Announcing

Our Baby Girl "K" was born on January 8, 2009 at 12:40 a.m.

Weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz.

20 inches long

Its taken me a while to post, as I am thoroughly enjoying my "baby-moon" and learning the ropes of being a mom to 4 children! We are all on cloud nine, that is for sure - she is a wonderfully easy baby, the most relaxed one we've had! Let me tell you my birth story:

Last Wednesday evening was like most evenings the last few weeks - I had had contractions off and on - but nothing to sit and time - maybe 3 an hour at most - although most of the time, however, there was nothing.

My husband and I were beat, so we laid down in our bed with all three of our kids around 7:30 p.m., turned off the lights, and let our oldest read Frog and Toad stories to us all with his nifty head lamp he got for Christmas. Around 8:00 p.m., it was time to go to sleep, and I decided to stay in bed with them and go to sleep myself while my husband went downstairs. Around 8:45, I noticed I still wasn't asleep, which was very odd for me. You see, usually I lay down, and pretty much instantly fall asleep. At 9:15 or so, I realized I was having what seemed like regular contractions - but they were about 10-15 minutes apart.

I went downstairs, and told my husband I thought labor may be starting and we should try to time them - they were so erratic, that it was difficult to time anything. So around 9:30-9:45, I decided to take a bath, thinking the in-between cramps wouldn't be felt, and I would only feel the real stuff. Worked like a charm. Within 20 minutes to half an hour, we knew it was it, as my contractions were 5 minutes apart! My husband called my mom and asked her to come just in case. Within another few minutes, I knew I had to get to the hospital. I called my midwife who said to listen and trust my body, and come if I needed to - I told her I needed to. Also, the tub felt so divine, and I had planned to have a water birth if the pool was available, so I wanted to give them time to fill the pool.

We couldn't wait for my mom to arrive (she only lives 1/2 hour from us, but it was progressing so quickly I couldn't wait), so we called our neighbor to come over and stay with the kids until my mom arrived. Good thing we did.

I remember being on the road around 10:40 p.m. or so. We thank the Lord for His protection, as the roads were icy (of course - I had a feeling labor would happen on a stormy night!), and I could not stay seated during contractions. The only way I could get relief was by rocking on my hands and knees, and I did so on the drive there. Being the chicken I am though, after the contraction was done, I would sit back down and put my seatbelt on! LOL!

Once we arrived (around 11:10 p.m.), they started the antibiotic drip (I had Group B Strep), and monitored my contractions and baby for a few minutes. My midwife only planned on checking me if I wanted. I went back and forth - what if I was only 1 cm? I decided, I was what I was, and I wouldn't let any number discourage me. I had her check me (this was the only time I let her - honestly, this was the most painful part of the whole labor!!!), I was 4 cm. I was encouraged as I saw it as being almost half way there :)

Finally after what seemed too long, the pool was finished filling and I entered it. Oh, what sweet, heavenly relief! It was perfect! I have no idea of the time, but would guess I was in the pool by 11:45-12:00 a.m.? Anyway, I was most comfortable leaning my arm on the stool, and being on my right side - I tried my back, I tried my left side, but my right side was relaxing to me. I groaned and moaned through the contractions. I had read in preparation that to make an "oohhhh" sound rather than an "ahhhh" sound or screaming, and to envision letting my cervix open. That is what I concentrated on (and TMI here, sorry folks, but I also was obsessed in a ridiculous way over the fact that I was certain I had to go #2 - my midwife kept trying to nicely and lovingly convince me it was the baby - I didn't believe her!) Finally, because of said obsession, I decided to just push the poo out so it wouldn't bug me anymore. Also, even though I didn't trust my body would tell me when to push, my body did just that, and started a reverse "dry heaving", or so it felt to me. My midwife was right - it wasn't the poo - it was the baby, and so I started pushing my baby.

My midwife and husband kept trying to get me to float over on my back, but it felt impossible. Although my eyes were closed for most of the labor, I remember opening them wide, staring at my midwife (by the way, my husband was in the pool with me, holding me), and saying - "I wish I got the epidural!" She looked at me back and just said, "push." And push is what I did, after the Lord, I believe, floated me over on my back. At that point, the pain was gone as long as I was pushing. And in a few minutes, our little K was born!

