Switching to New Blog

We are switching our blog to a different site and will no longer be posting on this blog. So if you would like to keep updated about our family please go to marksabrina.net. You can click the link and it should take you there! Thanks!

1st Week Home

My mom was able to come up and stay with us for four days. It was so nice to have her here to help me get adjusted to having three kids. The kids loved being able to spend some time and play with her. She was a huge help with the kids. Vanessa had a lot of fun playing with saving cream and coloring. They also had fun making "spiders" for lunch. My mom had the kids put spaghetti through hot dog chucks and cooked them. When they were fully cooked they looked like spiders. The kids thought that was super cool! We are so glad that she was able to come up for a few days to help us out. We are very grateful for her willingness to come up.

Sariah's 3 day check up was Monday, February 13. They checked her over and got her stats. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 19 inches long. She had lost 3 oz and 1 inch since birth. They also tested her levels of bilirubin. The test results came back which reveled that she had a small level of jaundice. The doctor wanted us to come back in two days to recheck the levels. The test is awful and I felt sick letting them poke my baby to get her blood. The levels came back from the second test and it had remained the same so they wanted to do another test the following day. I felt even worse taking her in for them to poke her heel. Her poor heels were so marked up and sore. Luckily, the results of the third test concluded that she would not have to get tested again. The level was slightly up but we were told to watch her coloring and if she seemed to look more yellow to bring her in. So far, she has taken to eating very well and the yellow color in starting to fade.

She continues to be such a sweet baby. She only cries when she is getting her diaper changed or when she is given a bath. She doesn't like the cold and I don't blame her. When she is hungry she grunts and whimpers and hardly ever cries. She is eating much better now which has been a huge relief to me! My milk supply sure came in fast after her delivery and I was in desperate need for her to get an appetite! 

 Mark was given a week of paternity level from work. It was so nice to have him home for so long. He was able to help me with the house chores, take Sariah to appointments, and entertain the kids while I took some much needed naps. He also enjoyed being able to spend time with Sariah and just love her. The kids have loved having him home! We sure wish he could just stay home with us all of the time.

 

Vanessa sure loves her baby sister. She asks about her all the time and likes to check on her to make sure she is OK. She loves to hold her and talk to her. She also informs me when she has a stinky diaper and is such a great helper. It is so fun to see her so excited to help out.

 

Owen is finally starting to warm up to her. He likes to now give her kisses and even helps me change her diapers. What a big helper! We are so lucky to have 3 amazingly cute kids!

Bringing Sariah Home

Because I was recovering so well, my doctor was able to release both Sariah and I within 24 hours after delivery. We were anxious to be able to get home and be with our family. Hospitals are just not that comfortable to stay in. My mom was able to meet us at the hospital just before we were released. She was able to help us pack things up and get ready to go home. We dressed Sariah in a pink sleeper that said "LOVE" and left her purple bow in that Dad picked out. I forgot how little newborns are! She looked so darn cute in her outfit and we couldn't wait to bring her home!

When we got home, we got things settled and waited for Mark's family to bring the kids home. They were much more comfortable meeting their baby sister in our home. Owen was still a bit distant but Vanessa took on her role as big sister very well! She loves to hold her and give her the most gentle kisses. She also loves rubbing her head and feeling her soft hair.  Owen likes to talk about his baby sister and likes to point out her facial features and name them. They are just too cute!

We also had some more visitors come! Michelle, Jeff, Aliyah, and Hailey came to visit us. Also, Great Grandma and Grandpa Carter came. They gave Sariah a yellow blanket and a teddy bear. It was fun to see them with all their great grandkids. They are now up to 5!

 We were so happy to finally have our baby girl home with us and to start this new adventure as a family of 5!

When 4 Became 5!

She is finally here! We welcomed our daughter, Sariah Kate, Friday, February 10, 2012! Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!

All about her birth! 

I had my 38 week check up Thursday morning and there wasn't much progress from the week before.  I was still dilated to 3 cm and 60% effaced. I was a bit disappointed because all week long I was having contractions. My doctor took her measurements and predicted that her weight was around 8 lbs 2 oz. He was a bit concerned that if I went to my due date that she would be a big baby for me to deliver. So we decided to set a date for induction on February 15. I was a bit bummed out because I really wanted to go into labor on my own and to have her naturally.

