Baby Announcement

Late Sunday night, Ami called me to be ready.  She was having constant contractions that didn't go away with rest and it was her due date!  I sent her to bed and went to bed myself, telling her to call me when she couldn't sleep through the contractions any more.  At 3-something, she called again.  You know how a phone ring lasts about a second? Well, Mark heard the very first nano-second and jumped awake, which caused me to jump awake and hear the phone before the first ring was even complete!

By 3:30 AM, I was on the road!  I met Kris and Ami at the hospital where they admitted her after a short monitoring period.  The little baby was experiencing heart decelerations after each contraction and that had the staff a little worried.  After they checked her in, threatened an emergency C-section, and did a quick ultrasound, they saw that baby had cord looped up by his shoulder and it was being compressed.  As long as Ami stayed on her left side, he was fine.  So there she stayed (for the most part).

At about 2:00 PM, Ami got a dose of fentanyl to help with pain and to help her relax.  She tried nap and I headed to the lobby to visit with the famous Crystal Poppins and children.  When I returned an hour later, Ami was ready another dose, but she wanted to wait just a little longer so she could have the pain killer when she really needed it.  She was also hoping to get an epidural, but wanted to wait until the perfect time-she didn't want to have it long enough to cause further interventions, but she also didn't want it to be "too late."

Ami was probably the best patient the hospital had ever seen.  She was polite and clean and quiet and kept her sense of humor the whole time.  She was good at giving instruction to Kris and I when we were doing something she didn't like and she was willing to try my "doula tricks."  And she was amazing.  Just before little Erik was born, she said, "Where's my epidural?"  I looked her right in the eye and said, "Your pain relief will be here in about ten minutes."  She could see right through my cover.  She knew the baby would get here before the anesthesiologist!  

And he was!  He was born very quickly...like so fast that the doctor wasn't there and the trays of this-n-that weren't set up.  The nurses were scrambling and trying to push me out of the way (nice try, ladies), but babies are born on their own schedules and there was no hospital policy or procedure that could stop this little guy.  He was born at 4:14 on October 20th and he was 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long!

He is perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  The family is settling in together without a lot of outside interference, which is how it should be.  Little Erik is pretty mellow at this point and his big brother shows an appropriate amount of interest and disinterest.  At some point we will go back up and bring food and fun for big brother, but at this point, they are doing great!

And Baby Makes Three

We have been waiting for this little fellow for quite some time!  His birth story started at 2:45 AM early Sunday morning when his sack of water broke.  Ami called 3:00 AM to let me know it was time to come up! I was a little confused-after all, I had been asleep and I remember staring down at Lula wondering why she was ringing.  Ami's due date wasn't for another two weeks, so who on earth could be calling in the middle of the night?  But I finally woke completely up and was up in Ferndale by 6:30.  We spent the morning hanging out and trying not to watch the clock.  Ami wasn't having regular contractions, so we knew we had a ways to go.  My job was simple: use my vast knowledge of childbirth (haha) to help Ami and Kris welcome their first son into this world as naturally as possible.

Around 2:30 PM, Ami was ready to go to the hospital and be assessed.  After determining she had in fact ruptured her membranes (duh), she was admitted to her own room and observed.  By evening it was apparent that she was uncomfortable enough that she couldn't sleep, but she wasn't going to make any progress unless she slept.  The doctor ordered "therapeutic rest" which helped her sleep until early morning.  What a blessing for her!

Monday morning came and her contractions were uneven and not progressing, so she needed to be induced.  Ami stuck with her initial birth plan, but as anyone who has had to be induced knows, pitocin contractions are way too intense to manage alone.  After she received an epidural, Ami rested, contracted, and dilated beautifully until little Charlie was born at 9:45 PM last night.

He was 6lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.  He is the smallest baby I have ever seen-so precious!- and is perfect in every way.  He is nursing beautifully and both mom and baby are recovering quickly.  They are expected to go home sometime today.

I am so honored that Kris and Ami included me in their birth.  I was able to participate as a doula before the epidural was placed, as an advocate (aka annoying question asker) throughout their stay in the hospital, and as a coach during the birth.  Thank you both for sharing this most precious moment with me!

Psalm 139:13

Auntie Lula is not supposed to be the main focal point of this picture...she just happens to be sleeping while I work on my grandson's first blanket... with love in every stitch.

