Babymoon

Well, I guess my babymoon is over! Dan went back to work monday and things are starting to get back to "normal". Mareea has been doing great. The past 3 nights she's slept for 5 hour stretches which has been a huge relief to me. I've actually been scheduling her during the day. This is the first time I've ever put a baby on a schedule and I'm liking it. She seems to be liking it, too. She eats about every 3 hours and we both know when it's time to eat. I've started cloth diapers with her also. Other than my stupid washer not getting them as clean as I'd like, it's going really well. I also made some fitteds for Thea and have been putting them on her during the day.
Unfortunately, I'm not healing as fast as I would like to. Things do seem better today though. I'm trying not to stand too long or walk around much. One good thing is that I was able to get some sewing done today! It's not like I can clean or do laundry so I might as well do something productive that doesn't require walking or standing!! We have been blessed to have people bring us dinner every day this week! It has helped so much.
It snowed like crazy yesterday and today. This is Q's second day off of school. Dan even came home early from work today. The kids had a great time sledding outside with Daddy and playing in the snow. Thea could only go out for a few minutes and Dan said she didn't like it because the snow was so deep. I would have taken pictures, but I didn't go outside!

Mareea's first doctor's appointment.

Yesterday we went to the doctor and things look great. Mareea is already up to 7 lbs. 15 oz., which is just 2 oz. under birth weight. Usually babies come back in at 2 weeks to check weight, but he said she didn't have to unless I was concerned about something. That was good to hear, because it's hard to get everyone out and I hate taking them into a doctor's office at this time of year! Thankfully, they have a special side door where new babies come in and go directly back to a room so they don't come into contact with any sick patients. The doctor was really nice, too...although with his views on vaccinations I'm afraid he won't see us for very long :( I didn't even ask him about them at this visit, because I didn't want to get stressed about it yet.
Yesterday I also took some cute pictures of Mareea for her birth announcement. I tried to get some with just a diaper, but she got mad! That girl does NOT like to be cold. hmm...reminds me of someone else she's related to :)
Nights are still hard. Last night we discovered she loves the pacifier and has a really strong suck for a newborn. I really hate binkys, but normally use them right in the beginning when I'm desperate to get some sleep at night or stretch the time between feedings. Sometimes it's not possible to cook dinner and feed a baby every 45 minutes you know?? This time I really hope to get her on some sort of schedule so that she won't be needing to eat when we need to pick Q up from school and that life will be a little more predictable. With 5 kids predictability is sort of nice.

Life with a new baby...

Life can be pretty crazy after a new baby is born. I'm not able to do much right now and Dan is working so hard to do all the chores and cooking, plus keep up on his work and schoolwork. Ashton started complaining of a headache today and had a fever and threw up so we're also dealing with that.
Mareea is adorable of course. She has a classic case of day/night confusion and sleeps like a rock all day long, but is up fussing for 2 hour stretches at night. Thank the Lord she sleeps while the children nap and I have been able to get a nap everyday since I got home from the hospital. Tomorrow is her pediatrican appt and we will see how her weight is doing. She's not very good at latching on, but is wetting enough diapers and eats regularly. She is so beautiful. I love to just stare at her :)
Please pray for us to stay healthy...especially Mareea and I.

Mareea Isabella's Birth Story

On Thursday I went to the doctor and was 4 days over due. My mom was having to leave on Monday so I scheduled an induction for Friday morning and had the doc strip my membranes. I really prayed that I could avoid an induction and go into labor on my own. Dr. told me I was almost 4 cm. dilated and about 80% thinned out. This sounds really promising, but I'd been dilated since 36 weeks with nothing to show for it! I left the office around 12:15 and went home for lunch. Because the baby was coming the next day, I ran around and did all the laundry, picked up the house and put some toys downstairs in the basement to help reduce messes. After the kids woke up from nap we watched a movie. And I felt a contraction!!! This was around 5pm. By 6pm they were starting to come regularly and I was pretty sure I was in labor. I got a shower and then called the doctor. He said to call him back in about an hour to let him know how things were progressing. By about 8 (a 1/2 hour later) I was having very, very painful contractions with shaking and knew I'd better get to the hospital soon! Shaking is a sign of transition and normally that part of labor goes very quickly for me. Dan was out doing a couple errands, but we left as soon as he got back. The kids hugged me and prayed for me and I told them I loved them so much. It was freezing outside (the coldest night in 5 years) but I didn't even notice. I had to stop walking on the way to the car to get through a contraction and I could feel Dan shaking next to me as he held my hand. We got to the hospital at 8:30 and the triage nurse checked me and said, "what do you think you're at?" I couldn't answer because I was having a massive contraction and just wanted her to leave me alone. She told me I was at 8, almost 9 cm and that my water was "bulging". She asked if I could walk to the room or if I wanted her to just wheel the bed I was on there. There was no way I was going to walk if I could avoid it and asked her if I could stay in the bed. She agreed, but said in turn I had to promise not to push the baby out in the hallway. They had the doctor come pretty quickly after I got into the room. He was just finishing up delivering another baby down the hall so it worked out perfectly. I was complete except for a stubborn lip and he informed me that the baby was facing up. That made me want to cry and I said, "oh no!" He asked if I'd had another baby like that and I didn't answer, but told him I knew that made delivery hurt worse. Landon had also been face up at first and pushing him out had been intense. I pushed a few times...well, it was actually more like exhaling really strongly to help her turn and my water broke. I started to get frustrated because my other babes had come with 1-3 pushes and this pain seemed to be lasting forever! I complained that the contractions weren't long enough for me to push enough. LOL. Because she was not quite face down yet and I was sick of pushing (after like 4 times) the doc had me turn over and get on my knees to give her some more room. We put up the back of the bed and I leaned against that for support. On the next contraction I was able to push her out!!! But WOW...it hurt! I started yelling for someone to help me and the nurse whispered in my ear that they were helping me. hmm....I didn't agree. It was still hurting sooooo bad and I yelled, "why does it still hurt!!!!???" So the nurse whispered that I had to push the rest of her out. Well, I had thought she was all the way out so I got back to business and pushed and felt that amazing relief you get when that babe slides out. She cried right away and they handed her to me. Dan whispered that she was a girl and I held her. And of course, I fell in love. She had a lot of junk in her nose from delivery and they just let me hold her while she cried to clear it out. I tried to nurse her, but the mucus in her nose was making it hard. Finally, it was breaking my heart too much and I asked them to suction her. They did and weighed her in at 8 lbs. 1 1/2 ounces. and 21 inches long.

