Our new addition -
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Great Grandma Meets Jeremiah
We made a trip to IL last week to see family and friends. Here is a picture of my grandma with Jeremiah (about 3 weeks old).
Sunday, January 15, 2012
In Christ Alone - Booth Brothers
An awesome rendition of "In Christ Alone", by one of my favorite Southern Gospel Groups, The Booth Brothers.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Two Weeks Old
Baby Jeremiah turned two weeks old y-day.
To celebrate, I lazed around in my pajamas until about 2pm.
(If you know me - in real life - then you know
that such an occurrence is simply unheard of!).
You can click the pic to enlarge it.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Review - Voyage of the Dawn Treader
We were able to borrow the movie The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from our library, it made for an entertaining afternoon.
First, you have to know that I am a book lover, and The Chronicles of Narnia is among my favorites. So, when Paul picked this movie up from the library I was pretty leery. BUT, I was happily surprised by this installment of the Chronicles movies. As you would expect, Hollywood took some big liberties (as they did with the other Narnia movies...) but I liked the changes they made. It was clean and entertaining. No bad language. No adult themes. No silly romances (like in the previous Narnia movie).
For accuracy to the book, rent the BBC version. But, for creativity and entertainment value - this newer version gets two thumbs up from our family. (Everyone but Joshua liked it. He was scared... it is a bit "dark" for a four year old.)
Have you seen it? What did you think? Do you like the BBC version better or this new one?
First, you have to know that I am a book lover, and The Chronicles of Narnia is among my favorites. So, when Paul picked this movie up from the library I was pretty leery. BUT, I was happily surprised by this installment of the Chronicles movies. As you would expect, Hollywood took some big liberties (as they did with the other Narnia movies...) but I liked the changes they made. It was clean and entertaining. No bad language. No adult themes. No silly romances (like in the previous Narnia movie).
For accuracy to the book, rent the BBC version. But, for creativity and entertainment value - this newer version gets two thumbs up from our family. (Everyone but Joshua liked it. He was scared... it is a bit "dark" for a four year old.)
Have you seen it? What did you think? Do you like the BBC version better or this new one?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Jeremiah's Birth Story
...The Condensed Version...
I was scheduled to be induced first thing Wednesday, December 28th. I began having regular contractions after midnight the night before. I lightly slept through them, but knew that this was "the real thing." I got up and showered at 4:30 after a restless night. We planned to leave at 5:30. By then, the contractions were about 8 - 10 minutes apart. We arrived at the hospital just before six and were taken to a room.
6AM - Upon entering the labor and delivery room - I panicked - big time. Paul was beside himself,because such irrational panic is reserved only for sightings of mice because I rarely have such unreasonable fear. But all the sights and smells of the room made me remember my last experience (read Josiah's Birth Story here.) ... which we see now was more traumatic to me then we realized at the time. I knew that I feared labor, but we did not know how intense my fear was until I went into the room. I cried. I refused to get on the monitor. I refused to start the Pitocin. I wanted my doctor... and I thought I would demand a C-section. I was seriously, seriously out of my mind with fear.
7:30 - My own OB came in and talked very calmly with me, telling me that she understood my fear. She and another nurse explained that "there must have been some gross misunderstanding" regarding my last birth. She apologized that I was left to sit in fear for hours on end, afraid that my water would break and Baby Josiah would die. I gave Paul a look like "did I imagine the whole thing?", but no - Paul too had very real fear during Josiah's inducement as well. She left us alone to talk over what we wanted to do... would I go home and come back later???
8AM - Lllllooongg story short - My OB calmed me down enough to be able to make a rational decision. I was still scared of having something go wrong. I really do think I was traumatized by my last experience there. So, Paul and I (with the advice of my OB) decided to have an epidural put in. Not only would I be ready in case of any emergency, but I would have no pain if we had to use Pit to speed up labor. I have never done an epidural, and I felt a little like a failure. But, Paul told me that I was being proud. (He was right, by the way.) After talking it out, Paul and I both felt at peace about this decision.
By 9AM - The epidural was put in place and medicating me. I immediately felt my body relax. It was a wonderful feeling!!!
By 10AM- There was talk of breaking my bag of waters, but the baby was still too high and bouncy. So, we decided to go ahead and start Pitocin to aid my body in the process. I was not upset by this decision, because the epidural made me feel very relaxed. I did have an unusual response to the epidural. (not uncommon, just "abnormal") My blood pressure plummeted and I passed out. The quick fix was to give me more fluids through my IV. I had to wear an oxygen mask for 15-30 minutes, but I was feeling like myself again very quickly.
