Genevieve Violet Holyoak

Genevieve Violet Holyoak

August 30, 2012

6:49 a.m.

9 lbs 15 oz

21.5 in

Our Bags are Packed...

...and we're ready to go.

Well, we're physically ready to go.  I'm still on the fence about whether this is something I want and feel is wise to do or not.  But I think it's too late now and I do feel a little better about the whole thing.  Hopefully in a few hours we'll have a healthy little baby girl to hold and snuggle and keep us awake all night.

 Me at 40 weeks, 6 days, and 23 hours

 

Thank you to all of you who posted comments and encouragement about your own inductions and worries you had.  They really have helped me to feel a bit better about this entire situation.  It helps to know that I'm not alone in my worries and that things can and mostly do turn out okay.  I feel like your support is an answer to my prayers and has helped me feel like I'm not completely crazy.  I feel fortunate to have great friends, a wonderful family, and an amazing husband right now.

Thank you!

A Movie Before the Baby Arrives

This morning we took the kids to see the last dollar movie of the summer.  Each year some of the theaters do 10:00 A.M. kid movies for a dollar.  Last year I took Audrey to a few of them and this year I had planned on taking both kids.  But something always seemed to come up and the past few weeks I completely forgot about them.  Last night I remembered and checked the schedule and decided to take the kids to see Mr. Popper's Penguins.  We read this book to Audrey and I thought it would be fun to see the movie with her. 

It was completely different from the book but she still enjoyed it.  Truman liked it too, although he did ask several times if it was almost over and loudly told me it was a long movie.  Audrey loved the kid pack my parents got for her and Truman thoroughly enjoyed the giant pack of fruit snacks he was allowed to pick out.  It was a nice way to spend the morning and you really can't beat a dollar movie.

Visitors

Due to the (still) impending arrival of our new baby my parents made the long flight to help us out.  They've been here a little over a week and the kids are loving all of the attention.  I think my parents have played around 874 games of Uno Moo! and Mickey Mouse Yahtzee and another 543 of all the other preschool type games we have.  The kids love to play games.

It's been so great having them here and I'm glad they'll be here for another two weeks.

I took these pictures on Sunday morning, August 26.  Audrey is wearing the dress my mom made her.  Oh, how I wish Truman would give me a real smile these days!

On Sunday evening we all went to Matt's parents' house for a delicious dinner of freshly caught Alaskan salmon, courtesy of his Aunt Arlene and Uncle Dick.  Arlene is Glade's sister and though we exchange Christmas cards and send birth announcements I've never had the pleasure of meeting her.  It was so great to finally meet them and spend some time talking.  We had a fantastic dinner and enjoyed the company.  Here is a picture of Matt and the kids with Arlene.  The men snuck away to help move a piano before I realized they were going so there are no pictures of them.

 



Before we left Matt and the kids played some music for all of us.

 



These last few pictures were taken on Monday, August 27.  Grandma and Grandpa took the kids blackberry picking, something the kids have been talking about doing for months!  The berries are still a little on the sour side, but that hasn't stopped the kids from eating them or the rest of us from eating the delicious blackberry cobbler my mom made.  My mom read one of Matt's old, recently discovered Calvin and Hobbes books to Audrey while both kids munched.

We do love visitors!

Still No Baby

As of today I am 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant. 

We are still waiting for the arrival of our newest family member.

I am hoping that her lateness is not an indication of what life with her will be like.

I am currently scheduled to go to the hospital tomorrow night at midnight to be induced.  I feel like that is probably what will happen.  I think the chance of me going into labor in the next 24 hours is a pretty slim possibility.  This is harder for me than I had imagined.

It's not the being pregnant that is difficult.  I don't love being pregnant and there are some things that I won't miss--like having to stand sideways to do the dishes and getting up three times a night to go to the bathroom--but I feel fine so I don't mind a few extra days.  It's the emotional aspect of having a late baby that is really getting to me.  Audrey and Truman were both on time and so I expected that this one would be too.  Sure, I was prepared to go a day or two on either side of my due date, but a week?  I was not prepared for this.  It's much more emotionally draining than I could have imagined.  I don't know if anyone else feels like this when they go past their due date or if it's just me.

I had a doctor appointment on Monday.  When I scheduled it last Wednesday I truly believed that I wouldn't make it in.  But I did.  I had an ultrasound and the baby looks fine.  I have more fluid than is typical at this stage, but she's measuring about what she should.  We were surprised to see that she's only estimated at 8 pounds 13 ounces, which is much smaller than any of us expected.

After the ultrasound I had a non-stress test which also went well.  She's active, her heart rate is good, and she handles contractions well, although I only had one the entire time I was hooked up to the monitors.

Then I saw the doctor and received the news that really burst my bubble.  Last Wednesday when  I went in I was dilated to a 1 1/2, almost a 2.  On Monday I was only at a 2.  I thought for sure I'd be further along.  But I wasn't.

It all happened so fast and the news was so different than anything I expected that I wasn't thinking all that clearly until later in the day.  That's when I started to wonder if inducing is really the best option.  So now I'm worried that I'm making a mistake.  She's small (for me) so letting her grow another several days wouldn't hurt anything.  I feel fine and she's doing fine so I don't think there's any reason to rush.  I wish I had thought to talk to my doctor about all of this, but I didn't.  So now I'm scheduled for an inducement one week after my due date, which is pretty standard, and I'm questioning if that is really the right option.  I know that if there are any complications or problems with the labor and delivery that I will feel it is my fault for being induced.  I know that problems can arise anytime, but the last two were problem free so if this one is different I'll feel that was the reason.

