Thinking back...

On a day we didn't expect, at an hour we weren't prepared, our first little baby entered our world. After saying for years I wanted no December babies, Logan decided to give his Mommy her first lesson in flexibility. Six years later, I'm not sure I'm any better at coping when my plan gets altered by anyone but me.
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So today we celebrate life...a life that will forever change ours.
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Logan 10 days

Logan 1 year

Logan 2 years

Logan 3 years

Logan 4 years


Logan 5 years

Logan 6 years

*sniff*

Some more "firsts"...for everyone

With Christmas fast approaching (and therefore, Logan's birthday) and a new baby in the house, I find myself in a state of unbelief that I've been a Mommy for six years now. I remember so vividly Logan's first few weeks and months...and then there's a few years that are a bit of a blur. I guess that's the disadvantage of having the two boys as close as they were. My brain was a bit fried, apparently.


Logan frequently can be heard telling Carter "Don't tell me about that...I'm in kindergarten, so I KNOW." He enjoys school very much, but the days are still pretty long for him (he gets up at 6:00 and doesn't get home until close to 5:00), so I think Christmas break will be good for all of us.
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LOGAN'S FIRST "FRIEND" BIRTHDAY PARTY:

Since so many people fly "outside" for the Christmas break, I wanted to have a birthday party for Logan's friends before school got out. I was not, however, willing to invite the entire class as other kids have done. The thought of 18 little kindergarteners in my house is not my idea of fun...or necessity. So, Logan got to pick 6 friends from school, plus we invited Joshua and Ethan too (our sitter's boys). When I asked Logan how he picked his six friends from school, he couldn't really give me an explanation (were they the kids he liked the most? the ones he played with the most?). He DID, however, tell me he plays with Sidney the most at school (see pic below). Why? Because she's the prettiest girl in the class. At least he's honest.

The party gang...cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches, just as Logan requested.

CARTER'S FIRST SCHOOL PROGRAM:

So with Carter being in preschool, he had his Christmas program last week. He sang all of his songs and had a silly, embarassed smirk on his face the whole time. The highlight for him? He got to take his kazoo home after the performance (Oh, how could I repay his teachers for such a delightful gift? Let me count the ways...).

SADIE'S FIRST...WELL...SHE HAS LOTS OF "FIRSTS" AT THIS POINT:

And of course, Miss Sadie keeps growing. I plan on asking the pediatrician next week if he can prescribe some magic dust to keep her little.

She has now outgrown the "newborn" clothes she had, so those have been boxed up and we've broken out the 0-3 month stuff. For those of you that have had little ones, you know that not all sizing is the same. So, right now, her closet only contains the SMALLER 0-3 month stuff. All of the boxes there in the picture are waiting to go into the crawlspace....that's only the clothing up to 6 months, folks. This girl has more of a wardrobe than she will ever be able to wear. People have been extremely generous. The only reason we will buy clothing for her before she's a year is because the abundance of pink gets pretty tiring, especially for two parents that didn't care for the color much before we had a baby girl. Chances are if I'm ever out and about and see an outfit that's not pink, I'll have to buy it just to neutralize her closet!Sadie's becoming quite animated. We've gotten a few smiles, but nothing we can "count on" just yet. She has definite cries when she's tired and hungry and she definitely makes her disappointment known when she gets a diaper change instead of a meal. She also instantly wails if I have to put her down and walk away for a second (Heaven forbid Mommy need to go to the bathroom now and then). I'm still trying to get a picture of her infamous frown; I've never seen anything like it.

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The pacifier-induced sneer.

The "sort of" smile.

Giving Daddy a backhand for some sarcastic remark.

Love my WubbaNub.

Love my WubbaNub's butt.

All snuggled in. Why don't they make adult-sized blankies this soft?

