Karis' Birth Story in Installments - Part 2

[Wow, time is flying.  It's already the next Wednesday, and Karis is 6 weeks old.  She smiles.  She is really cute.  See?

Continuing on....  Part 1 is here.]

Since this could be for real, we started to time and write down contractions.  I got up, washed my face, got dressed, and started to gather things to pack for the hospital.  I think I ate something, and remember drinking a Gatorade. 

6:37    41 seconds
6:40    1 min 13 sec
6:45    39 sec
6:48    33 sec
6:51    54 sec
6:54    40 sec
6:59    46 sec
7:01    40 sec
7:03    52 sec
7:06    1 min 2 sec

As you can see, things were getting more intense.  That's when we stopped timing, and kicked into high gear.
I called the doctor, I called my mom.  I talked to the doctor, who said he'd let the hospital know to expect me; Sam talked to my mom, since I was busy throwing up my Gatorade off the back deck.  They would come to the house right away, to stay with Lizzie, who was still sleeping. 

[Here it is Friday morning.  Coffee is consumed.  Everyone else is sleeping.  Sam has been laid off again.  That's another story.]

We scurried around getting everything together - at least I had made a list of things to bring to the hospital, and put together a pile in the corner of the room for when it was "time".  Contractions were rough.  They were all in my back.  It was not the way I wanted to have contractions.  I remember having to hurry to try to pack something between contractions, because I once one started, I couldn't concentrate on anything else, and probably the most frequently said phrase was, "ohhhhhh, Jesus help me."  I spent a lot of time on all fours.  I barked instructions to Sam, who was trying to make sure everything was in order for us to leave:  "Don't forget the toothbrushes. ... Where's the phone charger? ... There are cold water bottles in the fridge."  If you asked me how it was going, I would have told you that everyone was moving way too slowly and we needed to  be at the hospital at that very moment.

A little before 8 AM my parents arrived, and shortly afterward Lizzie woke up.  Fortunately we had been prepping her for when her grandparents would stay with her, so that we could go to the hospital and bring home baby Karis.  She hung out with my mom while we finished packing, and she watched me wide eyed when I got on the floor and moaned my way through contractions.  I was trying not to worry her, but it's kind of hard to not look like you're uncomfortable in a contraction.  (A couple weeks later, she copied me, getting on all fours and moaning.  Then she looked up at me proudly, "mama! push baby out!"  I just stared at her.  What the heck?!)  We finally gave Lizzie hugs and kisses, and made it out the door.  I had 2 contractions before we even got out of the driveway.  Being strapped into the front seat was not going to be fun. 

On the way out I had enough focus to send a text to Steph, "going to hospital" ... She replied asking if I was able to talk; my answer, "no talk. you can text the word out."  I was not my usual text-chatty self.  Within minutes she was also in her car and ready to meet us at the hospital. 

We live only about 20 minutes from the hospital, but it being 8 AM on a weekday, we were concerned about traffic.  After being stopped at one red light, we prayed earnestly for green lights all the rest of the way.  Praise God, the prayer was answered!  We rolled all the way there, not having to stop until we got to the hospital parking lot!  Sam ran in to get a wheel chair (he is so smart - I never would have thought of that, and would have tried to crawl my way in the double doors).  Check-in went smoothly, even though I spent half of it with my head on the counter.

Then they wheeled me back to a room to check my progress.  It was no later than 8:30 AM.  Guess what? I was already to 5 cm!  I laughed in relief.  Half way there, and we just got to the hospital!  I was unbelievably grateful, and so glad I didn't have to be set up with an IV for antibiotics for Group B Strep like last time.  They asked me about my preferences in pain management, and I told them I wanted to try for all natural, but like last time I was not opposed to having something to help. 

I don't remember when Steph showed up, but we were hardly there before she came in and started making herself useful.  In fact, I think she was even there when they were trying to get the IV set up (for the just in case).  Our only complaint in the whole hospital experience was the tech who tried to place my IV.  She basically did a terrible job, and even when I was holding my hand absolutely still, and I don't have hard veins to get, she was moving the needle all around and accusing me of moving.  Are you kidding?  I'm a woman in labor having intense contractions; even if I do move--which I didn't--that's no excuse for doing a crappy job and having to try a second time.  Sam was ready to throw her out and request someone else if she didn't get it right.  After that, everything went smoothly and every other nurse and tech was awesome.

My midwife showed up, encouraged me, and went back to her office (only a couple minutes away).  I had had an appointment for an ultrasound scheduled for that afternoon, and I remember telling her, "You can let the girls in the office know I won't make it in later."  She laughed.  While I wasn't in contractions, I actually was in a pretty good mood.  I laughed.  Sam talked to the nurses, asking loads of questions.  Steph gave me sips of water--her chilled Dasani, even--and pushed my hair out of my face.  She sent text updates to our small group, and had called our pastor to let him know what was going down.  I remember her asking me if I wanted her to post a facebook update, but then we got interrupted and it didn't happen. 

I spent nearly the whole time backwards on the bed, leaning against the raised head of the bed.  When I had back labor with Lizzie, nothing seemed to help except lying on my side and having Sam press with all his might on the small of my back.  This time pressure didn't seem to make it better, but I kept wanting Sam to keep his hand on my back where the contractions were.  The warmth of his hand made them better.  I would occasionally tell him to move his hand to one spot or another, but I never wanted him to apply pressure on my back.

Around 10 AM, the nurse decided to check me, and as I was moving onto my back I was mentally running through my options.  If I had not progressed very far, if I were only at a 6 or a 7, I definitely wanted some kind of pain relief.  As well as it was going, I was not really enjoying the process.  But it felt kind of different when the nurse checked, and I was elated (well, as elated as I could be) when she said, "You're doing great. You're to 9 centimeters!"  I definitely got a second wind at that point--we're almost there!  They called the midwife, who arrived within minutes and checked me again.  She said there was a little bit left to go, but that I could push at will, since I was starting to feel pressure.

