worth the wait

 introducing...

 

maddox john

november 8th, 2010

3:53pm

8 lbs 2 oz

20.5 inches long

 ***

the birth story

i woke up on monday, november 8th about 4am. i was really uncomfortable, and thought it might be because of all that extra weight on my extra full bladder. when i got back in bed, i started to faintly remember having painful contractions in the night. as i laid there, more started to come. the only time i really had contractions with this pregnancy was when i was laying down, and if there was any consistency at all, they always fizzled out after about an hour. i knew they felt different, but i still waited for them to stop. they didn't, but they weren't at all regular, either.
i was never able to fall back asleep, and got up with the kids around 7. by then they had stopped, and after jason woke up, i told him what was going on. we debated calling kathy (the midwife), since my labor had stalled similarly with jaxon. we were nervous about waiting around all day, only to have things really pick back up when it was too late for jason to call in to work.
around 9:30 (and after talking to valerie) i decided to go ahead and call kathy. she told me to come over around 10:30 and she would check me and we could try to get things going. i jumped in the shower while jason got the kids around, and we took them to his parents' house. i was feeling really nervous. i didn't want to be disappointed. i was 8 days over, and anxious to meet my little man. i hadn't been checked at all yet, so i told jason i was guessing i was at a 2 at best.
as kathy was checking me, she kept apologizing for the pain all while assuring me that it would get things going...and then she said she was "just feeling the soft spot." wait. "on the baby?", i asked. yep. so i asked her what i was dilated to, and i was at a 5-6. i was going to have a baby that day. wow. she gave me 1/2 a prostaglandin pill to get the contractions to pick up again (i still wasn't contracting anymore at that point) and told me to call when they started getting stronger.
jason and i called our parents and stopped by the store for a few necessities before heading home to set everything up. after about an hour and a half i was contracting, but again, not consistently. i let kathy and valerie know what was going on and soon decided to lay down again to see if that would help. sure enough, we timed them from 1-1:30 and they were consistently 5 minutes apart.
valerie got to our house about 1:40, with kathy arriving soon after. i kept laying on the couch while they got everything ready. after set up was finished, kathy checked me again. i was at an 8, so we decided to go ahead and break my water to speed things up. she told me i could get into the pool once my contractions picked up more, so once they were about 2ish minutes apart and i was getting uncomfortable, i got in.
they stayed about 2 minutes apart, but were starting to get harder to deal with. i sat on my knees and leaned forward while swaying my hips back and forth to work through them. all of a sudden i knew he was coming and couldn't say much. i think i kind of pointed down and that was about it. i was still on my knees leaning forward when my body started to take over and push. i remember kathy asking if i could turn over, but all i did was get my legs out from under me (so that i was on all fours). the next thing i knew, he was out. in my head i was yelling, "get him out, get him out", but jason says i barely made much sound at all. valerie says she thinks things are a lot louder in your head when you're at that point, and i agree. the water in the pool was pretty chilly for a tiny baby, so they took him from me pretty quickly and gave him to daddy to warm up. after some snuggle time, he was weighed, measured, bathed, and given back to mama...i love that part.
it was such a nice labor. from the time things got uncomfortable to the time he was born was 20 minutes. i'm so glad we called early and i'm so thankful that kathy had no problem with us coming out there on a day that she doesn't normally see patients.

 ***

pictures from after the birth:

getting weighed

and measured

checking his dates

first bath

(she really was excited--she just doesn't like to smile for the camera!)

the one i was worried about is the most excited, i think!

everyone is adjusting better than i had hoped for, which is a huge relief.

i have 3 wonderful (sometimes over eager) helpers...

we are so blessed!

painting pumpkins

last night, we painted our pumpkins.

we thought that it was a good alternative to carving, 

since the kids are too young to carve their own, anyway.

the girls are old pros at painting, 

and they love to do it.

it was jaxon's first time, but you never would have guessed!

after the kids went to bed, jason and i thought it would be fun to paint my belly like a pumpkin...

we laughed a whole lot and had to start over a couple of times, 

but he did such a good job in the end!

i am so thankful to have a husband that i have so much fun with.

now, come on little man! 

we're ready!

almost ready

baby laundry is so much fun.

i always forget how long and skinny they come out

things are almost ready, 

unless you count myself...

i am more than ready!