Another thing that makes this hard is that I feel like I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs now.  I've been super focused on getting things done this entire pregnancy.  We worked up until my due date making sure we were prepared for this baby's arrival.  We didn't get everything done that I wanted finished, but we got the most pressing things and all of the baby stuff done.  Then we sat back and waited.  And waited.  And we're still waiting.

There are more projects I could do, but it's hard to start something when you feel like any minute you could go into labor.  Plus, I'm tired.  Physically, mentally, and emotionally.  This is truly exhausting.  I thought I was ready and instead I find myself re-doing things so I'll be ready a week later than I had planned.  My toes are repainted, I've done loads and loads of more laundry, and I changed all the sheets again on Monday.  I should probably re-clean the entire house.  But I won't.

I prepped my parents for everything they'd have to do last week and today I re-prepped them for this week.  Matt had a week's break from a big project at work starting last Wednesday.  He still had to work, but he didn't have a huge project deadline looming.  Tomorrow the project is back and he has a week to write some big rebuttal brief (or something like that).  Thursday is Audrey's meet the teacher barbecue at school.  We had all planned on going but it looks like my parents will be taking her instead.  The arrival of this little girl is not coming at the most ideal time.  Plus, with her so close to the end of August I now have the added worry about when she'll start school.  She'll make the cutoff by just two days.  Now I'm worried that maybe she's supposed to be born in September so that she'd be a grade younger.  I know this is all kind of ridiculous and maybe even slightly irrational, but I'm almost 41 weeks pregnant so I think I'm allowed.

All of that being said, I really am excited to meet this little girl.  We all are.  The kids can't wait and tell me everyday how they'll help with the baby.  Even little Truman tells me how he'll help me change her diaper and get her dressed and share his toys.  They are both so sweet.  Audrey hasn't complained at all about having to share her room with her baby sister.  I'm excited to see what color hair she'll have.  Matt and I both have guesses and I want to see who is right.  I'm also excited to finally make a decision on her name.  We still haven't decided yet.

Baby, I love you and I am excited for you to join our family.  If you could, would you please come tonight or tomorrow?  I would really appreciate it and we are all so anxious to meet you. 

Mini Golf and Slurpees

Audrey has been asking to go play mini golf all summer and on Monday, August 6, we finally went for FHE.  Audrey did a great job and Truman was kind of hysterical.  He would grab his ball, put it right next to the hole, and then putt it in.  There was a group of older people in front of us and they got a kick out of watching Truman play golf.  It was a very nice activity for our little family and we all enjoyed it.  This was the first time Matt and I had been to play mini golf since we went in March of 2004, less than a year after we got married.

 Pops gave Audrey some lessons in how to hold her putter.

 

 

 They had lots of different hydrangeas all over the course and I thought they were so pretty.

 

 

 Our little family.

 

 

 For refreshments we went to 7-11 and got Slurpees.  These were the first Slurpees the kids had ever had.  Truman loved his and drank every drop.  Audrey drank a little and then declared that she didn't like it.  She said it just didn't taste right.  Weird to have a kid who doesn't like Slurpees. 

 

 

With this post I am officially caught up!
(Well, pretty much.  I still have a couple posts I could do, but they aren't pressing.)

I Love to See the Temple

Last summer we took the kids camping because Audrey really, really, really wanted to go.  This summer there was no way I was camping.  Matt planned on taking the kids with his dad, but at the last minute his dad remembered he had a previous commitment so the trip was off.  I don't think Matt had done much planning so it wasn't a big deal but he knew Audrey would be disappointed.  We proposed the idea of backyard camping to her and she thought that was a great idea.  On Friday, August 3, Matt set up the tent in our yard and got everything ready for a night of sleeping outside. 

Truman was pretty excited about it too, but he had refused to take a nap that day and I think his exhaustion got the better of him because he passed out on his own before bedtime.  Matt even tried to wake him up and asked him if he wanted to sleep in his bed.  He said he did so Matt put him to bed and he slept all night.  In the morning he went out to the tent and climbed in his sleeping bag for awhile so I think that satisfied his camping desire so that he didn't feel left out.

That night Audrey, Matt, and I stayed up late watching the Olympics until Audrey finally went outside and put herself to bed.  She was one tired girl.  Matt soon joined her and I went upstairs to sleep in bed.

The next morning Matt went and played basketball at church and then came home and broke up camp.  We worked on the garage all morning and then after naps we packed a picnic late lunch and went to catch the ferry.

The kids love riding the ferry and I love when we can have a picnic because it helps keep them occupied.

The other thing they love is playing these games.  They don't really play them.  They just like to sit and steer and pretend they're playing them.

 



We made it to Seattle and after a close call on one of the bridges we finally made it to the temple.  Last year Audrey started asking to go see the temple.  We wanted to take the kids last summer but ran out of time.  I was determined take them this year and the cancelled camping trip opened up the perfect opportunity.

The kids had a great time exploring the temple grounds, especially the "secret pathways" through the trees.

 



This particular day happened to be one of the hottest of the summer, hence the red faces and glistening foreheads in all the pictures.  Even though we got to the temple after 6:00 P.M. it was still really hot outside.  But the temple is beautiful and I love walking around the grounds and it was nice to be there as a family.  Sometimes they drive me crazy, but the temple reminds me how lucky I am to have them forever.

After the temple we drove to Ikea where we shopped for a couple of items and had a surprisingly good dinner.  We finished our night with ice cream cones on the way out of the store and then caught the ferry home and put the kids to bed way past their bedtime.

It was a very productive day and very productive weekend.  Those are the best!