Since we are ringing in the new year in exactly 2 hours and 40 minutes I thought I would change my template. I needed something simple and fresh since my life is full of absolutely normal chaos and I don't need the extra color clutter:) There are so many things I have been wanting to tell all you blogging friends but just can't seem to find the time to sit down and really let my mind talk to you. And of course just now, when I do have a few minutes I cannot think of anything wonderful or profound to say at all! Oh! I forgot! Talking about change, we decided to cut off Judah's locks. It took me some time to convince Jonah as he really liked them (so did I but there were reasons and I will be doing them again in the future, just a different way) and I had to promise that I would let his hair grow into a small fro. No problem because we both think he looks horrible with short hair! If you thought he looked like a girl with long hair he looks even more like one now with no hair at all! I hesitate to post a picture but will have to do so eventually.
Alright, off to bed! No, I'm not staying up to ring in 2008, although Sarah is at a kids' new years eve party with some friends and I'm sure will be doing all the celebrating for us!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
The rest of Justus' story
After Justus was born and the nurses were doing their thing with him we just watched in awe with Shanna looking on from her bed. We were told that there were no recovery rooms available and that we would have to wait here for 2 hours and would be moved straight to the mother/baby unit. At this time I had no clue that they were going to give me a bed too, I just thought I would stay next to Shanna and help her with the baby. The delivery room was disgusting with amnionic fluid and blood on the floor, a bloody table with the placenta sitting in a dish and another table with the ambilical cord waiting to have the blood drawn out of it. Amidst all of that it was the most wonderful time. Shanna put the baby in my arms to hold and gaze at. He just stared with his eyes wide and alert (which is something he does, he is the most alert 3 week old I've seen). Then I asked Shanna if she wanted to nurse him. We had discussed this before and both decided it was what was best for Justus. He would get the colostrum he needed and give him a head start on breastfeeding when it came time for me to take over.
It seemed that Shanna cherished this time and the following night with Justus. We had talked about her wanting to spend the day he was born with him to say goodbye, this turned into the whole night and 1/2 of the next day. Amazingly, I wasn't worried about her changing her mind. I trusted her choice and the relationship we had formed and knew that if she DID change her mind it wouldn't have been to hurt me. My basic function was to take Justus from her arms when a nurse needed to check her and to change his diaper. He was latched on to her for most of the night and the next morning.
At around 10 the day after he was born the lactation consultant came to talk to me and we decided that she would come back in 2 hours to help me get started. I talked to Shanna about this and she seemed alright with it all. When it came time for it though, she left in a hurry after handing me the baby and was gone for about an hour. It happened very fast and I think she felt that she had just given him to me for good and her time with him was over, not exactly true but it almost was. Things went well with the LC and Shanna returned to the room. A nurse came in to get discharge going for Shanna and Jonah and I left the room so that she could have some time to say goodbye to him. She cried, I cried. I cannot even imagine what she was feeling. Talk about heartache. When we came back we learned that even though Shanna was leaving Justus was being admitted to the Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU) for low platlet levels and high bilirubin levels. We were devestated. Our other 5 children were 500 miles away and we wanted to get home after being gone four days.
To make a long story short J was in the NICU for 5 days and FINALLY we got to bring him home. He is nursing amazingly well and getting big and strong. He sleeps really well at night usually only waking up once between 4 and 6 and is the most content baby. He loves to be held and stare at peoples faces and has the cutest little nose. Shanna and I talk on the phone 2 or 3 times a week and she keeps telling me how wonderful it is to know that he is in a good place. She loves that I wear him a lot and that whenever she calls he hasn't once cried while we were talking. We have developed somewhat of a friendship and I enjoy conversations with her.
This boy is so lovely and sweet and Jonah and I have fallen completely head over heels in love with him. So have the rest of my family.
It seemed that Shanna cherished this time and the following night with Justus. We had talked about her wanting to spend the day he was born with him to say goodbye, this turned into the whole night and 1/2 of the next day. Amazingly, I wasn't worried about her changing her mind. I trusted her choice and the relationship we had formed and knew that if she DID change her mind it wouldn't have been to hurt me. My basic function was to take Justus from her arms when a nurse needed to check her and to change his diaper. He was latched on to her for most of the night and the next morning.
