Tessa's Birth Story

Sheeeee's heeerrrrreeeee!  Tessa Joann was born on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 at 11:10 AM.

Tessa's birth story begins really on Thursday, August 2nd.  I had an O/B appointment that afternoon and I was really praying for progress.  I had been at 2cm/70% effaced since 35 weeks.  When I met with my OB on that Thursday afternoon, despite all the walking and random contractions that I had been having, I had made no progress.  I was really disappointed because I knew that he would not let me go past my due date of Sunday, August 5th.  Because of my last baby weighing 10lbs and fast labors, my doctors were not comfortable letting me go past my due date.  We had agreed earlier in the pregnancy on an induction if necessary.  

So the doctor gave me the choice of Friday morning or Monday morning.  I chose Friday simply because I didn't want to get dressed in my work clothes another day.  Ha!  

So Brandon and I left, went home to have dinner with our boys and get ready for a looooonnnnggg  day ahead on Friday.  The boys spent the night with their grandparents and Brandon and I tossed and turned all night.

At 4:15AM I finally got up and got a shower.  I fixed my hair and finished packing our bags.  We left our house at 5:30 to be at the hospital by 6.  We got to the hospital right on time and went through the routine - I changed into a gown and signed our lives away.  The doctor came in and talked to us.  He advised us not to be planning on a quick delivery despite my two previous fast labors because every labor was different and the baby's head was still very high (-3 Station).

I started getting fluids and the doctor agreed to let me have an epidural before he started the pitocin because of my history in labors (I could tell he was very skeptical and thought I would be in labor for the longer part of the day though).

By 8:30, the epidural was in, but the goal was to only "make my legs tingly."  Because I was not having any painful contractions, they didn't administer the "bolis"  (I was told this is a big dose of pain meds that comes with an epidural).  The pitocin was started on level 2 and the waiting game began.  

About 9:30 my doctor came in to check on me and found me at 5 cm dilated.  He broke my water at that point and told me "he would be around."  I joked with him that both of my boys were born between 11AM and Noon and he told me that I would win the gold medal if I could progress that quickly.  I was still -2 station.  

Brandon, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law were all in the labor room with me.  We were watching the Olympics and making small talk.  I had the shakes pretty badly - not from the meds, but from my nerves.  I had been shaking since I checked in that morning.  My mom got there around 10AM and we continued chatting about nothing in particular.  

I could feel every contraction, not in a painful oh-my-I'm-dying kind of way, but in a punched in the gut, take my breath kind of way.  I knew that my contractions were getting stronger and closer together, but the monitor was behind me (I was sitting indian-style in the bed!) and I couldn't see how strong or specifically how far apart they were.  

By 10:45 I was really hurting in my left hip and back every 30 seconds.  It was definitely a can't-talk-through-this kind of pain, so I pressed the call button for my nurse and she came in.  She said "well maybe it's time for that bolis.  That should really help with your pain."  We agreed and she turned up the epi.  

At 11AM, the pains were coming much faster and much stronger, despite having turned up the pain meds.  I called my nurse again and she agreed to check me.  She sat down on the bed beside me and checked my cervix.  She made a funny expression and asked me to try and push.  Surprised, I gave a half hearted push.  She immediately told me to stop.  Her eyes were wide and she reached across my chest and pushed the nurses call button.  I ask what was wrong and she said, "I'm holding her head in.  She's crowning."  It all happened very quickly after that....

The nurses all came in, Brandon, my sister-in-law and my mom came in.  The nurses advised that my OB was assisting a hysterectomy and they had called him to leave.  He was on his way.  The other nurses prepped the room, my bed was taken apart, things moved and got shifted around.  

At 11:05 my doctor came in and made a joke about needing to catch up on the Olympics, which was playing on the flat screen above his head.  He turned to face me and said "Wow - she's got a ton of hair."  That was it.  The nurse who had been holding her head asked me to push and with one 8 second push, Tessa literally came flying into this world at 11:10AM.  My doctor literally caught her with a cradled two-handed catch and she immediately peed on him.  My nurse cut the cord because Brandon said he couldn't (too squeamish I think) and they placed my sweet baby girl on my chest.  

She was a screamer.  She screamed and screamed and screamed.  After about 20 mins on my chest, they took Tessa right beside the bed and weighed her.  Our guesses were right on - she weighed 9lbs, 1.7oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  Still screaming, the nurses did her Apgar tests, which she scored 9s on, and then they gave her a little bath.  She screamed the whole time.  

My doctor gave me the gold medal for fastest delivery (they officially called it "precipitous", which means a little too fast I guess) and gave his congrats before he left us to recovery.  

