2015 :: week 35

August 23

Sunday afternoon Nana and the kids made chocolate chip cookies together. It was one of the activities the kids were looking forward to doing most while she was here. Shortly after the cookies were made Anthony left on his first business trip since Elliott was born. Thank goodness Nana was here to help, because I wasn't quite ready to face life with 3 kids on my own.

August 24

Elliott at the playground. Nana and I took the kids to the playground to burn some energy in the afternoon. I have a feeling that his life as a third child will involve lots of tagging along.

August 25

Will is one of 12 kids at his elementary school who is in half day kindergarten. One of the other moms has organized a few activities for the "half day kids." Tuesday afternoon we met up with the other families at South Lake Park for lunch. Will and some of the other boys had fun throwing rocks in the lake. I've been enjoying getting to know the other moms and kids Will goes to school with.



August 26

Wednesday was Nana's last full day with us. We went to Joe's KC for dinner and then spent time enjoying the beautiful weather in our front yard. Lauren rode her tricycle and Will and Anthony played catch. Nana helped make the transition from 2 to 3 kids go smoothly. Instead of the older kids feeling slighted that Anthony and I were spending so much time with Elliott, they got spoiled with attention from Nana.

August 27

We've started giving Elliott baths in the evening, before his last pre-bedtime feeding. He wasn't a huge fan at first, but came around and seemed to be enjoying himself by the time we took him out. It is fun having a few rituals that Anthony and I do with just Elliott. He's a pretty content baby and goes along with whatever we having going on quite well.

August 28

Wednesday was our 9th anniversary. Friday night my parents watched our kids and we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Sheridan's Unforked. I was in the mood for their strawberry banana chunk concrete and as usual, Anthony deferred to my preference. It's hard to imagine life without Anthony, I'm grateful that we found each other.

August 29

It was a bit cooler this week and we spent more time playing out front than we have in quite awhile. We've had fun getting to know our neighbors better too. When we first moved in to our house four years ago we were the only family on our block with kids not yet old enough to go to school. Since then six babies have been born. In the past year two of our closest neighbors had baby boys--one of which was born a week before Elliott. It's fun having neighbors our kids can play with.

ERJ :: birthstory

Anthony blogged real-time updates of Elliott's birth day, but I wanted to record his arrival from my point of view before I forget everything. His arrival has seemed to mark the beginning of the end for my memory.

From the beginning, for the most part, this pregnancy has been my easiest. My morning sickness was the most mild (thank you unisom!). I had the most energy, though I think that was due in large part to exercising until the morning of the day I was induced. And the way I carried Elliott was easier on my back when I was standing. With Will and Lauren I had a lot of pain in my hips and pelvic region when I was standing, but with Elliott I had the most pain (located in my lower back) when I was sitting. As with the others I had a lot of acid reflux and went through a lot of tums anytime I ate anything even mildly acidic, such as red sauces or citrus.

At my last doctor's appointments my doctor said my body was preparing for labor, though there wasn't much change between my 36 week appointment and my 39 week appointment. At my 40 week appointment we talked about the possibility of being induced and settled on an induction date of August 11th. I chose that date because it was the latest day I could be induced and be home in time for Will's first day of Kindergarten (Aug 14th), and still get my full stay in the hospital. I am someone who enjoys staying in the hospital.

The evening of August 10th we went to the elementary school's Ice Cream Social to drop off Will's school supplies and go to the new-families-to-the-school meeting to learn the drop off and pick up procedures. And to eat ice cream. We were there for less than an hour. We walked home, loaded into the car and dropped the kids of at my parent's house. The kids were very excited to have a sleepover with Memaw and Pepaw and totally not affected when we left. I was feeling a little sentimental, but not nearly as emotional as I did when we left for the hospital before Lauren was born. I came to realize after Lauren was born that adding additional children to your family multiplies your ability to love instead of taking away from the children you already have.

We checked into the hospital and had I made no new progress since my last appointment. I was a little bummed because I had been feeling contractions off and on all day, a first for me. They hooked me up to the monitors and waited for the cervadil. Once the cervadil was inserted I had to lay down for 2 hours. A little before midnight the nurse surprised us and asked us if we were hungry. She said I could eat once before midnight and brought both Anthony and I a meal packet containing a sandwich, bag of chips and cookie. An unexpected and welcome surprise.

I was given a sleeping pill to help with sleep. I slept pretty well, all things considered. At 6:40 I woke up and took a shower before the real fun began. My doctor stopped in just after 7am and broke my water. The contractions continued but came much faster with greater intensity. Within the hour the Pitocin began to drip and I felt like I was really in labor.