So there I was, laying on my left side, thinking, not 'I'm going to have a baby in a few minutes,' or 'I get to meet Karis soon,' but 'I don't want to tear again,' and 'In a few minutes, I won't be pregnant anymore!'  I felt the burn and was a little afraid to push, but pushed a little at a time, really just doing what I felt was natural.  I only pushed during contractions, resting between them.  About 15 minutes of slow and steady pushing later, at 10:20 AM, Karis Michelle was born.  Sam said that as soon as her head came out, they checked her neck for the cord, and suctioned her mouth and nose.  Then she gave out a good and loud wail and out she came.  There was no tearing, just "a surface scratch" that needed no stitches.  Sam got to cut the cord after a few minutes, and she latched on to nurse perfectly.

She weighed in at 7 lbs, 2 oz, and 19" long.  I think.  We have it written down somewhere, thankfully. Her eyes were a dark, dark color, and it took hours of staring at her to realize that they were a dark blue.  At this point, now that she is 6 weeks old, her eyes are a dark gray, sometimes looking like a dark hazel.  It's still a mystery what color her eyes will end up. 

Within just a few minutes, we were all oohing and ahhing and cuddling the newest baby.  We were moved to a recovery room on the 2nd floor, and Steph helped us settle in, unpacking some of the bags and setting bags and shoes in the mini closet and arranging things on the side table.

Karis' first visitors were our pastor, Brother John, and James who was meeting with him when Steph called him to let him know the news.  Then Brent came and stayed for a couple of hours.  My parents came with Lizzie in the afternoon, and got to meet her.  Scott came a few hours later, and so did Becky, who is expecting a girl in November.  Becky brought us Five Guys burgers and fries.  Becky is awesome.

Karis is a wonderful baby so far.  She eats well, sleeps well, burps well, poops well.  And she is full of rolls and chubbiness.  The Lord knows that if you have a 2 year old, you need to have an easy baby.  We are so grateful that, while challenging at times, every day has been so full of grace.

[Linking up with Home Sanctuary's Company Girl Coffee.  Finally.]  :-)

So, about pregnancy

36 weeks, 3 days. Almost full term. Almost done being pregnant for the second time. Almost ready.

On an online forum someone posed the question, "What will you miss most about being pregnant?"

Really? Nothing. There is not a thing that I will miss about being pregnant, except maybe having the option to choose approximately when I sleep. Once Lizzie came, I never looked back.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy feeling movement, or getting a little extra courtesy at the grocery store. It's just that being pregnant is all about the hopefulness of what is to come. It's like waiting for a seed to come up out of the ground. The germination process is not what it's about, and frankly, it's hardly the fun part. (Perhaps the reason I haven't written a whole lot about my pregnancy has something to do with the fact that I don't want to come across as a complainer. I like the end result of pregnancy: a child. I am just not a fan of pregnancy in and of itself. Or maybe I just don't like my pregnant self all that much.)

Feeling her roll and kick and punch me in the bladder is all well and good, but inspecting her little feet and having her pull my hair with her little tiny fingers are infinitely better. Seeing my belly move when she gets hiccups or suddenly decides to change position is nothing like what it will be to look in her big eyes. Hearing her heartbeat (or as Lizzie says, "heart beep") on the doppler every couple of weeks is fun and reassuring, but I can't wait to hear her actual sweet little voice.

Unofficially

I took an unofficial break from pretty much all things blogs last week. I didn't write any. I only read a few (my Google reader had some 500 unread blogs that I sort of skimmed marked as read this past weekend). And I had a great week.

I've been getting up before 7 (most mornings) and having coffee, a good little quiet time, making something of a plan for the day, and usually doing a bit of exercise. Most mornings I can get all of this in before Lizzie wakes up. This is why I love it when my husband is on a routine that gets him up and out the door early in the morning, which also makes us ready to go to bed before midnight each night. All these things don't happen on a retail or unemployment schedule--or lack thereof.

Then during naptimes, I have been either getting in some reading or doing stuff around the house that needs to be done. Like de-cluttering. (Don't tell anyone but I actually borrowed and read through The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cleaning this week. I have 2 more weeks before I have to return it to the library, and I'm hoping I will actually implement at least some of it before taking it back.) But so far, I've just been trying to uncover the surfaces in our home. If I can find our furniture, I think I'll have a much better chance at maintaining a neat and peaceful home. At least for the next 2 months.

So, not much has been done in the realm of blogging.

However, I feel like it's a good time to give a brief update.

Lizzie is 23 months old. Almost 2. Sleeping in a big girl bed. Singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" into a microphone. Parroting what she hears. Walking around the house with her shopping cart (with her baby doll or puppy dog sitting in the front basket), putting things into it, and saying, "Buy diss." She has cut the first of four of her 2-year molars, and seems to be working on the next one. She is mastering the art of manipulation by cuteness. She "helps" me sweep the floor, water the garden, and clean up. (The garden currently still has one cherry tomato, one cucumber, and now 4 (hopefully) lettuce seedlings.) She still can't say her "k" sounds. She says "wuv you" when she gives hugs. She seems to be catching on to the idea that she will be a big sister, and that there is a "bay-ee hiding" in Mommy's tummy.

Speaking of which, I am 32 weeks pregnant. There are only 8 weeks left to go, Lord willing. I'm really hoping there aren't 9 weeks left. I'll try not to complain about it too much, but I just have to say that I am still not the biggest fan of being pregnant. I had to break out the support hose on Sunday; it helped the insane swelling I've been having in my left foot/ankle/leg, but I'm not sure if it was worth it. Part of me would rather have swelling than wear nylons. I haven't taken a picture of my pregnant self in a while, though I know I should. If for no other reason than to see how my size compares to what I looked like at this point last time. I have a feeling I'm bigger.

Every once in a while I get concerned about giving birth again, but the other night, after seeing a video of a goat being born, I was considering that I was glad we deliver little, soft, human babies, rather than anything huge or with hooves. I'm pretty sure being a mother rhinoceros would be the worst thing ever. Most other babies don't grow their horns or antlers until they're older. Not so the rhinos.

