sometimes. But, in the last two days it has been better. I keep saying I am going back to the lactation specialists but haven't yet because it starts to get better and I get optimistic. Hopefully the current state we are in just keeps getting better. I'm not giving up! I've googled and researched a little thinking her mouth was too small or there was other normal latching issues I could fix on my own, but now I'm starting to think that it is just taking a little extra time for she and I to both figure it out and my body to cooperate. So, fingers crossed! She is still eating 6-7 times in a 24 hour period, so there is never a true break for my body, but it's definitely getting better.
Right now, I am at the house by myself while Everly sleeps. Vic, Atticus and Grace went to OG for the weekend to visit his family and give me a little quiet weekend. I have cleaned house, taken a nap with Everly snuggled up next to me, started binge watching Parenthood, (which by the way, is really good so far at 5 episodes into season 1), and have more plans to get a new daily schedule started for the kids and I, work on some VBS emails, check out birth announcements, and plan a grocery store trip based on Weight Watchers (here we go again!). So, I will get back to that!
Baby Shower for us and Pop!
I wanted to write a quick post on the baby shower that our friends from church threw for us! Our "Mama's Night" group and "Guy's Night" groups have the best people in them and we have gotten to be great friends with all of them. In the last year, 3 of us have had and it is always fun to celebrate the new babies. So, this time, Mindy, Cady & Jamie hosted a shower for us at Jamie & Eric's house. It was on April 10th at 4:00 pm. In attendance were The Roll/Ham family, the Souths, The Auckerman/Ernstes family, Katerina, the Scarmardos, the Langfords, the Rogers, and the Williams family. I can't tell you how much fun it was! There was super delicious food, precious and special gifts, wonderful people...and a bounce house and playhouse for the kids!! Laura even gave Atticus and Grace gifts; a star wars bubble maker for Atticus and a baby doll for Grace! I only have a few pictures, but it was such a fun way to celebrate Everly getting ready to arrive...although we had no idea our baby would come only 4 days later! OH! And these fabulous people also setup a meal schedule - we have gotten the most delicious meals and they are still coming!!
I also want to add in that Pop was shocked and surprised with a shower back in April as well. The day we delivered, he went to work like normal that evening and when he arrived, there was a table full of gifts and a cake and people so happy to throw a Grandpa shower! He said you could have knocked him over with a feather! I know he was truly shocked. He couldn't believe everyone would do that, but when you work with or care for someone as great as Pop, it doesn't surprise me that they would do something so nice. There were so many gift from gift cards to diapers to outfits to some really nice items that I wouldn't even buy for myself! He sent it all down to us when Mom came to see Everly and it has been fun storing it away and using the stuff we already need. What a wonderful gesture and thing to do from the Denton County Jail's Night Shift!
Friday, April 29, 2016
Everly at 2 weeks and a postpartum update
Well, we have made it two weeks into Everly's little life! Here's a quick summary of how we've done:
Monday, April 18th - arrive home.
Tuesday, April 19th - Head back to doctor's office for Everly's weight check; all is good. We will have to do a hip ultrasound at 6 weeks because she was breech; her weight is 7 lbs. 2 oz. and although I've had some pain nursing, the doctor does not think she has a tongue tie.
Wednesday, April 20th - I am in major pain after nursing and cannot even stand to nurse her that morning. I feel like it is the same pain as when Grace had her tongue tie, but am not sure what to do. I don't know if she is not latching properly or if I'm doing something wrong. So, we head back to the hospital to the lactation specialists to check it out. After meeting them, they think her frenulum is tight and said it can be genetic (so since Grace had it, Everly might too). While they help me position her different ways and give me some other tips to help my "udders" heal and give me time to get better, all while still nursing her, they also suggest seeing an ENT. So, after phone calls and help from friends, we get into an ENT at 4pm that day and thankfully they snip her little frenulum back.
Thursday, April 21st - We head back to my doctor's office to have my vacuum seal removed from my incision area. This was the first time I had this for recovery and it would pull out any air regularly all day long. All looked good to the nurse except for one little spot that hadn't yet healed up. She was not concerned. I actually feel like it helped me heal better. Vic and I also picked up Freebirds and ate in the car for a little lunch date and I got to shop at a baby boutique while we were out!