As the contraction increased so did the pain. Specifically the pain in my back. Throughout the latter half of this pregnancy I felt like I was carrying this baby differently than Will and Lauren and was very concerned the baby was breech. But at my last few appointments my doctor reassured me that the baby was head down. Once I was in labor it seemed like the baby was in posterior position (face up). With each contraction the pain was getting harder and harder to bear because both my abdomen and back were in a lot of pain. I told the nurse I wanted to get on my hands and knees, thinking I go into hands and knees position on the bed. The nurse told me she could move my adjust my bed and the bed turned into a chair with my kneeling on the bottom and leaning over like I was saying my prayers at the side of a bed. It was amazing! It still hurt, but I was able to work through each contraction much better. I labored like this for about an hour I think, though I was very focused on myself and getting through each contraction. My nurse gave me directions to turn my body in various ways between contractions to help the baby move in to an anterior position if possible.

Eventually the pain started to really get to me. I felt like a baby because it was still so early in the day, but I wanted to get an epidural. The anesthesiologist came quickly and administered the best epidural I've ever received. The pain stopped, but I could still feel the pressure of the contractions. The nurse checked me and said I was at an 8. I could hardly believe it! I was really relieved and so grateful that she had adjusted the bed for me so I could labor on my knees. I feel like being able to labor in that position really speed things along because gravity and the weight of the baby were working with me.

After the nurse checked me she said it was time to call the doctor. I was a little surprised because it was still so early. Will was born at 9:11pm, and Lauren at 6:30pm, so I was hoping to have this baby in the 3pm hour. The nurse told us she thought he'd be here before noon. I was skeptical, but totally okay with that timeline. In the meantime, though the pain was gone, the pressure had increased and I was feeling ready to push. The next part happened so fast I'm not sure I remember the timeline correctly. My nurse put me on oxygen because the baby's heart rate went down. Presumably because the cord was around his neck.  Unlike with Will, I only had to wear the oxygen for less than 5 minutes. By the time Dr. Proverbs arrived I was complete and the pushing commenced. After I pushed once they had me stop as they clamped the umbilical cord and unwrapped it from around the baby's neck. I pushed once more and he was out. Because he came so fast they had to clean out his throat and lungs.

After they did that we could hear tiny baby cries and they laid Elliott on my chest. I was so relieved to be done that it took me a few seconds to process that he was kind of purpley in color. Within a few minutes his color was much better. He rooted right away and nursed a little bit. After holding him for awhile the nurses took him and really cleaned him off.

My parents brought the kids to meet him about an hour after he was born.

Both Will and Lauren were excited to meet their little brother. Lauren was a bit hesitant at first, but warmed up quickly and soon became a great helper.

Getting to know Memaw and Pepaw

Our stay at the hospital was fantastic. I had great nurses in the postpartum unit and was able to get a bit of rest before heading home. Anthony stayed with Elliott and I one night. The kids came up to visit twice a day while we there.

 

My mom and the kids brought me some delicious mini bundt cakes which were a nice supplement to the hospital food. Thanks again, Mom!

Thursday afternoon we left for home. I was a little apprehensive and emotional about leaving the seclusion of the hospital and entering "real life" again. I only cried a few times that afternoon and only laid awake for about an hour that night worrying that something would happen while I was asleep.

Elliott is leaving the building

And now some miscellaneous hospital pictures:

And here are Elliott's stats for good measure:

We have felt a great outpouring of love in the past few weeks since Elliott was born. Many thanks to everyone who has shown us love! Having a new baby is always an adjustment, but the love and support we have felt from family and friends the past few weeks has really buoyed us up and made this transition the smoothest yet.

2015 :: week 34

August 16

Lauren got to give her first talk in Primary. She was very excited about the prospect of giving a talk, but less enthused when it was time came to deliver. She got a bit of stage fright, but was able to pull it off with a little help from her dad.

August 17

Monday was Lauren's first day of preschool. She is attending the same preschool that Will did the last two years, though with a different teacher. The class seems to be a great fit for her. There are eight kids in her class, four girls and four boys. Her teacher and the two aides in her classroom are really nice and I'm looking forward to what the upcoming year has to offer Lauren.

August 18

Tuesday marks two weeks of Elliott! The adjustment to having him in our family has been the "easiest" transition yet. He's a pretty content baby and is a universal family favorite. His only real flaw is that he doesn't sleep through the night, but given his age we'll give him a pass on that for now.

August 19

Nana came to town (arriving Monday night) to meet Elliott and help us transition to life as a family of five (maybe that's why this transition has been the easiest...). Wednesday afternoon we went to Deanna Rose and had a great time riding ponies, feeding the goats, playing on the playground and eating ice cream. We haven't been to the farmstead nearly as much this summer as we have previous years because long walks in the heat didn't really appeal to me while pregnant, so the kids were very excited to share some of our favorite farm activities with Nana.

August 20

We spent a fabulous afternoon at the zoo on Thursday. I want to thank everyone that has dissed and put down the KC Zoo over that past 5 years for setting my expectations nice and low, because I was shocked at how much fun we had. The weather was beautiful and it wasn't very crowded so it was a perfect setting for our family's first zoo trip.