I was truly amazed that after she was born, the pain was completely gone! I didn't say this yet, but I had epidurals with my other three children. I asked my husband if the time frame in my mind was correct, and he agreed it was, but the amount of real intolerable pain was as long as the real intolerable pain of the epidural (to me - I HATE that needle, etc. going in my back - I always have, it makes me cringe, like nails on a chalkboard.....)

All in all, from the time we arrived at the hospital (when the harder pain began), to when our daughter was born, was 1.5 hours.

My husband also seemed to really enjoy this labor experience more than the others, as did I. Another special part of this birth was shortly after our daughter was born, he played two very special songs to me/us - the first was Third Day's "Blessed Assurance" and our wedding song "Have a Little Faith in Me" by John Hyatt. He also prayed and thanked the Lord for our daughter. That forever will mean the world and be the most special part of the whole birth. I love my husband with a deep, deep love - he is a wonderful, magnificent man!

I still have more pictures to upload to my computer, and will post them over the next few days.

Have a wonderful, hopefully warm (its freezing in our part of the world!) day!

God bless,

Jen

Just Thought I'd Share...

a picture of me today. I am 38 weeks, 2 days.

I'm enjoying this pregnancy very much (especially after a hard beginning with the terrible headaches). I feel energized, I am still wearing my wedding ring, and have a very bouncy baby girl who never keeps me guessing if she's moving enough! All of these things make me very grateful and continually point me to the amazing Creator! Life truly is a miracle!

Speaking of life, my sister-in-law just let us know that she is expecting her 7th baby! Although only about 16 weeks, the ultrasound (which she had to have to give all an idea of when she was due), let them know her baby is a boy :) Such wonderful news!

I've decided that come the New Year, as life allows, I will start a little series on saving money. As I said a few posts ago, my husband received a dramatic pay cut a week before Christmas. After the dust settled and we went through a gamut of emotions, we realized that we will be okay. Thankfully much of that is due to some things we did with our finances - nothing that is earth-shattering or new, but we are just a real life example of how giving to the Lord, and being frugal and thrifty really does work and really does pay off. I will warn you, it takes commitment and sacrifice, but it is very possible, and oh so rewarding on the other side! Once the initial changes are made, it actually is a very easy and very comforting, way of life. Stay tuned!

I hope you have a happy New Year!

God bless!

Jen

My Bag of Sugar

Sugar Bowl and Lemons, 1915

Years ago, while doing Weight Watchers, I remember the leader suggesting that for every pound lost, you put a pound of butter into a bag so you can see how much a pound of fat looks like and be encouraged.

So today, I had an ultrasound, because at my routine one around 22 weeks, they didn't get a look at the baby's kidneys, nose, lips and diaphragm. I love any excuse to get a peak at my baby too :) Everything looks good! She's heading in the right direction and I am measuring just right for my estimated due date (a little funny here, when I said to the technician, "phew, I'm glad she's not a monster [meaning in terms of size], my little girl M said "I'm not a monster, I'm a girl!" So cute!) So how big is she? A little bigger than a "Bag of Sugar". As of today, at just over 34 weeks, she is 5 lbs. 4 oz. A little note here for my family, although its hard to tell completely on a black and white ultrasound, I think she looks more like O and M than C - surprise, surprise, right! (as you can tell from any picture here, our kids look very much alike - C is a little different, but our family - meaning my husband and I - has a strong resemblance!) Unfortunately, at this stage of the game, its very difficult to see everything, and getting a picture of her face was downright near impossible. So no pictures to share :(

With regard to my "handmade Christmas" I'm very mindful that Christmas is right around the corner, but my little boy C has a birthday first to focus on :) I have made good progress, and went to JoAnn Fabrics this morning to buy the remaining things to make. Perhaps I'm naive, but I think it will be easy to "whip" up the rest. At least easier to me than hopping from store to store, getting this and that. Also, it is proving to be easier on the budget (sometimes handmade isn't necessarily, but thankfully this time it is!)

The last few weeks, I have created dinners that are easily doubled. I take half of it and freeze it. So far, I have chili, meatloaf, linguine a la Anne (a white sauce pasta dish with ham and peas) and some tomato sauce in the freezer. I have planned to also make pizzas, a shrimp pasta dish, a chicken/stuffing dish, and other dinners. This is a habit I plan on continuing well after our baby is born. What a time saver! It is taking me no more time to make double, yet it will save me one afternoon/evening of preparing dinner! It makes so much sense to me!

