This next one makes me laugh. I'm sure I have that expression all the time at home. LOL!!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Meet and Greet (Part 4: Tanner)
Tanner was about ready to burst, he was so excited about this baby. I was so proud of him for being patient and letting his younger brothers go first. He looked like a pro right from the start.
Meet and Greet (Part 3: Landon)
Landon was enamored with the little guy, until he saw one of his brothers playing a game on a phone and lost his focus :)
Meet and Greet (Part 2:Kellen)
Kellen was the first to hold Baylor, since he'd never been the BIG brother before :)
Meet and Greet (Part 1)
These pics are just too precious for me not to post! There are a ton of them, so I'm going to have to break this up into a few different posts, but this moment was truly one of the highlights of my life thus far. Having older kids who really understand the idea of welcoming a new baby to the family is so special! Keep in mind, Baylor was born around midnight on a Tuesday night. The boys had to make it through an entire day of school before they could come up to meet Baylor! And, my mom made them shower and change their clothes when they got off the bus from school because she wanted them fresh and clean! (It was unbearably hot outside for a few days while I was in the hospital with Baylor).
Saturday, September 10, 2016
He's Here!
What an exciting few days it's been at our house!
The big boys had their first day of school on Tuesday, Sept 6. Landon started 2nd Grade with Mrs. Chorny, and Tanner started 3rd with Mr. Paulus. I was so happy to be able to get them ready for school that first day and then to hear all about it when they got home. My due date was Wednesday, Sept 7, and my goal was to get the boys in school before delivery.
While they enjoyed their first day, Kellen and I spent the morning cuddling on the couch and then headed to my weekly OB appointment to check up on the baby. I had been feeling pretty normal, other than lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. On one hand, this was a good thing -- I so wanted to have the boys in school before the baby came! On the other hand, I felt like I was never going into labor! I do love those last few weeks of pregnancy -- waking up every day wondering if "today is the day!" But, the suspense can be a little excruciating :) I had texted back and forth with my doctor about having my membranes stripped at my appointment, and we both thought it would be a good idea.
The doctor checked my cervix at the appointment and I was 1-2cm dilated and 70-80% effaced. He stripped my membranes and Kellen and I left to get on with the rest of our day. I really enjoyed having the day with just Kellen while the big boys were gone. We went to Martin's for a donut date, ran a few errands, and then took a walk around the neighborhood with Kellen on his bike. Afterwards, we had lunch, watched another short movie together, and then both took a nap. Before I knew it, it was time to pick the big boys up from the bus. I couldn't wait to hear all about their first day! I had been feeling a little crampy all day. I suspected labor was going to start sometime in the next 24 hours.
The afternoon flew by after that. I hung out with the kids, got the little ones ready for their football practice, and tried to get some things organized in case I was at the hospital the following day. By the time Jon got home and took Landon and Kellen to football, I was starting to have some definite contractions. They were pretty mild, despite being 2-4 minutes apart right off the bat. I had promised to bring popsicles to practice, so Tanner and I went to Walgreens to pick them up, then headed over to the football fields to watch. I told Tanner that I was having contractions and he was super excited (although maybe a little worried)! He kept saying -- "Can I please go out and tell Daddy you're having contractions?!!" I'm convinced he's going to be a doctor some day. The entire pregnancy was incredibly interesting to him and he loved to ask questions about the pregnancy itself and delivery.
As soon as the boys got home from practice, my mom came over to get them and take them to her house. Jon and I were in the car, heading to the hospital by 8:30. My contractions were still pretty manageable, but I wanted to make sure I was at the hospital before things started to get intense. I definitely didn't want a repeat of last time!! Also, I was positive for Strep B, which means I needed to get an infusion of antibiotics during labor. By the time I got put in a room and the nurses started my IV, it was about 9:30, and the contractions were getting more intense. When the nurse first checked me, she said I was 4cm, which didn't seem like much. A few minutes later, she came back and said that after she thought about it, she felt like I was really 5-6 cm. That sounded much better! My plan was to deliver without any epidural or pain meds, so I tried to just relax as much as possible as my labor progressed. I found the most comfortable position was laying on my side.
My friend and OB, Alissa, arrived and checked me again -- 7cm -- moving right along! I had been having a ton of pain at the site of my IV, and finally asked that they please move it to a different location. The pain in my arm was even worse than my contractions! As they changed my IV, I started to feel super irritable, nauseous, and overheated -- I was definitely transitioning. Finally, around 11:25, I felt like I was ready to push and the nurses found Alissa to get everything set up for delivery. The pushing was the hardest part -- I felt like I had no energy to get this baby out! After what seemed like an hour (but really was only about 12 minutes), I finally delivered my new baby boy, screaming "Get this baby OUT!!" :) Jon delivered him with Alissa's help. As soon as he was out, I felt so much better!
I am so thankful my labor went so smoothly. I would do it all over again exactly the same way. God's timing was perfect -- someone was available to watch the kids, Jon was there to get me to the hospital. I am always amazed at how these details tend to just work themselves out.
Because I wasn't able to get all of my antibiotics before Baylor was born, I had to stay in the hospital an extra night. At first this seemed like it would be AWESOME to get an extra night's rest before going home to the craziness of my house, but I was definitely ready to get back home after a night or two. The hospital was lonely -- Jon was in the middle of a huge project at work, and couldn't take any time off to be with me. It was a little too quiet!! The highlight was having my boys come up and see Baylor each day. They were so so excited! The best part about adding to your family is watching your kids love on the new baby!!