My mom's book release party/signing went really well. Here are some pictures. It was a lot of fun, and it was a huge success, due largely to a fantastic turnout of friends from church.

I am strongly considering venturing out into a business. Ambitious, I know. Especially for someone who is expecting a second child, and is somewhat lazy. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of risk, and there could be a fair amount of profit, even if I do get off to a slow start. We're praying about it, but for the most part we have peace.

Well, it's been about half an hour of nap time consumed here, and I have some more decluttering to do before I can feel like I crossed off much of significance on my To Do list today.

This may unofficially be my only post of this week. And I am OK with that.

What's new?

Well, it's the first time in a week that Lizzie has taken an afternoon nap.  This would explain the absence of blog posts.  I'm torn between having an hour or two in the afternoon while Lizzie sleeps, or having an hour or two in the evening after she goes to bed.  I still haven't figured out which is better. 

The couple hours in the evening have usually been spent in the living room rather than the office.  While Sam watches MI-5 on Netflix, I'm on the couch reading through The Help.  I am almost done and I have hardly been able to put it down.  It's fun to read something new.  It's fun to read something without pictures.

The garden has no update; we bought nearly all our supplies, then realized we need to get dirt in to level the ground, and should probably cut down a few of the dozen tall pine trees that have plagued our "lawn" for as many years as there has been a house here. 

And in order to get that done, I need to find a printed-out e-mail somewhere in our office, to locate a particular landscaper's phone number, for an estimate.  Please understand that for something to be "somewhere in the office" it's like saying an item is "somewhere in the frozen tundra."  So, the garden is on hold until the office is cleaned up, at least somewhat.  But one way or another, we'll have something growing in dirt by the end of April. 

We have been making some progress in the world of potty training.  I discovered Lizzie's amazing capacity to love chocolate candy, and have capitalized on this.  She apparently will do anything - including tinkle in the potty - for chocolate candy.  She will often go on command at convenient times, such as immediately prior to a bath, but has on occasion exclaimed, "potty!" and we've rushed off to let her try.  Sometimes it's successful, other times not so much.  We're not quite ready to leave diapers behind, because she doesn't truly have bladder control, but we're getting there.  I am most pleased that she is willing and not intimidated to go on the potty.  There's no pressure.

Baby number 2 is coming along nicely.  I am 24 weeks along - officially 6 months.  Only 4 long months to go.  Last night I was confessing how tired I am of being pregnant.  It's just not my thing.  I know a lot of women love it.  I know a lot of women hate it.  I don't love or hate it; I'm just not all that fond of it.  And the exhaustion, the moodiness, the swelling, the aches, the kicks in places one shouldn't be kicked....  Don't get me wrong; the results are worth it, but I will seriously have to have a severe case of amnesia to get in this situation again--at least any time within the next 3 years.

I'm looking forward to sharing some great new recipes in the next few weeks.  I have a huge collection of photos of recipes I intend to share, plus I have tried several new things that have been successful.  I've discovered a wonderfully simple and delicious recipe for scones, and have made it twice with awesome results.  I kept intending to take pictures, but the process is so quick, and the end product is so delicious, pictures have not yet been possible.  I even made beignets.  They were amazing, and no more laborious than making, say, waffles.  I am seriously considering making another batch of banana muffins, since I have a couple squishy bananas ready to use.  We have also been eating things that have protein in them, I promise.  But those aren't quite as exciting to talk about as all these confections, are they?

The Results Are In! (20 weeks)

 We all went to my 20 week appointment this morning.  Sam held Lizzie and a camera while we watched the screen.  

Lizzie recognized emphatically that there was a "bayee" on the "puter" but didn't really make the connection that we were watching the baby in Mommy's belly.

Our second child has 2 arms that stayed up near the face during the whole ultrasound.  

We were waved at multiple times. 

 

 This little one has two cute little feet...

 

And two cute little legs...

And girl parts.

Lizzie has a baby sister!

{Top Ten} No, That Won't Hurt Your Baby

For the past couple of years, I have frequented an internet forum that is for expectant mothers.  During pregnancy, the women are grouped according to the month in which their babies are due, and friendships are formed.  I'm proud to say I'm friends with many women from the group I was part of when Lizzie was a baby.

Now there is a new group for women due in July 2011.  It has been a riot.  Being one of the ones who has "been there, done that" has made me laugh because there are so many questions by the first time moms.  Things like, "I pop my back when it bothers me; can that hurt my baby?"  "Can I use mouthwash that has alcohol in it?  Will that hurt my baby?"  "Can I eat yogurt? It has cultures in it, so is it safe?"  Really, people?

Now that most everyone there has made it out of the first trimester, or at least they're really close to it, the tone has gotten much lighter.  So I thought I would make a general list for everyone.  Maybe it would nip a few of the questions in the bud.  Enjoy!

• No matter how hard you push, prod, poke, or roll, your hand is not going to hurt your baby.  

• Having sex will not hurt your baby (provided you're not on pelvic rest per doctor's orders).

• Sleeping on your belly, side or back* will not hurt your baby - if you wake up in any of these positions, you haven't done something terrible, just roll over.  Once you aren't comfortable sleeping on one of the 'bad' ways to sleep, then find another way to sleep.*Lying on your back for extended periods after around 15 weeks is not recommended because the weight of the uterus and baby can press on an artery, which cuts your circulation; that's not good for either of you.  But that doesn't mean you've done irreparable damage because you woke up that way.
  
  
• Falling on your butt or your elbow or your back won't hurt your baby.  It'll give you a good bruise or sprain, but unless you suddenly have bleeding, cramping, or other signals of distress from your uterus, your baby is fine.

• That pasta sauce, beef roast, beer cheese soup, or beer bread, while cooked with alcohol, still will not hurt your baby.

• Strenuous exercise will not hurt your baby; it may hurt you while your ligaments and joints are stretching and shifting, which is why it's not recommended.  