At around 10 the day after he was born the lactation consultant came to talk to me and we decided that she would come back in 2 hours to help me get started. I talked to Shanna about this and she seemed alright with it all. When it came time for it though, she left in a hurry after handing me the baby and was gone for about an hour. It happened very fast and I think she felt that she had just given him to me for good and her time with him was over, not exactly true but it almost was. Things went well with the LC and Shanna returned to the room. A nurse came in to get discharge going for Shanna and Jonah and I left the room so that she could have some time to say goodbye to him. She cried, I cried. I cannot even imagine what she was feeling. Talk about heartache. When we came back we learned that even though Shanna was leaving Justus was being admitted to the Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU) for low platlet levels and high bilirubin levels. We were devestated. Our other 5 children were 500 miles away and we wanted to get home after being gone four days.
To make a long story short J was in the NICU for 5 days and FINALLY we got to bring him home. He is nursing amazingly well and getting big and strong. He sleeps really well at night usually only waking up once between 4 and 6 and is the most content baby. He loves to be held and stare at peoples faces and has the cutest little nose. Shanna and I talk on the phone 2 or 3 times a week and she keeps telling me how wonderful it is to know that he is in a good place. She loves that I wear him a lot and that whenever she calls he hasn't once cried while we were talking. We have developed somewhat of a friendship and I enjoy conversations with her.
This boy is so lovely and sweet and Jonah and I have fallen completely head over heels in love with him. So have the rest of my family.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The story to Justus
Ok, I am going to do this in doses and then post it all at once since I think it may take me a while.
On Saturday Dec. 1 we got a call at about 7 pm from Shanna that it was time and we should head up. She was having contractions and even though they were irregular she told us that they never were regular with any of her other births either. So, we load up the kids and the last minute things in the car and head to my parents house an hour away to drop the kids off. When we get to my parents house I call her to hear the latest and she tells me that the contractions stopped and it was a false alarm. Talk about frustrating and emotionally charged! So we decide to stay at my parents for the night and then again Sunday night just in case.
On Monday morning we decided to pack up the kids and head home to continue our life as normal as possible until the baby decided to show. When we were just 15 minutes from my parents house Shanna called to say that her water had just broken and she was on her way to the hospital. We turn around, head back to my parents drop the kids off and head north. The feeling of excitment and anticipation was unreal as we drove to meet our son. Unfortunately, 3 hours into the 8 hour drive we got a phone call from Shanna's mom saying that it wasn't her water that broke but was her losing her mucus plug instead. They were sending her home. After many phone calls and much consideration we decided to continue our drive up and pray that this baby would come VERY soon. He was already 5 days overdue so it wasn't like we were being hasty :)
Monday night we spent the night near Old Town Sacramento which is one of our favorite places to hang out. We began courting there 6 years ago and it is such a charming fun place to walk around and just be. We ate a nice dinner, held hands and pretended we were on a mini vacation (probably our last) without the kids. On Tuesday we decided we would drive the hour and a half to stay and visit with Jonah's parents. We had a nice time and went to bed early just in case. By this time we weren't expecting anything anymore since we had had 2 false alarms.
That night at 2:23 am the phone rang with Shanna telling us this was it. I was very cautious and told her to call us back when she was admitted. Jonah on the other hand said, "No, way. We are outta here!" We got to the hospital at around 3:30 and Shanna was dialated to 4. With the record of how fast her previous births were we were glad we left when we did, it could be any minute. But, it wasn't. At 6 she was dialated to 6 and we sat in a freezing waiting room while she tried to sleep. Her contractions we severely inconsistent (just like she had told us at the first false alarm) and babies heart rate was becoming a concern during contractions but things were still happening. The nurse said that if this was her first baby she would have already been having a c-section and that we had better pray that she dilate fast. At around 11:30 she was at 9 and they said it was time to start pushing the last of the cervix away. They wheeled her into the delivery room where she had the audience of Jonah and I and her parents.
Jonah wasn't sure he wanted to be there(we weren't really prepared to be in the room since we weren't supposed to make it for the birth living 8 hours away) but he really wanted to cut the cord and wouldn't be able to unless he was there. The delivery room was nice and big (unlike the labor room where barely 2 people could fit). The doctor was there along with a nurse and 2 nurses for the baby. Shanna pushed for a long time with her mom and I holding her legs. She kept apologizing saying that all her other kids practically slipped out but this one just didn't want to come. His head was a bit cockeyed and was making it harder to come down.
