Luke's Birth Story

Because I had two previous c-sections, we knew that Luke was going to be born the same way.  We were allowed to choose any day during his 39th week for the birth.  The doctor I wanted was only on call on Monday, March 17th, so that became the day. At first, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of giving birth on Saint Patrick's Day.  I had planned to give him my maiden name as a middle name, but we decided that if he did come on the 17th, we would give him the middle name "Patrick."  Then, I started to get attached to the idea of a (pseudo) "holiday" birthday. There were a few days where I had some contractions and I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but it was nice to always have an end date in mind (I really feel for those women who end up giving birth at 41+ weeks!).

The week leading to March 17th was not the best for us.  On Wednesday, Jack woke up saying his throat hurt.  He acted fine and he didn't have a temperature, so we decided to just keep an eye on him.  We knew strep was running rampant at his school, but he didn't seem to exhibit any of the tell-tale signs.  On Thursday, he said it was still hurting, so we kept him home from school again. He spent the day yelling at Kara and otherwise acting fine, so we decided he would go to school on Friday.  However, just before dinner we noticed he had a rash.  Thomas took him to urgent care and he tested positive for strep.  So, he got to spend another day at home.  Meanwhile, Thomas and I were trying to get last minute things done around the house. I finished the laundry (of which there always seemed to be "just one more load"), while Thomas put together the pack-n-play, swing, bouncy chair, etc.  Saturday, we picked up my friend Marta from the airport.  It was a relief to have Marta there and to have not gone into labor yet.  We have great friends and neighbors who I know would have watched the kids in an emergency, but it was good not to have to worry about it anymore. When we got home from the airport, Anna tearfully announced that her throat was hurting.  Marta and I took her to Urgent Care where she also tested positive for strep.  

The last loads of laundry.

Meanwhile, the forecast for Monday was predicting a snow storm with 4-6 inches of snow!  At my pre-op appointment the hospital staff had said that if a helicopter couldn't land, they would postpone my c-section. This was obviously a big worry for me.  I checked the forecast constantly and it just got worse and worse.  I was up all night Sunday, waiting for the call from the hospital postponing the surgery, but it never came (although, the snow did).

Thomas and I left for the hospital at 510 Monday morning.   It was crazy to think that the next time I walked in my house, it would be with a baby!  The drive took about twice as long as normal, thanks to falling snow and icy roads.  Since the hospital is so close, we still made it (almost) on time.  When we got there, they hooked me up to the monitors and inserted my IV.  I have great veins and never have an issue giving blood.  However, IVs don't generally go so well. And, I think the person who did it was in training.  Regardless, she "blew" the veins in my right hand, so they had someone else come in and do it on the left.  Fortunately, that person got it on the first try.  However, I wasn't sure we were off to a good start.  

Things were running a few minutes behind, due to an emergency in the ER.  But, I got taken back to the operating room shortly after 730.  My OB had asked me what kind of music I wanted and I told her country.  She came in and turned on her IPod and the anesthesiologist (note of pride--I got that right without spell check!) got to work. Unfortunately, my back wasn't bending the way he wanted it to and he couldn't get the spinal in. He said my bones were not giving him any space.  It took almost 20 minutes and I was afraid I was going to need general anesthesia.  After a few painful sticks (which left a HUGE square bruise on my back), he finally got it to work. Apparently, I got the nice, patient doctor--for which I was VERY grateful. He was very chatty and conscious of my pain levels. As soon as I mentioned feeling nauseous, he inserted something that quickly took the nausea away.  One funny moment is that while the doctor was trying to get the spinal to work, the song "Before he Cheats" was playing and my OB and the nurses were kind of singing along and then discussing how they would never carve their name into the seats, because it was clear evidence against her.  I didn't particularly like that song before, but now it will be forever seared into my memory of giving birth to Luke (I wish it could have been some sweet, sentimental song, but oh well!).

Finally, Thomas was allowed to come in and the surgery began.  It was both frightening and exciting to be laying there knowing that in just a few short minutes I would meet my son for the very first time.  The emotions of wondering if he was going to be okay were overwhelming.  I didn't mention this to anyone, but I had tested positive for a down syndrome marker and even though the chances were still remote, it was something that crossed my mind.  It had been a stressful few days and it was almost surreal to be at the point where the birth was imminent.

When they took him out, at 0822, the first cry was amazing! Unfortunately, with a c-section, you don't get to hold the baby right away.  Instead, the doctor showed him to us and then handed him off to the pediatrician. He scored a 9/9 on his Apgar and finally Thomas was allowed to hold him. He was 7lb, 10z, 20 inches long and incredibly beautiful!  I know parents are biased, but I believe he is among the cutest babies I have ever seen  :)  Both Thomas and I cried and it was a very sweet moment.  I was flooded with love for this tiny being and the intensity took me by surprise.  Even though Luke is our fourth child and I was kind of thinking the birth would be predictable, it was not.  It was amazing and wonderful and joyful.  In fact, I was almost sad that we had decided against more children, because it meant I would never experience that wonderful flood of emotions again. 