Friday, April 22nd - This was a day at home! As far as my recovery, I am doing good. My feet are still very swollen and I still need help in and out of bed and still taking pain medicine. Breastfeeding is still super painful and I'm having a hard time re-creating what the lactation specialists did to help the pain when I was in their office. And, at this point, I'm getting some Baby Blues, I guess. Tears and tired, although Everly is a great little sleeper in between feedings.
Saturday and Sunday were similar to Friday. Pain when feeding and wondering if I needed to go back to the lactation specialists again. But, my c-section recovery is still going really well.
Monday, April 25th - We start worrying a little bit about my incision. The entire area is red and that one little section that was not healed has started to drain a little and sting a little. I'd not had any issues in the past, but Vic thought we needed to go to the doctor. So, we scheduled an appointment.
Tuesday, April 26th - We head back to my doctor and she confirms that the incision looks fine, but that one little section of just skin that hasn't healed back together is just irritated by yeast. Sounds weird, but with the help of some cream, she said to give it time and it will heal.
Wednesday, April 27th - We head back to Everly's doctor for her 2 week checkup. All is good; she weighs 8 lbs. 7 oz., so we easily met our goal of birth weight by this date! She has her second newborn screening done; Dr. Svendsen checks her out and said all is good!
Thursday, April 28th - Everly is two weeks old! And, we think we are done with doctor visits for awhile! At this point, Everly is still being the ideal baby who falls asleep easily between feedings and up until Wednesday night, she has not had any periods of being mad and not going back to sleep easily. On Wednesday night, she was just mad and awake and only wanted to nurse, but was definitely not hungry. So, after GG held her lots and dealt with her cries, she wore her little self out and went to sleep. So, I am now trying to keep her up for a couple of hours in late afternoon so she is ready to sleep better by night time. We are also allowed to start going 4 hours between feedings and then start feeling her out to see how long she wants to sleep at night between feedings.
As far as my recovery, I am feeling great! I know my mid-section will be sore for awhile and I can't move too fast or get up off the ground or out of a chair too quickly, or I feel the tightness and a little pain. But, otherwise, although we are waiting for that little skin section to heal, I think this might be my best recovery yet. The swelling stopped a couple of days ago, and I'm getting some rest. As far as breastfeeding, I went from complete pain to finally, in the last couple of days, just having cringing pain when she latches and then no pain when she nurses the rest of the time. Today, I think the cringing pain when she latches has been less. So, hopefully, I am healing and my body is just getting used to her nursing without the tongue tie. Fingers crossed!
As far as Everly updates: she is just the cutest thing! I know we all think that about our babies and I've thought it about Atticus and Grace. But, this stage is just one of my favorites. I LOVE the snuggly baby part. She just curls up into a ball on my chest or snuggles deep in my arms and it is so wonderful. Her little soft skin is warm and I just love those baby snuggles! She is also starting to become more alert when she is awake. Her little eyes just open up and look around. She wants to sit up, but her little head just bobs back and forth and her little eyes go a little cross-eyed sometimes. But, she is getting better at those things every time she is in her alert mood. She poops almost every time we change her; she is very impatient for milk when she is hungry; she does not enjoy that paci yet; she has had her first sponge bath; her umbilical cords has fallen off; she is not into size 0-3 months yet and GG has just bought some newborn sized things for her to wear for the next couple of weeks until she fits those bigger clothes; she is still in newborn sized diapers; she has the tiniest little button nose; at this point, I can't decide who she looks like more - Atticus or Grace; her hair is really red on top and more strawberry blonde around. I hope it stays that way; it is the cutest!
I just hope I remember all of those little sweet features and grunts and snuggles and faces that she gives me at this age. The newborn stage goes so quickly and as much as I love the other stages too, I always miss this one when it is gone. I try to take lots of pictures but I feel like they never do the moment justice. So, I hope I always remember our little Everly's newborn weeks!
