Cupcake with Her Papa

 

A Man in the Kitchen

 

Hubby, whom I have decided to refer to as "T" on this blog because I feel goofy always calling him "Hubby," came up with a creative solution to a problem the other night. My parents were over, and Mom had made some shortcakes and sugared some strawberries, and all that was left to do was whip up some whipping cream. She didn't know when she bought all the ingredients for strawberry shortcake that I had burned up the motor in my electric mixer a while back trying to mix a batch of peanut butter cookie dough. Mom and T took turns trying to whip the cream by hand with a whisk, but after several minutes of doing that with no apparent progress, T went and got his electric drill, inserted a whisk, and voila! Whipped cream in moments! (By the way, T bought me a new mixer, as well as three different kinds of dark chocolate, for Mother's Day!)

3 Days Old

My Cupcake

 

I Have Two Children Now!

 

Cupcake with Her Grandma (My Mom)

 

The Birth of Our Daughter

 

Here is the birth story of our daughter, who will henceforth be referred to on this blog as "Cupcake," because she's cute, little, and sweet. :-)

I woke up at 12:30 A.M. having some moderate contractions. They weren’t extremely painful, but I thought they seemed stronger than Braxton-Hicks. After a while, I started timing them, and they were about ten minutes apart. I lay awake for several hours and then managed to doze a bit between the contractions, which had slowed down.

I continued to have light to moderate contractions throughout the morning and early afternoon. I wasn’t very diligent to time them, because they weren’t even requiring my full concentration at that point—I was able to continue doing whatever I was doing through them.

I managed to take a nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon, which I guess meant that I didn’t have contractions during that time, or they were so light they were unnoticeable.

After I woke up, I decided to take a walk to see if that would help the contractions become more intense. I walked briskly around the neighborhood for about twenty or twenty-five minutes and had four fairly strong contractions during that time. When I got home, I started to make dinner. I had all the ingredients for potato-broccoli-bacon soup, and I wanted to use them up before they spoiled, so I started making the soup, even though the temperature was in the seventies and I already felt hot. I started chopping up vegetables and realized that my contractions were getting closer together and stronger. My water broke at with a gush at 5:00 P.M. while I was standing at the kitchen sink peeling potatoes. I found a contraction timer on the internet and started using that every time I had a contraction. Within forty-five minutes or so, the contractions went from moderate intensity and about five minutes apart to extremely strong and about three-and-a-half minutes apart. My water gushed a couple more times during contractions. By this time, Hubby had called my mom, who was staying nearby, and she said she would be right over. I guess I should have realized how close I was to having a baby at that point, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up of having a short labor, so I continued trying to make the soup. I told myself all these contractions were probably a false alarm, and the baby probably wouldn’t actually come for a couple more days. Finally, Hubby told me to stop making soup and come pack my bag! He had already put in a lot of my things for me, but I tossed in a few more things between contractions, which had me yelling and pounding on the wall. My mom arrived and took charge of D.L.F., who was becoming a little upset about seeing Mama acting so strangely (at first, he thought it was just a game and tried to imitate the sounds I was making, but after a while, he realized I wasn’t playing around). As we were heading out the door, I was giving my mom instructions on how to finish the soup! She said she would figure it out just fine, and I should go get in the car.

We made it down the stairs and about halfway out to the car when a big contraction hit. I was a bit embarrassed to have to moan so loudly while there were other people in the parking lot of our apartment complex, but I couldn’t help it.

We left our house around 6:30 P.M. and got to the birth center at 6:50. During the ride, I sat in the backseat and clenched the handle grip above the door with all my might during contractions, which were getting closer and closer together. The breeze from the open windows felt great. My method of distracting myself during contractions at this time was to slowly sing the ABC song in my head and mentally write the letters in swirly cursive.

When we arrived, Hubby opened my car door for me and extended his hand to help me out, but I was in the middle of having a contraction, so he stood there waiting until the contraction finished. Then I got out of the car and had another contraction. There were three men talking together on the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairway up to the birth center. I tried to ignore them, but was again embarrassed to be making such animalistic noises. We made it up the stairs and into the birth center. I saw my midwives, but couldn’t bring myself to even greet them, as the contractions were right on top of each other and were all I could concentrate on. I requested the room D.L.F. was born in. I collapsed on my side on the bed, and Midwife L. did a quick exam and said I was at ten centimeters and ready to push. Wow! What a different experience from the hours and hours and hours we spent at the birth center awaiting the birth of D.L.F.

