7lbs 7oz, 19.5 inches.

Arrived 5:19 this morning, 8/30/06. Born at a birth center under the care of a midwife, we spent three hours in labor, two hours in observation, and we were home by 8 AM. Everyone’s resting and recovering comfortably.

Keep in mind that this is not my actual post. No, my actual post is still being written, but it’s late, I’m exhausted, and Heidi suggested that I needed to add something today. Here you go.

Get set…

Water break and contractions stop! Okay, they didn’t stop completely but today I counted less than 20, only two that hurt, Emily flew back to school, and I was asleep by 10pm. Only to wake up at 10:30pm when I realized my water had broken. I need some contractions to start up because Emy seems to be quite content to stay in there kicking me right now. My water didn’t break with my first two kids until I was 10cms and pushing, so this is a whole new ball game.

Hopefully later this morning we’ll have some pictures to post!

Twenty years ago, Heidi may have been found knitting or some other sort of domestic activity while waiting for our newest Baby to arrive, at least if the old Saturday Evening Post covers are to be believed. These days, Heidi fills her waiting up with other things, like editing videos of the kids, for instance. In fact, here are two of her latest:

The Go! Game. We named it; Our children give it life. 3.4 MB

We were trying to keep Mo awake for just a little while longer in order to get her to bedtime. Didn’t work. 2.4 MB

I saw my midwife this morning and let her know Emy has slowed down, so she hooked me up for a non-stress test during which Emy, despite two juice boxes, did not cooperate. Even with a lot of poking and prodding, we couldn’t get her to move much or show any heart rate accelerations (and we needed at least 2 in 20 minutes.) So now we’re heading in for a biophysical profile (ultrasound and such.) Slowed movement can be lack of space but it can also be a sign of placental problems (and thank you, Bennett provided enough of those to last several lifetimes) so we’ve got to make sure all is well and if anything is looking off, then Jean says we’re having a baby now. And since I’m a VBAC, induction can only happen with pitocin (no cervical gels) and only with OB present so at the hospital. We’re not to that point, and praying it doesn’t get to that point because inducing also means good chance or repeat c-section. Hoping Emy is just squished and out of space and not that anything is really wrong. I know my midwife is nervous, however, and that makes me nervous…

Update: Yep, she’s squished and we have adorable pictures of her chubby cheeks to prove it. She passed the biophysical profile but kept us in suspense until literally the last minute she had to perform (they check different things like movement, diaphragm movements, etc) so that’s okay - no need for induction. But then a few hours later I had some bleeding so back into the birth center. Emy still looks good and since it wasn’t a lot and it’s stopped for now, we’re back home and just waiting - my midwife said she thinks Emy’s going to declare herself soon so we’ll see if she decides to pop out before Emily’s flight tomorrow?

Emiline is not going to be here at 3pm today. But I can’t remember if our countdown ticker was a deadline or the soonest we wanted her to arrive - I think it was our minimum goal. And as a couple people at church teased me this morning, we prayed too hard that she would stay in there. She doesn’t realize it’s okay now if she comes out so maybe that’s what I’ll be praying for today.

Contractions hit pretty hard and fast last evening around 4:30pm, every 5 minutes or so and they went for a few hours. We took a long walk and they slowed down at bedtime so I tried to sleep from midnight to 5pm at which point I gave up and took another walk because I couldn’t sleep through them. Went to church, they kept up the whole time. But they aren’t getting harder or closer or faster. So I’m tired, but trying to not let myself get worn out yet because I think when hard labor hits it’s going to go fast. I’m fine with her staying in there OR coming out now, I just don’t want to stay in early labor forever.

At least we’re getting a lot done! Yesterday I decided to just act as if I’m not pregnant (not that we did anything crazy like jumping on the trampoline or horseback riding, though those have both come up as options…) I just decided to go about life as normal and do whatever I had the energy to do. It felt WONDERFUL to get stuff done, to be physical. We baked and cooked, cleaned, scrubbed, sorted, organized, scrapbooked, played.

And what did Emy think of this? Oh, she fell asleep and the contractions slowed down dramatically. Ironic, eh? She was seriously out, enough to make me nervous (because my babies, even in the womb, sleep rarely enough that I can tell when they’re holding still.) I ended up laying down and jostling her a bit and it still took a minute to get her to wake up enough to reassure me that all was well. Not nice of me to wake her up but it’s so out of character for to fall asleep. From everything I’ve heard, walking rocks the babies to sleep and it’s when mom lays down that baby wakes up. Since I’ve been down so much, Emy’s been VERY active (like Christopher active) and I think the rocking her to sleep from my active yesterday really put her out. Usually I can just rub my stomach and she responds right away. I’m suppose to be keeping a “kick chart” to check on her daily and I’ve never needed to (we need 10 kicks in 2 hours - hah) so her not kicking when I’m poking caught my attention. It was cute, I could feel her stretching as she woke up and she was really slowly moving her legs and then she obviously perked up and got wiggly. I love getting to feel and know them before they’re born.