To help our family keep things in perspective this Christmas season, I created (with help from my big boy O) an Advent Christmas Tree. Sunday night, the first night of Advent, we read about what Advent in fact means. Then starting last night (December 1), we read a little lesson that leads up to Christmas day where we will be reminded of the greatest gift of all! Because I thought of this on Sunday afternoon, we made our Advent tree out of paper. Perhaps in time for next year, we will do it out of felt. Here is the link that had the history for Advent. Toward the bottom of that page, you will see a countdown with little gifts (don't worry, the "gifts" are things like goldfish crackers, etc. Also, this evening the "gift" is grape gum or candy, but I will give the kids fresh grapes, in other words, I improvised where necessary. There are other things I will substitute as well, like instead of going and buying stickers of smiley faces and hearts, I will print out coloring pages with smiley faces and hearts on the appropriate days). Each day contains a little one or two-sentence lesson, and the Bible passage to read.

Well, I'm off to sew my father-in-law and his wife's Christmas present. We are going to our favorite Mexican restaurant to eat tonight (kids eat for .99!), so I can sew right up until my husband comes home :)

Let us not forget the reason for this season :)

Blessings,

Jen

"Whenever I am Afraid....

Red Riding Hood
by Jessie Wilcox-Smith

I will trust in You. I will trust in You. Let the weak say I am strong....."

This is a song I learned as a child. As I approach my last few months of pregnancy, and the braxton-hicks become stronger, my mind rushes forward (and back) to my FEAR OF LABOR.

My first son was 2 weeks late, and I was induced. I didn't really pay attention during child-birth classes, I don't know why, as if I'd done this before!?! Maybe I thought it would all come naturally to me and my husband. After a while when the contractions came and I had the first bit of discomfort, I was completely unprepared and begged for an epidural (at 2 cm mind you!) Thankfully, my body responds very well with an epidural, and labor does not slow down at all for me. My beautiful, healthy first born son was born about 8 hours after I began labor (pay attention to these times as I continue my story).

We did not have a digital camera when he was born, so today I took a picture of a picture.

I went into labor with my second son on his due date! What a blessing after being 2 weeks late with my first. Back up a little bit....that morning, I was having irregular contractions, and because a snow storm was coming that day, my doctor wanted to see me in case and before the roads became dangerous to drive. They monitored me, and said my son wasn't responding as well as they'd like (however, he seemed no different that day than any other. Looking back, I think he was fine.). Regardless, they sent me to the hospital to be induced again. As I waited there, I went into labor on my own. With my second born son, I had been 4 cm for a few weeks without pain. However, because I loved the epidural so much with my first, I didn't bother preparing while pregnant, and once the pain started, I again became afraid, and begged for an epidural. My healthy second born son was born about 6 hours after I began labor.

Going into labor with my daughter was fast and furious. I had not felt well all day, but with two busy boys (one being only 17 months), I did not have much time to think about it (I much prefer it this way, by the way!). When my husband came home from work that evening, I asked if he wouldn't mind taking the boys out to pizza as I needed to lay down with quiet. My husband wasn't even gone an hour when I realized I was in labor! In the 10-15 minutes that I called him to come home, and when he was actually home, I had to pace and stop and breathe through these difficult and painful contractions. We quickly loaded the boys in the car, grabbed their bags and ours, and drove to my friend's home who was to graciously watch our boys while I had the baby. Thankfully she lived 2 minutes from the hospital, and only about 15 minutes from our home. Well in this relatively short amount of time, the contractions were the most painful I'd ever felt, and, once again, I was terrified, and unprepared. My water broke at my friends' home, and the contractions were intense. From my friends' home to the hospital was a blur. I remember being whisked up in a wheelchair, and the first nurse I saw, I pleaded for an epidural. Again, because the epidurals worked fine for me with the boys, and because labor and delivery was still quick with them, I planned for it to go the same way with my daughter. I did not prepare or pray about labor for my daughter while I was pregnant with her. My healthy daughter was born 4 hours after I began labor.

Funny thing is the date on our camera was wrong, as she was not born on this day!

Do you see a pattern here? Yes, with each labor, I a. was not prepared, in anyway; and b. my labors became progressively shorter! If I continue in this same pattern, this baby will be born in 2 hours!

All throughout this pregnancy, I have felt a great urgency to be prepared and to bathe it in prayer. I have read and watched a DVD on breathing and relaxation techniques for labor and birth. I feel like a first-time mom! I have been under the care of a midwife this time rather than a doctor. What a difference, a positive one that I will write about another time.