Adjusting to life as a family of five

I had many people tell me the transition from 2 to 3 kids was much easier than from 1 to 2. But then there was always someone that said "We were stupid to outnumber ourselves." For me, so far, the transition has been pretty easy. Not sure if that's because I already have a grasp on juggling more than one kid or if it's because the boys are old enough to understand "wait" (most of the time). There's still hairy moments when all 3 kids need something and Ryan's at work, but I'm feeling a lot less stressed than I did when I had Carter. For about 2 years after he was born, I felt like I couldn't meet both boys' needs EVER. Maybe that's normal; maybe it's because they were 1 1/2 years apart. I dunno. It's always nice when something turns out to be a little easier than I had thought it would be.
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Grandma Jan was here to visit the week before Thanksgiving. The boys got some much-needed attention. We also celebrated Christmas and Logan's birthday while Grandma was here. A week to visit goes by all too quickly. In fact, Jan's flight left early in the morning before the boys were up. Logan came into my room and the FIRST words out of his mouth were "It's just not the same without Grandma Jan here." I think he's ready for another trip to Montana.

Grandma with all 3 kiddos

Reading Carter's new book

The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving here consists of Santa, craft shows and a light parade/fireworks...all of which we participated in. However, I was not about to tackle the craftshow with all 3 kids, so Grandma Rita took the boys for a day of Santa, hot cocoa and snowman-building before we picked them up for the parade and fireworks.

Fortuately, Santa was also at the craft show, but he came by while I had wandered off on my own for a minute.
Sadie continues to grow and change. For the most part, she's a decent sleeper. We can usually get 4-5 hours in the first stretch in her crib (we've had a couple of 7 and 8-hour stretches as well); then she comes into bed with me so I can feel somewhat rested. After her first long stretch of sleep, she's up to eat every 2 hours or so. So, I'm tired, but not exhausted. She has a definite fussy time of the evenings, which is unfortunate as that's the only time Daddy can see her and that's the only time I get with the boys (not counting the rat race to get ready in the mornings). She only seems to want Mommy (or part of Mommy) at that time, but every now and then she has a more content evening and enjoys snuggling with Daddy as well. She's also developing distinct cries now...sleepy vs. hungry vs. ticked off. I've manged to see two REAL smiles from her, but they're too fleeting to attempt to get a picture. She's also adjusting well to her life in a carseat, which is nice for me. She still gets upset usually when she's first buckled in but settles down quickly most of the time. I guess it didn't take long for her to figure out that we drive 450 miles a week taking the boys to/from school...might as well get used to the dreaded carseat.

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The boys are doing well with her. Logan's the helper, trying to offer a toy or stroke her hair when she's fussing and I can't get to her right away. He still says "she whines a lot" but told his teacher "she's getting better." Carter constantly asks "Can I pet the baby?" and tends to be the one that wants to hold her. Since Sadie doesn't really have a routine yet, it's not a big deal that he never leaves her alone. But, I foresee some frustration in the future when Carter goes into her room and wakes her up while she's napping.

This was the first week "on my own" as far as getting the boys ready for school, etc. I did try to do everything myself last week when Grandma Jan was here as kind of a "practice run" and just used Grandma as back up when I needed an extra hand. For the most part, I was able to do everything on my own, but relied on Grandma to help out at the last minute in order to get going on time. I was very impressed with myself when we actually were in the car 5 minutes early Monday morning (pretty good, especially considering I had the joy of cleaning up dog puke added to my morning duties)....and then discovered Ryan had my car keys. So, a phonecall to him (and to Carter's school, telling them he'd be late)....and 30 minutes later we were out the door.

