Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
*Sarah*
This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The Birthday Boy
This is Aspen- do you like the slideshow I made? Happy Birthday, Linden!!!
Download a higher quality version of this video here.
Download a higher quality version of this video here.
Happy Birthday Baby Boy!
I wrote this a long time ago. It's funny how time slips by when you have good intentions to hurry up and finish something. Linden is 1 today. This is our story.
I’ve said it before, and it has proven true this time around
again. I can’t have a baby with out my mom.
She has impeccable timing and has a 100% record for being here perfectly
for when my children are born. When Aspen
was born, Jonathon brought her and I home from the hospital, got us comfortable
and left to pick up my mom. When Cedar
was born, she got to our house the day before he was born. Perfect time for her to learn our routine and
for Aspen to warm up to her. Same thing with Olive. The day before she was born my mom was there
getting the routine down and prepping the kids.
Perfect timing. With Linden
My mom and Tony got into town either really late April 20th or really early
April 21. I can’t remember the exact
time, but I remember thinking, “Great!
Let’s have this baby tonight!”
(It was after all, my due date.)
The morning came and not a single contraction.
My mom and Tony took the kids to the Wilderness for the
night. It is a hotel with an indoor
water park. They picked them up early
from school and they were off. Jonathon
and I thought about joining them that night to play in the water, but we were
both pretty tired so we decided to go to a movie instead.
We watched “Soul Surfer” Thursday night and had a nice quiet
evening. The next day was Friday and
Jonathon left for work while I slept in.
It was quite nice to have a quiet morning. When I got up and moving I found that I had
some bloody show and that got me hoping that things would be moving along. I should add that I had been walking around
for weeks and weeks dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced. This is pretty normal for me, but still! I called the midwife and let them know. They just said something might happen in the
next few days. (Not exactly the words I
wanted to hear.) I ate breakfast and
decided I didn’t want to hang out at home waiting for something to happen so I
called Jonathon and asked if he could take ½ day off and we could go join the
kids and my mom at the water park. He
was a little freaked out about the bloody show, but agreed. I called my mom and told her our plans then
gathered our swim suits, towels and hospital stuff (just in case!) and went to
pick him up.
We stopped and got take out and then headed down the
road. It was about this time that I felt
the first little wave of a contraction.
It wasn’t big or painful, (good thing since I was driving!) just a little like being washed over with
feeling sick to my stomach and achy. It
was gone in about a minute and it left me wondering if it was anything
significant. 10 minutes later it
happened again. Equally insignificant. 10 minutes later, again. 10 minutes later, again. By this time we were at the Wilderness and I
was wondering if perhaps I really was in labor.
I know I have done this 3 times prior to this so really I
should know what it feels like. The
truth is that it is a bit different for each baby, and it was so insignificant
that I really did feel like I was talking myself into believing it was
labor. I was officially “overdue.” My
mom was here, and the last thing I wanted was to put her back on the plane in a
week and still be pregnant. I wanted to
have the baby NOW! Everything was all mapped
out and perfect, but the baby would need to cooperate!
We met my mom and went into the water park. Jonathon went to change and I sat down to
chat. I brought my swimsuit, but wasn’t
really interested in getting into it, but after about 5 minutes the heat and
humidity was too much. Everyone was off
riding rides while I kept to the table, took lots of pictures and read. By this time the pains were getting a little
stronger and a little closer together.
First 8 minutes, then 7 then 5.
Everyone was in line to do the boogie board, surf ride when the first
contraction that I knew was a contraction hit.
It wasn’t little waves of yuckiness that passed in a minute, it was
intense, yet not super painful, tightening.
I remember I was taking pictures of one of the kids on the body board
and I had to sit down on the edge because I couldn’t stand.
Up until this point I hadn’t told anyone that I was in
labor. Mostly because I didn’t want to
scare the kids. When Jonathon was done
and we were waiting to see the pictures that the hotel takes that you can buy I
pulled Jonathon aside and told him I thought I was in labor and I would like to
go up to the clinic to get monitored for a few minutes since we were already
half way to Knoxville already.
I pulled my mom aside next and told her then went and got
dressed. I called the clinic but they
only work ½ day on Fridays so I waited for the midwife to call back. I told her what was going on and she said I
should head up to the hospital, they could monitor me there and if it wasn’t
true labor I could go home.
*Side note* I was planning a water birth. I had one with Olive and I really liked
it. Olive was born in the birthing
center, which was great, but you can’t stay for very long after the baby is
born and I wanted to stay a night or two to recover before going home. I was so excited when I found out that St.
Mary’s Hospital allowed water births.
All I had to do was bring my own water birth tub.
On the way to the hospital the contractions started coming
about 3-4 min apart and with a bit more intensity. I was pretty sure by then that this was the
real thing. When we got there and they
checked me I was at a 6 and 80% effaced.
It was something to see the contractions on the monitor. Big spiky mountains.
Since it was real, the hospital called the midwife and
Jonathon went and got the birth tub and our stuff. They took me to the room I would be in and I
sat on the bed and waited. I think that
was probably the most aggravating time of the labor. They don’t do a lot of water births so our
nurse was having a hard time figuring out how to hook up the hose. They wanted me to keep the monitor on until I
got in the tub, so I sat there alone on the side of the bed while everyone else
was busy with the birth tub. I’m sure it
was really around a half an hour, but it seemed like forever.