Someone asked if I wanted the tub filled. I said sure, but I was beyond caring where the baby would be born. I was just ready to get her out. While the tub was being filled, I sat on a horseshoe-shaped wooden birth stool, gripped the handles, and pushed. Hubby was right behind me rubbing my back the whole time. I didn’t need the back massage this time in the same way I needed it with D.L.F., who was posterior, but it was still nice to feel Hubby’s touch and know he was there supporting me. He kept telling me what a great job I was doing and reminding me that we would see our baby very soon.

I started pushing at 7:07. At first, I was yelling a low “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” every time I pushed, but Midwife L. suggested changing to a more grunty yell, which would help get the baby out more easily. And it did—Cupcake was born at 7:27 P.M., weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and measuring 20 ¼ inches long. It was only thirty-seven minutes from the time we walked in the door of the birth center until she was in my arms. Whew! Her APGAR scores were 9 and 10.

I bled quite a bit, approximately 450 milliliters, and so one of the midwives gave me a shot of pitocin in my right thigh to help control the bleeding.

I pushed the placenta out at 7:36. It was large, healthy-looking, and complete. Cupcake’s cord was extremely long—“Enough cord for two babies,” as one of the midwives put it. Hubby cut the cord at 7:41. I got into the tub and cleaned up a bit.

I started nursing Cupcake at 8:00. She was more interested in trying to get her fingers in her mouth than in nursing, but she did manage to latch on and suck for about forty-five minutes.

Midwife D. brought us take-out from a Thai restaurant. I had cashew chicken, and Hubby had teriyaki chicken. We were hungry, as we never had gotten to eat our soup! Hubby fed my dinner to me, as my hands were busy with Cupcake.

After we ate, Midwife L. examined me and found that I had a small first-degree tear which did not require stitches. I was so grateful for that, as getting my third-degree tear after D.L.F.’s birth stitched up was physically and emotionally as hard or harder on me than the actual birth.

We left the birth center at 10:50 P.M.—exactly four hours after our arrival. Midwife D. said, “What a great way to spend an evening. It only took the same amount of time as going out for dinner and a movie, but you got a baby!”

Hubby and I thank God for our precious, sweet baby daughter. It was a blessing to have such a quick, natural, peaceful, beautiful, relatively easy birth. Mama and Baby are both doing great.

 

 

 

More Weekend Fun

My mom and I took D.L.F. to the zoo this morning. It was his first time to go, and he enjoyed it. I think his favorite exhibit was the sea otters. He kept calling them doggies....they did kind of look that way. We also saw elephants, tigers, bears, and various types of monkeys, birds, and sea life.

My parents are coming back later tonight and bringing Thai food from our favorite local joint. I asked them to make mine mild, but now that I think about it, maybe I should have said to get hot, as I've heard spicy foods can help a woman go into labor! Still no progress in that department....

Hubby and my dad stayed at our house and worked on organizing and clearing excess "stuff" out of our "stuff room"--basically, a room that up until this point, has been used exclusively for storage, but we now want to use it for the baby's room. They made some good progress.

Family Weekend

My parents are in town. Mom and I took D.L.F. to the park this morning to see the ducks, and now Mom and Dad are on their way over and should be here in a few minutes. It surely would be handy if I would just go into labor tonight or tomorrow, since my parents are already here!

A May Baby

Well, considering that today is the last day of April, and I still have no signs of going into labor, it looks like we will be getting a May baby. Now at least I can stitch the month of Baby Girl's birth onto the sampler I am making for her room. At least, she'd better not stay in me until June! :-)

A Fun and Busy Day

Until Baby Girl decides to make an appearance, I am trying to keep busy and do some fun things so I don't feel like I'm just sitting around waiting. Today D.L.F. and I took Hubby to work so that we could have the car. We went to a children's museum. D.L.F. had a blast, but he played so hard there that he was exhausted and kind of cranky for the rest of the day, even though he took a good nap when we got home. Later, when it was time to pick Hubby up from work, we toured his office and said hi to all his co-workers, and then picked up a take-and-bake pizza on the way home.