Welcome to the world baby girl!!!

Yep. We'll keep her :)

Last preggy picture

Yes, this is a little late, but I wanted to post before I forgot!
This is me at 40 weeks exactly

Mareea Isabella was born on Thursday, January 15, at 9:30!! She weighed 8 lbs. 1 1/2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Yes she's big! All the clothes I brought for her to wear in the hospital are too small. Daddy will have to bring a different coming home outfit for her because pants on the one we have are more like capris.
She's doing well...a little fussy and refluxy, but we're praying it will resolve soon. Last night she slept wonderfully. 3 hour stretches in between feedings and I was able to get some much needed sleep. We're leaving today and looking forward to getting back to all the other babies waiting for us with Grandma at home.

Please praise God with us for avoiding an induction and bringing her exactly when she was ready!! I will post a birth story soon.

40 weeks 1 day (almost 2)

I am still pregnant! Who would have thought! I have been dialated since 36 weeks and at 4 cm. for 2 weeks. I cannot complain because I don't feel bad at all. Not even really tired or anything. The heartburn has even let up a little. Apparently baby and I are both a little too comfortable.
Please pray I go into labor before friday when they will induce!!

39 weeks 6 days...

and still pregnant. Dan goes back to work on Monday and I am sitting here seriously wondering if I made the right decision about not getting induced. I feel good still so I praise God for that. My parents are trying to come down. The past 2 days the weather was bad for driving so they're not here yet.
Maybe tonight will be the night!

A little brag...

Ashton read Green Eggs and Ham and Goodnight Moon all on his own yesterday!!!

39 weeks 2 days

Yesterday Dan and I decided to schedule an induction to make sure baby got here before he had to go back to school. So it was schedules for 1:00 on Thursday. When I woke up this morning I thought some more and then we decided that my mom should come on Sat. and we'll just wait. That way my mom will be here to watch the kids while i'm at the hospital and we won't have to take Baby before she is ready. It may mean that Dan has to leave class and come home, but oh well...hopefully they will understand! Dan also finally took some vacation leave. He didn't take any over the holidays thinking the baby would come and he could use the free leave from that. Well, she didn't come so he took off for the rest of this week. Monday he starts back to school and teaching.

I finished some more fitted dipes for Baby Girl. I think they're kinda cute. Thea helped me use her baby doll to model one of the dipes. The picture of her sitting on the baby is when I told her to "put your baby on your lap so you can read it a book". Somehow she decided to sit on the baby's lap instead! So cute!!

Where were the boys while we were playing dolls? Playing the Wii. Dan rented one from Family Video for them to play during his vacation. We'd never buy one, but it's fun for something special every now and then...

Fun

We decided to try and make the most of the time before baby comes. Once she is here my life will be very full of nursing, changing, doing laundry, etc. and we won't have as much time to do fun things together. Today we baked cookies.

The belly 39 weeks 1 day

39 weeks

Well, I am still pregnant. We had high hopes (and lots of prayers) to have this baby at 38 weeks when my parents were in town, but it was not to be. I went to the doc last Monday and he stripped my membranes and told me I was about 3 cm and 75% effaced. However, I guess my body's just doing things slow and steady and not in any rush. Baby must still need some growing time! It's a little discouraging because Dan starts back to work/school a week from tomorrow and if she's not born before then he won't be able to take any time off to be home. His frustration with waiting is sort of stressful because I feel responsible, but I don't know how to do anything about it! I had the boys pray tonight that she would come out soon.
I'm feeling really tired and sore a lot. No contractions at all, but it sure hurts to bend over or pick things up. Carrying Thea into the Lowe's today was somewhat exhausting. Heartburn is almost unbearable some days. Today was a good day for that though!!
I am going to try and take a belly picture tomorrow. I don't think I've ever been this far out!
If you get a chance pray that Maria will come in God's perfect timing...and if it's his will that timing will be ASAP.