Those are my updates for 2 weeks! Although I still have lots of help from GG and of course Vic, I feel like we are starting to get back on track at our house. We still don't maintain much of a schedule and I have not been out of the house with the kids, since I can't drive until tomorrow. So, I know I have "mom of 3" things to figure out as we go, but I'm looking forward to it!
Monday, April 18th - arrive home.
Tuesday, April 19th - Head back to doctor's office for Everly's weight check; all is good. We will have to do a hip ultrasound at 6 weeks because she was breech; her weight is 7 lbs. 2 oz. and although I've had some pain nursing, the doctor does not think she has a tongue tie.
Wednesday, April 20th - I am in major pain after nursing and cannot even stand to nurse her that morning. I feel like it is the same pain as when Grace had her tongue tie, but am not sure what to do. I don't know if she is not latching properly or if I'm doing something wrong. So, we head back to the hospital to the lactation specialists to check it out. After meeting them, they think her frenulum is tight and said it can be genetic (so since Grace had it, Everly might too). While they help me position her different ways and give me some other tips to help my "udders" heal and give me time to get better, all while still nursing her, they also suggest seeing an ENT. So, after phone calls and help from friends, we get into an ENT at 4pm that day and thankfully they snip her little frenulum back.
Thursday, April 21st - We head back to my doctor's office to have my vacuum seal removed from my incision area. This was the first time I had this for recovery and it would pull out any air regularly all day long. All looked good to the nurse except for one little spot that hadn't yet healed up. She was not concerned. I actually feel like it helped me heal better. Vic and I also picked up Freebirds and ate in the car for a little lunch date and I got to shop at a baby boutique while we were out!
Friday, April 22nd - This was a day at home! As far as my recovery, I am doing good. My feet are still very swollen and I still need help in and out of bed and still taking pain medicine. Breastfeeding is still super painful and I'm having a hard time re-creating what the lactation specialists did to help the pain when I was in their office. And, at this point, I'm getting some Baby Blues, I guess. Tears and tired, although Everly is a great little sleeper in between feedings.
Saturday and Sunday were similar to Friday. Pain when feeding and wondering if I needed to go back to the lactation specialists again. But, my c-section recovery is still going really well.
Monday, April 25th - We start worrying a little bit about my incision. The entire area is red and that one little section that was not healed has started to drain a little and sting a little. I'd not had any issues in the past, but Vic thought we needed to go to the doctor. So, we scheduled an appointment.
Tuesday, April 26th - We head back to my doctor and she confirms that the incision looks fine, but that one little section of just skin that hasn't healed back together is just irritated by yeast. Sounds weird, but with the help of some cream, she said to give it time and it will heal.
Wednesday, April 27th - We head back to Everly's doctor for her 2 week checkup. All is good; she weighs 8 lbs. 7 oz., so we easily met our goal of birth weight by this date! She has her second newborn screening done; Dr. Svendsen checks her out and said all is good!
Thursday, April 28th - Everly is two weeks old! And, we think we are done with doctor visits for awhile! At this point, Everly is still being the ideal baby who falls asleep easily between feedings and up until Wednesday night, she has not had any periods of being mad and not going back to sleep easily. On Wednesday night, she was just mad and awake and only wanted to nurse, but was definitely not hungry. So, after GG held her lots and dealt with her cries, she wore her little self out and went to sleep. So, I am now trying to keep her up for a couple of hours in late afternoon so she is ready to sleep better by night time. We are also allowed to start going 4 hours between feedings and then start feeling her out to see how long she wants to sleep at night between feedings.
As far as my recovery, I am feeling great! I know my mid-section will be sore for awhile and I can't move too fast or get up off the ground or out of a chair too quickly, or I feel the tightness and a little pain. But, otherwise, although we are waiting for that little skin section to heal, I think this might be my best recovery yet. The swelling stopped a couple of days ago, and I'm getting some rest. As far as breastfeeding, I went from complete pain to finally, in the last couple of days, just having cringing pain when she latches and then no pain when she nurses the rest of the time. Today, I think the cringing pain when she latches has been less. So, hopefully, I am healing and my body is just getting used to her nursing without the tongue tie. Fingers crossed!