• That hot dog, Subway sandwich, cup of coffee, stick of gum, Dr. Pepper, yogurt that expired yesterday, deli cheese, medium-rare steak, stale bread, or the butter-drenched and fabulous lobster tail that you ate will not hurt your baby.  

• Hot showers, warm baths, cozy fires, soft music, flowers, delicious meals, and chocolate, will not hurt your baby.

• Coughing, sneezing, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, flatulence, bowel movements, laughing too hard, screaming, dogs barking, dogs jumping on you in excitement, pets licking you, forgetting to take your vitamin, and the grocery store clerk looking at you funny, will not hurt your baby.

• However, car accidents, domestic (or other) violence, falling hard on your belly, signs of severe dehydration or illness or any unexplained pain that doesn't go away with a dose or two of Tylenol and rest and a bottle of water, among other things that your doctor has probably already warned about.... could be a sign of something more serious, and are definitely worth a phone call or trip to the ER.

          Happy, safe, healthy, and sane pregnancy to you all!

Are there any more that you would add? 

Starting Again

I'm not really one of those people who is inspired to "start fresh" with every new year.  Maybe it has to do with not being obsessed with numbers, maybe it's from being homeschooled and now being a stay-at-home-mom, where I don't deal with a calendar quite the same way that I did when I worked.  Maybe I am a non-conformist and just can't bear to do what everyone else is doing.  Maybe I'm afraid to make a list of resolutions that I can't keep maintained. 

At any rate, this year I feel different about all that. 

It's probably because I am just now recovering from my first trimester (did you miss it?  We're expecting a new Chen in July!), complete with morning sickness and the head cold from the pit of hell.  It likely has something to do with Sam starting work this week (thank you, Jesus!).  Sam really loves his job, by the way.  He comes home excited about it every day.  It is such a blessing to have him happy about work, and to have him busy.  I loved having him home, but there is nothing quite like having the house feel like my domain again.

To start with, I'm blogging again, and this weekend I'm hoping to chart out a bit of a plan.  I couldn't pass on joining you Company Girls today.  This is especially true since I'm finally enjoying coffee again!

One thing I am surprised that I'm excited about is getting back to menu planning.  I slacked off totally when I was too sick to even think about food. 

This morning I actually sat down with a cookbook and figured out several recipes that I could convert to meals that could be prepared in advance and frozen.  It is exciting.  I'll have to figure out whether to do one mega-cooking day (or weekend), or just build up a supply gradually by doubling or tripling recipes and freezing the extras.  I may do a combination of the two.  Alicia's post about once-a-month cooking and planning really got me thinking I could do it. 

Last week I sat down with my copy of Square Foot Gardening and figured out when the last spring frost is, and made a timeline of when we could plant things.  I think I could start in March.  My dad said one of our friends has an extra SFG frame that would be available if I wanted it.  I said, "Yes, please!"  Now I just have to find a place in our yard that would get enough sun to make it worth while.

I have a couple of odd projects to work on for my mom.  Her book, When Sparrows Fall, is coming out in May, and I'll be helping her with some office paperwork, mailing lists, etc.  I have some assignments to get busy with, and I'm finally feeling capable of adding that to my weekly routine.


Happy 2011, everyone!  I hear the short person singing to herself in her crib, so it is time to post and move on. 

Happy!

Happy Christmas!  

We had a wonderful Christmas, thank you for asking.  I hope yours was blessed. 

Our morning was simple, with my parents and brothers coming by to join us for brunch, and to load Lizzie with gifts.  The girl could have gone swimming in her pile of presents.  We didn't even get to her stocking, because the wrapped gifts under the tree were so overwhelming to her that she started throwing a fit.  It was pathetic and hilarious.  We had to confiscate a couple of toys; they were provoking her. 

A wonderful family from church invited us to join them for their Christmas lunch, so we all moved on from our house to their house, and feasted with them.  It was a blessing to be invited for Christmas into a larger family than just our immediate family of six.  Oh, and the food was the most delicious holiday fare I have ever had.  The turkey was marinated overnight in a secret recipe of Spanish mole' and spices, and every bite of it was amazing.  I ate two whole plates of food, and then had a piece and a half of chocolate cake.  I don't know how I managed to eat all that, but I do know that I looked like I got about a month more pregnant in just a matter of hours.  And then I came home and polished off leftover Chinese food.  And a bottle of O'Doul's.  

I have a few pictures, but the camera is not in this room, and I don't want to get up and load them.  I'm sorry, I am really lazy about putting up pictures lately.  You can blame it on the baby.  I know I do.

Happy Chinese Restaurant!

(This is just a little aside, and I don't even know if it fits or not, but here it is anyway.)  On Christmas Eve, I was worn out from Christmas preparations, and flat out refused to make dinner.  So we went out to eat.  It being Christmas Eve, the only thing open were the Asian restaurants, so we tried a new place, "Chinese Restaurant" in a Korean shopping center.  When we pulled up, the sign was in Korean and English.  Then we went in, thinking it was sort of strange, and Sam looked at the menu, because he was really confused.  He was confounded and told me to order--which never happens at a Chinese restaurant--rather, he is always the one who converses in Mandarin with the waitstaff, asking specific questions about the flavors and ingredients of menu items, then asking me if I'd rather have option A or option B.  We finally sat down, and they served us kimchi for an appetizer, along with pickled radishes and plain sliced onions.  Liz was having nothing to do with those appetizers.  She did, however, like the tea in the small cups they served it in.  Anyway, we ordered the food, and it was pretty good; it was not your standard American Chinese food, nor was it your standard Authentic Chinese.  Sam asked the waitress (who was also one of the owners) what the story behind the restaurant was, and she told him that her family was Chinese, but raised in Korea.  And now I know what a Chinese restaurant would be like if I ate at a Chinese restaurant in Korea.  We're going to stick with our usual authentic Chinese restaurants.  Since then we have ordered Chinese food twice.  From different restaurants.


Happy New Year!