I am so weary tonight. I wonder why (perhaps carrying around a full-term baby has something to do with it?). :-) I am just going to take it easy for a while and probably go to bed early. I am reading a book called Deafening, by Frances Itani. It is very good so far.

Not that I really have any choice in the matter (I was just reading the other day that a hormone is secreted by the baby's brain when he or she is ready to be born), but I was thinking that May Day (May 1) would be a nice birthday for Baby Girl. I have fond childhood memories of making May Day baskets and dropping them off anonymously on my friends' doorsteps. Maybe I will continue that tradition with my children when they are a bit older.

No Baby Yet

But here are two random thoughts:

1) The tree outside my bedroom window burst into full bloom today. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but it is pretty. It has white flowers now that look almost like cherry blossoms, but in the winter it had red berries.

2) What is it with the word verification letters you have to type when you want to comment on someone's Blogger blog? Is it just me, or are they getting even harder to read? Sometimes it takes me half-a-dozen tries to get it right!

Come Back, Contractions!

The contractions I was having stopped as soon as I laid down in bed (that doesn't look right...I never did figure out all those rules about "lay" vs. "lie"). As soon as I lay down in bed? Anyone? How am I ever going to homeschool my children? :-)

Anyhow, I'm doing lots of laundry today, so Baby, you can come out now.

Yay! Pain!

I am currently having some contractions that are stronger than any I have experienced so far this pregnancy. They don't hurt too badly, but I wouldn't call them "painless." I'm not getting excited yet, though. I'm going to bed. I'll post again if I determine that I'm really in labor.... I kinda doubt I am. Besides, I need to do laundry before I can have a baby. :-)

Gotta Get 'Em Clean Somehow

D.L.F. had been wearing navy blue socks that had left lint all over his feet. I wiped the lint off with a damp cloth and let him run around while I searched for another pair of socks. By the time I was ready to put the new socks on, the soles of his feet were dirty again (guess it's time to vacuum?). I told him, "Your feet are dirty." He thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Dustbuster!" "You want me to use the dustbuster on your feet?" I asked. "Yeah!" he replied enthusiastically.

39 Weeks Pregnant--Almost There!

 

I had an appointment today with my midwives. Everything is perfectly normal--baby's heart rate, my blood pressure, baby's position (still L.O.A.). I have Braxton-Hicks contractions occasionally, but nothing painful or regular yet. Every night when I go to bed, I wonder, Will tonight be the night contractions start? Obviously, contractions could start during the day, too, but I always think of them as starting at night (maybe because that's how it happened with D.L.F.).

I think we have everything we need for the birth, which isn't a lot. If we were having a home birth, we would be responsible to purchase a lot of birth supplies ourselves, but since we are going to a birth center, they have pretty much everything on hand there, and the supplies are just included in the regular fee. We did get eight bottles of Recharge (an all-natural sports drink...like Gatorade, but healthier), so that should help keep me (and Hubby) hydrated. I think I drank about five bottles by myself last time I was in labor! I am preparing a gift basket with snacks inside for each of our three midwives to give them when we get to the birth center...after all, they will be working hard (and round-the-clock) and need nourishment, too! We have a special very pink and girly "first outfit" to bring Baby Girl home in, although I think I will pack a boy outfit, too, just in case! You never know; ultrasounds are not 100% reliable.

We decided our bedroom is too crowded to fit Baby's crib (we will put the crib in our "office"--office being in quotes because it's more of a junk room at present--for her naps), so we're hoping to purchase a small bassinet off Craigslist before Baby comes. Haven't found a good one yet, but we'll keep looking. We have all the diapering things we will need, and people have been very kind in giving us lots of girl clothes, so that's pretty much it!

Cracks me up every time

This video will make your day. Who can resist laughing at such a cute baby?

A Trip to the Park

 

As long as he doesn't go around saying it in public

This morning, Hubby was making up silly words to the melody of the children's nursery rhyme, "Hot Cross Buns." The thing is, he didn't even realize that that was the melody he was using...but D.L.F. did! D.L.F. started saying, "Hot buns! Hot buns! Hot buns!"

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Hubby called to me.

"Yes," I replied. "You were singing the melody to 'Hot Cross Buns.'"