As far as Everly updates: she is just the cutest thing! I know we all think that about our babies and I've thought it about Atticus and Grace. But, this stage is just one of my favorites. I LOVE the snuggly baby part. She just curls up into a ball on my chest or snuggles deep in my arms and it is so wonderful. Her little soft skin is warm and I just love those baby snuggles! She is also starting to become more alert when she is awake. Her little eyes just open up and look around. She wants to sit up, but her little head just bobs back and forth and her little eyes go a little cross-eyed sometimes. But, she is getting better at those things every time she is in her alert mood. She poops almost every time we change her; she is very impatient for milk when she is hungry; she does not enjoy that paci yet; she has had her first sponge bath; her umbilical cords has fallen off; she is not into size 0-3 months yet and GG has just bought some newborn sized things for her to wear for the next couple of weeks until she fits those bigger clothes; she is still in newborn sized diapers; she has the tiniest little button nose; at this point, I can't decide who she looks like more - Atticus or Grace; her hair is really red on top and more strawberry blonde around. I hope it stays that way; it is the cutest!
I just hope I remember all of those little sweet features and grunts and snuggles and faces that she gives me at this age. The newborn stage goes so quickly and as much as I love the other stages too, I always miss this one when it is gone. I try to take lots of pictures but I feel like they never do the moment justice. So, I hope I always remember our little Everly's newborn weeks!
Those are my updates for 2 weeks! Although I still have lots of help from GG and of course Vic, I feel like we are starting to get back on track at our house. We still don't maintain much of a schedule and I have not been out of the house with the kids, since I can't drive until tomorrow. So, I know I have "mom of 3" things to figure out as we go, but I'm looking forward to it!
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Our stay in our "Hospital Hotel" and Coming Home
This is my 3rd delivery, so I feel like I know the ropes as far as bringing babies into this world via c-section. Although we have now delivered each of our kids at a different hospital in Bryan/College Station, they are all similar and we have had great experiences at each. And I like to call this a "hospital hotel" stay because it is. It is nice and clean and people do everything for you: bring you anything you ask for and help in any way they can. I spent my entire time visiting or sleeping or holding Everly with no interruptions from my other two loves, Atticus and Grace. It really is a helpful time to have a few days, at least with a c-section, to get moving again more easily and get pain and nursing under control. In fact, they give you the option to stay 2 or 3 nights and I definitely chose 3 nights. For some reason, I just really like being in the hospital for those first few days after I have a baby!
Scott and White Hospital is only 2 1/2 years old so everything is very new and nice. Our room was a great size and we got setup around 3:30 on Thursday. That afternoon was spent with nurses in and out to check my vitals, give me medicine in my IV, bring me water and my liquid diet and mash on my stomach to get that uterus contracting back down. I nursed Everly and we loved on her.
Vic stayed most of the day and then GG stayed the night with me, as she ended up doing each night we were there. I did finally throw up after attempting a liquid dinner, but after that, I was better and still glad it was not during my delivery. The kids did not come up that day - too much going on. And that turned out to be a good thing because with the exciting day and babysitters and knowing GG was coming and that the baby was FINALLY coming (Atticus would ask me EVERY day if the baby was coming that day), Atticus had a major meltdown when Vic got home that night and told him we had a girl. It's funny because Atticus has said and wanted a girl all along until just a few weeks ago when he decided we needed a boy to outnumber the girls. And, honestly, Vic thinks it was a combination of being exhausted and seeing Vic arrive in GG's car without GG that put him over the edge. But, as of the next day, when he met her, he loved her and has ever since. He's not even mentioned wanting a boy since that night.
So, the night was normal. At about 9 pm, they took Everly for her first bath and she came back smelling sweet and with a little hat with a bow on her head! And though S&W has a new policy of not taking the baby to the nursery at night, our nurse did take Everly between feedings to give us a break. Truthfully, Everly was the ideal baby (and still has been). She would eat and go back to sleep each time giving us rest. So, it was not that different from the nursery taking her between feedings and her staying with us.
At around 9 am the next day, I was unhooked from my IV, started on oral medicines, got my foley catheter out, and got out of bed for the first time. The first time to get out of bed is always tough. It's hard to pull myself out of that bed after laying there so long and of course my mid-section is sore and tight and not helpful at all. Then, standing up and actually walking are tough. But, it gets better and better as the days go on.