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I also got to see Dr. Barton last week. Healing as I should be, physically anyway. Emotionally? Not so much. He and I did get to chat about what went wrong the day Sadie was born. He does feel I was showing precursers to uterine rupture. I had thought that uterine rupture occurs suddenly...but apparently it usually doesn't. It's more of a slow tearing of the old scar. He first became suspicious when baby's heart slowed down for a long time (4 minutes) but he really became concerned when I described my pain as sharp and only felt below my incision. When my dilation decreased from 4 to 3 cm and the nurse couldn't track uterine activity, we were done. He believes that only the very bottom part of my uterus was working, essentially squeezing her head back up when she was trying to come down. Normally a uterus squeezes from the top down. The sharp pain I was having he believes was the sensation of her head essentially trying to come out at the old scar, which is also most likely the source of the solid purple bruising I had below my incision. I wondered if the use of pitocin contributed to my "undesired outcome", but it doesn't look like it. Of course, anytime you give nature a nudge and the body isn't ready, things can go wrong. But, as Dr. B. explained, I have a scar in place and it looks like the innervation between cells never fully regrew, so the whole uterus didn't work like a total unit...only the bottom part was functioning. And that would have been the result regardless of natural labor or induced labor (thought technically they say I wasn't "induced" but "augmented" because I was contracting and was dilated more than 3 ...whatever). He also said I only got up to 6 microunits of pitocin (maximum is 40) so I was on a super low dose.

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He apologized more than once for the way things played out. He really felt like I was a very low-risk candidate for a VBAC (as did I), considering I had a quick delivery with Logan, it had been more than 2 years since my last pregnancy, I had little scarring and the only reason Carter was c-section was because he was breech and my fluid was too low (as opposed to a "stalled labor" or something). Dr. B's not much of a risk-taker. I had told him throughout the whole pregnancy that if something ever looked like a VBAC was not a good idea, I was more than willing to schedule the c-section. But, everything continually looked better as things went along.

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I had begun this pregnancy, thinking I had to have a scheduled section as our little hospital didn't used to be equipped to deal with emergency c-sections (but now they are, obviously). But, at my very first appointment, Dr. B gave me the option, which I was thrilled about. Then, when I got the good report from Dr. Richey in August and baby was already head down, I had a lot of hope. As acupuncture helped my liver and I began to dilate, I really became optimistic that things would work out the way I wanted. In fact, after worrying all week before Sadie was born that I would go into labor at a time when Barton was out of town and I would be forced into a c-section by the doc filling in, I did a lot of praying...and everything worked out for us to go in on that Friday. So, to be honest, I felt like everything was falling into place for a successful VBAC. As it turns out, everything was falling into place for our baby to arrive safely at the hands of Dr. Barton by another method.

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No doubt, being rushed in for a c-section was stressful and exhausting. Being surprised with a girl gave a little bit of sweetness to a day that I felt was not going my way. I only wish I could have been the first to see her. After 3 kids, I still haven't gotten that moment with any of my babies. I'm thinking hospitals should recognize that Mommies ought to have the right to see their baby before anyone else gets to. I suppose for some, it doesn't matter. To me, it does.

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Rena had warned me that often with "traumatic" births, the moms don't feel disappointed until later...I was hoping I would be the exception, but apparently I'm not. I still somehow feel like less of a mom or that somehow I failed (No need to tell me it's not my fault. I know this isn't a rational or logical thought....but Mommies of newborns don't have to be rational...they're tired). I'm praying that feeling goes away soon. Until it does, I re-read our old blog entries, remembering how relieved we were when we reached a gestational age where this baby could survive...and then got a good report from Dr. Richey...and kept the liver under control...and how things kept improving as time went on. I have not lost sight of the blessing in having a very healthy baby. But when hormones run rampant and sleep is a rare find, thoughts of disappointment creep in. No doubt there's some room for a lesson in trusting in God's purpose and letting go of what I cannot control.

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On another note, we also got a peek into my report from Dr. Richey’s office, which does indeed say “genitalia appear to be male.” However, in her defense, we did not go to our first appointment with her requesting to find out the baby’s gender, so maybe she wasn’t all that careful in looking...or maybe she dictated a bunch of reports at once and mixed up our info. with someone else's. Both Ryan and I thought we heard her say "he" while doing our ultrasound, which is what possessed me to call 2 weeks later and find out what we were having, as I was assuming it was a boy at that point. And to answer a frequent question: no, we do not intend to contact her office about it. The whole gender mix-up has been kind of funny. Apparently it’s also spread throughout the hospital and elsewhere as people I don’t even know have heard of it (though they don’t know whose baby it was). I guess docs don’t get it wrong too often these days. I assured Dr. Barton we were trying to spread the word quickly that it wasn’t his goof. All of the other weekly ultrasounds we had towards the end were checking for breathing movements, fluid levels, heartrate, etc. They were only about 5 minutes long, so we weren’t peeking at "parts" of the baby.

