The Wait is Over

I'm now the proud Mama of two little girls.  The wait is over,  Corah Beth arrived at 6:15 PM on Monday, November 21, 2011.  She weighed 8 lbs and 11ounces.  She was 20 inches long, and her head circumference was 14 inches.  

 

We are all thrilled that she is here safe and sound.  We are settling into a new normal.  I'm hoping to have her whole beautiful birth story written before too much longer.

Welcome to the world, Baby Girl.

At the Hospital

Last Tuesday (November 15th) I woke up from a nap feeling off.  Contractions started coming pretty regularly, so I called Leanne to ask what contractions felt like.  I know that sounds crazy, seeing as I've had a child before, but Kenly's delivery was all backwards.  I started timing the contractions and when they started coming every 20 minutes apart, I called Nana and Papa to ask them to come in case the time had come.  They hopped in the car and drove through the dark and rain so that Kenly would be well taken care of if I was indeed in labor.  Mama and Daddy got here at a little after midnight and we all settle in for a fitful night.  My contractions continued until about 4 am when the slowed and then stopped completely.  I woke up very disappointed.

I had an appointment with Dr. Simmons at 10:00 on Wednesday.  Mama drove me to the appointment.  I think everyone was afraid my water would break halfway there.  When Dr. Simmons did the exam, she said I was almost 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  She said the baby had dropped a station and was at -1.  I was excited the baby dropped a bit, but I was really bummed that I had not dilated  more considering I was so uncomfortable all night long.  We discussed sweeping my membranes but decided to trust the baby's timing. 

Life went back to normal.  Nana cleaned my house like crazy and I was beyond thankful.  She made sure the baby's bed was ready for use.  We went to Kenly's Hip Hop open house at Releve and had a few fun outings.  On Friday afternoon I started feeling off again.  I had a lot of low pressure pain and back discomfort, but I just thought it was all labor related.  I was hoping thing would pick up because Dr. Simmons was on call.  By Friday evening I was very uncomfortable.  In fact, I hurt throughout the night and woke up exhausted and miserable. 

The pain in my back and abdomen kept me from walking upright by mid afternoon on Saturday. I took a nap and woke up feeling like my water had broken.  I called the hospital, and Dr. Hawes said that I should still be leaking if my water had truly broken.  I was also having some irregular contractions again.  As the evening wore on, the contractions got stronger and I started feeling feverish.  When I took my temp, it was only 98.7.  We went to dinner at Cocula, and by the time we got home I called Dr. Hawes again to tell him I was convinced I was in labor.  Adam and I packed and went to the hospital.

When we arrived we were sent straight to Labor and Delivery.  A sweet nurse names Lynn started checking us in and taking care of us.  She performed a speculum exam and then did a cervical check, and her findings took the wind out of my sails.  She said I was barely 2cm dilated and that my contractions were irregular and weak.  My water had not broken, and I was not in labor.  I started crying immediately. I was thinking if this isn't labor, I'm a complete wuss and I will never be able to have a natural childbirth.  Lynn asked me to catch a urine sample which I did with great difficulty. When she tested the urine, she said that she thought I had a bladder infection.  We waited on Dr. Hawes for what seemed like an eternity because he was delivering a baby.  When he finally came in, he asked me to describe my symptoms.  He said my urine sample was dirty--white blood cells, blood, a bit of protein.  He also said he wasn't convinced that I had an infection.  He wanted me to be cathed in order to get a cleaner sample.  Once the clean sample came back, it was determined that I had a bladder infection.  I was given a prescription for Ambien and for an antibiotic.  Then I was discharged.  We stopped by a 24 hour Walgreens to get the good stuff.  I had a snack when I got home and then a minor meltdown.  Mom listened to me cry while Adam got some sleep.  I got super "drunk" from the Ambien so Mama helped me to bed. 

On Sunday I slept and ate.  I did very little other than try to recover.  I wanted Kenly to have a normal bedtime routine, but I kinda blew that.  I took the Ambien early so it would be out of my system by morning.  It gave me the spins and I threw up my dinner.  So much for Kenly thinking everything was normal. 

Now we are at the hospital hooked up to an IV that is feeding me steady drops of Oxytocin.   Our nurse's name is Rachel.  The cool thing is she has a background in midwifery and home birthing.  I think she is going to be a big help.  Now we wait.  I'm having contractions regularly now, so that makes me very happy.  Dr.Simmons is on call today, so we are waiting to hear from her.  It won't be long until we meet Issac or Corah. 