August 21

Friday night we went to Franklin Park after dinner to burn some energy. While we were there we saw advertisements for a KU kickoff party at Corinth Square, just around the corner. The free kids activities tempted us so we stopped by. The kids each got some noisemaker swag and ran through some inflatables.



August 22

Another Elliott milestone: 10 days old!

2015 :: week 33

August 9

Sunday evening we took a walk after dinner and before bed. At this point I was doing all I could to get labor going. Unfortunately for Lauren, she can peddle her trike much faster that my 39 weeks 5 days pregnant self could move and she ended up doing a lot of waiting.

August 10

Monday evening we went to the ice cream social at Will's elementary school. We went to the new family meeting, met his teacher, turned in some forms (never ending forms!) and ate some ice cream. Immediately afterwards we dropped the kids off at my parent's house and headed to the hospital so I could be induced. I had been having irregular contractions throughout the day, and after discussing things with my doctor decided to get induced Monday night/Tuesday morning so I could be home for Will's first day of Kindergarten on Friday.

August 11

I told the nurse I hoped to have this baby by 3pm, since Lauren was born at 6:30pm and Will was born at 9:11pm. I could hardly believe it when the nurse told me I was complete and they were paging Dr. Proverbs just before 11am. Less than fifteen minutes later Elliott Robert was placed on my chest. It was hands down my best labor and delivery experience. We are smitten with the little guy and I find myself struggling to remember what life was like before he was with us.



August 12

Will and Lauren stopped by the hospital to visit several times during our 2 day stay. It was fun watching them interact and get to know their new brother. They were pretty cautious at first, but they both took to him pretty quickly, wanting to hold him and keeping tabs on his wakefulness.

August 13

Thursday afternoon we came home from the hospital, beginning our life as a family of five at home. I'm blaming it on my hormones, but I got weepy several times for no real reason. After we had been home for a few hours and I woke up from a nap, I happened upon this scene. Will and Anthony playing baseball in our front room with Lauren playing in the background and Elliott napping in the rock-n-play. Life was/is the same...but different.

August 14

Friday was Will's first day of Kindergarten. When my alarm went off Friday morning I felt like the living dead. I can't remember the last time I felt so tired. I couldn't believe that I had scheduled Elliott's induction around being home for Will's first day of school and I was barely functioning enough to get him to school on time. I had grand plans of making a big breakfast and having a fun relaxing morning together and that didn't happen. Will still had a great first day, despite the fact that we didn't have the perfect morning I envisioned.

August 15

I know it sounds crazy, but by Saturday afternoon I was feeling like I had seasonal affective disorder. I spent so much time in the sunshine this summer that after four days in a row of being almost exclusively indoors I was feeling a little stir-crazy. The kids needed to get out too. It was a gorgeous night, so we spent a few hours at the pool. Elliott and I lounged in the shade while Anthony and the kids played in the water.

2015 :: week 32

August 2

Sunday was the last full day Anthony and the kids spent at the cabin in Wisconsin. They posed for a few family pictures while everyone (but me) was there. There's always a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes for large group photos (coordinating outfits, wrangling kids, etc.).  This picture make me smile because I love the people in it and also because I can imagine the work that went in to making hit happen. Anthony and the kids left the cabin after dinner and stayed at a hotel in Minneapolis before making the rest of the drive home Monday.

August 3

The kids and Anthony arrived home just in time for dinner Monday evening. After we quickly ate some Creamy Chicken and Rice (one of their favorites because I missed them) we met my parents at the pool for an evening swim. After a long day in the car they had some energy to burn! And they loved showing off their swimming skills to Memaw and Pepaw.

August 4

The weather turned stormy quickly Tuesday afternoon. Anthony helped the kids build a fort with some couch cushions after dinner, and the fort kept them occupied for the rest of the night.

August 5

Thirty-nine weeks! I didn't really think that I would go into labor while Anthony and the kids were gone, but it was a relief to have them back and still be pregnant. At this point I was feeling very large (though not quite as large as I was with Will or Lauren) and easily worn out. It was taking me twice as long to get half as much work done and needing a "power nap" to get me through most afternoons.

August 6

While I was at a water aerobics class the kids told TJ that I had told them they could get ice cream (I have no recollection of telling them this). I had the car so they ended up walking to Chick-fil-A. I picked them up on the way home from class.

August 7

The closer we get to my due date the more sentimental I become. Not that I am not looking forward to having a new family member, but more a sense that life was going to change for all of us and there would be no going back. Friday was a busy day with doctor's appointments and van shopping. After dinner and one last evening swim we went to Hy-Vee, each picked out an individual ice cream, watched the Royals game, and picked up a few groceries. Because those are things we like to do (swim, ice cream, watch baseball) and that's what you do on your last Friday as a family of four.

August 8

Saturday we made our last trip to Bluejacket pool. Schools in the area start this next week which makes it hard to staff all the pools, so the city closes all but 2 of the outdoor pools. One of our favorite things about our neighborhood is the proximity of the pool.