Sam starts work on Monday!  He will be working part time at a retail store, and while it's not in his career path, and isn't full time, it is a store he really believes in, and he has so far enjoyed getting to know the guys he will be working with.  And a paycheck is a paycheck is a paycheck, even if it won't be huge.  He will have his eyes open for positions in full time work in construction management or something along those lines, but for now, we are so grateful for this option.  In the meantime, he hopes to become their best employee, so that he can gain the favor and position to determine his schedule and make the job really work for him and our family.

Having Sam at work will be wonderful.  These 6 months (yes, it's been since June) have been trying on us.  Thank the Lord that we have had everything we've needed.  Thank the Lord that Sam had foresight in the past to set aside money.  Thank the Lord that we got a great tax refund for last year.  Thank the Lord for His provision thus far.

Happy Baby!

Yesterday (Wednesday) I had another doctor's appointment.  I'm 12 weeks along now, and almost done with the first trimester.  We got to hear the heartbeat, and it was good and strong.  Even though I haven't anticipated anything going awry, it was so reassuring to hear it.  I was actually supposed to have an ultrasound done (for the neural translucency screening), but I mixed up the appointment time and missed it.  I'm rescheduled for Monday, which unfortunately is when Sam starts work, so he won't get to be there.  He wants me to video-tape it.  I'm not quite sure how that'll work, but I'll try. 

My nausea has been less pronounced than it was a few weeks ago.  Hopefully it is actually starting to let up, and will leave me alone soon.  In the meantime, I have the headcold from hell, and have not been able to smell anything since the day after Christmas.  This may be why I'm not feeling quite as sick to my stomach. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to rustle up a bedtime snack of decongestant and toaster strudel and a tall glass of milk.  Good night, and happy new year!

Menu Planning and Morning Sickness

Now that I've given my big reveal, it won't be so hard to keep up a more regular blogging routine.  Something about not being able to talk about the biggest thing going on in my life paralyzed me from writing.  I'm also convinced that my lack of rest contributed to my lack of quiet times which in turn contributed to my lack of a sense of purpose in writing, which therefore contributed to my lack of writing.  Besides all that, I felt like crap.

Well, good that we got that out of the way.  I have to laugh because I am talking about menu planning.  I have told myself for the last 2 years that "the next time I get pregnant I'll quickly cook up a bunch of chicken and prepare a lot of freezer meal kits, before the morning sickness hits."  I thought that was a really good idea.  And it was, until reality hit and my first identifiable symptom about 2 weeks into the pregnancy was violent nausea.

Honestly, it's a wonder that we haven't all starved, the way I've had trouble even going into the kitchen some days.  There is nothing worse than dry heaving while trying make something to feed your hungry, confused toddler.  Who would have known that chicken nuggets would be so offensive?  Or rice and beans.  Or spaghetti (honestly, the thought of spaghetti makes me gag.  Just gagged.).  Or a hot dog.  Or oatmeal.  Or an egg.  Poor Sam has had to fend for himself more often than not.  

Suffice it to say, we have not had a menu plan in our house for about 10 weeks.  We have been living on the nutritious meals provided by Marie Callendar and dear Mrs. Stouffer.  I have had more Super Sonic Breakfast Burritos (light on the jalapenos and onions, heavier on the tots) in the last 2 months than in the previous 10 months.  Our deep freezer (a "happy pregnancy/we just (finally) got our tax return" gift from Sam) is full of convenience foods.  I will seriously have to take a picture.  And we've qualified for a GA-funded EBT card, so we're loading it up right now, with as much as can fit in there.  The thing is nearly 14 cubic feet.  That's a lot of veggies and Michellina's, y'all.

I will, however, try to get to the grocery store tomorrow, to pick up some necessities - orange juice, Raisin Bran Crunch (seriously, have you tried it?  That stuff's good!), saltines, Gatorade, chocolate chips, and some variety of red meat.  And some vegetables, since those are good for you. 

Tuesday I will host the 3rd Annual Great Cookie Bake, however, this time without the baking part.  It'll just be the cookie exchange part.  And that's really what everyone comes for anyway.  I've narrowed down my options for contributions to either Saltine Heath Toffee Bars, or Classic Sugar Cookies.  One is super easy, the other is super cute, and can be super fun.  Which would you pick?

The Explanation

I am so bad at keeping secrets.  Really.  That is precisely why I have not been blogging for almost 2 months.

Well, that and all my creative energy has been going to my uterus.

Yep, you read that right--my uterus.

I suspected the last weekend in October, and confirmed in the first couple of days of November.  (You remember that supposed "bad spinach" I ate right before the brunch we hosted?  Yeah, sorry, I kind of had to lie.  But I really did think the spinach was bad.)  Since then we have been excited and slightly overwhelmed and thankful.  The morning sickness has subsided--slightly.  The exhaustion is manageable.  The gag reflex is going strong.  Coffee doesn't taste right to me. (Sorry, Company Girls, you'll have to bring your own today!)

Here is a picture of our adorable little alien creature, taken earlier this month, at 9 weeks.  I promise, it looked cuter on the sonogram screen than it does here.

Lizzie, at 18 months, has no idea that her shirt says Big Sister, but she likes that the little girl on the shirt has hair.  Or as she says it in her drawl, "hayah."

She will be 25 months old when the new one arrives in July.  Oh, little girl, you have no idea what awaits you!

Come to think of it, neither do we!

Birth Story (with all the gory details)

On Monday I went in for my scheduled induction, at around 6:30 AM. It took a little while to fill out paperwork and get settled in, so it was about 8:30 or 9 before the induction actually started.
They installed a foley catheter into the cervix to dilate it (I arrived at about 1.5 cm and about 50% effaced, just like I'd been at my last checkup), and I got an IV for the Penicillin (Group B Strep positive) and to get the Pitocen going. Then we settled in expecting a long day. I started feeling the contractions as fairly strong and uncomfortable by 10 or 11, but not bad. My family came in to visit, and I was able to talk to them, which actually distracted me pretty well.