Blessings

I had a miserable night's sleep last night.  I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that I got up about 13 times.  Only one of those awake periods was because of Kenly.  I was hot and miserable.  Add to that combination a bladder than can't hold more than three drops of urine these days, and you have the recipe for a long, hard night. So, when Kenly woke me at 4:30 to take her to the bathroom, I opened the window and prayed that God would let her sleep until at least 7:30.  When I heard her call, "Mommy, I need you."  I opened my eyes to faint light and just knew it was 6:00 AM.  After I discovered it was 7:45, I think I murmured, "Thank you, Jesus."  Blessing number one.

Kenly and I followed our morning routine and then headed to the library for story time with Mrs. Cathy.  A new mother walked in with two small little girls.  (They were 13 months apart.)  We all introduced ourselves, and after story time I found myself sitting at the craft table with Michelle, the new mom.

She was wearing her youngest daughter in a wrap, so I started picking her brain about which wrap is best.  She told me her two favorite "baby wearing" devices are the Moby wrap and the Ergo carrier.  We talked a bit more, and she asked me the famed questions every pregnant woman gets.

1.  When are you due?
2.  What are you having?

When I explained that my due date is tomorrow and that we don't have a clue what we are having, her face lit up.  She explained that her trunk was full of winter boy clothing that a friend had given her when she was convinced she was having another boy.  When the baby turned out to be a girl, she loaded the clothes up to donate them.  She never made it to her favorite place to donate clothes, so she still had the tub and garbage bag full of clothes in the car.  She asked it I would be interested  in the clothes.  I was shocked by her generosity.  After all, we had only known each other for about 30 minutes.  She assured me that I would be doing her a huge favor.  She wanted the space in her trunk back.  She just asked that I pass the clothes on to someone who would need them if I couldn't use them once Whatzit arrives.  Now I have a trunk full of baby boy clothing.  I'm trying not to interpret this unexpected gift as a sign. Could be be having an Isaac?  Could God have used this woman to prepare us for a boy since we don't have any boy clothing?  Blessing number two.

I got a slight nap this afternoon.  The kind of nap where you don't know who you are are where you are when you wake up.  Blessing number three.

My final blessing occurred when I was able to make Kenly's tap/ballet open house tonight at Releve.  It was so much fun to watch her perform.  She would run over and hug her Daddy or me, and we would have to send her back to the performance.  She did a great deal of waving and showing off as well.  It was too much fun.  All I can say is that Ms. Merle has the patience of Job.  Those girls were doing official tap and ballet moves.  They might have been a bit behind or slightly distracted, but they knew what they were doing.  If Whatzit waits, I can't wait to see her Hip Hop open house on Thursday.  Blessing number four.

I woke up convinced that my day was going to be a huge struggle because I was so bone-tired, but God had other plans.  He kept bolstering my energy and my mood with blessings.

Whatzit's Waiting

I got a call yesterday from my OB/GYN's office.  Apparently Mission Hospital only allows three inductions a day, and November 18th was already full.  The scheduler gave me two options--November 10th or November 21st.  I'm nearly fell out when the scheduler told me I could meet my baby tomorrow.  Then the panic set in.  I started to worry about the whole induction process and about forcing the baby to be born before my actual due date.  I called Adam and had a good cry.  Lord knows he's heard me whine about being pregnant a lot these days.  He was amazingly supportive.  He listened to my growing list of worries and interpreted my hormonal rambling for me.  I'm not sure I'm capable of rational thought right now.  The decision--we wait.  We wait on Whatzit to come on his/her own or we wait until the 21st.  I'll be 6 days past my due date by then and more willing to submit to medical intervention.

I went to see Dr. Simmons again today.  She enthusiastically supported my decision.  There is no need to rush things.   I'm healthy and the baby appears to be healthy as well.  No need to force the arrival when women have been waiting on the baby's timing for generations.  Today's stats were slightly different.  I was 2 cms and 60% effaced.  The baby was still at a -2 station and head down.  Dr. Simmons talked to my belly and told Whatzit to choose tomorrow because she is on call.  I packed my bags just in case there is something to be said for all the full moon mayhem.  And now we wait.