What made it even more hilarious was that while this took place, D.L.F. was playing in the bathroom, and Hubby had just stepped out of the shower and was drying off. He thought D.L.F. was commenting on his physique!

Thank You!

Just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU! to all who leave comments on my blog. I'm not usually great about responding to comments in the comment section, but please know that I do read and appreciate each one!

On Waiting

I remembered as I was trying to get comfortable in bed last night that, at this time in my pregnancy with D.L.F., the weather was in the 90's and 100's (it was late August). At least being sticky-sweaty-hot is not something I have had to deal with this time around! The weather has been typical spring weather around here...cloudy, rainy, warm and sunny, hailing, and today I think I even saw a bit of snow mixed in with the rain. I am happy about having a late-spring baby this time, just at the time when flowers begin blooming in earnest and the weather starts warming up. I'm planning to take it easy and rest for the first few weeks after Baby Girl is born, but after that, I'm looking forward to taking D.L.F. and Baby Girl out in our new-to-us double stroller and walking off some of this baby weight!

I keep saying I'm soooo ready to be done with this pregnancy, but this evening I read some words in a book called The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy, by Shonda Parker, that were encouraging and convicting:

"Mental, or emotional, preparation coincides with spiritual preparation. We cannot be emotionally at peace if our focus is not on trusting our Divine Creator in His wisdom and plan for this child, this pregnancy, this birth. We delight in our husband's washing us with the Word of God, allowing the Scriptures to bring us peace, comfort, and BOLDNESS in the approaching birth. Joy is found in trusting the Lord, sacrificial trusting that surrenders our own plans, even our own hopes, to the Will of God.

"As the time of our birth draws near, may our spirits be cleansed and renewed in our trust in the grace of the Lord, may our hearts be gladdened with the assurance of His mercy, may our bodies open in the fullness of time under His pillar of strength, may our hearts be turned to our babies in the perfection of His love." [emphasis is the author's]

And so I wait. It's hard not knowing exactly when I will go into labor, how long it will take, how hard it will be, or at what moment Baby Girl will take her first breath, but the Lord knows all those details and has a plan and purpose for the way things will unfold.

Question: Teaching a Foreign Language to Young Children

Hubby and I are thinking of learning Spanish. We live in an area where the population is probably at least 60% Hispanic, and one of the main reasons we and other members of our home church moved into this neighborhood was to be able to reach out to our neighbors. We are finding out that that is difficult to do when we don't know their language. I have a good Spanish program (textbook, audio and video CD-ROMs, workbook, etc.) from taking a quarter of Spanish way-back-when at community college, so Hubby and I can probably use that as a starting point.

My questions are, what if we start practicing at home in front of our toddler? Do kids get confused if they sometimes hear an object called one name in one language and another name in another language? Has anyone ever had experience with your children learning two different languages at once? Did it frustrate them and delay their language skills, or did it enhance their language abilities?

Miscellaneous

D.L.F. has been going around lately saying, "Hi, Buddy," "Hi, Honey," and "Hi, Cutie." Obviously, he picked up those phrases from me. I'm not sure if he is simply repeating them or if he is using them as names for me. Either way, it's pretty cute.

We live a few blocks away from a plant nursery, so sometimes we walk over there when we need an outing but I don't want to go too far. We went there today. D.L.F. likes to look at flowers and the fish in the pond. He is learning the names of some colors, so I point out the colors of all the flowers we see. It's cheap entertainment. :-)

I had a prenatal appointment yesterday. Baby is now in L.O.A. position, which I guess is the "ideal" position for birth, so I hope she stays that way! I mentioned that my lower back was achy, and the supervising midwife rubbed it with arnica oil for me about half an hour! It felt so good and made me extra-happy to be back with my midwives again instead of an OB/GYN.

I am reading a fairly new book called The Big Book of Birth, by Erica Lyon (I was able to get it through my local library). I'm not done yet, but I recommend it. Most books about pregnancy are 90% about getting through your three trimesters, and oh, here's a chapter about birth at the end. But as the title suggests, this entire book is about birth. It includes lots of information on non-chemical pain coping techniques, and there are women's personal stories interspersed throughout regarding every stage of labor. It's still a fairly basic book (it's not a midwifery manual or anything), but it's nice to have a concise guide to what labor can be like (I think it would be especially good for a first-time mom who wants to have some idea of what to expect).