It's A Girl!

M.E. aka "Ladybug" was born Wednesday afternoon at 4:01 pm. I'm still processing the whole experience, so I'll save the details for later, but everything went well and we are both home resting. She weighed 6lbs. 11oz and was 20" long.

Still Here

It was a long night. Our doula came over around 5ish this morning, but by then my contractions had petered out. She still thinks that we'll have a baby in our arms tonight or tomorrow morning. My dear husband stayed home from work this morning to take care of Fritter for me, so I could catch up on some much needed sleep. I have to say, it's a bit discouraging. Jen (the doula) said my body is just working on effacing some more before it really goes into good labor. So she gave me some black cohosh drops, and also some evening primrose oil capsules to move things along a little. The drops are really, really awful, but if they help, I'm willing.

I plan on resting a little more and then I think Fritter and I are going to go for a walk.

Restless Labor Syndrome (RLS)

Well, I'm fairly certain this is it. I started having some weak, irregular contractions around 9pm. My dear hubby pulled out the stop watch, and while they weren't regular, they were close together. I called my doctor to give her a heads up, and also called my doula. I then decided it would be a good time to go to bed and get some rest.

Around 2 this morning I woke up not from a contraction, but just feeling very restless, so I started pacing, and started having some fairly strong contractions. They were on average about 15 minutes apart, so I called my doula again. That's where I'm at right now at 4 am, and still feeling very restless and bored, however I can't sleep, so I may be blogging again. ;-)

Friday Fun...My Band Name

Band Name: Kimberley Park Railway Station


Album Title: The Shame Of Art

(Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. - Izaak Walton)

Album Art:

Want to do your own?
Here’s what you do:

1. Band Name: Random Wikipeda Link
2. Album Title: Random quote generator (take the last four words from the first quote on the page ... I scrolled to the end of the quotes and clicked on new random quotes)
3. Album Art: Flickr Interesting Photo (pick one)

HT: Nutmeg

Contractions and Worries

Well, I thought yesterday might have been it. I had been having much stronger contractions, and quite a bit more of them all day, although they were irregular and not really close together. So I did like any other mother would do. I put the oven on self-clean and set the timer for 4 hours and 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't think about how warm it would get in our apartment. The windows were all opened to let the smoke and yucky smell out, but it didn't help to cool the place, because it was 88 yesterday. It was worth it though, my oven is now clean and ready to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. ;-)

This morning around 3am, I woke up with a low back ache, and some more contractions. I had maybe 6 or 7 in an hour, and really thought my labor was starting. I woke up my dear husband just to prepare him, but told him I was going to hop in the bath for a little while and that he could go back to sleep. I did, and he did, and they stopped. I thought I would be able to go back to sleep easily, but I got the middle of the night worries. Am I completely packed? I need to make sure I tell our friends who are taking Fritter that they really watch him, because he's very fast and will run in the street if he gets a chance. I still haven't folded that laundry...ect, ect. I finally fell asleep around 4:30 or so.

I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and am hoping she will have some good news for me about whether I've made any progress or not. Maybe today will be the day. Or maybe not.

Updated a little late: My doctor said I was 2 cm dialated, 50% effaced, and the baby was at -1 station. So while it may not have been the real thing, at least it did something!

I'm Ready

38 weeks and 3 days is how far they told me I am today at my ultrasound. I feel more like 48 weeks and 6 days. ;-)

I'm ready. My hubby is ready. I'm not really sure if Fritter is ready, but he's probably as ready as he's going to get. We're just waiting for the little one to decide that he/she is ready. My cold is mostly gone (yeah, I finally got sick), the laundry is mostly done, I've baked those apple pies (one for us and one for our unlucky neighbors who get to live below us and the often noisy toddler), and the freezer is stocked. I'm not sure what else I could possibly do, and my patience is waning. Today I took a nice long walk with Fritter. I told my husband that anyone who saw the large pregnant woman walking briskly pushing a stroller probably had to keep from falling over laughing. :-) I've been sitting on my birth ball, swaying and bouncing, at any chance I get. And I'm resting and eating those carbs and drinking my water. *sigh* Tell me the baby will come when he/she's ready.