Kenly and I baked "belated" Halloween cupcakes yesterday.  We had a blast baking and icing the cupcakes.  When we were done, she asked to pack one for Dr. Simmons.  She picked out a cupcake with white icing and purple tombstone sprinkles.  Dr. Simmons was so grateful.  She hugged Kenly and thanked her over and over again.  She was truly touched.   Kenly was beaming when we left.  Nurse Brenda said, "We sure are going to miss that smiling face once you deliver."

Kenly and I waited in the lobby while the set up my induction for the 21st of November.  Hopefully we won't need to be induced, but for now we are scheduled to show up at Mission at 6AM and "to get the show on the road" at 7AM.

My prayer is that the whole process goes naturally this time around.  I want my blood pressure to stay within the normal range.  I want to try and labor without an epidural.  I want my body to contract on its own so that I can avoid pitocin.  But when it is all said and done, I just want a healthy baby and a healthy mama.  The rest is just details.            

Learning to be Patient

It's a lesson I don't know that I will every fully learn.  Right now I'm struggling to be patient with my beautiful daughter and to be patient with the arrival of my next blessing.  Kenly's three year old growing pains and nervousness about our upcoming family changes do not always mix well with my hormonal status and my growing fatigue.  I'm fighting tooth and nail to be patient.  To be slow to anger.  To take deep breaths and enjoy these last few days without having to divide my time.  I keep trying to do it on my own strength.  I keep failing.  So I need to pray this prayer right now...

Father,

Help me.  I need your supernatural strength in the coming days to be the mama Kenly needs me to be.  I want her memories of these last days to be filled with love and cuddles instead of my grouchy voice and eyes.  Help me.  Carry me.  Allow me to trust wholly so that your strength can flow through me.  You know I need it.  Keep me from myself.  I know that your timing is perfect, but as always, I'm struggling to fully believe and accept what I know.  Teach my heart to trust in you.  Teach my heart to place my family--both of my beautiful children--in your hands.  Speak peace to me tonight.  I need it desperately.

Amen

Night Terrors

Last night was interesting.  We set the clocks back, watched another episode of Modern Family, and finally turned in for the night.  As soon as Whatzit stopped abusing me and I fell asleep, I hear frantic crying through the monitor.  Loud cries for Mommy.  I hopped up quickly and went to check on Kenly.  She was sound asleep, so I covered her up and gave her Benny Bunny and Binky.  I settled back into bed and convinced Whatzit to stop kicking my ribs once again.  About five minutes later, I hear even more frantic screaming though the monitor.  I jumped up, grabbed my pillows, and headed to the spare bedroom.  By the time I opened her bedroom door, Kenly had throw the covers off.  She was flailing in bed and screaming. 

"Mommy.  Mommy.  No.  No.  No."

I reached down to touch her leg because her eyes were wide open.  She looked straight at me and screamed, "Get away from me.  I'm afraid of you."  It was at that point that I realized that she was sound asleep with her eyes open.  She's had a few night terrors before and I never know what to do when they happen.  All the websites say to just sit closely by and let her fight through it, but everything in my heart tells me to stop the terror.  I don't like to see her panic. 

So I grabbed her, held her close, and begged her to open her eyes.  She fought a bit, but as we rocked in the chair she slowly relaxed and realized that Mama was holding her close.  The crying stopped and she whimpered that she needed some water.  We turned on a few lights and headed to the bathroom.  We had some water and used the restroom.  Finally she started making sense.  I asked, "Do you know where you are now?  She replied, "I'm at home with my Mama and my Daddy.  I'm safe."

We rocked and said a nice long prayer asking God to protect her from another night terror.  We snuggled close until she said she felt cold.  I crawled into bed with her and we talked about all the beautiful things she could dream about--butterflies, red birds, blue birds, Halloween candy, rainbows, and waterfalls.

The rest of the night passed peacefully.  It's my prayer that the stress of the baby's arrival will not bring on regular night terrors.  When I discussed these terrors with with Dr. Dephouse, he said that they are perfectly normal and that they will pass with time.  I hate them.  They unnerve me in so many ways.  Please pray that God will build a hedge around her, that she will be protected from these terrors in the night.