11AM to 1PM - It is all a bit of a fog... I slept some. Paul ordered lunch and read a book. They checked my progress and added more Pit every 20-30 minutes. Somewhere just around one they broke my water.
1-2PM - Immediately after breaking my water my labor went into "transition." I was very grateful that I could not feel the pain of it! They came in often and asked me how I was feeling. I was actually feeling very well... no pain, all relaxed... wonderful!
2:15PM - The OB said I was fully ready, though I could not feel as much pressure as I expected. I was truly amazed at how well the epidural worked! The OB called in the attending physicians and asked me to push. I did push - once, twice, three times and out popped a Baby.
2:20PM - A painless birth - we finally got to meet Jeremiah. They wrapped up my messy little man and placed him in my arms. I was crying for sheer joy over finally meeting him!
The clean-up was quick and uneventful. And, in no time at all I was nursing my little man in my recovery room.
All in all - it was a very good experience. I now think that epidurals are the best invention ever! (HOWEVER, I am not advising any first-time mom to use one! My body already knows how to have a baby, and even when numb I already know how to push. A first-time mom would not know how to push and your labor could end up drastically longer than if you went drug-free. But, for you natural birth veterans who have already done the drug-free thing for your first five babies - do give it a try! Epidurals are wonderful.)
My recovery time in the hospital was the best ever. I was able to get around and walk and use the toilet much sooner than usual! My body had been so relaxed during labor that I had significantly less muscle pains in the following week than I usually do. By 5PM the same night I felt like I could take over the world! I felt that good!!! I am very pleased that Paul talked me into the epidural. And, I am still at peace with our decision. I know that not everyone has a good experience, so please don't take me as the final authority. I am just saying that (for me) the epidural proved to be a wonderful procedure! If we have another baby I would plan to do another epidural if there was time! It made all the difference. What's more - this birth experience was so pleasant that I do not think I would spend my entire pregnancy worrying about the birth, as I did with this baby. There were moments when I could tame the worry, but for the most part, my pregnancy was marred by my constant fear of labor and delivery. Oddly enough, the epidural helped to relieve my fear. And, Paul and I (who were there) agree that the epidural was actually an answer to our prayers for peace and a pain-free delivery.
This was just a condensed version - if you have any comments or questions feel free to ask. I am usually an open book...
I was scheduled to be induced first thing Wednesday, December 28th. I began having regular contractions after midnight the night before. I lightly slept through them, but knew that this was "the real thing." I got up and showered at 4:30 after a restless night. We planned to leave at 5:30. By then, the contractions were about 8 - 10 minutes apart. We arrived at the hospital just before six and were taken to a room.
6AM - Upon entering the labor and delivery room - I panicked - big time. Paul was beside himself,
7:30 - My own OB came in and talked very calmly with me, telling me that she understood my fear. She and another nurse explained that "there must have been some gross misunderstanding" regarding my last birth. She apologized that I was left to sit in fear for hours on end, afraid that my water would break and Baby Josiah would die. I gave Paul a look like "did I imagine the whole thing?", but no - Paul too had very real fear during Josiah's inducement as well. She left us alone to talk over what we wanted to do... would I go home and come back later???
8AM - Lllllooongg story short - My OB calmed me down enough to be able to make a rational decision. I was still scared of having something go wrong. I really do think I was traumatized by my last experience there. So, Paul and I (with the advice of my OB) decided to have an epidural put in. Not only would I be ready in case of any emergency, but I would have no pain if we had to use Pit to speed up labor. I have never done an epidural, and I felt a little like a failure. But, Paul told me that I was being proud. (He was right, by the way.) After talking it out, Paul and I both felt at peace about this decision.
By 9AM - The epidural was put in place and medicating me. I immediately felt my body relax. It was a wonderful feeling!!!
By 10AM- There was talk of breaking my bag of waters, but the baby was still too high and bouncy. So, we decided to go ahead and start Pitocin to aid my body in the process. I was not upset by this decision, because the epidural made me feel very relaxed. I did have an unusual response to the epidural. (not uncommon, just "abnormal") My blood pressure plummeted and I passed out. The quick fix was to give me more fluids through my IV. I had to wear an oxygen mask for 15-30 minutes, but I was feeling like myself again very quickly.
11AM to 1PM - It is all a bit of a fog... I slept some. Paul ordered lunch and read a book. They checked my progress and added more Pit every 20-30 minutes. Somewhere just around one they broke my water.