When we got to the hospital, we prayed that every contraction would accomplish something, and God definitely heard my prayer! We went into this with the mindset that we don't know what will happen, or how well I'll tolerate the pain, so we were open to whatever pain management we felt was necessary, but would see how it went without any intervention, and take it from there.

We sent my parents out around 11:30 so I could get up to go to the restroom without their having to see my behind through my beautiful hospital gown. As I got up, we discovered that my water had broken, or it broke just as I was moving off the bed. Once that happened, obviously the catheter had done its job, so I was at least 3-4 cm dilated by this time.

Because my water had broken, we asked if they could decrease the Pitocen dosage and they said it was a possibility once we could tell the contractions were steady and regular. Around noon they did halve the Pit dosage. The contractions were getting to the point that I had to breathe and really concentrate through them.

I labored mostly on the bed, on one side or the other; at one point I got on the birth ball (which didn't help a whole lot), and another time I got on all fours on the bed, which was pretty good for a while until I got pretty tired.

At around 3:30 I asked to try to labor in the tub, since it was an option (it even had jets, which I probably would have enjoyed a whole lot more had I not been in labor). In order to do that, I would have to not be hooked to an IV, so because my contractions were still going strong, we asked if we could take off the Pitocen altogether, and they said it was fine, but if they stopped, we'd go back to it. It took quite a while for the tub to fill up, and once I got in, it was pretty nice, but the contractions there killed, since I had to be on my back to be in the water enough to do any good. So that didn't last very long.

When I got back into the bed, my midwife (who was awesome in every way - I am so grateful for the entire staff who worked with us while we were there) measured me, and I was at 5 cm and 90%! Things were happening. At that point, I was ready to ask for the epidural, but my husband (who was also wonderful through the whole process) suggested I try an IV drug first, to take the edge off the peak of the contractions. I was up for that, and I'd see how it goes, and if it didn't cut it for me, then I could go to the epi.

Somewhere around that time one of my best friends came in to the room to see how we were doing. We hadn't planned on her being with us, but it turned out to be so wonderful that she came, because she was able to help and offer support and take pictures at the end.

The IV drug (Nubain?) didn't appear to take the edge off, because they kept coming strong and hard. I was just taking deep breaths and slowly exhaling/moaning/sighing as my mode of trying to live through the contractions. In each breath I was also praying out in the Spirit, which helped me stay calm and I'm sure helped in more ways than that. But it was still labor, so I asked for the epidural. They'd have to check my progress first, and so we waited for the midwife to come back from down the hall where she had another delivery (we were neck and neck the whole time). At some point they asked me if I was beginning to feel the urge to push, and I said that I was trying to keep a BM in. The nurse looked at me with big eyes and called the midwife in faster. When she checked me, I was complete, and ready to push!

Apparently the reason that the IV narcotic drug didn't seem to be working is that I was in transition the whole time, so the "hard" contractions I was feeling were really my majorly intense contractions, and they felt about the same as they had before! I didn't get an epidural, of course, since the worst was already pretty much past.

I pushed and pushed for about an hour. It surprised us at how long we were stuck at the crowning phase. Her head
Finally at 6:33, they told me to bring my hands down there; they hadn't told me why, so I did, and all of a sudden, there was a slimy, squishy mass in my hands - my baby!
She was 7 lbs 13 oz, measuring 20.5 inches; scored 8 and 9 on her Apgar score, and was flailing her arms straight out of the womb. She had one hand raised right next to her head as she came out, which contributed to my getting 2 tears (a 2nd degree in the back, and a 1st degree in the front) that had to be stitched up. So my labor was actually only about 9-1/2 hours long, and I didn't have an epidural. We are so aware of the kindness and faithfulness of our God to help and answer our prayers.

We got home on Wednesday afternoon, and have been adjusting to our new life. We are completely in love with her, and can't go more than 20 minutes without saying, "she's so beautiful." She is a happy baby, who has her nights and days mixed up... but we still love her.

Elizabeth Hosanna

She's here!

We are in love...




Born 6/8
Weighing 7 lb 13 oz
Measuring 20.5"
Completely adorable and perfect in every way.

40 weeks, 5 days, and counting

It's been raining over Atlanta yesterday and today, and I'm watching Lady dance around in the muddy back yard. She chased a squirrel or chipmunk into a stack of firewood and she is desperately trying to coax it out to play with her. She doesn't really understand that they don't want to play chase with her. But she is eternally hopeful. Lady will stay outside for a long time because I only want to clean her up once this morning.

Jessa wants to go outside, but she was just out an hour ago, and can't possibly need to go out again. She will go to my parents' house whenever we make our run to the hospital. We will probably take her tonight or tomorrow anyways, just because we know we will need to take her soon enough, and it will be so much simpler if she's already dropped off, than to make a stop "on the way".

As the official update, at my appointment yesterday I was 1.5 cm dilated (which is an improvement), still only about half-way effaced, but her head had moved down yet another cm to be at -1 station. So in 4 days I had made some progress, thank the Lord! While they were in there, they stripped my membranes, which did get me going with some more frequent, but still not painful, contractions and a little bit of minor spotting. I've taken to commanding my cervix to soften in Jesus' name, because if anybody can do anything about it, He can.

Barring a trip to the hospital this weekend, Monday at 5 AM, I have instructions to call Labor & Delivery and come in for an induction at 6 (or whenever they say they'll have room for me). Our bags are packed and they are actually already in the truck, with the installed car seat. Along with the case of Gatorade that I got at Costco a couple of days ago and never bothered to get out of the truck.

Supposedly the same thing that the moon does to the oceans when it's full, it also does to a woman's bag of waters when they're ready to go into labor, so perhaps this Sunday, which happens to be a full moon, we'll see some action. Either way, we will be holding our little girl by the end of Monday. I can't think of a better way to start the summer!

Just for fun, here are a couple pictures of Sam and I as babies, which I just received and/or scanned:

This is the day, this is the day...

... that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

So I'm off to see the doctor again and see if anything's happening, and see if this is 'the day' that our little one decides to make her appearance!

