Last hours of pregnancy...

Before we left for the hospital, I insisted that we take some pictures! I was starving and so ready to go in these pictures, but I tried my best to smile!!

Hannah's here, and here's how it happened...

Sweet Hannah Rose has made her arrival! I love to read birth stories, so here is mine.

Tuesday, May 26th we were supposed to be at the hospital at 2:30 pm to allow for 2 hours of triage before my 4:30 pm c-section. I was not able to eat or drink anything all day, and I was getting shaky and weak, so we dropped the kids off with Aunt Judy and came to the hospital early, shortly after 1:00. They started me on some IV fluids to help me feel better. They hooked me up to monitors--baby's heartbeat and a contraction monitor. After an hour or so, I asked the nurse how frequent my contractions were. I had noticed I was having contractions fairly regularly, and a couple of them had hurt very mildly. She checked the chart, and said I was contracting every 4-5 minutes! Wow, nothing like coming to the hospital to put you in labor!

A few minutes later, right about 2:30, my water broke!! I was in shock! I was so thankful it had not happened when I was at Hobby Lobby. (Just before we came to the hospital I had Chris let me run in Hobby Lobby to get a couple of things! Priorities, right?) Of course once my water broke, my contractions got REALLY painful and more frequent. I was getting very irritable as I had not refreshed myself on how to handle labor pains--I didn't think I was going to do that this time. The nurse reminded me not to hold my breath, and to take deep breaths through the contractions. I just kept saying, "This isn't fair! I wasn't supposed to do this this time around!"

Here's the irony--Monday night as we were going to sleep, I told Chris I was kinda sad about having to schedule Hannah's birth. I felt sad I was going to miss out on labor, which to me feels like a rite of passage to getting your child. Chris reminded me that I had said that, as I was in labor pains, and I had to wonder--WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I couldn't get my spinal block until the doctor arrived ready to do the c-section, and mercifully, my doctor showed up 10 minutes early, at 4:20. They wheeled me back to the OR and got me all numb, and before I knew it, they were pulling out sweet Hannah Rose! She had the cutest little cry, and I couldn't wait to see her! As soon as they brought her around the curtain so I could take a peek, I noticed she looked so much like Aaron!

Of course I cried and cried as soon as they took her out. I did it with the other two as well. It's like all this emotion just comes pouring out when I realize the baby is no longer inside of me. Very bittersweet.



She weighed in at 5 lbs 13 oz, which is just about what they were estimating last week. She is such a little peanut, and I just love holding her.


Right after delivery they took her to the nursery to finish all her measurements, evaluations, and to have her first bath. Chris went up with his mom, dad, and grandmother to watch her through the window, then Chris came back with me to triage, where I was waiting to make sure I was stable before heading to my recovery room. We made lots of phone calls!


When we got to the room and they brought her in, I got a chance to really look her over. I can hardly believe how beautiful she is!


She started nursing like a champ as soon as we started. She is such a good baby! We got a picture of the 3 of us before the rest of the family came up.


Later that night the kids came...I'll have a separate entry about that! They just love her to pieces.

We have a plan!

Sweet Hannah Rose has gotten her eviction date! She will have to pack it up and move it out on Tuesday, May 26th at 4:30 pm. I can hardly wait to meet her!

She was almost born this past Tuesday. I went to the doctor that afternoon for my regular appointment, and had an ultrasound to check the baby's growth against her numbers from two weeks ago. She had only gained 8 ounces (now estimated 5 lbs 6 oz) and this small size and lack of growth concerned my doctor. She sent me over to the hospital for another ultrasound on the better machines, and said if they were concerned at all she was going to deliver the baby that night.

The ultrasound machines at the hospital were able to get images of the cord and monitor the blood flow through it, to make sure Hannah was getting enough blood and nourishment. They also did a bio-physical profile--watching things like her movement and heart beating. They determined everything looked fine--Hannah is healthy but just small--and with my history of having small babies, the doctor on call decided to send me home.

I went back to see my doctor on Thursday, because when I left the hospital Tuesday I still didn't have a date scheduled for the c-section. It was so frustrating not knowing what the plan was. Even more frustrating when my doctor said, "You mean we didn't already have something set up?" Um, NO, I've been asking you at every appointment when we were going to do this and never got an answer! (I didn't say that, but I was sure thinking it!)