When I got home, I had a huge desire to get the house all cleaned and to finish up some of my projects. That night, lo and behold, I started having contractions at 11:00 pm. They were coming every 5 to 7 minutes apart. They weren't too uncomfortable so I was able to lie down and get a decent nights sleep only waking a few times. I woke up around 6:30 am to some fairly strong contractions which were coming every 2 to 3 minutes. Mark was getting ready for work when I told him that I thought that I was in labor. I was having to really breath through each contraction which led me to believe that it was the real thing. I tried calling my doctor to see if he wanted me to come in and get monitored but I couldn't get a hold of him til around 9:00 am. So in the meantime, we finished packing our hospital bags, got Vanessa off to school and called Mark's parents to come and pick up Owen. We loved that we weren't rushed and that we could get everything ready before we left to the hospital.

38 Weeks and in labor. We took this picture right before heading to the hospital.

We headed to the hospital and got all checked in by 10:00 am. The nurse hooked me up to the monitors and checked me. I was dilated to 4 cm. My contractions were getting stronger but coming farther apart. I was hoping that they wouldn't send me home due to the distance of my contractions. After being on the monitor for about an hour my contractions started to pick up pace and strength. The nurse called my doctor to let him know that I was in labor.  Yeah! I was so excited to know that we were going to have our baby! My doctor came to check on me around 12:15 pm. I was dilated to a 6 and progressing well.  He also was able to break my water to get things progressing faster.  The nurse around this time asked if me if I wanted an epidural. I told her no and she was a bit skeptical and tried talking me out of it. When she left the room I talked to Mark and told him that I knew I could do this. I asked him for a blessing for strength to be able to get through the labor and delivery. Getting the blessing really helped me and gave me the courage to finish it without medication.

After breaking my water and getting some patosin, my contractions really started to come on hard. Around 1:00 pm, I told Mark that I was feeling the need to push. The nurse came in to give me some medicine to take the edge off of the pain and checked me. I was dilated 8 cm and totally effaced. She left to go call the doctor to get him over for delivery. Well just after she left, I had a huge contraction and I told Mark to get the nurse quick because she was coming! My body just took over and I started to push. The nurse came in and told me to try and not push! In my mind, I thought, "Are you crazy! I can't stop!" That was the most painful part was trying to stop myself from not pushing! Another huge contraction came and there was no way I could stop pushing! I could feel that her head was starting to crown when my doctor finally came in the room. He got dressed just in time to deliver our baby girl!

Sariah Kate was born at 1:33 pm! I was able to hold her right after she arrived. She was perfect in every way. She cried for a second but then stopped when I held her. The first thing I noticed was her chubby cheeks and all her dark hair. She was beautiful! She weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. After getting cleaned up, we were able to hold our new baby girl! From the moment I saw her, my heart grew to make a spot for her. We were so glad to finally have her in our arms and to know that she was healthy and that everything went well.

 

 

After the delivery, the nurse told me that I did an amazing job and that the delivery couldn't have gone any smoother. She was very impressed with how I handled it. The delivery was amazing and perfect in every way! I would definitely have another baby naturally! It was by far my best experience. I was able to move around and not rely on others to help me walk or lift my legs. I wasn't in very much pain at all. I didn't tear or need and episiodomy which really helped with the pain and recovery.

I was moved to my recovery room while Mark was able to give Sariah her first bath. She didn't like getting wet again but sure loved her head being washed. Mark picked out the cute purple bow to put in her hair. 
After she was all cleaned up she was brought back to my room where we got to spend time loving and snuggling our baby girl. I love watching Mark with her. It just melts my heart to see the sweet expression on his face when he looks at her.  Sariah is such a sweet baby. She hardly cries and just sleeps a lot right now. She makes these little grunts and squeaks which are so darn cute! She is a pro at eating. As soon as she was born she latched right on. She looks quite a bit like Vanessa when she was born. Vanessa had more hair but their facial features are very similar. 
 

We were able to have some visitors come and see us while in the hospital. Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen, Arianne, Kimberly, Laura, Vanessa, and Owen. Vanessa and Owen were a bit scared when they saw me hooked up to the IV machine and lying in a weird bed. It took them a few minutes to warm up to Sariah especially Owen. When he first saw her, he stuck his fingers in his nose and said "She smells funny." We all thought that was hilarious! Vanessa got to hold her and she was pretty excited about that!

We had a relaxing night there at the hospital. I opted to let Sariah sleep in the nursery so I could get some sleep and recover from the day. They brought her back in the morning and we had fun holding her and loving her.