Waiting on Whatzit

Kenly and I ventured out to the OB/GYN again this morning.  Kenly kept her cool during this visit.  The promise of fruit snacks helped kept her from crying while they weighed me, checked my blood pressure, and while I captured urine for the 100th time.  Perhaps she's been a little too close to this whole experience.  She loves picking out the cup for my urine sample.  Oh well.  Perhaps she won't remember all of this trauma.  She helped Dr. Simmons find the baby's heartbeat again.  She's no longer content holding the speaker.  She wants to hold the "belly part."  Dr. Simmons is amazingly patient and allows Kenly to do just that.  She's pretty good at locating the critter too.  But, by this point Whatzit doesn't have too many places to hide.

I showed no progress today.  I'm still 1.5 cm dilated and 60% effaced.  The baby is still at -2 station.  I was hoping that Dr. Simmons was going to say, "Woman, don't you know you are in labor?  Get to the hospital."  A pregnant woman can dream, right?

We scheduled an induction for November 18th (3 days after my due date) just in case. Dr. Simmons will be on call that day, so I know I will be in good hands. She's also on call tomorrow, so if the baby decided to come a bit early, I won't complain.  It's hard not to think you're going early when so many people take one look at you and say, "There is no way you're going to your due date."  Oh...the pain of due date drama. 

This picture was taken on Tuesday at Adam's school.  His department threw us a "sprinkle" and we had a lovely time.  I was most taken by how they all catered to Kenly.  She didn't feel a bit left out even though the baby was getting presents.  I'm most nervous about how she will handle this transition.  She's already slipping into a bit of baby talk and some clingy behavior.  As our paper chain grows shorter, I can see visible signs of worry on her little face.  She knows things are about to change.

God is in control.  He know the best time for this baby's arrival.  He also holds Kenly closer than I every could.  I just have to trust and give up trying to control a situation that was never mine in the first place.

Whatzit, we are ready to meet you.  We really want to know if you are a Korah or an Isaac.  Will you come out and play? 

For now, we wait.

Halloween 2011--Lucky Ladybug

Kenly decided back in August that she wanted to be a ladybug for Halloween. So, when I went to the Wee Trade Sale and found this cute costume for $4.00, I was super excited.  She was able to go trick-or-treating twice on Monday.  She tried to change her mind about being a ladybug at the last minute.  She's a bit gaga over the Disney princesses right now, so she wanted to wear her Snow White dress.  The weather was really chilly, so I was able to deny her request.  When she said she didn't want to wear the bug costume, I reminded her that only people in costumes get candy on Halloween.  We had no issues after that.

She refused to wear the hood for most of the day.  I was able to capture this cute picture with the hood up.

Her first trick-or-treating experience was at a local nursing home.  We decided to join The Small Fry Playgroup for this outing.  It was our first time meeting up with the playgroup, but we decided to go anyways.  We had a blast.  I was nervous about how Kenly would deal with some of the residents, but I should not have been concerned at all.  She was a trooper.  She blew kisses, collected candy, and said Happy Halloween to just about everyone.  After walking around the home for about an hour she said, "Trick-or-treating is hard work."  I don't  have many pictures from the outing because we needed to respect the residents privacy.

Since I had such bad contractions on Saturday, we thought it best to avoid the mayhem in downtown Hendersonville and opt for something a bit more tame.  We met up with the Young's for Kenly's first door-to-door trick-or-treating adventure.  After a yummy dinner of chili and "mummy dogs," we hit the streets. Davis went as Batman.  Beckham went as a fireman.  Baby Drew went as Robin.  So, three families ventured out into the night reminding kids to say thank you when they received candy.

Kenly loved getting candy in  her bucket.  After every house, she ran back to Adam to show him her loot.

Running to Daddy's open arms.

I was there...waddling slowly behind most of the crowd. 

When she got home from collecting goodies, she dumped everything out and examined her candy. 

We even had to count some of it.  So far she's been good about sharing, but I don't dare sneak anything without asking.  I swear she'll know. 

This Halloween was full of plenty of treats.

Uncle T and Aunt C

Uncle Travis and Aunt Carrie came up to visit us this past weekend. It was nice to have them with us just before Halloween again.  Last year they were able to go trick-or-treating with us, but this year Halloween had to be difficult and fall on a Monday.  While they were here, they spoiled us all rotten.  They did some grocery shopping for us while Adam and I caught up on a few things around the house.  Carrie and Travis helped me move a few things from the baby's closet to the the basement.  There are still "miles to go before we sleep," but they helped put a dent in a very large job.