Today I got my house spic-and-span while the kids were at Mimi's...I cleaned bathrooms, did laundry, swept and mopped, and roasted some chicken for some casseroles for the freezer. Talk about nesting! Honestly I was hoping if I worked really hard I might put myself into labor so I don't have to wait until Tuesday! But alas...no serious contractions yet.

We're lining up our plans for who is keeping the kids next week while we're in the hospital. It would be so much more convenient to have Hannah this weekend when everyone is off work, but it will all work out next week too. We have such a great family and everyone is pitching in to make sure the kids are well taken care of. Hannah is going to love being in our family!

A pregnancy update...

***Before I discuss the pregnancy, let me say that I talked to Aunt Christi and did confirm that Nate has never cleaned a toilet (of course!), nor does Nate remember telling Aaron that he did. Who KNOWS where Aaron got that! Also, Aaron brought home another drawing from church last night, of things he is thankful for. He drew a pretty good slide, and a big curvy "M" for McDonald's. I'm so proud!***

Well, I'm 36 weeks pregnant now! I'm considered full-term, so if I were to go into labor, they wouldn't stop me! Let me clarify--they wouldn't let me labor, but would go ahead and do the c-section. Boo hiss--but that's the way it's gonna have to be.

I had a crazy appointment this week. My doctor's office experienced a tragedy--one of their nurses was murdered by her husband--so the offices were closed and short-staffed while the employees mourned and attended the funeral. It was really a sad thing, but I couldn't help but be disappointed that it interfered with my appointment! How selfish is that??? I had to see the nurse practitioner instead of my doctor, and she didn't even have my full chart. So information was limited.

But, she was very nice and thorough and helped me with my appointment scheduling issues for the coming weeks. She measured my belly and I was measuring about 31-32 weeks, so she sent me back for an ultrasound. I got to see sweet Hannah briefly (the ultrasound tech was pretty busy so we didn't linger to oooh and ahhh over her little face and hands!). She looked perfectly healthy and is just a small baby, which is no surprise. They estimated she was 4 lbs 14 oz, but of course that could be off by a pound or two! Aaron was a little thing--only 5 lbs 6 oz at 39 weeks--and Claire was not much bigger at 6 lbs 8 oz at nearly 40 weeks--so Hannah will just be another little petite baby I'm sure! We weren't able to schedule my c-section since I wasn't seeing my doctor, but I'll get to do that at my next appointment on Monday.

I am so excited to meet Hannah! It's surreal to me to think that in just 3 short weeks (or less!) I'll have a baby sleeping by the side of my bed, nursing 'round the clock, demanding all of my attention. Crazy at is sounds, I'm looking forward to it. I've started having those dreams that I've had in my previous pregnancies, that the baby comes out at home so I can just look at her, but then I can't get her back in my tummy so we have to go to the hospital. So weird!

Aaron and Claire's bunk beds will be here any day now, and I've decided one wall in Hannah's room needs to be re-painted because of all the nail holes. (It hasn't been painted since I was pregnant with Aaron 5 years ago!) My sweet friend Angie is going to come tackle that for me next week, because I couldn't bring myself to make Chris do any more painting this year!

I'm feeling so very ready!! Of course at the same time, I'm not really ready because I still have a long to-do list before she arrives. But surely I will get it done!

How am I doing?

"How are you doing?" is one of my most asked questions lately!

I am 35 1/2 weeks pregnant, and doing pretty well! When I had the flu a couple of weeks ago, I honestly thought I would not get back to normal before the baby came. I guess I really thought it was all over and I would just be on the couch for the next month and a half. But I have made a great comeback, and any ache or pain I have now is really no big deal in the grand scheme of things--I think because I remember being in SO MUCH PAIN two weeks ago! This has done wonders for my outlook and moods!

I think the baby turned in the last couple of days, so instead of sitting transverse like she has been most of the pregnancy, I think she is head down. This has given me some relief from the sciatic pain (although occasionally I have a shooting pain if I move the wrong way), but I do believe my SI joint is still popping in and out which causes back pain. (My sister-in-law is a PT and explained the difference in the SI joint and sciatic nerve to me!)

I do waddle when I walk, especially since the baby has turned! People who see me have started noticing that I look "ready" so I think that means I am almost ready! I will have my next appointment on Monday so hopefully we will schedule my c-section and maybe do an ultrasound to see how little Hannah is growing. I can hardly wait to meet her!