;)

36 weeks

the other day, i came to the sudden realization that i will be having a baby soon.

i had put off ordering my birth kit, i hadn't washed any clothes...

oh, and since our car seat was expired, 

it would be helpful to have a new one--

if we want to go anywhere for the next year.

so last night i finally ordered my birth kit,

and today i've been working on baby laundry.

i figured that while i was at it, i could take a recent belly shot.

yes, my tummy is showing.

no, i don't really have much that covers it anymore.

yes, i am in my pajamas...

and no, i don't care.

=P

32{ish} weeks

i snapped a couple belly shots this afternoon since it's been awhile since my last...

nevermind the junky quality, just look at the growing belly. =)

and just for fun, here's my 31 week belly pic from when i was pregnant with jax

24 weeks

at 24 weeks...

* i am still breathless every morning...blood work to be done on the 22nd. i stopped taking my iron supplement because it made me feel like i was in the 1st trimester all over again...but it wasn't making a difference anyway.

* little man is very active, especially when i am laying down. even when i am tired of being pregnant, i never tire of feeling those little (or not so little) movements.

* for the first time, i feel done. i have always been sad in previous pregnancies, thinking, "what if i'm never pregnant again?" but i am really anxious to just have him in my arms. i'm sure having all of the kids so close together has something to do with that, but 4 is a good number, and you can't beat an even 2:2 girl/boy ratio. i have a thing about even numbers, and this fits my ocd perfectly.

i'm also sure that since this has been the toughest pregnancy physically and emotionally, that that plays a part in it as well. truthfully, i'm having a hard time enjoying this and wanting to slow down and cherish it. i feel so slowed down allll the time that i've just been incredibly frustrated. 

i would never want to come across completely negative or ungrateful at all. i am very thankful for this precious life inside of me, i don't take him for granted, and if i had to carry him 2 more years just so that he would be healthy, i would. i just feel ready to have him and move on to a different chapter--a chapter of raising our family instead of growing it.

half baked

 

and here i am at 20 weeks with jax:

now that i look at it, they're a lot more similar than i thought! =P

at my last midwife appointment, i told her how i am breathless a lot, particularly in the mornings. in church, i have a hard time standing up for the songs, or depending on how i'm sitting, i have a hard time catching my breath, too. sometimes, i even get to where i'm nauseous and think i'm going to pass out--that's happened at the zoo and during a walk with the kids. i had assumed it was my iron, because it's always been a bit low, but she suspects it's my blood pressure as well. i have really low blood pressure...so i'm on an iron supplement and am supposed to increase my sodium intake.

so, in honor of that, i wrote a little parody:

Over and again, you keep leaving me breathless,
gasping, wheezing til I can't deny this,
nauseous feeling, make me think I'm losin' it...
It goes, on & on,
Yeah, on and on...

(real song is breathless, by the coors)

tied

to say that the gender of our baby was obvious...

is well,

obvious.

it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's a boy!it's aboy!it's a boy!it's a boy!

we're elated, and also now have to find a boy name.

this will be a tough one!

now, here are some other cute pictures of our sweet little boy:

(i don't know why, but i always love seeing the little spine)

he's measuring 20w 4d, and i'm 20weeks, 2 days...so right on time, which is always so reassuring

& his heart rate was 155.

perfect!

i can't wait to meet him!