My ultrasound today said the baby weighs anywhere from 6 lbs. to 6 1/2 lbs. Little thing. Also, my amniotic fluid level has gone down to 7ish. They're not too worried at this point, and I'm guessing it could have something to do with me being sick. Or maybe it's almost time? I was hoping by lunch today I'd be calling my dh to come home from work, but alas...

Did I mention I'm ready?

Day By Day

Everyday I fall more in love with my soon-to-be-born son or daughter. As I was laying in bed this afternoon after waking up from a great nap, little one seemed to wake up with me. After a couple of quick moves, the baby settled down for a nice round of hiccups. :-) It's actually taken me longer to get to this point than it did with Fritter, mostly because I'm too busy to really just stop and dream about and feel my baby. But that doesn't mean that it's any less amazing this time around. Every night, I lay down to go to sleep right next to the new baby's crib, and wonder if when I lay down the next time the crib won't be full of a little swaddled baby. Tomorrow we will be 38 weeks pregnant. It's getting so close, yet it feels like a lifetime away right now. My patience is already dwindling, and yet I know that this little one will be born when it's time. I'm just excited to touch his/her little face and hands and feet and wonder at the marvel of new life.

Day by day I'm falling more in love with you
And day by day my love seems to grow
There isn't any end to my devotion
It's deeper dear by far than any ocean
--Frank Sinatra

Melancholic Day

I'm feeling a little down today. Maybe melancholy is the right word. And when I get like this, I start to question everything. The big thing today is am I being a good mother to Fritter? What happens when the new baby comes? How can I possibly give him enough attention, when I already struggle with it now? How much attention is enough, anyway? Danielle wrote a post a while back about playing with our children, but since Fritter is the only one right now, and I am really his only companion at this point, do I have more responsibility to give him more of my attention? Honestly, lately, I'm feeling more inclined to sit on the couch and read my book, than chase him around the living room. Not that I get much of a chance to sit and read, the time I had to do that before is now taken up by a much needed nap when Fritter goes down. And I do realize that the fact that I even get the option of taking a nap is a blessing.

His dad gives him quite a bit of this personal attention, by wrestling with him, and chasing him. I tend to read to him, sing him songs, and do puzzles with him. But generally, during the day, he's doing his own thing. Granted, he's usually right by my side, but he's still involved in his own play. I let him "help" me while I'm cleaning up the house, and he seems to enjoy that, but really is this enough? And does the very fact that I'm questioning it mean that it's not? I'm very grateful for being able to stay home with him, but when I get in this mode, I wonder if I'm really doing him any better than someone else would.

My patience is very thin today as well. Not just with Fritter, but with everything and everyone. I even got frustrated at the paper towel roll for refusing to give me the sheet I wanted without tearing it. :-) Maybe it's the hormones, and maybe it's just one of those days. Maybe I'll feel better after my nap.

Fluid Levels

...are up! Yay! I had my ultrasound this morning, and my amniotic fluid is at 12. Which is good, because it was at 9 last week. Not that that's too bad, but if it had gone down this week, even after all the extra water I've been drinking, then it could have been. Because I've had a C-section, and am having a VBAC this time (God willing) this stuff really gets important. I can't be induced by using Pitocin, because it's too hard on my uterus. I can do natural things like walking, ect., but that doesn't always work. So if my levels had been even lower, then my doctor may have suggested we schedule a C-section. But they're up, which is great. I still have to get an ultrasound done every week now until I deliver our beautiful baby, to keep an eye on things, but I'm not as worried as I was. I just have to keep focused on drinking water.

My doctor's appointment yesterday was a good one. My doula came to visit the doctor and see how things were going. I'm dilated a little more than 1cm still. Also, my Group B Strep test came back negative. Yay! So my doctor said I can labor at home for as long as I want. I plan on making it to the hospital in time to push. ;-)

Stocking The Freezer (And Other Baby Preparations)

This week looks to be a busy one for me. I plan on having a freezer stocked full of meals and snacks for us by Friday. Tuesday morning I have a doctor's appointment and Wednesday morning I have another ultrasound. So between time spent with doctors and water drinking, not to mention giving love to Fritter and my dear husband, I will be in the kitchen cooking. Unfortunately, I am usually so exhausted in the afternoons (even after a nap) that the mornings are the only time I have to get anything done.