Bennett is signing “tickle” and this morning said, “hop” and he tries to say “tickle.” Moira started speech this last week and loves it, she goes two days a week and I’m happy with her speech therapist. Bennett starts speech next month and we’re working on his fine motor with occupational therapy. Christopher’s latest cute speech is during prayers he’ll ask, “Please help us not get hurt when we fall out of bed.” I don’t think he’s falling out of bed, he hasn’t mentioned it, but I guess it’s on his mind.

So Saturday morning, we’re planning lots to get done today because I’ve only had a couple contractions in the last hour.

As we left the apple store today with Kit’s iPod Nano in a bag, Christopher asked what we had bought. I told him a box and handed it to him, not wanting the kids to get attached and think it was their toy. He takes one look and says, “Is it an iPod??” We all started laughing and realized what a different world our kids will grow up in from the one we did.

In the gallery you’ll see birthday photos and a cute one of Christopher happily snapping his fingers as he listens to “Don’t go breaking my heart,” on that new iPod.

And I don’t mention Emy because I’ve given up hope that she’s coming out. She’s taken up permanent residence in my ribs, or she’s waiting for the heat wave to end, or she’s just reminding me how lucky we are that’s she’s still in there getting HUGE.

I can have the baby now! We’ve decided this delivery we would like some beautiful pictures (not that Kit’s weren’t beautiful) and but since Kit’s going to be busy catching Emiline, we needed to hire a photographer and lucky for us - we happen to know an amazing one right in Fort Worth! So we’ve officially hired my sister, Rebecca, to come shoot the labor/delivery/postpartum at the birth center. I am SO excited because with Christopher we had some pictures but we were both so distracted. With Moira we’ve got almost nothing because it was so fast, and with Bennett we have literally nothing because Kit wasn’t allowed in the OR and I was unconscious. I don’t even have memories of Bennett past people moving quickly to put me under and Kit says his memory is mainly staring at Bennett while the team tried to stabilize him and the doctor tried to explain what was going on from behind a mask. This time we would like some more pleasant memories? And some pictures to capture the event.

My sister is an incredible photographer, so we were thrilled she agreed to come shoot it BUT right after we asked another woman contacted Rebecca to ask her to shoot her delivery. Our due dates were almost a month apart so there shouldn’t have been a conflict but the other woman went past due and I’m looking like I’ll go early and this last week we were both dilated to 2 cms so it was getting pretty exciting to see who would go first - or worse, if we went at the same time! But hooray, early this morning the other woman delivered so now I can go into labor. Emiline is a smart cookie, she waited for the photographer. I told my sister that she’s my first call, even before the midwife.

We’ve received our first threat today. “You’d better do what I want or I’ll scream!” Just like that. Turns out that we wouldn’t give him the cold cereal he wanted for lunch. He disapproved of the healthy lunch we firmly offered him, so he dropped the threat on us.

We asked Critter if he knew what a threat was, and he announced “No, I don’t, and I don’t want to find out, either.” I guess he knows us pretty well. We explained anyway, telling him that he wouldn’t find many faster ways of getting himself in trouble, and he chose to change his ways.

He’s getting to be that age where he’s getting deliberately willful. He understands consequences pretty well. Just the other night, he discovered that if he dawdled too long getting his pajamas on, he wouldn’t get stories read to him because it’d be too dark. He’s much quicker at responding when we ask him to do things lately.

So, he’s willful and trying to threaten us, but he’s also more obviously kind and considerate. He’ll go out of his way to do a nice thing for his mother or his sister when the mood strikes him, for instance. He’s also so much more affectionate toward people that he’s been, though I didn’t think that was possible. Bennett usually likes the hugs right up to the point he gets knocked down, but it’s the thought that counts.

He’s really growing up. They all are, but Christopher’s the obvious trailblazer — the one with whom we make all of our first successes and mistakes. We don’t see the changes much day to day, but then he’ll do something that’s so obviously new, it makes me take a step back in astonishment at the realization that he’s growing up right before my eyes.