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So I guess that sums up the past couple of weeks. Not sure how much time there will be for updates with birthdays and Christmas coming. We have plans for decorating her room over Christmas break. I'm very excited (much to Ryan's dismay, the Yankees decor is coming down). For the record, the room will NOT be pink!

Rub-a-Dub and a WubbaNub

Not a whole lot to update (but more pictures to share). Sadie saw her pediatrician yesterday and everything looked good. She showed off her screaming ability. Between that and her PKU test, she was a little stressed, so I obliged rocking her quite a bit in the afternoon since Logan was at school and Carter was playing with Grandma Jan.
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Sadie's up to her birth weight now. I'm due to see Dr. Barton for the ol' follow up visit tomorrow. I'm hoping to have a few questions answered, but I'm not sure if they're answerable or not. We'll see. Other than that, I guess I should be done being a frequent flyer at that office for a while.

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Bored? or thinking?

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Lovin' from Daddy.

The picture of innocent vs. guilty

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Sadie's cord fell off this morning, which means I promptly put her in the tub. I love the smell of baby's hair after it's washed...and the smell of lotion....mmmmmm. She didn't even shed any tears.

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Yes, it's a BLUE tub...with BLUE washcloths.

Following the bath, I think she was a bit sleepy and ready for a nap. So here she is with her WubbaNub. Have any of you seen these? We got one of these with some other gifts at the hospital (but I don't know from who; apparently our gift list wasn't detailed enough. Let me know if it's from YOU). Personally, I think they're kind of silly looking things. A little stuffed animal with a HUMONGOUS pacifier attached to it. But she loves it. She won't even take the little NUK pacifier. And considering I spent almost the entire time between 5-11 the other night nursing an unconsolable baby, I believe in the power of a pacifier! Some kids don't need 'em...but this little girl does.

The best part; she can usually get it in her mouth by herself. Who woulda thought?
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So now our dilemma of what to get her for Christmas is over. I think we'll be ordering a couple more of these (different animals, though...gotta have variety).

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The fluffy "after bath" hair.

Driving Miss Sadie

Disclaimer: This post is going to be dated yesterday since that's when I started uploading pictures. I have a feeling future blog posts are going to be a 2-3 day process.
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So Sadie's a week old, which means I'm allowed to drive, provided I'm not on meds. So I didn't let myself take anything after Wednesday night. And, other than a wee bit of soreness this morning, I think I'm on the mend. Now my back and abs (or lack thereof) just get tired very quickly when I'm up and about. I guess that's really not a problem since I can't seem to get enough of sitting and rocking and rubbing my cheek on her soft hair anyway. I'm beginning to think my family may never have a hot meal or clean clothes again. I can't seem to put her down.
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So our first community endeavor on our own? JoAnn fabric, of course! Grandma Jan arrived yesterday afternoon, so she stayed home with Carter while I took Logan to school. I'm still not looking forward to the day I have to start getting all four of us out the door on time in the mornings. That is one area that was definitely easier when I worked. Because I had to leave at 6:15 in order to drop the boys off and be ready for my first patient at 7:00, all I really did was wake the boys up and put them in the car. Our sitters always brushed their teeth, fed them, got them dressed, etc. I was not a mommy that had to get herself AND her kids ready before work. But now, we all must be presentable and heading out the door by 7:20. No doubt, it will get easier as Sadie doesn't insist on eating every hour for 45 minutes at a time!
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Now we had some people that were a bit skeptical about our baby news last week, thinking maybe we KNEW we were having a girl, but just didn't tell. So, for the record, we were indeed planning on a boy...see evidence below (i.e. all the things I made ahead of time).
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BOY nursing cover

BOY car seat cover



BOY clothes (okay, these I didn't MAKE)

Basket of BOY baby toys

BOY crib bumper and valances

So now I'm on the prowl for fabric to decorate Sadie's room. I'll be happy if I'm done by her first birthday.