I have been nesting since I have felt better. Claire is almost completely moved into Aaron's room. We ordered bunk beds that will arrive early next week--the kids are so excited about that. Once Claire is out of her bed, I can turn it back into a crib and put the baby bedding in. Today I wandered through Target trying to think of baby things I had forgotten to buy--I got pacifiers (secretly hoping this one is a thumb sucker like Claire because a thumb is so much easier to keep up with--but I certainly don't want to be without pacis!) and breastmilk storage bags. What else can I be forgetting? My experience with two other babies reminds me that babies really don't need all that much...just lots of love!

I cleaned out Aaron's closet to make more room for Claire's stuff, and I have rearranged the toys in the kid's room. I have cleaned my closet to make room for some of the junk sitting around in my room so I have room for the baby's bassinet. I have piles of stuff to donate to Goodwill and for Chris to take to the attic. I have the baby clothes cleaned, car seat ready (but not in the van yet)...what else do I need to do??????

I am getting sooooo ready!!!

The worst thing that could happen?

After the last five days that I have had, I think that quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to you when you're 34 weeks pregnant is to GET THE FLU. (Yes, this late in the season--what's that all about??)

Last Friday my sweet mother-in-law was here cleaning my house for me, doing some of the sweeping/mopping/vacuuming/bathroom cleaning that my aching back was not allowing me to get done. I mostly sat, the kids played outside, and I folded laundry. A bunch of Hannah's laundry at that!!

I kept popping Tylenol all day and couldn't figure out why my back was aching so badly when I wasn't being very active. Normally when I'm sitting still I'm not in constant pain. The Tylenol was not touching the pain and I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

The afternoon came and I found I could not hold my eyes open, and I was still in pain, so I gave in and took a nap on the couch while the kids rested. When I woke up, I couldn't bring myself to get off the couch, so the kids put in videos and we just vegged out. The longer the afternoon dragged on, the more I realized something was wrong. I was running fever, and my body aches were horrible. I knew a couple of people who had gotten the flu earlier in the week, so I suspected that might be what was wrong with me.

Chris got home from work, and my mom came over to drive me to the minor med. Our experience there was interesting--after waiting for an hour in the waiting room, miserable with fever, chills, and aches, I finally got called back and the nurse said, "Oh, excuse me, ma'am, are you pregnant?" I looked down at my bulging belly and back at her, wondering what would make her ask this obvious question, and said, "Yes...." She told me they would not treat me, that I would have to go to labor and delivery at the hospital.

"What? I'm not in labor! I just need to know if I have the flu. Can you swab me for the flu?" I responded.

"Oh, yes, I suppose, but we can't treat you. They won't give you anything if you're pregnant. You need to call your OB's office," she said.

But they're closed! What is an on-call nurse going to do for me?? Or the L&D nurses at the hospital for that matter?

Whatever, I thought. I spent the next hour and a half with them doing a blood test, urine sample, nasal and throat swabs, monitoring my baby's heartbeat and attemping to monitor my contractions with just their hands. The doctor told me I had two contractions in the 10 minutes she had her hands on my belly, and I needed to go to L&D, but I knew better--I was not having contractions. They sent me away with a flu diagnosis, some paperwork, and a face mask, telling me to head to the hospital. Mom and I left the office and I immediately called my OB's on-call nurse and we agreed I did NOT need to go to the hospital, just home to rest. Unfortunately, they can't give any flu medicines to pregnant women, so I was stuck just taking Tylenol and Theraflu, fighting off the illness myself.

Saturday and Sunday were horrible--I was quarantined in the back of the house in my bed, with Chris waiting on me and taking care of the kids. The kids made me a sweet get-well card. Once I heard Claire whine to Daddy, "I want my mama!" Nearly broke my heart. I was in so much pain and ready for the whole thing to be over.

Sunday afternoon/evening I came out for a little while to sit in the recliner, but the kids still had to stay away from me. Monday Chris took the kids to his grandmother's for the day. He also took Aaron to his 5 year checkup at the pediatrician, an appointment I really wanted to go to. I stayed home by myself all day watching mindless TV and trying to sleep although I couldn't even breathe through all the congestion.

Tuesday was a little better. I took the kids to school then came home and crashed for a couple of hours. After I picked up the kids from school, my sweet mother-in-law met me at the house to drive me to my scheduled OB appointment. Wouldn't you know my blood pressure was high? (Will the drama never end???) I've NEVER had high blood pressure--so I hope it was just related to the flu and decongestants I had taken. I'm borrowing a blood pressure monitor thingy for the next few days to keep a watch on it.