Thomas went with Luke to the nursery while they put me back together.  

Wearing his special St. Patrick's Day hat

This next part may be too much information, but the tubal ligation did not go very easily.  Apparently, I had a ton of scar tissue, which they had to cut away. Then, they couldn't find one of my ovaries.  This led to a lot of tugging and uncomfortable sensations (not at all painful, just strange).  What was supposed to be a 5-minute procedure became much longer and more complicated.  Ultimately, they they think they found it (waiting for pathology report to confirm) and they were able to stitch me back up.  The doctor reported that all of the scar tissue meant that it would not be wise for me to try and have another child anyway, so we had made the right decision.

Finally, I was taken to the recovery room.  Similar to what happened with Kara, my blood pressure got really low and I was very light-headed.  Fortunately, Luke and Thomas were not kept away too long and I was able to nurse.  I was thrilled to be reunited with my family and again overwhelmed by the emotions of love and gratitude for this wonderful child.

Thomas has worn this shirt for the birth of each of our children.

I'll write about our stay in the hospital, including the kids' first visit, and our first few days at home in my next blogs.

The Little Things

I often write about the big and/or exciting things that happen in our house, but today, I want to focus on the minutiae.  This has been a pretty low key weekend for us, but I am going to touch on the highlights.

Thomas was off on Friday and I decided to surprise Jack and Anna by going to their school for lunch.  I got there as Anna's class was walking into the cafeteria and she was thrilled to see me.  She held my hand and proudly told me about how the lunch line worked and what we could chose from.  We sat down with Jack, who was equally excited.  Anna's class left first and when Jack's class left, he wanted me to come stand in line with him.  Like Anna, he wanted to hold my hand and he hugged and kissed me goodbye, twice in fact. Then, he waved as he walked backward down the hall.

From there I went to Kara's class.  Thomas had put her on the bus after I left for lunch and she was hoping that she would get to go to the cafeteria to buy her pizza, so that she could wave to me.  Usually, their teacher goes to buy their lunch and they eat in the classroom, but on rare occasion, they get to go with her. I knew she was really hoping to be able to wave at me and I didn't want to leave without seeing her.  So, I walked into her class and she gave me a huge smile and hug.  Then, she brought me over to her table (after getting permission from her teacher) and showed me her journal.  She was making a picture of "a snowman in the dark."  She just had to add the finishing touches (two rockets).  I stayed for a few minutes with her and left when her lunch came.  I am actually not sure on the rules for Pre-K and I didn't want to overstay my welcome.

Saturday, we took the kids out early to look for bikes.  Jack and Anna have both outgrown theirs and with the weather finally warming up, it seemed like a good time to purchase.  Kara has also outgrown her bike, but we told her she could use Anna's until she learned to ride without training wheels and then we'd get her a new one.  She had a wonderful attitude about this and I was very proud of how she handled the situation. Unfortunately, despite stops at Walmart, K-Mart, and Target, we didn't find any bikes in the right size. There still isn't a very large selection (although bathing suits were out in force).  After a conciliatory lunch at Chick-Fil-A, we came home and then Thomas took the kids to the park for 2 glorious hours.  When they came home, they rushed to find me so that they could tell me all about it.  Jack had played basketball with Thomas, Kara and Thomas played tag, and Anna and Jack both told me about a new friend they made.  They proclaimed it a great day!

At one point today, everyone was playing nicely in their rooms when I walked upstairs to get something. The girls asked me to come in and play with them, which I did.  We played a new card game and then I put together something for them.  I was only in there for probably 30 minutes, but it was very pleasant to spend time with kids who were getting along.  When I came downstairs, Jack was asking Thomas to read a book to him. Thomas always stops what he's doing when one of the kids asks him to read, and today was no exception. So, he and Jack snuggled on the couch and Thomas read Horton Hears a Who.

We had pizza for lunch and now the kids are watching "Annie."  Normally, we don't watch tv during the day, except for Sunday mornings, when we typically let them crawl into bed with us.  Since we changed the clocks today, we didn't have time for cartoons, so we told them they could watch a movie later.

As I was reflecting on the past couple of days, I couldn't help but think about how much I love having kids this age.  I love that they want to spend time with us, that they are unabashed in their affection and that the highlight of their day is going to the park with their father.  I love that Kara calls herself my little shadow and proclaims me her best friend.  I love how Anna fights to snuggle with us on the couch, and that Jack gives so many spontaneous hugs and kisses.  Even when we aren't celebrating some big occasion or going somewhere special, our day to day life is so often full of love and peace and I want to focus more on this then the fighting and irritations that would inevitably occur in any house with 3 small kids. I know I don't express my gratitude often enough or focus on the positives as frequently as I should.  In simple terms: I love my husband, I love my children, I love my life.