I came home on Friday afternoon. The doctors were taking forever to release me, and Jon had to go to another work meeting, so I ended up having to call my dad to come pick me up! A little embarrassing and crazy, but at least we all got home! I spent the rest of the day watching Kellen snuggle Baylor and just enjoying the two of them. The big boys were surprised and excited to get off the bus and see us waiting for them with the stroller! I was so glad to finally be home with ALL my boys!!
The big boys had their first day of school on Tuesday, Sept 6. Landon started 2nd Grade with Mrs. Chorny, and Tanner started 3rd with Mr. Paulus. I was so happy to be able to get them ready for school that first day and then to hear all about it when they got home. My due date was Wednesday, Sept 7, and my goal was to get the boys in school before delivery.
Landon ran into a tree in the yard while trying to catch a fly ball the day before -- good thing it wasn't picture day!!
While they enjoyed their first day, Kellen and I spent the morning cuddling on the couch and then headed to my weekly OB appointment to check up on the baby. I had been feeling pretty normal, other than lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. On one hand, this was a good thing -- I so wanted to have the boys in school before the baby came! On the other hand, I felt like I was never going into labor! I do love those last few weeks of pregnancy -- waking up every day wondering if "today is the day!" But, the suspense can be a little excruciating :) I had texted back and forth with my doctor about having my membranes stripped at my appointment, and we both thought it would be a good idea.
The doctor checked my cervix at the appointment and I was 1-2cm dilated and 70-80% effaced. He stripped my membranes and Kellen and I left to get on with the rest of our day. I really enjoyed having the day with just Kellen while the big boys were gone. We went to Martin's for a donut date, ran a few errands, and then took a walk around the neighborhood with Kellen on his bike. Afterwards, we had lunch, watched another short movie together, and then both took a nap. Before I knew it, it was time to pick the big boys up from the bus. I couldn't wait to hear all about their first day! I had been feeling a little crampy all day. I suspected labor was going to start sometime in the next 24 hours.
The afternoon flew by after that. I hung out with the kids, got the little ones ready for their football practice, and tried to get some things organized in case I was at the hospital the following day. By the time Jon got home and took Landon and Kellen to football, I was starting to have some definite contractions. They were pretty mild, despite being 2-4 minutes apart right off the bat. I had promised to bring popsicles to practice, so Tanner and I went to Walgreens to pick them up, then headed over to the football fields to watch. I told Tanner that I was having contractions and he was super excited (although maybe a little worried)! He kept saying -- "Can I please go out and tell Daddy you're having contractions?!!" I'm convinced he's going to be a doctor some day. The entire pregnancy was incredibly interesting to him and he loved to ask questions about the pregnancy itself and delivery.
As soon as the boys got home from practice, my mom came over to get them and take them to her house. Jon and I were in the car, heading to the hospital by 8:30. My contractions were still pretty manageable, but I wanted to make sure I was at the hospital before things started to get intense. I definitely didn't want a repeat of last time!! Also, I was positive for Strep B, which means I needed to get an infusion of antibiotics during labor. By the time I got put in a room and the nurses started my IV, it was about 9:30, and the contractions were getting more intense. When the nurse first checked me, she said I was 4cm, which didn't seem like much. A few minutes later, she came back and said that after she thought about it, she felt like I was really 5-6 cm. That sounded much better! My plan was to deliver without any epidural or pain meds, so I tried to just relax as much as possible as my labor progressed. I found the most comfortable position was laying on my side.
My friend and OB, Alissa, arrived and checked me again -- 7cm -- moving right along! I had been having a ton of pain at the site of my IV, and finally asked that they please move it to a different location. The pain in my arm was even worse than my contractions! As they changed my IV, I started to feel super irritable, nauseous, and overheated -- I was definitely transitioning. Finally, around 11:25, I felt like I was ready to push and the nurses found Alissa to get everything set up for delivery. The pushing was the hardest part -- I felt like I had no energy to get this baby out! After what seemed like an hour (but really was only about 12 minutes), I finally delivered my new baby boy, screaming "Get this baby OUT!!" :) Jon delivered him with Alissa's help. As soon as he was out, I felt so much better!
I am so thankful my labor went so smoothly. I would do it all over again exactly the same way. God's timing was perfect -- someone was available to watch the kids, Jon was there to get me to the hospital. I am always amazed at how these details tend to just work themselves out.
Because I wasn't able to get all of my antibiotics before Baylor was born, I had to stay in the hospital an extra night. At first this seemed like it would be AWESOME to get an extra night's rest before going home to the craziness of my house, but I was definitely ready to get back home after a night or two. The hospital was lonely -- Jon was in the middle of a huge project at work, and couldn't take any time off to be with me. It was a little too quiet!! The highlight was having my boys come up and see Baylor each day. They were so so excited! The best part about adding to your family is watching your kids love on the new baby!!
I came home on Friday afternoon. The doctors were taking forever to release me, and Jon had to go to another work meeting, so I ended up having to call my dad to come pick me up! A little embarrassing and crazy, but at least we all got home! I spent the rest of the day watching Kellen snuggle Baylor and just enjoying the two of them. The big boys were surprised and excited to get off the bus and see us waiting for them with the stroller! I was so glad to finally be home with ALL my boys!!
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
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