According to that early ultrasound, Emy should be measuring 37 weeks today (but I’m not officially that until Monday.) I’m pretty confident she’s 6lbs, based on the rear end that’s up in my ribs and the feet that keep stretching out to stick out of my side at this crazy angle. I have no idea how she can be this squished and still fit inside of me.

We were doing puzzles yesterday and Moira was carefully arranging her foam ABC letters into stacks by color. Bennett, of course, wanted to “help” and she was yelling, “No, Bennett, my ABCDEFG!” over and over. Not her puzzle, or her “ABC’s” but her “ABCDEFG!” Kit and I were amazed to hear her sing the ABC song by herself and she misses ‘k’ a lot but gets everything else and most are really clear. It feels like a sign of progress. She starts speech on Tuesday and will go twice a week and start motor lab the week after.

It’s been too hot for the kids to go horseback riding (still over 100 degrees at 7pm) and I’m guessing horse therapy won’t start until much later in September, too. We’re on day 35 of temps over 100 degrees and I decided this isn’t a bad time to be pregnant because even if I wasn’t pregnant, there is no WAY I would be hanging out in heat like this.

We spent Thursday with a friend and she passed on some wonderful baby stuff to us, including a bassinet. We just washed it and set it up in our bedroom and the kids attacked. Bennett pressed every button (light, vibrate, music) over and over and over; Moira tried to crawl into it and when we said she was too big she opted to chuck all of her baby dolls in there - and some raisins. Christopher was old enough to understand what was going on but Emily and I were laughing as I pictured this poor baby girl being buried under stuffed animals and overwhelmed by constant button pressing. I think we’re going to try putting a gate up in our doorway so I can get to the baby but the other kids can’t?

Having that bassinet up in the corner makes this feel much more real, for some reason. Like now we’re ready. If I were to have her at Christopher’s gestation, she would be here on Labor Day (September 4th) and for Moira it would be next Sunday (August 29th) but if she wants to go with the 39, 38, 37 week trend then she’ll be showing up tomorrow. And that’s not feeling likely… maybe she’ll go for 40 weeks??

No migraine today, hooray! The kids and I went to see a friend and played all morning, then hit Sams (and I pushed the cart while Kit wasn’t looking) then I came home and cleaned out the fridge (though Emily & Kit are helping with all of this mad nesting.) Staying busy really helps me ignore the contractions though if I slow down at all, I notice and they hurt. However, this isn’t real labor yet and I have no idea if she’s going to show up tonight or in another two weeks. Just trying to stay busy until I know for sure, and hoping “for sure” gives me enough time to make the calls and get to the birth center. Becky’s my first call, since she’s our photographer and driving from Fort Worth. Then my midwife, the various babysitters, etc, etc… I want warning, but not so much warning that we spent a lot of time in pain!

36 weeks and 2 days. Migraine kept coming back all yesterday but fingers crossed, okay this morning. Bennett’s newest amusement is tackle hugs. Cute, but somewhat dangerous when he’s going after moving targets.

I can’t imagine the last month of pregnancy is fun in general, but especially after a long, scary, anxiety filled pregnancy and way too many contractions and highs today of 105 degrees?? I’ve entered the cranky zone. I’m trying to keep a good attitude and be thankful Emy is still baking (though we’re all baking in this heat) and today I had a moment that reminded me of how blessed I am - I rocked Bennett to sleep. Something I’ve not been able to do for months. He just cuddled up against my enormous belly and I held him until he dozed off and then I managed to heave myself off the floor and carry him to bed and I said a prayer of gratitude that I’m still pregnant and able to rock my son to sleep. I haven’t been able to carry him for months now and once Emy is here I know I’ll be nursing around the clock and have less time for cuddles with Bennett so it was a sweet sensation to have this time with him again.

Now this is just getting weird. To back track a bit, last night Christopher & Moira both stayed in bed all night, something they’ve not done in over a week. So we got up relatively well rested despite the migraine (and even Bennett only got up twice in the night) and Bennett went down right on time for his nap and then Moira started making sleepy eyes at me and saying, “Hoooollllld me, Mommy.” So I did, and she promptly fell asleep on me! Early enough in the day for a nap (so she’s not up until 11pm which she normal does after napping) and this gives me one-on-one time with Christopher. Granted, getting myself off of the couch holding a sleeping Mo was more of a challenge than carrying Bennett to bed but still. It felt good, like this is my first “normal” day of being pregnant and able to do things.

Still, strange twilight music playing because my kids are being way too cute and cooperative today. Hmmm… calm before the storm?