They lavished love and attention on Kenly and she relished every moment.  They took her on a shopping spree to Target, and she scored these wall stickers and the cool blue dance leotard she's wearing in these picture.

We let Kenly have complete "creative license" when putting up her wall stickers.  She is her Daddy's daughter.  Everything needed to be clustered together and grouped.  Carrie and I were mentally begging her to spread things out a bit more, but she loved her design.  She kept saying, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Is she excited or what?

This is how Kenly decided  her wall stickers should look.  When I woke her up after nap, she had three of the flower stickers on her fingers.  She said, "Mama, aren't they beautiful and don't they smell so sweet?"

Apparently going on a shopping spree with Uncle T and Aunt C is exhausting.  In Target, Kenly said, "I'm wored out."  Kenly also got to open a birthday present from her beloved aunt and uncle as well.  She received a Melissa and Doug "Crab Ball" game and a Melissa and Doug sticker book that allows her to decorate faces.  She also received a beautiful pink shirt with a glittery unicorn on the front.

On Sunday we carved pumpkins.  Kenly decided to hide out in the kitchen while the pumpkins were being gutted.  Apparently the smell of pumpkin guts is enough to trigger her gag reflex.  She spent a good deal of time gagging.  I wish I had the gagging on video, but I always seems to be a bit behind when it comes to remembering that I have a Flip Video camera.

She finally worked up the courage to touch the pumpkin innards. 

See her covering her nose?  She really struggled.

Still having a hard time stomaching the process.

When it was time to carve, she gave her Daddy instructions to make her a haunted house.

She told Aunt Carrie and Uncle Travis to make a bat.

I carved a few pieces, but I did a great deal of  watching.  I also fished the pumpkin seeds out of the muck to roast them.  My friend Erica sent me her secret recipe.  Clean the seeds with water.  Put them on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 with plenty of salt until they are crisp.  Easy and delicious.  Kenly even tried them.  She said they tasted like popcorn.

Here is the finished product.  Adam's haunted house also included bats, a wolf, a ghost and a witch.  This picture does not capture all his wonderful detail.

We had a wonderful visit with Uncle T and Aunt C.  Saturday we also had some friends over for a cook out.  I had a blast, but I was being plagued by strong Braxton Hicks contractions.  I really thought for about an hour that we were going to have an October baby. Thankfully Whatzit decided to cook.  I really wanted him/her to stay put until November.

Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Patch

Awhile back, I bought a Groupon for half-off admission to Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Patch.  I was shocked to hear that the event had been going on for a few years because I've never heard of it, and it was practically in our back yard.  With a quick drive to Pisgah Forest, we found ourselves in a Halloween wonderland.

We hopped a trolley from the parking area to the actual event site.  Kenly enjoyed the trolley ride mostly because she didn't have to be in her "space chair."

Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Patch had all sorts of wonderful things to do.  There was a corn maze that we didn't even attempt because Kenly and Big Mama got tired.  We did, however, take part in the child's hay maze and the hayride.  We listened to a ton of good music and met Stingy Jack.  Once it got dark, we ventured to see all the carved craft pumpkins.  It was amazing fun.  Kenly wanted to go back the next weekend, but we didn't make it back.  I'm sure this will be an annual tradition for the Brand family.

We ate yummy food from some of the vendors at Stingy Jack's.  After Kenly finished off her hot dog, she was able to have some kettle corn.

I love this child.  I wish I could get her to wear a hat more often because home girl can pull it off.

Kenly really loved dancing on the dance floor with Stingy Jack.  He told Adam that Kenly was the best dancer he had seen so far.  He was quite taken with her and all her groovy moves.  I guess dance lessons are paying off.  I swear I saw her attempt the "Tootsie Roll."

Stingy Jack told all the kids a Halloween legend and challenged them to a race.  Then they all met back at the stage for a bit of dancing fun.

Adam took this artsy photo of Kenly dancing.  I love all the swirling colors.

When she started to get tired and clumsy, Adam put her in the pack and they continued dancing.

I love my husband for tons of reason, but I was particularly taken with him when he thought nothing of being the only adult on the dance floor.  He was completely lost in the moment with his little girl.

The carved and lighted pumpkins were great fun to look at.  These photos don't do the display justice. 

The sunflower below is carved in four craft pumpkins.  I think they plan on adding to the display every year.  Kenly loved the experience, and so did we.