40 weeks and counting

So here I am at 40 weeks, 1 day, and no signs of labor. At my appointment this afternoon I was 1 cm dilated, about half-way effaced, and Elizabeth's head is at -2 station; this means she's lodged pretty solidly in the pelvis and is well on her way to heading out. When she gets to a positive number station, I'll probably be at the hospital. Her head is farther forward than the cervix, which is still not facing the birth canal, but with contractions (which I only rarely have or at least rarely notice) it will turn and open and soften and be where it needs to be. I have another appointment on Thursday, assuming I don't have a baby at that point yet, and if necessary, we'll schedule an induction for sometime next week then.

Surprisingly, I'm actually mostly fine with still being pregnant. Part of it may be that I'm more able to be prepared, because we have had all of these 'extra' days. We have a fairly clean house. The bag is (finally) packed. Sarah has instructions for dog/cat/house-sitting whenever we take off for the hospital. I have all the parts to assemble breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches to make ahead and freeze for Sam to take to work in the mornings. Besides making breakfasts for the next few weeks, one of my goals for tomorrow is to do my nails and redo my toenails. It's fun to have the opportunity to do somewhat unnecessary things.

That reminds me that I will still have to make Sam's lunch for tomorrow. I don't mind doing it, but at the end of the day when my feet are already swollen (seriously they're about as wide at my ankles as my calves are in the middle), taking the time to do it is just not something I enjoy. And the poor guy is so tired of sandwiches already.

Anyways, here is a picture of myself and 2 other prego friends yesterday afternoon at the church-wide picnic/graduation party (I'm in the middle):

The Update

This was the text of an email I sent to friends earlier this week:

I thought I'd send you an email while the baby is being quiet ... since she's still inside. :) She's due on Sunday, but of course, that doesn't mean much of anything. We are getting ready for her to come, which is really exciting and fun, and a little crazy sometimes. We'll name her Elizabeth, and the middle name we haven't told anybody yet, but I believe God gave me that name when I was at camp last summer.

So life is pretty busy these days. Sam just started work (last Monday) at the same HVAC company he'd worked with in the fall semester. This time instead of being in the office, he is working outdoors with a crew, starting at 7 AM, hammering air ducts together, measuring out drawings, and going up and down countless flights of stairs. He comes home dog tired every day. The project he's working on now (and will be until they move on to a different project, or till his summer work program finishes in August) is near GA Tech, which lately has been an ugly place to be, because of a whole lot of violent crime, and fun stuff like stolen vehicles (even one of the guys he's working with had his car stolen recently while at that project). So that is kind of exciting, and it is causing us to depend on God to keep us and our property safe. It has been kind of weird for me to be at home on my own while he's been at work this last week, after so many months of his being home most of the time, too. He had been in school and working, of course, but he had fewer hours in the week that he was gone. With him out of the house so much, and me feeling more and more large and tired as the days go by, I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I'm not motivated to do much of anything, though I guess in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy there's not always a lot of motivation to do much, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

We've gotten the baby's room (i.e., the guest room/nursery) set up, and have a little bed set up in our room for the first little while when we're trying to adjust to life with an infant. This week I'm going to hit the store and make sure we have all that we need, and we'll install the car seat in the Suburban (yes, we're buying my parents' Suburban - it seems to make sense for us right now). Anyways, at home group a week or two ago, a couple of the guys were looking at Sam and saying, "Poor guy, so innocent and excited. He has no idea what he's in for; he won't know what hit him."

At this point I'm kind of tired of being pregnant. I've been fortunate to have had a good pregnancy (though it started out pretty rough in the first couple of months), and I've really only just gotten to the point that I'm ready for it to be over in the past week. I am grateful that I have been fairly comfortable until recently - and I am still able to sleep pretty well, I'm not getting tons of contractions that aren't meaning anything, and I can still get around pretty well. But my back hurts if I sit, and my feet and up almost to my knees swell if I stand; I am pretty exhausted most of the time, and sometimes the thought of doing something as simple as hanging up clothes makes me want to cry. From an outside perspective, it's actually pretty funny, but in the moment, it's just pathetic. It may have a lot to do with our waking/sleeping schedule changing now that Sam is getting up early, and I'm getting up to pack his lunch, etc., and once I'm up, the dogs are up, and if I'm up, I may as well stay up..... Just being exhausted could have a lot to do with my lack of enthusiasm for this last brief period of just the 2 of us. Speaking of the 2 of us, we have now been married for 4 years, if you can believe it! It's funny how simultaneously it seems that we couldn't have been married that long, but also that we've just always been married, haven't we?

Because of the recent influx of young couples with (or expecting) young children, we had the privilege of having Keith & Patricia Currie come up and do a marriage and parenting seminar a weekend or two ago. It was great to see them and to receive from them. They have such a wealth of wisdom and of common sense. I think I took about 10 pages of notes - literally. Now the tricky part is going to be remembering and applying the things that are timely for whatever season we're in.

My family's doing well. When Dad was working on a painting project several weeks ago, the ladder he was on collapsed and he broke his left wrist. He should be able to get the brace off of it in the next couple of weeks. It's hard for him to be idle, so he's already been working on stuff, which of course he shouldn't be doing, and we hope that nothing he's been doing will interfere with his wrist healing properly. Fortunately it was his left, and he's right handed, so at least he can still write, eat, drive, etc., without too much trouble.
Mom is still writing, and just sent a great story to her great agent, who is presenting it to several editors.... We're praying one of them - or two of them - will bite.
Older Brother's got one last semester of school (i think it's just the one), and he's starting a small advertising or marketing business - helping local businesses advertise to new residents. We hope that will be profitable for him, too.
Younger Brother is about to graduate high school, and then do .... what? I don't know. But I didn't know then, either. Anyways, they're doing really well. He is at the beach with his best friend's clan this week, and he's so excited about the baby coming that he is willing to drive back whenever I go into labor if it happens before Saturday when they're scheduled to come back, just so he won't miss it. I had no idea he would do that, but I think that's so sweet.
They are all excited about the new addition to the family, my dad especially. He stops in the stores when he sees little Asian babies, girls especially, all enraptured by the thought of his little granddaughter. He will be a total pushover of a grandparent. It's really cute.