We are so happy that Sariah's arrival was safe and that she is a healthy and happy baby. I couldn't have asked for a better third baby! We love her so much and are so excited that she is a part of our family now. We are excited to be able to watch her grow and progress.
 

37 Weeks

One week closer!!! I had another doctor appointment and things are progressing. Baby "Tina" is getting bigger. Her predicted weight is now 7 lbs 2 oz.  My doctor said that she has a chubby belly and that she looks very healthy. It will be interesting to see if the weight predictions are accurate. If they are she will most likely be an 8 pound baby if I go to 40 weeks. 

I was excited to find out that I did not test positive for Step B this pregnancy! It was an answer to my prayers. When I was delivering Owen, I had to to have antibiotics administered through my IV to ward off any infections due to Strep B. Due to him coming so quickly, they had to increase the flow of medicine which ended up being very, very, very painful. It was worse then delivering the baby. My body felt like it was on fire! It was a horrible experience. So finding out that I don't have Strep B this time is a relief. I will not have to worry about having another experience like that.

Just a little over two more weeks until my due date. We are all ready for her arrival and we are just waiting for her to decide when she wants to come.  We are hoping for her to come just a little bit early. We are getting excited to meet her!

A Weekend Visit with Friends

Our good friends, Josh and RoShawn, came to stay with us for the weekend after their sister's wedding. We were so excited to have their cute family stay with us. We always love having them over. The kids had a lot of fun playing together. The girls played dress up, Barbies, and much more during their stay. Owen had a harder time tying to play with Carsten. He liked to boss him around and take his toys away. They had their good moments though. Mark and Josh were able to play some video games together while RoShawn and I just talked. The time just flew by too quickly and it was time for them to go. We wish they lived closer so we could get together more but we really appreciate them taking the time to come and stay a few days with us. We had a lot of fun! We are lucky to have such great friends!

Cinderella's Carriage

This past weekend, we were invited to take the kids on a Cinderella Carriage ride. Our good friends sister got married and they had a carriage at the reception. When I told Vanessa what we were going to do she got super excited and started to squeal. She insisted that she wore her Cinderella dress and have her hair just like Cinderella. We couldn't refuse her sweet request so we got her all dressed up. We were able to meet up with our friends and go for a ride. The kids loved it. They couldn't stop giggling. What a fun memory to have with them. I love seeing them so happy and excited.

Half Birthday and Library Field Trip

On Friday,, Vanessa was able to celebrate her half birthday at school since her birthday is in the summer. She was so excited to be able to bring treats to her class. We talked about what kind of treat she wanted to bring and I named some options. Her final pick was to make Cinnamon Pops with pink icing. We found a good cinnamon roll recipe and got to work making them. I we just made mini sized cinnamon rolls and stuck them on sucker sticks. After they were cooled we piped on some frosting and sprinkled them with sprinkles. To add a little flair, I tied some ribbon around each stick. They turned out super cute and delicious! Vanessa's class loved them and she had a lot of fun being sung to and she even got a birthday girl crown.

Vanessa's class was also able to go on another field trip. This month it was to the local library. Her favorite part about the trip was story time. She also got to pick out a few books to check out and take home to read.

Bubbles Are So Fun!

This post is a bit out of order, but I wanted include it because the kids had so much fun. We went over to Grandma's and while there, the kids were able to help Laura out with some homework. Laura is in a Child Development class and needed to test out an activity so she had the kids make some bubble art and face masks. They had a lot of fun blowing the bubbles up big with the straws and also coloring their masks. Owen of course had to color his mask green and have green bubbles. Vanessa's did a great job on her mask. She was very detailed in her coloring. It was a great activity which kept the kids entertained.

Dinner with Friends

We were able to have my friend, Dani, her husband, Jared, and their little boy, Jack come up and have dinner with us this past Sunday. It was so darn good to see her. I have really missed seeing and talking with her. Once we graduated high school, we haven't been able to see each other very much.  Life takes you in different directions. It was so much fun chatting with her and reminiscing about our past. We sure did have a lot of fun while growing up. It was also fun to chat about our pregnancies and be able to relate to someone. She is due just one week after me and is having a baby girl too!

We got to eat a yummy dinner and play some games while the kids played together. It was just what I needed. Thanks Dani, Jared and Jack for coming up. We loved your company and hope that we can get together again soon!