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It's amazing how much of her personality has come on in just a week. Here's what we've figured so far:

1. This baby LOVES to nurse...all the time...for any reason. I think she's like her mom in that she doesn't like noise. Whenever there's some commotion in the house, she closes her eyes and nurses, but doesn't really drink. It's clear she's just checking out and going to her "happy place".

2. She despises having her diaper changed. Not sure if it's the cold...or the fact that she can't nurse while being changed...or what. But her lungs work well.

3. Even more than being changed, she despises her carseat. the 30-minute drive to town with a hysterical baby is not good, especially considering Mommy's hormone fluctuations this week. I hope she gets over this soon or this could be a very looooong winter!

4. I think her hair is getting lighter and her eyes are getting darker....but maybe it's just me.

Sleeping on Daddy's chest at the hospital

Proud big brothers

Grandma Barb had to get some bows



Peeking out from her PINK car seat cover.

A little different than we planned...

A few of my friends wanted "the story" when I felt up to it, so I'll start with that. For those that just want to see the baby, go ahead and scroll on down...
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5:30 am: signed the usual paperwork, got the ol' I.V. started, etc., etc.
7:30 am: Dr. Barton broke my water and we started pacing the hallway shortly afterwards. Dilated to 4 cm.
10:00 am: Virtually NOTHING was happening other than wearing out our walking path in the carpet. A few contractions that were stronger than I had had at home, but nothing significant. Dr. Barton decided to start me on a low dose of pitocin, which means I was kind of confined to the bed because baby had to be constantly monitored at that point.
11:00 am: Nothing happening. Turned up the pitocin slightly.
12:00 pm: Nothing happening. Turned up the pictocin slightly more.
12:15 pm: Everything was happening. My contractions became instantly too strong and one would start before the previous one had ended. Had lots of pain between contractions. I never had an epidural when I had Logan. Granted, labor was not "comfortable", but it WAS bearable. Tiring, but I never felt like I wasn't going to survive. THIS was very different. Dilated to 3 cm.
A minute or two later, our friend and nurse, Rena, took the monitor strip to Dr. Barton because she had to talk to him about being unable to really track a pattern on my uterine activity.
12:26 pm: Dr. Barton quickly came into the room and very clearly stated he did not like what he was seeing. The baby had had a previous deceleration (slowing of heartrate) lasting about 4 minutes, now baby's heartrate was decelerating with the contractions I was having, my uterus was painful but not behaving productively and he was pretty concerned about the pain level I was having. He very clearly stated he was not comfortable proceeding with labor and had Ryan sign the consent forms for the c-section (I was a little preoccuppied). He tried to lighten the mood by saying "We gave it the ol' college try..." but his face was pretty serious.
12:41 pm: Our baby was born. Fortunately, I was allowed to stay awake for it and Ryan was allowed to be in the operating room. Our nurse said that doesn't always happen with urgent c-sections. In the previous 15 minutes, I was prepped for surgery, Dr. Barton scrubbed up and a surgical team was assembled. It's actually impressive how quickly they got everything done (though our nurse said the fastest c-section she witnessed was an 8-minute prep time).
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For those that haven't had a c-section, this was quite different that the planned c-section we had with Carter. With Carter, we came in about 2 hours beforehand, they ran some saline, took blood, etc. Eventually, they wheeled me into the operating room, prepped my back and did the spinal block, put in a catheter, etc. I lie back for a bit while they get the belly ready and in comes doctor...about 30 minutes or so. I could feel lots of pressure, pulling and tugging when they took Carter out, but certainly no pain.
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With this one, I could NOT feel actual cutting, but did have quite a bit of pain. In fact, as soon as I mentioned "that hurts," the anesthesiologist asked Dr. Barton if we could wait another minute. Barton said "No. We're there already." But, before I had time to think about the urgency in his voice, we heard a gurgly cry (from the baby, not Dr. Barton).