These days I think we're doing fairly well. The Spirit is stirring up many in our church in the past little while, and my heart is also being drawn along. But I'm kind of in my, "what do I need to do, to do the works that God requires?" phase, forgetting that the answer to that question is, "believe in the One he has sent," not something that I have to "do." That is such a relief for someone exhausted most of the time, anticipating more of the unknown immenently to come in the next few weeks. But at the same time, I know that involved in there are some basics, like - open the word, take the few minutes of concentrated attention to pray, and be willing to do what I'm prompted to do because of what I can believe of Him....

And it's actually been quite a blessing to have Sam get up and out the door early again, so that I am awake and have opportunity to get up and have a quiet time. I know I should take advantage of it when I can. So my spirit has been hungry and provoked and encouraged - but in that place of causing me to be discontent with my heart's condition, so on top of the raging hormones and the stress of impending major life changes, I've been a little bit of a challenge to live with these last couple of weeks. But Sam is doing quite well with my little episodes of crying fits. He also knows to offer me food when that happens. He has been a fast learner.

That is what life looks like from my perspective lately. I can't believe it's been so long since I've written, so I am glad to have gotten this out to you finally.

I may not post another update for a while - but when I do, it'll be a heck of an update!

Feeling Artistic

New Prego Pics

Here are some fun pictures that I took yesterday....

30 weeks!

Coffee Time :)

Well, it's not morning anymore, but coffee sure would be nice around now. I'm drinking lemonade (the mix kind, though), so if you'd like some of that, I can mix up some for you, too. While you're here, take a gander at the booty I brought home the other day for my baby's room (the post below).

It's quite calm here this afternoon. Sam is napping, the old dog is also napping, and the young dog won't nap, so she is rearranging the back yard, disassembling the stack of firewood, piece by piece, from the back porch into the lawn. I think she believes it's her current mission. There are worse things she could be doing, so we don't see it as a real problem. All dogs need a job, right? This is hers. The cats are alternately napping and exploring quietly.

The first day of spring is actually very much like spring. It's probably close to 70 F out there, and sunny, and there's a nice little breeze coming through. We took Lady for a walk before lunch, which we all needed. Sam needed some physical exercise to help him get back to his workout routine after over a week of being sick. I needed to get my circulation going, so maybe my foot won't swell so badly today. Lady needed to expend some energy somewhere.

The rest of the afternoon I plan to get a little bit of housework accomplished (not much, just enough to keep me slightly ahead of the game), then mix up some cupcakes for home group tonight.

I'm excited to be going to home group again; we'd taken a hiatus back before Christmas, and it took our group a while to reconvene. This is the first night we'll be getting together formally, and we have no plan as of yet, but that's fine, because the Holy Spirit has a plan.

Tomorrow I'm off to a baby shower for a friend's baby girl, who is due about 3 weeks before I am. I picked up a pack of diapers and a couple of onsies for her - one says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" and I couldn't resist buying it! I need to wrap all that stuff up today so I don't make us late in the morning. It's going to be about an hour's drive to get there, so I'm not excited about the distance, but I am looking forward to the company on the drive.

I'm getting hungry again; I think it's time to make cupcakes.... The sooner I make them, the sooner I can sneak one. :)

Baby Stuff

Look at all the cool things we got at a consignment sale a few weeks ago! I know, it's rather old news, but I am so thrilled by the deals we got that even if it's a little late in coming, I'm still excited about it.
The picture below shows what we bought for a grand total of $108!

The most expensive thing we purchased was the toddler-sized set of yellow loveseat and chair. They were a whole $25. Sam saw them immediately after we made our initial ($42) purchase and were loading up the car. He said, "Hey, you have to see these cute little chairs...." The next thing we knew, we had another $66 worth of stuff and went through the checkout line again!
We could barely fit all this loot into the back seat and trunk of my car - and my car has a lot of space! It took Sam and I and a guy who worked there to engineer it into allowing the doors to close.

We brought home:
A loveseat/chair set (fairly good condition - I might try to find a way to clean it, or cover it again with additional fabric. The cats love it, though.)
A Boppy pillow
A bouncy seat (with vibration and music, and it works!)
A bath tub and little hammock to fit in it - but the hammock wasn't made for that tub, so I picked up a different one at another sale the following weekend.
A mirror to see a rear-facing carseat from the front seat.
A "mail cart" push toy/walker for when she's older. Steph's boy loves his, so I was happy to find one for just a couple of dollars.
A shopping-cart cover (that colorful thing in the middle)
An exersaucer
A Baby Bjorn (for only $4!)
A Snuggli (picked up a 2nd carrier for another prego friend)
A (working!) swing
A lamp (works!)
5 books (2 for me, 3 for baby)
9 onsies
8 hats (Sam went crazy picking out hats; he has a very low resistance to cute)
2 sizes of neck wings (for neck support in car seat, swing, etc.)

Last weekend I hit another sale, where I spent only $32, and bought 24 items - basically as much as I could physically carry, because I forgot to bring a laundry basket or a bag or anything to tote my loot along with me. Half of it was maternity clothing for me, and the other half was clothing for her. I picked up a couple baggies of toys, and a couple of books as well. The most expensive thing I bought was a little blue dress for her, for a whopping $2.50!

At first we were not going to buy any baby things until after the shower, but we realized that it will be better to purchase some things inexpensively, to be able to take the less urgent or less important things off our registry, so that it may be more likely for people to go together on our big items (car seat and stroller, and play pen/bassinette especially).

Earlier this week I washed all the baby clothes that I'd bought and been given so far - it took me 3 loads (one was purely pink) to wash them all! I also washed everything removable from the seats, swings, etc., that could be washed. Now they are all put away, sorted into sizes in my little Ikea boxes.

And I still have 2 weeks 'till my shower!