16 weeks

i am 16 weeks and finally feeling normal again.

i've never been one to actually get sick,

but nausea was there...more than anything fatigue and lots of headaches.

i hate being slowed down, so i'm glad to be feeling good again.

last week, i was pretty sure i felt movement, and now it's

quite a bit more frequent--and for that i am thankful.

it puts my mind at ease and i love, love feeling those little flutters.

celebrating life

spring...

 a refreshing change from the dead, idle winter,

when suddenly nature awakes from its slumber

and paints our surroundings with promise and hope

i find joy in new lilies,

happiness in beginning daisies,

anticipation in budding leaves, sitting under my favorite tree,

dreaming and talking with my honey about the latest sign of sweet, new life--

arriving on or around 10.31.2010

The Name Game

This may come to you as a shock--or not, if you know me well. Or maybe you just don't care. That's probably it, and that's ok.
I have a really hard time making decisions. Here's a typical situation-

Jason: "Hey, what do you want to eat?"
Me: "Uh, whatever you want. I don't really care."
Jason: " How about (insert option here)."
Me: "Well, except that--That doesn't sound good."
Jason: "What do you want then?"
Me: "I don't know."

Right now, that sample situation is irrelevant. (My husband has told me many times that he's the only one that would have married me. It's ok, he means it in the most loving way and I've come to terms with the fact that I'd probably still be in my Dad's basement if it wasn't for him. He says my Dad paid him. I'm ok with that, too.)
Anyway, I know I'm a fat kid right now and I do love my food, but that's not my main issue with indecisiveness. I had something on my mind that we had supposedly decided on and I had to come clean--

I wasn't loving the name Jude.

I've always vacillated on it. Some days I liked it better than others. Jason always really, really liked it, so that made me happy-- In a way. It's not that I don't care about my husband's happiness, I truly do. I love my honey. I also know him well enough to realize that if I didn't 'fess up before it was too late, he'd be upset that we hadn't fully agreed on a name.

My reasons:
1. We call Sydney, Syd and Alexis, Ali. What do you call a child with a one-syllable name?
2. I didn't want him to be called Jew...and I knew he would be. I'd already been forewarned.
3. I'm indecisive.

I know, not the best argument. Oh well.

We looked at hundreds, maybe thousands of names again. I like Jackson. Jason doesn't like Jack. Instead of letting this become a problem, we did what every husband and wife do in situations like this-

Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Or, maybe we just compromised.

And now, without further rambling, I announce the decided name of Baby Boy:

Jaxon Nicholas
And we call him Jax for short.



The End.

Do You See What I See??

We went for our follow-up sonogram Thursday. He was still being stubborn, but we could see it anyway!

Sidenotes:

*He was head-down...but I'm not sure that means anything at 26 weeks!

*I was about 26.5 weeks and he was measuring 27wks 1day. Growing well! =)

*I'm almost to the third trimester already! It really has gone fast!!

20 Down, 20 To Go!

Here is my belly in all its pregnant glory at just over 20 weeks:



Two quotes that I really love:

"If I had my life to live over, instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle."
Irma Bombeck


"We have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong."
Laura Stavoe Harm

Hey Jude!

We had our ultrasound done on Thursday afternoon. Jason and I were a little nervous because we had both been thinking that it was a boy but didn't ever admit to it...and we spent the whole day convincing ourselves it was a girl. We have two beautiful girls and would be thankful for a third, but we have also longed for a boy as well. Once we got there and saw our precious baby on the screen, both of us knew that it didn't matter. It was amazing to see such a tiny little baby moving so much. I'm wondering if that means he'll take after Daddy. =)
He was very squirmy and it was hard to tell for sure in the beginning, but after going back to the same place 3 different times and seeing "something" there each time, it looks like we're safe to say boy!
We'll be going back in about 4 weeks or so to have another look, so just as long as "nothing falls off" between then and now, it looks like we'll be expecting Jude Nicholas around March 7th, 2009!

I'll see if I can get the pictures clear enough to show on here. It's hard to tell in real life and it may just make it even harder if I try to scan them onto the computer.

A Work In Progress

"For You created my innermost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." --Psalm 139:13-14



Baby #3: 3.9.2009