I must butt in here and tell you about the staff at Kaiser. The whole time (minus 2 nurses that may just have been having a bad day) Jonah and I were treated like the parents (imagine that!) with dignity and respect. It was such a huge difference from our experience with UC Davis Med center when Kai was born. The nurses didn't only talk to Shanna, they talked with all of us. They didn't just ask what she wanted, they inquired about our feelings too. They gave us all the information they would have given me if I was on that labor table and most of all, they treated us like normal human beings that were there for a wonderful, beautiful celebration. I cannot tell you just what an amazing experience it was for us through the whole thing. They gave me a bed so that I could stay with Justus and Shanna the first night (which ended up my being there for 5 nights but I'll go into that in the next post).
OK, back to the story. Shanna is pushing. I am holding her leg up during each contraction. J's head was coming down but ever so slowly all the while his heart rate is going down and staying down. Jonah, being the paramedic that he is, kept giving me these looks and I knew he was concerned. The doctor and head nurse kept saying things in quiet undertones and just when I was about to ask if things were OK she decided to use a vacuum and just get him out of there. So in one contraction she had half of his head out, took off the vacuum and let Shanna do the rest herself. Now I must say, watching my son's head come into this world was absolutely crazy amazing. I never thought I would ever get to see one of my children be born, it was something I grieved a long time ago. When his little, perfect face emerged it was facing me all scrunched up and blue, but the most beautiful 3 second face I have ever seen. (alright so it was my only 3 second face but I am sure it was the best!) At first he didn't cry, the nurses in charge of the baby were yelling at the doctor to hurry but she wanted Jonah to cut the cord. Just as she is clamping he lets out this loud cry and my heart just burst with love for this little one I had just met! I cried and I cried(and I'm not a crier!). We followed him to the warmer where he got pink really fast after a little oxygen and rated an 8/9 apgar.
Just looking at my little boy laying there with his eyes wide open trying to figure out what had just happen was surreal. He was just so perfect with the cutest little nose, LONG fingers and toes and lots of black silky hair. He was just beautiful. He really was a beautiful baby and normally I think babies are pretty ugly the first few days (Kai wasn't that great looking at first so I'm not being biased).
Part of our hospital plan was that Shanna would hold the baby first and so I stuck to that even though it killed me when the nurse went to hand him to me and I had to say no and redirect her to Shanna. I really wanted this to be what Shanna wanted since this was the only time she would have with him. After I finally got to hold him, and cried some more, Shanna told me how wonderful it was to see me hold "our" son and she could tell that I loved him already. It's amazing the friendship we have formed through her trial and heartache but things have gone so well with us both.
OK, I realized it is late and I seem to be rambling and can't form any concrete thoughts right yet. I will finish up another time but I hope this will keep you satisfied for now. Hope it's not too crazy and disjointed!
On Saturday Dec. 1 we got a call at about 7 pm from Shanna that it was time and we should head up. She was having contractions and even though they were irregular she told us that they never were regular with any of her other births either. So, we load up the kids and the last minute things in the car and head to my parents house an hour away to drop the kids off. When we get to my parents house I call her to hear the latest and she tells me that the contractions stopped and it was a false alarm. Talk about frustrating and emotionally charged! So we decide to stay at my parents for the night and then again Sunday night just in case.
On Monday morning we decided to pack up the kids and head home to continue our life as normal as possible until the baby decided to show. When we were just 15 minutes from my parents house Shanna called to say that her water had just broken and she was on her way to the hospital. We turn around, head back to my parents drop the kids off and head north. The feeling of excitment and anticipation was unreal as we drove to meet our son. Unfortunately, 3 hours into the 8 hour drive we got a phone call from Shanna's mom saying that it wasn't her water that broke but was her losing her mucus plug instead. They were sending her home. After many phone calls and much consideration we decided to continue our drive up and pray that this baby would come VERY soon. He was already 5 days overdue so it wasn't like we were being hasty :)
Monday night we spent the night near Old Town Sacramento which is one of our favorite places to hang out. We began courting there 6 years ago and it is such a charming fun place to walk around and just be. We ate a nice dinner, held hands and pretended we were on a mini vacation (probably our last) without the kids. On Tuesday we decided we would drive the hour and a half to stay and visit with Jonah's parents. We had a nice time and went to bed early just in case. By this time we weren't expecting anything anymore since we had had 2 false alarms.