Most importantly, I am understanding that what better of a time than this to truly lean on God and hand over to Him all my fears and worries? This morning, the Lord laid on my heart to memorize some Scripture to meditate on during the remainder of my pregnancy and labor and delivery. Here are the verses He lead me to, and which I will be memorizing these last two months:

Genesis 15:1 - "...the word of the Lord came...saying 'Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

Genesis 26:24 - "...I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee..."

II Timothy 1:7 - "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Hebrews 13:5 - "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

I John 4:18 - "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear..."

Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Contrary to what some books have been telling me, I do not think I am a super, wonder woman whose body has spiritual powers to naturally get me through labor (its hard to weed through that when much of the child birth books are written by new-age, hippy people :) ). However, I do believe in a super, wonder GOD Who loves me, and Who loves this little girl growing inside me, more than either of us will ever imagine; and that He is more than able to sustain me, and give me strength and peace to deliver this baby.

I live in the north, it is entirely possible that we could get a whopper of a storm in January, when my little girl is due to be born. It could take me 2 hours just to get to the hospital which is only 20 minutes away (although my husband lovingly reassures me it won't take us that long no matter how bad the storm :) ) I must be prepared with Scripture in mind. I cannot rely on myself to do this, but must rely completely on God. What if I arrive at the hospital only in time to push? What if I don't make it all? Either way, I cannot be paralyzed by my fear, when what I am doing is something designed by God to bring His children in the world.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I hope you have a blessed weekend with your family, one that has Christ in the center. That is my prayer for my family this weekend.

Before I end, I do want to say a special, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to my wonderful and amazing husband and children. With this large belly, it is very difficult to pick up things from the floor. They lovingly pick up things I've dropped, or anything that needs to be cleaned up from the floor. What love :)

Stats from 12ish Week Checkup

I had my 12 week checkup this morning with my midwife, Pam. Can I say how much I love seeing a midwife? With my other 3 children, it was with doctors, wonderful doctors I might add, but this is so different, so relaxed, so personal. Also, the practice I'm with, and the hospital I'll deliver in, are Catholic, so there is a strong belief in the sanctity of life :)

Not much to report this early in the game, but I've lost 5 lbs :) . Now, before anyone gets concerned, I think my weigh-in at my 8 week checkup was really REALLY off. If that one was correct, I gained 11 lbs from my annual checkup in March!!!!! My scale at home didn't show that, and this time everything is where I think it should be (and no, I'm not going to share that number with you ;). We were not able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler today, but I am not concerned, nor surprised as I was never able to hear the heartbeat unless by ultrasound until the 16 week checkup. Pam was not concerned either. Edited to Add: From my ultrasound, my official due date is January 11, 2009. My dates are a little off because my last period was different, and I wasn't sure when my LMP was. That is why I titled this post "12ish Week Checkup." :)

Like with my other children, I am not doing the alpha-protein (or whatever its called) test. Honestly, it wouldn't change anything for us (except add more worry than I already have for the next 6 months). When I was under doctors' care with my other 3 pregnancies, when I refused the test, they read all this information from a brochure to me, and I had to sign a consent, saying I knew what I was denying. So today, Pam said so casually, "oh, yeah, did you want the (whatever its called) test?" I sheepishly said, "well I didn't with these three (I had them with me today :) ), and I don't think I want it now either." I was preparing to have to defend myself. I asked, "what do you think?" She said with the kindest smile, "personally, I don't like it. We just have to mention that it is available." Phew! Finally, no convincing, no making me feel like I'm making a bad decision! Believe me, I understand, and support a woman who wants it, but for me I don't want it. She confirmed everything I've read that its not uncommon to get a false positive, and then it would mean amnio and further testing and more worry. Anyway, I was so thankful for the support of my decision :)

I did a search on the Internet of pictures of babies at 12 weeks in utero. Right now, my baby is about 1.5-2.5 inches long (rump to top of head). How precious! Also, I just read that his vocal chords are now completely formed. Amazing! Here are some of the pictures I found :

Edited to Add: A cute little comment my son C made as we were leaving: "Hey, wait! We didn't get our baby today!" I guess he thought we were going to have the baby today. Poor little guy can't comprehend how long we have to wait! Even telling him that the baby won't be coming until after his birthday and after Christmas doesn't help him understand!

Enjoy your day :)