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Now because this was an "urgent" c-section, we didn't have time for the small talk with the surgical team beforehand like we had with Carter. Baby cried a little and seemed to be doing well. No one looked concerned.
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And then the "talk" started...and Ryan was just standing there rather than taking pictures. After a minute or two, our nurse friend, Rena, made her way over to the baby. She turns to me and says "The baby's a girl, Trish. You had a GIRL." (This is the same friend that threw our baby boy shower a little over a month ago). THEN the chatter in the OR picked up. "Ooh, Dr. Barton...did YOU miss that?" (silence from Dr. Barton). Then I spoke up and told them it was Dr. Richey's office that told us we were having a boy. THEN Dr. Barton (and the two other docs) spoke up "Oooooh, the EXPERT did this!" Now people were catching on that we had been expecting a boy.
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So Ryan, the nurse and baby headed back to the room while I was being closed up. They got back to the room and started to laugh because she had prepared the room with all of the blue blankets, blue hats, blue shirts, etc. "Well this isn't right," she said and proceeded to break out the pink stuff!!
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Ironic how this is the only time we found out what we were having ahead of time. It's also the only time we managed to have our baby shower before the baby arrived. That'll teach us to stick to the surprise method if we ever have another (NO, I'm not saying we're having another).
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So, we don't really know what exactly was going wrong with the attempted labor. The risks of a VBAC are actually less than a scheduled c-section (IF you're a good candidate for a VBAC, which I was...not everyone is, of course). There aren't any real accurate predictors for when/if a uterus will rupture (the very small, but very serious risk of a VBAC), but a uterus that keeps contracting without a pattern and without progression of labor as well as abnormal pain levels CAN be indicators. That, combined with baby not responding well, were the reasons for Dr. Barton's call of intuition in cancelling the labor attempt and moving onto surgery. In surgery, baby was found to have the cord around her neck, but loosely so. It's possible the decelerations (especially that long one) were due to her pinching the cord. There's no way to know. Everything looked good when I was opened up (I had my first normal-appearing placenta!).
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I do wonder if my body would have responded better if I had gone into labor on my own, but I have NO REGRETS. I had Dr. Barton and his expertise here, making the decisions and I don't question his decision. I'm maybe a little disappointed, but not really. I wanted the opportunity and that's what I was given. We both knew we could still end up with a c-section. Our first priority was a healthy baby, our second priority was a successful VBAC.
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Right now, we're still practicing saying "she", "her", "daughter" and "sister" without hesitation.
I almost giggle every time I see Ryan pacing across the room, holding a bundle wrapped in a pink blanket and pink hat.
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My recovery this time is lots harder than it was with Carter. I'm not sure if I'm more of a wimp now...or if it's because I'm older...or what. I've been told that the recovery is more difficult when a trial of labor occurs first because the uterus gets all worked up and then gets cut into. I have some bruising due to the urgency of which the surgery was performed. With Carter, I think I took one dose of pain medication total. With this one, I'm on it every 4 hours. Kind of a bummer. I don't like pills. It hurts to snuggle a baby. But, I felt pretty good after a week with Carter, so I'm hoping for the same this time.
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And so, the day unfolded very differently than we planned...in so many ways...and we are feeling very blessed because of it!
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So here SHE is: Sadie Reagan Magee, born 11-13-09 at 12:41 p.m. SHE weighed 6 lbs, 14 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. She looks like Carter, but has the same dimples Logan had. She loves to snuggle with Mommy or Daddy. And even though I don't have any milk for her yet, she loves to nurse...for an hour or more at a time. Her hair is pretty light brown. She doesn't have a whole lot of hair on top or in the front, but has quite a bit in the back. I'm thinking she'll turn blonde.

Bright-eyed baby

Snuggle time with Mommy.

Are YOU my mother?


Sweet baby sleeping.