The midwife came about this time and checked me again. About an 8 now. I was really starting to get uncomfortable
and moving hurt. In the hospital they
have a jacuzie tub room. It’s really
just a big closet that looks like it was retro fit with a big tub and a towel
rack, but the nurse said I could go in there until my birth tub was ready. I was thrilled and so Jonathon and the nurse
and the midwife helped me shuffle down the hall to the tub closet.
A warm bath is magical in labor. I think I stayed there for at least 45
minutes, maybe more. Time has a funny
way of slowing down and speeding up of it’s own accord in labor, so I could be
off on the timing. The midwife came back
and said that the birth tub was ready if I wanted to go back to my room.
I did want to go back.
My birth tub was nice and deep and wide.
I could sit or squat or even float on my back. Much better than the tub. I just didn’t want to get out. You see warm water masks or dulls labor
pains. I’m sure that’s why they call it
the midwives epidural. The problem is
that when you get out everything is unmasked and sharp. Since you don’t feel it gradually going up
over the course of time, it tends to hit HARD!
I knew this would happen and I didn’t want to face it. I am after all a genuine wimp. There wasn’t any other way, so unfortunately
I got out and waddled back down the hall clutching Jonathon and the midwife
while they were keeping me covered.
Once back in my room and into my big tub, things were a
little better for a while. Soon the
genuine business of birthing started to happen.
I remember thinking how textbook it all was. The sounds that escaped me started as
ooo’s. Almost like I was practicing for
the choir, then they went to ahh’s like there was a snake in the corner. Then with Jonathon and the midwife’s help
they became something much more primitive and wild. A deep growl that would probably compete well
with many wild animals I’ve visited in zoo’s.
I remember thinking at this time, “Did that just come from me???” It’s a bit shocking to hear yourself sound
like that. I was thinking that I was
embarrassed but dismissed it because by then it hurt way too much to be
embarrassing. Jonathon kept reminding me
to say something or hum or something that all the books tell you to do and all
I could do was say, “I don’t remember what I’m supposed to say!”
When Aspen was
born I wanted to “have a natural birth.”
I was absolutely NOT prepared, nor was I really in the right environment
for a natural birth. (A teaching
hospital with lots of anxious students around to “practice” on you is not the
place!!) So for each of my other birth’s, including this one I chose a midwife
and I educated myself a lot more as to how things work. Right before it was time to push I remember
questioning myself why I was doing this?
Why didn’t I want the epidural?
At the moment I couldn’t remember, but then my water broke with an
internal pop and an external wave of warm water and I was way past the point
that I could change my mind.
I was starting to push and I felt like I had a pretty good
idea of where to “aim.” Unfortunately, I
was scared. When I pushed it felt
better, but I could feel the start of “the ring of fire” burn at the end of
each push. Fear is a terrible
thing. It held me captive and in a lot
of pain because I was scared to go forward and there literally was no going
back. It took probably 30 minutes of
this awful limbo before I decided to head into the pain. After that it only took a few pushes and I
was in the heart of the ring of fire.
One more push and Linden ’s
head was out. What was so terrifying
though was that unlike my other children, the rest of him didn’t come out with
a little push. I kept yelling “get him out! Get him out!”
The midwife had to say that I had to get him out and I needed to
push! Hard! I tried.
I thought I was done, but I was stuck again in the ring of fire and
another big push with a lot of screaming brought his shoulders out, and then to
my dismay I still had to push his midsection out. I later found out he was the same circumference
around the head, shoulders and middle. I
gave birth to a tube shaped baby.
Finally I got to hold this amazing little baby. You would think that after waiting 9 months
and going through all that labor I would have something cleaver to say. But it is the same with all of my
children. “Hi!” That’s what I say. “Hi baby, I love you.”
There he was. The
spitting image of Jonathon. Full head of
dark brown hair, receding hair line, inquisitive look. Ten fingers, ten toes. My little boy!
That was one year ago today. Time has flown! Linden is literally so much fun! Before he came, I worried what the other kids would think. There was too big of a gap for them to have the classic jealousy that I am familiar with. What would they think of him?
To all of our pure happiness, he has everyone wrapped around his perfect little fingers. I say it all the time, and it is true. Linden is the luckiest little baby in the world. He has 2 sisters and a brother who think that the sun rises and sets on him.
His first word was "kitty." He can say "mom" and "dad." He can even say Aspen and Olive's name with prompting. Cedar is a little harder, but there is no doubt how he feels about his big brother! He can say "cracker" with almost perfect annunciation. he loves being outside and he LOVES balls. He dances. He sings. He gives kisses and "five." He is boycotting learning to walk because crawling is so much faster! He can stand, and will if forced or if he is so distracted that he doesn't notice.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Linden hasn't started walking yet. In fact, today was the first day he really stood on purpose for mor than 3 seconds. I think it's because we carry him too much. That and he can pretty much get anywhere he needs to by crawling. He's even gotten used to the grass on bare legs and feet.
One thing that will make me sad id if when he starts to walk he forgets how he used to love to play "crawl ball."
He will push the ball with his hands then crawl after it. It is so cute! He will go all over the house playing his version of soccer.
*Sarah*
This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
*Sarah*
This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.
*Sarah*
This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
*Sarah*
This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)