Life's a Beach

This beach has always been special to our family.  M used to bring A and L here to play and discover beach life when they were little girls.  When M and I started dating, we strolled on this beach and dreamed of our future together.  We brought the younger set of kids here to play and discover beach life before we moved.

All those memories culminated in one that we will cherish forever.  On this day, July 1, 2012, our youngest/oldest daughter exchanged vows of matrimony with her husband.

 

After the ceremony, A and K hosted a small gathering at their home.  A few friends, siblings, and parents attended, as they wished to keep the celebration small.

We wish them the very best in their new life together and we love them very much.

June-uary

Where is summer? We are so cold that our heat actually turned on today! We feel like hibernating in this cold weather... I know I just want to sit around in flannel pjs drinking coffee...

One might think I like to take pictures of my messy living room and post them where everyone can see what a wonderful housekeeper I am. But this is actually an "unschooling" science project. For those who haven't heard the term unschooling, you basically let your kids run wild and they learn from their own adventures (or misadventures). Of course if the child is in an environment rich with literature and other stimulating academic activities, they might do well. But I don't see an advantage to letting a child choose when they learn to read or do math. I don't unschool. I homeschool. And I digress... This "unschooling" science project can also be described as imaginative playtime for a six, four, and two year old. They are in their cocoons, waiting to emerge as hairy moths. IJ is under the beige blanket asking his brother, who is under the tiger blanket, "How many more days until you emerge?" Evie, under the colorful blanket, is mimicking her brother word for word. My Pathetic Doberman is just waiting for them to abandon this game so she can curl up on my blankets.

Now for our next adventure...

IJ went to his first Cub Scout meeting last night where he crossed the bridge with the rest of the scouts who were advancing. This meeting was the big end of the year shin dig, where scouts were honored by their families for all their achievements for the year. The meeting was from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at a local park. This was the view as I drove to the park...My windshield wipers were going super-speed. I had to drive 25mph on a road I normally take at 45mph. When we got to the park, three of my kids were sound asleep. Did I mention I was alone with the four little ones?  Mark was at his Mason meeting, being promoted to Master Mason. Laura was studying for her 8:00 am final in Greek Mythology. Ami was performing in her last Jazz Band concert. Busy night! So, the little kids were sleeping. It was freezing and raining and did I just see lightning? And thundering and pouring down rain... Was I crazy for brining a 5 1/2 week old baby out in this weather so her big brother could be honored? Yes, I was. So I started the long process of waking a two year old from a much-needed nap. This is what happened when we headed into the park:Shane took off running when he saw the play structure. IJ was lagging behind, helping his sister who wouldn't walk... I know it is hard to see, but he is trying to carry his sister down the wet slippery stairs. I'm stuck in between them, in the freezing pouring rain, holding a baby. Who do I go after? Do I run after Shane to tell him not to go down the slide because his bottom will be wet and cold for the rest of the night? Do I turn around and helping Evie walk, but expose Baby Fiona to more cold rain on her little head? Or should I just stand there like an idiot and take some pictures?Luckily we made it to the covered picnic area without hypothermia. But it was close! One thing I already love about this Scout Troop is how family friendly they are. This troop is for homeschoolers only and there are some pretty big families involved! Kids were running around crazy, making the sounds only kids can make in the excitement of being outdoors in a lightning and thunder storm. The meeting was jam packed with fun songs and jokes, one joke being performed by Ami's much-admired biology teacher (that's right, a public school teacher that homeschools!). My favorite part was when Evie had to go potty. I had to take the four on them in the heated bathroom where I played SuperMom. I breastfed the Baby while helping Evie go potty while telling Shane that he had to untuck his shirt from his underpants before he put his coat back on while telling IJ that the sink would turn off by itself so stop pushing the button. Mrs. Biology Teacher walked in while this was happening and witnesses what nutcases Ami's family really is. Her cool facade was busted!

Here is IJ crossing the bridge to becoming a Tiger Cub...And here is his brother congratulating him... not on becoming a Cub Scout, but because he took the step necessary to get us all back in the van and heading home to hot cocoa!Coming up Next... I could have KILT my husband for what he bought at the Scottish Highland Games last weekend!