So, tonight we are having meatloaf with homemade mac-n-cheese and a frozen veggie. I've already made the meatloaf, including an extra one for the freezer, and tonight I'll just have to pop it in the oven. I plan on making an extra batch of mac-n-cheese for the freezer as well. Tomorrow we are having lasagna and I'm making an extra for the freezer. I'll make a batch of spaghetti sauce for the freezer tomorrow too. Wednesday we're having crockpot chicken, and the leftovers I will shred and portion for the freezer to be used for chicken noodle soup and chicken tacos. One portion of the chicken will be left out for a chicken and rice casserole that I'm making for the freezer on Thursday. Wednesday I also plan on baking oatmeal muffins, banana bread, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Friday I will use to make up anything that I wasn't able to get to the rest of the week. I already have a ham and potato casserole in the freezer, so all this should get us by.

Other than the meals, which will be done this week, we're ready. We bought a new infant car seat yesterday, since our old one was not only purchased used for Fritter, but had been sitting in a hot garage all summer. Laundry is mostly caught up, except it needs to be folded and put away. I've been trying to maintain the house as best as I can with the low energy that I have, but I think we're ready for survival mode. One thing we do need to do is get Fritter's bed set up for my mother-in-law who is coming on December 3. Basically we just need to get a box spring so that she doesn't feel like she's just laying on a mattress on the floor. It works for Fritter, but for her I'm not so sure. When she comes, he will get the porta-crib set up in our room. It'll be cramped, but we'll make it.

Whew! I'm off for a nap while I can get it.

Happy Birthday Fritter!

I can't believe you're two years old already! Where has the time gone? For your birthday, we had originally planned to take you to the children's museum, but when we woke up Saturday morning, Dad was feeling adventurous, so we drove north to Prescott (Biscuit) . Once there, we found a hiking trail, and after only a couple of missteps, you got the hang of things pretty quickly.

We then went into town and visited the courthouse, which seemed to be where everyone liked to hang out. You had a lot of fun pushing your stroller around, and your dad enjoyed watching you run into the curbs because you couldn't see where you were going.

Dad treated us to a hotel room, which was not in the original plan, (didn't I say it was high adventure?). We ordered a pizza, and we got you a rather large piece of chocolate cake. You enjoyed it, and we enjoyed watching you go crazy in the hotel room for the next two hours because of all the sugar.
I had forgotten Duckie (how could I?) but you fell asleep around 8 with no problem. I think it was the sugar low. Around midnight, though, you woke up and proceeded to tell us all about the mountains, and pine cones, and trees that you had seen that day. By 2 am, you were still awake, and so we decided, with the final order being issued from Dad, that we would just pack up and head home. You usually sleep well in the car, and this time was no different. We arrived home around 5 in the morning, and we all went to sleep in our own beds.

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Fritter,

Happy Birthday to you!

36 Week Ultrasound

I don't have any pictures to show, mostly because the baby is head down with his/her face towards my back. It was neat, though, to see him/her practicing breathing. ;-) The baby looks good overall, and is a little small, at about 5 1/2 lbs. Fritter was only 7 lbs. 1 oz. when he was born, so I think this will just be a petite baby.

Unfortunately, my amniotic fluid levels are a little low. The range is between 5 and 20 (cm I think), and mine is at 9. I'm upping the amount of water I drink (I'm really bad at drinking water) and my dear engineering husband is having me chart it. My doctor called this morning, and encouraged me to use the pool if I could. I don't think I'll be getting in the outdoor pool when it's only 78 degrees outside (those of you in the north are laughing, I know), but I will be using the bath. Also, I'm scheduled for another ultrasound to check the fluid levels again next Wednesday the 12th. I would appreciate any prayers you could offer for us. Hopefully the levels will either be up or stay the same so we won't have anything to worry about.

Until then, I am forcing water down my throat as often as I can. So far today I've had 20 oz. Only 76 more to go and 12 hours to do it in. Ugg.