I feel so much better today--not nearly as congested, not achy at all, and I was able to go outside with the kids for a while this morning. (I just sat in the chair and watched them play, but it was so much better than being in the bed or on the couch!)

I'm so thankful to everyone who has helped us out over the last few days. I hate feeling helpless but it's good to see things getting done and people stepping in to help me when I need it. We are so very blessed.

Nesting frustrations

I have definitely turned into a nesting mama, and it couldn't have come at a worse time!! I have this desire to hurry up and finish lots of things around the house, like organizing closets to make room for baby equipment, get Claire moved to Aaron's room--which entails buying bunk beds, moving all her clothes to his dresser, organizing his closet to include her stuff, and organizing toys. I also need to get baby stuff washed and ready, and put Hannah's name on her wall. (This is such a high priority, you know.)

All this when my back has been just killing me--the sciatic nerve and my SI joint are giving me fits. And the poor circulation and spider veins in my right leg make it throb in pain, especially first thing in the morning.

There have been times my back pain is so bad I can't get up. Just a couple of days ago I had a moment of panic thinking, "Here I am home alone with the kids and I cannot even stand up to walk across the room. I'm going to have to call an ambulance or something. But I can't get to the phone!"

The pain is not always that bad, but it's usually worse later in the day. It has made dinner prep difficult and it's all I can do to keep up with the laundry. My floors are cluttered and in need of vacuuming, but it's one of those things that is not critical so it can just wait!!

The most frustrating thing to me is sitting so much. I can't stand to just sit around, especially knowing there are things that need to be done. Last night it seemed every time I got up I had a braxton hicks contraction, so I was trying to sit as much as possible. I'm excited for Hannah to be here (and out of me already!) but 33 weeks is definitely too early for that. So I'm doing my best to take it easy and only participate in necessary activities with the children.

Okay, thanks for reading my frustrations!!! I really needed to vent!!!

Pregnancy Update! 32 weeks!

I have been wanting to write a pregnancy update for weeks, but I've held off because I really wanted to get a good belly shot on a day when I fixed my hair, was wearing makeup, and my bedroom was somewhat neat for the background of the shot. You'd be amazed how those 3 things very rarely line up!

So here I am at 32 weeks pregnant!


Yes, I'm small, I know and people tell me all the time. I just don't carry big in my pregnancies. There is no where in my bone structure for the baby to go but straight out! And even then I guess my skin only stretches so far! Today was my first appointment where the doctor mentioned that I was measuring small...which I totally expected because I did the same thing with Aaron and Claire's pregnancies. My doctor will probably do an ultrasound next month to check the baby's weight, but we're both just assuming I'll have another small baby! (Aaron was 5 lbs 6 oz, Claire was 6 lbs 8 oz...little tiny things!)

And baby #3 finally has a name!

Hannah Rose

I just love this name. Chris and I had the hardest time coming up with a name both of us liked. I really liked Caroline, but Chris thought it was too similar to Claire (say "Clairiline"). Natalie and Katherine were both high on our list, but neither of them really "fit" for us. One night during one of our many conversations about names, I was just throwing out all kinds of names and I threw out "Hannah". He didn't say anything then, but a few days later he came home from work and said "How's 'Hannah'?" I was shocked he was finally suggesting a name, and he told me it had just been growing on him since I had mentioned it. I told him I really liked it, so we started talking about Hannah Marie...Marie was a middle name we had considered for some of the other names. Neither of us were just sold on that name, and a couple of days later the name "Rose" came to me. I immediately loved the way it sounded with Hannah, and roses remind me of my dear Grandma, since they were her favorite flower. I really wanted some tribute to Grandma in her name. I ran it by Chris, and he wanted to think it over for a couple of days, but he said he really liked it. That following Sunday at church there were at least 3 separate references to roses and I was convinced it was a sign from God that her name was Hannah Rose!

Hannah Rose is very active and likes to torture Mommy with violent hiccups just as I am trying to fall asleep. I am very achy at the end of most days, and my back hurts alot...SI joint and sciatic nerve. A PT friend is ordering me an SI belt so I'm hoping that will help. He told me it's mostly hormones but this could give me some relief. Sitting and resting helps, but I'm not much of a sitter...I like to be doing things!