Very alert.

Logan was more interested in how my catheter worked than really checking out his baby sister.

The whole glamorous family.

The end of the road

November 13, 2009; it looks like that is going to be this baby's birthday. We're scheduled to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. (no wonder my OB is usually running late for my 10:30 appointments...when does he sleep?).
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As I mentioned in the last post, Dr. Barton wasn't very confident that I would make it to my due date next week. What I didn't mention was that he wanted to induce me this Friday because he was going to be in Anchorage for the weekend (for my peace of mind, not his convenience). Unfortunately, there were a few technicalities with scheduling at the hospital that didn't allow that. The hospital had two c-sections scheduled for Friday already, which means the operating room wouldn't have been available immediately in the rare event things go wrong with the risks of a VBAC. What that could have meant was that if this baby decided to arrive over the weekend and Dr. Barton couldn't get back from Anchorage in time, I would likely have been forced into another c-section to avoid the risk of VBAC. The other OB in town doesn't do VBAC's and the only other family practice physician that does VBAC's and c-sections is not allowed to do a VBAC if Dr. Barton isn't in town to back him up. Now, if I need a c-section because of baby trouble, I'm fine with it...but I do not want one because of a technicality. Needless to say, I've spent very little time these past few days actually sleeping, but rather worrying about the potential of "wrong timing."
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I spent much time reciting Philippians 4:6-7 to myself: "Do not be anxious about anything...and the peace of God...will guard your hearts..." But I have to admit, I wasn't feeling much peace. I kept hoping something would start between Monday and Wednesday...not because I'm tired of being pregnant but because then I'd KNOW things would work out the way I wished for (I'm a planner and a control-freak, remember?). I contracted every 4-6 minutes most of Wednesday afternoon, evening and night, but nothing that made me want to tell Ryan to get the car ready. So last night at church, I let my guard down a bit and told my friend Rena about my worries. Conveniently enough, she's one of the OB nurses at the hospital and told me that one of the ladies that had been scheduled for a c-section on Friday came in earlier in the week and had her baby early. She suggested I call Dr. Barton's office to see if this changed the potential for scheduling things for us on Friday. So I left a message with his office late Wednesday night. And then I spent the rest of the night telling God that if it was his will for me to have this baby naturally, he would reveal that to me...and if that wasn't his intention for me, I would learn to find peace with that as well, regardless of the reason. No sleep again.
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But, first thing this morning, Dr. Barton's office called and told me they had actually already been trying to get me into the "schedule" on Friday. And about an hour later, they called again and said everything is set for 5:30 a.m. I'm still not entirely convinced nothing will happen today. This kid is giving me some very intense pressure; I don't even like standing up anymore. Must have a big Magee head!
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So there ya go. Assuming I don't go into labor later today and assuming a bunch of ladies don't come into the hospital tonight to have their babies and bump me off "the list," we're ready to roll for tomorrow morning. It's a bit of a disappointment for me to pick an "artificial birthday" for this little guy, but I cannot even put into words the amount of relief I have knowing I'll have my own OB there tomorrow. I'll take the trade off, I guess. Dr. B's hoping to only have to break my water to get things going, given how far things were on Monday and how quick my first labor was with Logan. Does anyone know where the trampoline at the hospital is???
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I'm going to miss being pregnant, even if he has kept me up from 10-1 EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK with his intense boxing practice...but what fun to have made it this far. I'm beginning to feel I'm not ready to handle three kids, but I guess it's a wee bit late for second thoughts now...

39 weeks

School Program

Logan had his first school program last Thursday; it's theme was "No Name Creek" (a creek they had visited on several short field trips). Logan's role was a narrator as well as a beaver acting role (see headband).

Leaning into the mic to be heard. I was surprised by the number of lines he had. He memorized them all but needed to be prompted WHEN to say them.

He seemed quite aware that Mommy had the camera. I love it when kids try not to smile...



THE END!

Short baby update:

Still no more weight gain for me (I tried to eat a lot yesterday morning, but no luck on the poundage increase). Blood pressure was better. Baby's fluid was actually up over 12-something.