Glory and Tragedy

It’s bittersweet in the extreme, however, that the man who embodies the triumph of our founding principle “all men are created equal” with respect to black persons should be so unwilling to extend to the unborn the same right to be included in the family of men. It shows he doesn’t know the meaning of his own triumph, and it’s a blot on his achievement much as the institution of slavery was a blot on the American founding.

Beautifully put Rebecca!

Lost Phone

...or, Where IS That *%^& Ringing Coming From?!

My dear husbands cell phone has been lost for a few weeks now. We've looked everywhere, including all over the house, all over his office at work, and all over (actually, in) our cars. Nothing. Not that we use our cell phones all that much. Our last bill stated we used 25 minutes out of our shared 700. We've thought of just canceling, but whatever would we do without them?

Anyway, this morning, about every five minutes or so I will hear a "ring, ring". That's it. Two faints rings, enough to get me out of my chair, and search the area I heard it coming from. The problem is, it's coming from the dining area, which doesn't have many nooks for a cell phone to hide in.

You're saying, "So call the phone!" Right? I've tried that. I get a busy signal. Actually, it's more like a voice on the other end telling me all service to the voice mail is busy. *sigh* At least it's keeping me from thinking about the election results.

Don't Forget

...to vote today! As I heard on the radio today, some Iraqi's walked two days, through terrorist and suicide bombing areas just to vote. Yep, it's that important. And for a great reminder about how important this election is, visit Danielle.

Rosary Shower

Two women from our church threw our family a rosary shower in honor of our new baby yesterday. There was a total of 6 families that came, which means there were A LOT of kids. It was so fun watching them run around outside. Fritter was the youngest by quite a bit. The next oldest was 5, but he kept up with them pretty well. Amazingly enough, he was not the dirtiest by the end of the day. He came in second. ;-)

It was a nice shower. All the kids sat on the floor while the adults sat on the chairs, and the kids took turns leading the rosary. There is something so wonderful hearing a 5 year old lead a rosary. Even Fritter filled in with his own "Amen"s now and then. Afterwards we had some delicious cake and punch. The men were all afraid we were going to make them play shower games, which was kind of funny, but it wasn't that type of a shower. We all just enjoyed each others company. It was welcoming to us to be thought of by such wonderful people. It's taken us quite sometime, but we are finally settling into our new home. The shower was a lot of fun.

Here is a picture of the cake, and below it the table set-up.

36 Weeks

I had my 36 week doctor appointment this morning. I need to remind myself that, while an appointment at 8:30 is manageable, an appointment at 8:15 is impossible. We were about 10 minutes late, mostly because I still haven't learned to add in the extra time it takes me and the toddler to get down three flights of stairs and across the apartment complex to get to the car. We are definitely not fast.

We did the Group B Strep test today, and then she checked to see if I was dilating yet. I'm 1 cm, but am not effaced at all yet (which is good, we're still a little early, no matter how eager I am to meet our new little one). My doctor wants me to go in for a third trimester ultrasound to check the size of the baby. Not that she's worried or anything, but because I will be having a VBAC she wants to be careful.

I'm fairly confident that I can deliver a baby normally. Fritter was a C-section baby for fetal distress and failure to progress after I got to the hospital at 7 cm. As I've mentioned before (I think) our doctor was more than a little surgery happy, which didn't help the situation. Fritter was not a big baby, only 7 lbs. 1 oz. so having a bigger baby should not be an issue. Actually, I haven't gained as much weight this time as I did with Fritter, and I'm carrying very differently, so we'll see. Anyway, she also gave me Mother's Cordial to help get my body ready for birth. This is what the handout says about the ingredients in it:

Partridge Berry: Strengthens the uterus for child birth and quiets nervous irritability.

Blue Cohosh: Used in labor to relieve false labor pains while increasing the strength of the contractions during actual labor. It also makes a good remedy for "after pains". It helps to facilitate a natural birth process when it is taken in the last month of pregnancy.

Cramp Bark: Helps tonify the uterus.

False Unicorn: Ovarian and uterine tonic. It helps to tonify and support the uterus during labor and childbirth.

I am supposed to take 1/2 tsp. 3 times per day. I think I'll be putting it in my pregnancy tea to disguise the taste of the tonic. It doesn't look that tasty. ;-)