That night at 2:23 am the phone rang with Shanna telling us this was it. I was very cautious and told her to call us back when she was admitted. Jonah on the other hand said, "No, way. We are outta here!" We got to the hospital at around 3:30 and Shanna was dialated to 4. With the record of how fast her previous births were we were glad we left when we did, it could be any minute. But, it wasn't. At 6 she was dialated to 6 and we sat in a freezing waiting room while she tried to sleep. Her contractions we severely inconsistent (just like she had told us at the first false alarm) and babies heart rate was becoming a concern during contractions but things were still happening. The nurse said that if this was her first baby she would have already been having a c-section and that we had better pray that she dilate fast. At around 11:30 she was at 9 and they said it was time to start pushing the last of the cervix away. They wheeled her into the delivery room where she had the audience of Jonah and I and her parents.
Jonah wasn't sure he wanted to be there(we weren't really prepared to be in the room since we weren't supposed to make it for the birth living 8 hours away) but he really wanted to cut the cord and wouldn't be able to unless he was there. The delivery room was nice and big (unlike the labor room where barely 2 people could fit). The doctor was there along with a nurse and 2 nurses for the baby. Shanna pushed for a long time with her mom and I holding her legs. She kept apologizing saying that all her other kids practically slipped out but this one just didn't want to come. His head was a bit cockeyed and was making it harder to come down.
I must butt in here and tell you about the staff at Kaiser. The whole time (minus 2 nurses that may just have been having a bad day) Jonah and I were treated like the parents (imagine that!) with dignity and respect. It was such a huge difference from our experience with UC Davis Med center when Kai was born. The nurses didn't only talk to Shanna, they talked with all of us. They didn't just ask what she wanted, they inquired about our feelings too. They gave us all the information they would have given me if I was on that labor table and most of all, they treated us like normal human beings that were there for a wonderful, beautiful celebration. I cannot tell you just what an amazing experience it was for us through the whole thing. They gave me a bed so that I could stay with Justus and Shanna the first night (which ended up my being there for 5 nights but I'll go into that in the next post).
OK, back to the story. Shanna is pushing. I am holding her leg up during each contraction. J's head was coming down but ever so slowly all the while his heart rate is going down and staying down. Jonah, being the paramedic that he is, kept giving me these looks and I knew he was concerned. The doctor and head nurse kept saying things in quiet undertones and just when I was about to ask if things were OK she decided to use a vacuum and just get him out of there. So in one contraction she had half of his head out, took off the vacuum and let Shanna do the rest herself. Now I must say, watching my son's head come into this world was absolutely crazy amazing. I never thought I would ever get to see one of my children be born, it was something I grieved a long time ago. When his little, perfect face emerged it was facing me all scrunched up and blue, but the most beautiful 3 second face I have ever seen. (alright so it was my only 3 second face but I am sure it was the best!) At first he didn't cry, the nurses in charge of the baby were yelling at the doctor to hurry but she wanted Jonah to cut the cord. Just as she is clamping he lets out this loud cry and my heart just burst with love for this little one I had just met! I cried and I cried(and I'm not a crier!). We followed him to the warmer where he got pink really fast after a little oxygen and rated an 8/9 apgar.
Just looking at my little boy laying there with his eyes wide open trying to figure out what had just happen was surreal. He was just so perfect with the cutest little nose, LONG fingers and toes and lots of black silky hair. He was just beautiful. He really was a beautiful baby and normally I think babies are pretty ugly the first few days (Kai wasn't that great looking at first so I'm not being biased).
Part of our hospital plan was that Shanna would hold the baby first and so I stuck to that even though it killed me when the nurse went to hand him to me and I had to say no and redirect her to Shanna. I really wanted this to be what Shanna wanted since this was the only time she would have with him. After I finally got to hold him, and cried some more, Shanna told me how wonderful it was to see me hold "our" son and she could tell that I loved him already. It's amazing the friendship we have formed through her trial and heartache but things have gone so well with us both.