Late that morning, the kids finally got to come up. That was really fun! They were excited to see her and when they arrived, she was in her baby bed, so they just looked at her through the plastic and told us she was "so cute" and "so adorable". They did not want to hold he yet, but mostly Atticus was so interested in her. Grace plugged her ears when she cried, but then was really more interested in the hotel room and climbing into my bed to watch cartoons on the big TV. Atticus had lots of questions about the hospital room and our baby. And it was fun to see them with their Big Brother/Big Sister shirts on and be so excited.
I finally took a shower around 1 or so which is the BEST feeling in the world. It's always a little embarrassing because I can't do that by myself. I can't bend or move well at all, and Vic has to dress and undress me and dry me off and bring me everything. But, it's part of the husband job. The kids stayed awhile longer enjoying our luxurious accommodations. And I snuggled with Grace and rested a bit.
Eventually, everyone went back to the house for GG to nap and Vic to come back up to the hospital for a little while. After months of very few turkey sandwiches, he even brought me subway for dinner!
Then, we had some visitors to meet Everly! Our friends Chris and Katherine, Lucas, Meghan, Lizzy, and Lane, and Cecilia, Josie & Isabelle came up that evening to visit us. It's been so much fun to share this pregnancy with Katherine, Meghan and Cecilia, especially with Meghan also being pregnant. Her sweet baby girl is due mid-May and I can't wait for our little girls to be friends like their mamas!
Once all visitors were gone, Vic headed home and GG came up and we had another night of nursing, meds and squeezing in some sleep! Everything was going really well as far as Everly nursing and sleeping and my recovery was going as normal. I was staying on those pain meds and my vacuum pump on my incision area was doing its job. The only thing that was I don't recall in the past was when I would nurse, I would get the WORST pains that were similar to contractions but they didn't end. This terrible contraction pain would start and sometimes last the entire time I nursed if not a little more. Whew. It would take my breath away. The nurses said it was totally normal, but I almost wanted another epidural for this! Otherwise, all was going well!
On Saturday, Grace and GG shopped awhile and Vic and Atticus came to visit. Grace and GG eventually came up as well. Steve and Janice came into town and met Everly and visited at the hospital before heading to our house to play with the kids and stay the night. Also, our friend Debbie came in the morning and Kristi, Kendall and Maci came that evening to love on Everly. We have the BEST friends to come visit us!
During this day, Everly's bilirubin numbers were a little high and she was looking a little yellow, so we were working hard to get her to poop! She was eating well and plenty, but just didn't want to poop and that is what we needed. Finally, she did. So, we kept up our feeding schedule in hopes she would keep pooping and keep those bilirubin numbers low. We thought this would be our last night in the hospital and knew we would get to go home the next day.
However come the next morning, when they drew her blood for what we thought would be a final time, her bilirubin came back too high, her blood sugar too low, and her sodium too high showing she was dehydrated. So, the baby doctor decided she needed to stay another night to get those numbers in the right range. Thankfully, there was nothing to do but feed her regularly and draw blood a lot more and the doctor said everything would normalize. Also, they said that part of the reason her blood sugar was low was because I was not providing enough colostrum to her yet. My milk had not come in yet, so that made sense. But, she was not getting enough nutrients quiet yet. So, we did have to supplement with formula after I would nurse and try to get a certain amount in. That was not easy because she would fill up from nursing. But, we tried it. So, there were no major concerns, but she just couldn't go home. So, we did 3 hour feedings with little feet pricks or blood draws from her feet about every 3 hours as well. By night time, we only had to do it after 12 hours. She had her little foot pricked so many times that she stopped even caring when she was pricked and would sleep right through it. They discharged me Sunday night, but I got to stay in my "hotel" one more night!