I am still in shock that she will be here in just 6 or 7 weeks!! I finally ordered her car seat and bassinet (I'm getting a co-sleeper bassinet that attaches to the side of my bed to make it easier to reach her during the night...very excited about this!). Poor Hannah still doesn't have a room, as we are still trying to find the right bunk beds for Aaron and Claire so they can move in together, but we decided it's not that big of a deal since she will be in our room for a couple of months anyway. I feel overwhelmed when I think of everything I don't have ready, but I think 3rd babies just go with the flow anyway so she'll never know I don't have everything perfect and pristine for her! I know I'll get lots of pictures since I have a camera addiction, so I guess my 3rd child won't be deprived of pictures!

Pregnancy Update...It's a...

It's a GIRL! We think...yesterday at my ultrasound they said the baby is breech and it was hard to get a good shot of her, but the tech was 90% sure she sees girl parts! She was moving all around and being fiesty, so the tech recommended I get as much rest as possible before this little fireball arrives! That's promising...

And an update to the ever-asked question "How are you feeling?"...

Not so great. My sciatic nerve is causing me all kinds of problems. It hurts nearly every day...some days all day whether I take Tylenol and rest or not. My nose and gums bleed alot, I get frequent headaches, and I'm hungry all the time (and there is entirely too much candy in this house right now!). I could go on and on. My other pregnancies didn't seem to be this rough, at least not this early, so I guess I'm just getting older. (And I'm still in my 20's...until July at least!)

But I know the aches and pains are worth it...I am feeling the baby move alot--even Chris has felt her move--and I love that feeling. I try not to belly ache too much about the side effects, because I know there's nothing I can do...I'm PREGNANT! The only solution is to get the baby out, and let's face it...that won't happen for almost 5 months. So I'm going to do my best to enjoy these moments and relish how "easy" it is with only two children!

How are you feeling?

I've been getting this question a lot lately, so I figured I'd give you one detailed answer! I'm almost 11 weeks pregnant.

I'm feeling good, for the most part. I tend to crash in the early evening...this first trimester always gets me bad with the fatigue. I'm only a couple of weeks away from the glorious 2nd trimester though, where the energy returns and I'm not big enough to be uncomfortable yet. The kids and I stay home more often than we used to, mostly because I don't have the energy to go all day. They don't seem to mind.

I don't have morning sickness at all...never had it with my other two either. I think only 50% of women get morning sickness (according to something I read on the internet, which you know is always true!), so I guess I'm the lucky 50%.

I'm definitely pooching and can't hide this pregnancy any longer. A lady at work this week, who didn't know I was expecting, actually asked me if I was going to have a baby. She had noticed my pooch the day before and knew it was out of place on me unless I was pregnant. (She had better be glad I am pregnant or I would have been mighty offended!!) I'll probably start taking bi-weekly side-view belly shots for the baby's scrapbook in the next week or so. I did that with Claire's pregnancy and love to see the pictures of how I grew! I'm definitely growing faster this time! I've already unpacked my maternity clothes and started wearing a few of the pants on days when my only two pairs of regular pants that actually fit me are dirty.

I'm also starting to feel the baby move in the last week. I can hardly believe I can feel it this early, but it's really an undeniable little flutter--there is no doubt that baby is moving and shaking already. In fact, he/she is moving as I type this! It's like someone is repeatedly thumping inside my abdomen just below my belly button. Really a cool feeling.

We'll probably find out the gender in early January, if not late December. My doctor does an 18-20 week ultrasound so it just depends on how I time my appointments. I'm looking forward to knowing the gender so I can settle on a name and start getting rid of all the extra baby stuff cluttering up our nursery and attic! If it's a boy, all the girl stuff is going, and vice versa! We need some space in this cramped little house!

A miracle in the works

Monday I went to see my doctor to make sure everything was going well with the pregnancy. I had minor spotting on Sunday that had me worried, but Monday they did an ultrasound, and all is well with the baby. I couldn't believe how TINY the little bean is! He/she is so small in there, and is shaped like a jelly bean. The tech told me my little bean is smaller than a pencil eraser right now! Check out this I found on babycenter.com...


I cannot believe that is what I saw on that ultrasound Monday! What was most amazing, is that as small as it is right now, there was a tiny little strong heartbeat! I could see it blipping on the screen, and then she turned up the sound and I could hear it! Absolutely amazing. God is so good!!