1-2PM - Immediately after breaking my water my labor went into "transition." I was very grateful that I could not feel the pain of it! They came in often and asked me how I was feeling. I was actually feeling very well... no pain, all relaxed... wonderful!
2:15PM - The OB said I was fully ready, though I could not feel as much pressure as I expected. I was truly amazed at how well the epidural worked! The OB called in the attending physicians and asked me to push. I did push - once, twice, three times and out popped a Baby.
2:20PM - A painless birth - we finally got to meet Jeremiah. They wrapped up my messy little man and placed him in my arms. I was crying for sheer joy over finally meeting him!
The clean-up was quick and uneventful. And, in no time at all I was nursing my little man in my recovery room.
All in all - it was a very good experience. I now think that epidurals are the best invention ever! (HOWEVER, I am not advising any first-time mom to use one! My body already knows how to have a baby, and even when numb I already know how to push. A first-time mom would not know how to push and your labor could end up drastically longer than if you went drug-free. But, for you natural birth veterans who have already done the drug-free thing for your first five babies - do give it a try! Epidurals are wonderful.)
My recovery time in the hospital was the best ever. I was able to get around and walk and use the toilet much sooner than usual! My body had been so relaxed during labor that I had significantly less muscle pains in the following week than I usually do. By 5PM the same night I felt like I could take over the world! I felt that good!!! I am very pleased that Paul talked me into the epidural. And, I am still at peace with our decision. I know that not everyone has a good experience, so please don't take me as the final authority. I am just saying that (for me) the epidural proved to be a wonderful procedure! If we have another baby I would plan to do another epidural if there was time! It made all the difference. What's more - this birth experience was so pleasant that I do not think I would spend my entire pregnancy worrying about the birth, as I did with this baby. There were moments when I could tame the worry, but for the most part, my pregnancy was marred by my constant fear of labor and delivery. Oddly enough, the epidural helped to relieve my fear. And, Paul and I (who were there) agree that the epidural was actually an answer to our prayers for peace and a pain-free delivery.
This was just a condensed version - if you have any comments or questions feel free to ask. I am usually an open book...
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Baby's First Night Home - pics
These pictures make me laugh, because they show how much was happening all at once. Rebecca could not get one single good picture.... Yet, these are precious pictures. All of these were taken on Baby Jeremiah's first afternoon home from the hospital. Click any pic to bring up the enlargements page. As you can tell, Josiah LOVES the new baby.
January Family Photo
Our new and improved family picture.
Rebecca - 9
Nelson - 8
Lydia - 6
Joshua - 4
Josiah - 2
Jeremiah - 10 days
Click any picture to bring up the enlargements page.
Paul zoomed in on individual children for cuteness' sake.
This one is our favorite!
Did you notice how Joshua is always looking to see what Nelson is doing... and then imitating it?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Too tired to post much
Just a quick post, because I am too tired to be a good blogger right now :0)
Van Update - We have not found a big van yet, we have not sold our truck yet. BUT, Paul is buying a "third row bench seat" to replace our captain's chairs with. So, we will be able to sit one more body in the van. The only down-side (from a grown-up point of view) the children will have to climb over the seat to get to the back row. Hopefully this will be a short-lived experiment.
Baby Update - He's great. Y-day he weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces. His color is great. All is well. He is getting days and nights figured out! He slept more last night than he has yet. It meant that I laid there sweating to death in a "hot" house, but Baby slept well.
My Health - Tired. Bought some mommy supplements to try to help control all my hormonal ups and downs. (Evening Primrose, Iron Complex with Red Raspberry, Magnesium Citrate)
One of these days (after I get to sleep more than 2 hours together) I will write out a birth story. No rush on my part. I know that you would all be scolding me to rest ; )
More later...
Van Update - We have not found a big van yet, we have not sold our truck yet. BUT, Paul is buying a "third row bench seat" to replace our captain's chairs with. So, we will be able to sit one more body in the van. The only down-side (from a grown-up point of view) the children will have to climb over the seat to get to the back row. Hopefully this will be a short-lived experiment.
Baby Update - He's great. Y-day he weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces. His color is great. All is well. He is getting days and nights figured out! He slept more last night than he has yet. It meant that I laid there sweating to death in a "hot" house, but Baby slept well.
My Health - Tired. Bought some mommy supplements to try to help control all my hormonal ups and downs. (Evening Primrose, Iron Complex with Red Raspberry, Magnesium Citrate)
One of these days (after I get to sleep more than 2 hours together) I will write out a birth story. No rush on my part. I know that you would all be scolding me to rest ; )
More later...
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