Doing good...

4 days old already. She is a really calm baby (so far). Would never have guessed that in the hospital. She was born screaming and left the hospital screaming. Any tests, baths or diaper changes were met with displeasure. Now she will wake up and just look around until her stomach decides it's time to eat.







Birth story:

My labor went really well and I think it was my favorite one of all. I woke at 3:00am with contractions and they continued about every 10 minutes. Graedon woke up at 3:30am and after Brian got back from tucking him in, I told him I thought this was it. Of course neither of us could get any sleep after that. We decided to put clean sheets on the bed and get things packed up. I was hoping for a fast labor like we had with Graedon. Ha!


The contractions finally made it to 5 minutes apart but were short and easy to deal with. We called our doctor at 5:30 am and told her that I was in labor but it would be hours before we went to the hospital. Then Brian woke Lauren up to watch Graedon so we could walk up and down the block. It was a sunny morning and we were the only ones out. We did see our doctor drive by on her way to the hospital ;)

So after a few hours of walking and contractions not picking up, I was thinking maybe this wasn't it. I called my friend Melodie (who was going to be watching our kids) and described what I was feeling. When I did have contractions, I couldn't talk and they demanded all my attention. But they were still about 5 minutes apart. The whole time I was on the phone with her, I didn't have one. After I hung up we had decided to wait another half hour and then make our way up to the hospital. That is when I had two monster contractions and said that we were leaving NOW!


We arrived and I jumped in the jacuzzi and stayed put for 1.5 hours. I went from 3/4 cm to 5/6 cm but I was so tired that I didn't think I could deal with labor anymore. I made a decision to have an epidural. I originally didn't want one but I figured that I had been in labor for 10 hours and needed a break. What a great difference the epidural made! I still felt my legs and contractions but it took the sting away. Unbelievably my contractions picked up to every 2 minutes and were getting harder. Finally, progress!


I went from 8cm to 10cm in 15 minutes and pushed her out in another 15 minutes. I only had the epidural for 2 hours before I was done. No pitocin (that is what I was dreading). It was a very gentle birth and I actually could enjoy seeing Molly instead of half passed out after.

We went home around 11:00 am the next day. Our amazing friends cleaned our house, made us lunch and left lots of food for us to eat. It was a very relaxing coming home.

She's here...

Molly Katherine
June 23, 2007
8lb 9oz
2:27 pm after 12 hours of labor.

Will post more pics soon!

I think this is it!

I woke up at 3:00 am with what I thought were gas cramps coming every 10 minutes and lasting 20-30 seconds. Well it's 5:43 am and they are still coming regularly. Hopefully today is the day!

We'll post more later.

Don't do this...

Don't call an overdue pregnant lady and ask her if she has had the baby yet. Do you honestly think that we wouldn't call you when we have the baby?

Instead offer to bring chocolate immediately.

Answered prayer...

After my ranting late last night (it was after 10:00 pm), I took half an Ambien and went to sleep. This morning I called my amazing friend, Melodie (who only lives about 5 minutes away and I have known since 1st grade) and asked her when her parents would be back in town (they have been like parents to me growing up). She said on July 1st. Well that won't help.

I poured my heart out to her about how frustrated and stressed I was about someone watching the kids. She simply stated that she would come over no matter what time of the day. I hadn't really considered her since she just given birth 3 months ago (oh and the birth story is amazing. This is her 4th child and 2nd daughter. She has really fast, non-medicated labors and right as she got to the pushing stage, the doctor declared that the baby was breech and she didn't know how to deliver breech. Another doctor was called. He was 30 minutes away so Melodie couldn't push for that long. When he arrived, she pushed and her little girl came right out and Melodie didn't tear at all!)

So the plan is for her to be "on-call". She and her little one will spend the night and her husband will drop the kids off on his way to work. My girls are thrilled with this plan as they love their "aunt" Melodie and her kids. They are especially thrilled to spend some time with her new baby ;).

God sure answered that prayer fast, lol. I feel so at peace now and not anxious that I actually want to wait until Friday afternoon to go into labor so Melodie's husband will be home on Saturday to help her out.

(so now you know that baby will probably come tonight....)

I'm so stressed

This baby shows no signs of coming anytime soon. I'm having no contractions and feel fine. I was due on Sunday.

On top of that, we really have no one to watch our kids while we're in labor. We were counting on Brian's parents to come over but they leave for Texas tomorrow. Brian called our good friends, the Payne's, and they are willing to come out at a moment's notice (until Thursday). There is a big church wedding this Saturday and they are heavily involved in helping out.

I'm only comfortable leaving all the kids here for about 1 hour. Lauren is almost 12, Maddie is almost 11 and Ava just turned 9. They are really responsible and I'm not worried that they may do something bad. I'm worried something bad will happen to them. Fortunately the hospital where I'll deliver is about 5 blocks away.