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Dr. Barton doesn't think it's very likely I'll make it to my due date. Obviously, babies come when they're ready, but my body has changed a lot in just 5 days since I saw him last. Last Wednesday, there were NO signs of labor beginning anytime soon. Now, baby has spun around and has his face pointing backwards (which is ideal) and is definitely putting the pressure on. Dilated 2-3 cm so far. I won't bore you (or gross you out) with more details than that. Some people are squeamish :) Anyway...he just said that with how drastically things have changed in just 5 days, he didn't think I'd be one of these ladies that is 1 cm one week and then 2 the next week...So the only thing I'm nervous about NOW is having another quick labor on a day when Barton's out of town. (We Type A's have to have SOMETHING to worry about !) Say a little prayer that nothing happens Thursday or Saturday this week.

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So, we wait...or rather, SHOP! I'm usually such a planner, but as I looked in baby's closet I realized we had ONE sleeper and TWO onesies in size 0-3 months. We have a few newborn things, but they only go up to 7 or 8 pounds, so I don't think this baby will be fitting in those for long. So after preschool, Carter and I hit up Freddie's and a local kid's/maternity store and picked up a few things to get by on. He was such a good boy all day, especially considering he didn't feel all that well. Hard to believe he's not going to be my baby much longer.
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Now...about those sewing projects...

Yikes - November's here!

We're a little late with the Halloween pics. It's a pretty mellow endeavor at our house; we hit up the grandparent's houses and one neighbor. Yet, our boys end up with a bucketful of candy from just those 3 places. Throw in a halloween party at each of their schools and they're pretty well set. It's not a whole lot of fun when it's freezing anyway. Their costumes end up being covered up by their jackets for the most part (though this year, it was 35 degrees, so it wasn't too bad).

The boys posing with their pumpkin carvings at Grandma Rita's.

Our very own Thomas and moustacheless Mario. We painted the moustache on...and Logan wanted it washed off. I think he was self-conscious about it. He insisted that everyone still knew who he was.

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Baby update:

Officially 38 weeks either yesterday or tomorrow, depending on which due date you'd like to use. Everything looked good today. Fluid was 11.3, baby was moving and "breathing", heartrate 148 (the baby's, not mine!). My blood pressure has been high the last 3 times, but doc doesn't seem too concerned about it. In the other pregnancies and earlier in this one, my blood pressure is really low (100/48, etc.). Anyway...nothing he seems too concerned about. My weight gain has stopped as well, which means it doesn't look like I'll meet my personal goal. I was hoping to reach 150. So far, I'm stuck at 146 1/2. Oh well. I've still gained a personal record of pregnancy weight with this one at 17 1/2 pounds.

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Doc thinks baby is "average size" now. No signs of imminent labor, which suits me just fine. My contractions picked up over the past week, but nothing to the point where I thought I was actually in labor. With Logan and Carter, especially Logan, I had steady contractions for at least six weeks before he was born. So again, experiencing the "norm" is kinda nice. Dr. Barton says if I haven't gone into labor on my own by the 20th and if my body looks "favorable to labor", he'd break my water and "maybe use a little bit of pitocin." BUT...that's a whole two weeks away. The nice thing about attempting a VBAC is I'm "stuck" with my usual OB; I won't end up with another doc. I don't trust some other docs judgement around here. If we had elected to have a scheduled a c-section, we'd be having a baby on the 12th. I'm very much looking forward to the opportunity to avoid that.

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So, I took Carter in to get his H1N1 nasal mist today. As I walked up to fill out his questionnaire, the lady actually asked me "Are you pregnant?" Now, I realize I am not the largest pregnant lady to ever walk the earth, but seriously?!? I also know some seem surprised to find out I'm due in just 2 weeks, but to question whether I am indeed pregnant? See for yourself...

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I'm thinking the next time I get that question, I'm going to answer "no" and see how he/she responds...

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38 weeks and still enjoying it all...