New Furniture & Nesting

We are down to the final days (11!) before we can expect Luke to enter this world and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I am not sure if one can be actually be a "bit" overwhelmed, but I am having difficultly finding the right adjective.  Sensitive might be another appropriate term.  Although, perhaps not in the traditional sense. Things that normally bother me slightly, like the dust on the baseboards in the kids' bathroom have taken on a new level of importance.  So, I spent the past few days cleaning and organizing the kids' bedrooms, bathroom and playroom. However, I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me start with the new furniture.

In order to not have to work when the baby is born, I spent a lot of time working in January and February.  I completed my two week AT and also stacked up on regular drill days. This was a bit of a burden on the family, particularly Thomas who ended up having to take a few sick days when childcare didn't go as planned, thanks to illnesses or snow days. However, we persevered.  After I do my two weeks (or whatever amount of time, depending on the year), Thomas and I typically make a big purchase, something we have been wanting, but couldn't really justify buying. Actually, if I am honest, it is usually me driving this ship.  My first year of "part time," I actually spent 3 months working and we bought Jack's bunk bed and new kitchen appliances; the second year it was a trip to Disney World; and this year it was a new couch. I have hated our couch since almost the day we bought it. It looks nice and is comfortable for a few minutes, but once you sit on it to watch a movie, you quickly realize that looks can be deceiving. As a result, I have spent the past 6 years hating that couch. Additionally, even with the accompanying chair and ottoman, it did not provide enough seating for our family of 5, at least not with the way the kids like to sprawl. So despite the fact that the old couch was fully functioning and not necessarily needing to be replaced, I really wanted a new one.  I used the pregnancy as an excuse, not that I needed one, and made Thomas join me at a furniture store.  We settled on a new sectional and patiently waited the 4 weeks the salesman told us it would take to get here. Then, we waited another 3.5.  Finally, the day arrived and our new couch was placed in our living room. The old couch was relegated to the office, where it can serve as a place for short sits and Thomas moved the chair and ottoman to a new reading corner in the master bedroom.  A pretty successful arrangement if I do say so myself!

Old couch in it's new home

New couch!

The very same day that the new couch arrived (and I can't believe the length of that paragraph I just devoted to a couch!), we had another furniture delivery.  Thomas' father wanted to buy us something nice for the baby.  However, after hand-me-downs from neighbors, the baby shower, and our own process of slowly stocking-up, there wasn't much we could thing of.  Then, he offered a bunk bed for the girls. Those who are unfortunate enough to be in the position of listening to my regular ramblings know that we have struggled with what to do with bedrooms when Luke comes home. The first few months aren't a problem, we'll keep him in with us (in a separate sleeping area), but the long-term presented a problem.  Jack is a little old to have to share a room with a baby.  Moving one of the girls in with Jack was a short-term solution, and Anna and Kara can be a bit of a volatile combination.  However, the girls indicated that they really wanted to share a room (of course, Jack also thinks it would be great to share a room with the baby), so when Thomas' dad offered the bunk bed, we decided it was definitely worth taking him up on.  He ordered it on a Tuesday, and it only took 4 days to get here.  So, now the girls are in one room.  It has only been 5 nights, but so far the arrangement is working out well. Thomas unassembled and reassembled Anna's old bed to create a guest room for two in Kara's old room (for when friends come up to help with the baby, after they leave, we will transition it to Luke's room) and we are one step closer to "ready."

Enough about furniture, onto the nesting. Lately, I can't stand how much of a mess the house is.  My kids just have way too many toys that seem to migrate from their designated areas. It drives me crazy! Additionally, all of a sudden I am noticing how dusty everything is. I am pretty good (although not great) at straightening up and keeping clutter at bay.  I vacuum and mop regularly.  Apparently, however, dusting is not my forte and all of a sudden when I walk into a room, it's all I can see (as a sidenote, the girls like to play "Love It or List It, based on the HGTV show, so we get regular opportunities to "tour" the house, pretending to be prospective buyers and oddly enough, I do tend to see things a bit more critically).  Anyway, I am slowly trying to get a handle on things.  This week, I tackled all the kid areas. I organized the playroom, moved all of Kara's toys out of her old room, and did a complete top to bottom cleaning in Jack's.  It's a start and it feels good to have accomplished something.  The office is my next big project.  The state of the bookshelves makes me cringe (my kids like to play "library" which means nothing on the shelves ever looks good) and again, the dust is a bit overpowering.  So, that will be my project next week.  Then, I need to do the master bathroom. Hopefully after that I will feel like my nesting urge has been satisfied.  In a perfect world, I would find a way to remove every single item, except maybe the toaster and knife block, from my kitchen counters. Even though others seem to successfully manage that, I fully recognize it is just not realistic for me. So, I will try and settle with organizing the office and getting the bathroom back in shape (this is another one I blame on the kids--all of the girls jewelry is mixed in with mine and their bath toys have taken over our tub and are now slowly taking over the shower).

Newly organized playroom, bins are labeled with words and pictures.

This may be the least interesting blog I have ever written.  But, I have come too far to turn back now.