In a pinch, Brian will drop me off at the hospital and I'll labor and deliver alone. Won't be fun, won't be ideal but I would be able to relax knowing the kids are taken care of. The nurses at our hospital are wonderful.

I'm just going to pray that someone will be available when I'm in labor.

Hopefully my last...

I just got back from *hopefully* my last doctor's appointment before this baby comes. I'm due June 14th according to my calculations and one ultrasound but June 17th according to the doctor. Dr. Mears thinks I'll have the baby this week though. I hope so! I'm soooooo ready to meet her and see my feet again.

I've run out of "must do" projects so you can find me wandering around trying to find something to occupy my time. Sometimes I'll decide to clean out a closet, scrub kitchen shelves, organize my sewing room, but most of the time I just wander and peek in on what the girls are doing.

I don't like being idle but I also don't want to start a project that I have to abandon to give birth. I think I'll do some sewing for the kids. It is really rewarding seeing them wearing and enjoying something I've made.

Well off to rub down a pork roast. I'm making pulled pork for dinner tomorrow and this thing needs to marinate in the rub for 24 hours. I know I still need to post for Ava - hopefully later today!

Feeling much better now....

I went to my weekly check up and mentioned the lack of sleep to my doctor. She asked why I hadn't called her. Well - because I just chalked it up to end of pregnancy sleeplessness. She laughed and prescribed Ambien sleeping pills. I was a little hesitant to take anything but she assured my that it was safe for our baby and that I needed sleep or I would be to tired to go in to labor.

So, I took one last night at 11:30 pm (after mopping and waxing the floors, lol). I didn't wake up until 7:30am this morning. I didnt' dream, I don't remember Graedon crying last night and I didn't wake up to go to the bathroom.

I felt dizzy at first but really good. My attitiude is optimistic again and I have energy. In fact I just took off all the kitchen cabinent doors, washed them, sanded them and put the first of two final coats of oil based paint on them. It's something I've been wanting to finish.

Now off to teach school and then hopefully take some pics of items around here to list on eBay. Trying to clear out the clutter and get some money for our baby's hospital bills.

I'll probably crash a little later but at least I feel good now. That is such a blessing.

Oh I need to go outside to take some pics of the work we got done on the backyard this weekend. Wow! Looks so different.

It's a ......

Girl.....So we will have Girl, Girl, Girl, Girl, Boy, Girl.

Boy was I surprised. I just *knew* that God would give me another boy. The ultrasound tech was quite certain that she was a girl.

I don't have any of Ellie's old baby clothes, except her coming home from the hospital outfit/blanket. I think I may use that. So that means I need to go shopping. All new baby clothes? Shopping? What a chore ;)

Can't wait until Hanna Andersson and Gymboree have some big sales....

Trying something new...

Even though I'm in my second trimester (almost 5 months along), I still feel very tired. Part of the problem was my thyroid medicine wasn't strong enough but that is straightened out now and I'm not feeling so bone tired. Yesterday after church, I fell asleep in the car on the way home and then crawled into bed and slept another 1.5 hours. I'm wondering if I really started exercising again if it would make a difference.

Sooooo - I'm going to start my excercise program again and to keep myself accountable, I'm going to post what I did everyday. Even if it is just a walk.

This morning I did 35 minutes of TaeBo advanced and am planning on going for a walk with the kids this afternoon. Tomorrow will be a 1.5 mile walk in the morning pushing a double jogging stroller filled with 60 lbs of kids and some weight lifting. That is my goal anyway.

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On another note - we got rid of our puppies. We made it 38 days before I had a melt down. The puppies weren't terrible or anything and the girls tried really hard to take care of them. It was me who couldn't deal with one more thing on my plate. We contacted Lori of Free Range Whippets (a whippet rescue place) and she took them on Saturday. Lori thinks she may have already found a home them in Canby! I feel so guilty for buying them in the first place but I really wanted to make the girls happy. Last time I do that ;)

We did get more pets though. We are now proud owners of Captain Jack Sparrow- the betta fish, Barbosa-the black snail and Davy Jones-the golden snail. Much nicer pets and easy to care for. We plan on getting another betta fish and seperate the tank (as the betta will kill each other if in the same space). The girls are going to name him Norrington. These names won't mean anything to you unless you have seen the second Pirates of the Caribbean.

I'll post pics later of their set up.

I've been a little busy...

And when I say a little busy I mean sitting on the couch underneath a blanket trying to think of foods that don't make me want to gag and then eating said foods and gagging anyway.

#6 due in mid June.

(photo is from ABC.com and is Sun's pregnancy test from the show Lost, I didn't take a picture of my test.)