OK, I realized it is late and I seem to be rambling and can't form any concrete thoughts right yet. I will finish up another time but I hope this will keep you satisfied for now. Hope it's not too crazy and disjointed!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
merry christmas
i am typing this one handed as the newest little guy is nursing so bear with me. there are many things i want to tell you but the biggest one is about the best christmas present i've ever gotten. it was from kai. if you do not profess jesus christ as lord then you will not understand this at all. kai came to me this morning while i was cleaning before family got here and told me he wanted jesus to be in his heart. being thw sceptical mom that i am i wanted to see if he knew what he is talking about, after all he is only 3. so i asked him why? his answer? " jesus died on the cross for all my bad sins and i want to go live with him in heaven when i die." i figured he had a pretty good handle on what he was talking about and asked if he wanted to pray. he said yes and we prayed the sinners prayer. when we finished he said,"yeah! jesus is in my heart now!" what a great christmas present for a mommy! even though i have no idea why he decided today was a good day or where he even heard it all lately i am glad that my boy has chosen to follow jesus.
hope you all have had a fabulous day and I have much more to say but need to go rejoin my guest downstairs.
hope you all have had a fabulous day and I have much more to say but need to go rejoin my guest downstairs.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Christmas card pictures
So I need your help badly. My family came over to meet Justus a few days ago and to take our Christmas pictures to send out (if you would like one e-mail me your addie and I'll send one out to you). They took about 60 pictures and NONE of them came out spectacular where everyone looks great. So, I need to to tell me which one you like the best. Since they aren't huge pics you may need to open it in a new window to get a better look at our faces. I am hoping to order them by Wednesday, so don't delay in posting your favorite! Thanks!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Home at last
After 6 days in the NICU and a LONG 10 hour drive I am finally home and absolutely exhausted. More to come later, time to go nurse my newest little...
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The Newest Winger Has Arrived
Justus Winger arrived today
12/5/07 at 12:58 PM
weighing 8 lbs and 20 1/2 inches long.
12/5/07 at 12:58 PM
weighing 8 lbs and 20 1/2 inches long.
Monday, December 03, 2007
And the baby...
is not here. Shanna "thought" her water broke but when she got to the hospital they told her it was just here mucus plug. Jonah and I were already a quarter of the way to Sacramento and after talking with my parents (who are watching the other kids) decided to just keep going and wait this thing out close by. Jonah and I have been a bit testy and uptight waiting for this whole thing to happen and being so far away and out of control of it all does not help one iota. At least being close by we know we will be there, not have to turn around after driving for 4 hours and be there for the birth (not to mention spending some alone time). We would really like some prayers for this baby to come tonight if at all possible, so that we can spend some attatching time with him before we will have to go home. The longer the wait for him to come the sooner after he is born we will have to go home and we really want some down time with just him. I will update if and when I can or have Suzanne do it for me, thanks Snoozie :)
Baby is on his way
Hi, this is Suzanne (Faith's friend)posting this for Jonah and Faith. Tired of waiting it out all weekend at Faith's moms house they called Shoshanna this morning and apparently there was no sign of the baby coming today. SO they packed up the kids to come home. Twenty minutes into their drive home the phone rang. The Shoshanna water had broke. They are heading back to Faith's Moms to drop off the kids and head up north. Praying for a safe delivery of their son and safe travels for Jonah and Faith.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
False alarm
So we rush to get out of the house and take me kids an hour away to my parents. When we got there we were just about to leave (for the 9 hour drive) when I called Shoshanna to get an update. She said that it must have been a false alarm (which she's never had before) because she hadn't had a contraction since taking a shower an hour and a half ago. So, we stayed at my parents house praying that she would call us in the middle of the night but we woke up this morning with no such luck. I am so glad that we didn't drive all the way up there to have it not happen but when is this little guy going to come?! He is 4 days late now. We will be staying at my parents again tonight just in case but right now it seems like this baby is never going to come out. I don't even know what to say. I am so bummed...
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Here we go!
Shoshanna called and her contractions are here! Still irregular but she says they have always been that way with all her births. So, we are packing up and taking the kids to my parents tonight (it's 6:30 pm) and then we will be off on our 9 hour drive to Sacramento. No clue where we will be sleeping, hopefully the hospital! I'll update when I can ro Snoozie will update for me.
Happy Referral day!
Last year on December first we saw the first pictures of our new sons. A year later we are amazed that they are ours and that they have molded themselves into our family so seamlessly. It's amazing how much changes in a year! Judah still loves sucking his tongue (like you see in the picture) but we try to keep it only at bedtime. Isaiah has lost that sad forlorn look and now is smiles all the time. I love my boys and am so glad that we got a referral for 2 of them, instead of the one we asked for! Happy referral day boys!
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