Finally, Monday morning all of her numbers were in the right range. Earlier that morning, the lactation specialists came in to check in on us since we had to supplement the day before. And they setup a pump for me to pump once and feed it to her before we left. Around 12:45, we finally headed home! One funny thing about leaving was all of the loot we went home with. They made goodie bags for me: c-section underwear (this may be TMI, but I would pay money for these things if they didn't give them away...they make c-section recovery so much better), feminine and bathroom needs, lanolin, and a water bottle; for Grace: a fleece blanket, diapers, wipes, receiving blankets, baby hat, aspirator, a plastic tub, formula and bottle nipples, and all of the pumping supplies from when I pumped (it's probably $50 worth of stuff just in the nursing bag). I just thought it was great and they sent a LOT of some of those things. I just didn't remember that much from my other deliveries.
So, our stay in the hospital went really well and I enjoyed myself! ha! The staff and nurses and doctors are just SO nice and helpful! I know things are easier when we have a healthy baby and a nice surgery, but I would give high reviews to Scott and White!
We headed home...the long 5 minute drive. The kids were SO excited to have us home! We settled in, Atticus decided he wanted to hold her, and our little family of five plus GG was complete!
And, finally, by the end of the night, we put her in her brand new sleeper and hat and she, being the perfect baby, ate and went to sleep easily...for 3 hours at least. What a beautiful little girl we have been given...little Miss Everly Joye!
Scott and White Hospital is only 2 1/2 years old so everything is very new and nice. Our room was a great size and we got setup around 3:30 on Thursday. That afternoon was spent with nurses in and out to check my vitals, give me medicine in my IV, bring me water and my liquid diet and mash on my stomach to get that uterus contracting back down. I nursed Everly and we loved on her.
So, the night was normal. At about 9 pm, they took Everly for her first bath and she came back smelling sweet and with a little hat with a bow on her head! And though S&W has a new policy of not taking the baby to the nursery at night, our nurse did take Everly between feedings to give us a break. Truthfully, Everly was the ideal baby (and still has been). She would eat and go back to sleep each time giving us rest. So, it was not that different from the nursery taking her between feedings and her staying with us.
Late that morning, the kids finally got to come up. That was really fun! They were excited to see her and when they arrived, she was in her baby bed, so they just looked at her through the plastic and told us she was "so cute" and "so adorable". They did not want to hold he yet, but mostly Atticus was so interested in her. Grace plugged her ears when she cried, but then was really more interested in the hotel room and climbing into my bed to watch cartoons on the big TV. Atticus had lots of questions about the hospital room and our baby. And it was fun to see them with their Big Brother/Big Sister shirts on and be so excited.
Notice Atticus touching my stomach. He was very interested in how the baby got our and that she wasn't in my tummy any longer.
Our first family of five photo!
On Saturday, Grace and GG shopped awhile and Vic and Atticus came to visit. Grace and GG eventually came up as well. Steve and Janice came into town and met Everly and visited at the hospital before heading to our house to play with the kids and stay the night. Also, our friend Debbie came in the morning and Kristi, Kendall and Maci came that evening to love on Everly. We have the BEST friends to come visit us!
See his little lips? He is saying "she is so cute!" as he has said over and over about her.
This is one of the sweetest pictures Vic took of Everly!
However come the next morning, when they drew her blood for what we thought would be a final time, her bilirubin came back too high, her blood sugar too low, and her sodium too high showing she was dehydrated. So, the baby doctor decided she needed to stay another night to get those numbers in the right range. Thankfully, there was nothing to do but feed her regularly and draw blood a lot more and the doctor said everything would normalize. Also, they said that part of the reason her blood sugar was low was because I was not providing enough colostrum to her yet. My milk had not come in yet, so that made sense. But, she was not getting enough nutrients quiet yet. So, we did have to supplement with formula after I would nurse and try to get a certain amount in. That was not easy because she would fill up from nursing. But, we tried it. So, there were no major concerns, but she just couldn't go home. So, we did 3 hour feedings with little feet pricks or blood draws from her feet about every 3 hours as well. By night time, we only had to do it after 12 hours. She had her little foot pricked so many times that she stopped even caring when she was pricked and would sleep right through it. They discharged me Sunday night, but I got to stay in my "hotel" one more night!
We headed home...the long 5 minute drive. The kids were SO excited to have us home! We settled in, Atticus decided he wanted to hold her, and our little family of five plus GG was complete!
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