Although I was very nervous going into this delivery because of my lack of progress, I really couldn't have asked for a better labor.  Tessa is such a miracle - a true blessing sent to our family and we couldn't be happier :)

What NOT to Say to a Pregnant Lady

Okay, this seems like common sense to me, but I've discovered that the common sense gene is not so widely spread these days.  I've really only made this discovery since I have worked very closely with the general public for the last two years.  I just canNOT believe the things that grown adults let come out of their mouths on a daily basis.  In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that my FOUR YEAR OLD has better filtering skills than some of the people I deal with.  So let's discuss specifics...

Let's start with you girls -

For HEAVEN'S SAKE ladies, what is the matter with you?  You should know better than to make any sorts of comments to a pregnant lady on her appearance, stature, posture or walk.  Even if you think you are saying something nice, it probably will not come out the way you intend it to.  For example - when this 38.5 week pregnant lady walks into the children's clothing store that you are working at, dressed in a black dress and flat sandals on a 95 degree day in July with her BANK NAME TAG on at lunch time, it would be obvious to me that this lady is shopping on her lunch break.  This means she is still working and based on her attire, has put some degree of effort into her appearance that day.  This would NOT be a good time to say "Well don't you look comfortable?"  WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?  WHAT DO YOU MEAN?  Because, to me (the 38.5 week preggo that just waddled into your store) it means Why didn't you just throw on some pajama pants and come on in because you look like you just rolled out of bed and into Gymboree? Of course I'm not comfortable!  I'm not even comfortable when I AM in fact lying around in my pajama pants.  And that was my cutest outfit that still fits!  Ugh. 

It is also never appropriate to say anything similar to "You look tired", "You look exhausted" or "You look like you're ready to have that baby."  What does that mean?  Of course I'm ready to have this baby.  And I am secretly praying that my water breaks on your cute little unswollen pedicured toes :)

OK men (although I doubt I have many male readers - ladies PLEASE make sure your man knows better than this) -

Unless you are actually wearing a white coat with the initials M.D. on it at the time of conversation, it is NEVER EVER appropriate for a man to even speak the words dilation, cervix, vaginal delivery, or mucus plug.  Yes.  I said mucus plug.  This happened to me today.  From a customer.  I (in a very professional manner) gagged right into the phone.

I also do not want to discuss breastfeeding or episiotomies with you.  This is likely something you know absolutely NOTHING about, no matter how many times you have seen your wife do it or watched it happen on Grey's Anatomy. 

And men - it's always best just to keep your comments to yourself when dealing with a pregnant lady.  Comments such as "You haven't had that baby yet?" or "Are you sure you're not having twins?" are not taken well.  Unless there is a leg hanging from my crotch, do NOT comment.  And then you may only offer me a place to sit. 

I'm not making this stuff up people.  There are soooo many opportunities for you to make a pregnant girl's day by saying something nice.  If you are a woman, it is always nice to LIE to a pregnant lady and say things such as "You look so great!"  or "You are all baby!" or "Gosh I wished I looked as good as you at ____ weeks pregnant!"  I don't care if you looked like Molly Sims at 9 months pregnant, LIE.

If you are a man, it's just best to keep your mouth closed and only offer material gifts of substantial value :) Because I hate to tell you this, but the swollen, aggravated, waddling woman in front of you is growing a person, and that is something you could never do, no matter how many times you google mucus plugs.

38 Weeks Pregnant

Friends, I apologize for all my lack-luster blogging these days - what can I say?  I'm 38 months weeks pregnant in the 100 degree July heat and I'm tired.  I can NOT wait to have this baby.  All 10lbs of her probably.... 

So let's see what you've missed:

How am I feeling?:  eh.  I feel okay.  I can't honestly say that I feel great.  I can't honestly say that I feel horrid.  Some days are better than others - we're watching my blood pressure slowly creep up and on the days that I feel the worst, I know that it's because of my blood pressure (headaches, swelling, tiredness).

Swelling?:  I used to only have swollen ankles on the days that I was on my feet a lot at work, but now they're pretty consistently swollen each afternoon.  My hands and face have stayed the same though, thank goodness!

Any signs of labor?:  I'm having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions - some of them actually take my breath but none that I would classify as painful.  Sometimes I feel really crampy in my lower back, sides and hips - similar to the way it feels when a contraction starts, but then it goes away without becoming a full-blown contraction.  Either way - As of last Thursday, I'm 2cm dilated.

Are we ready?:  We're getting there!  We have the essentials nailed down - you know- the carseat, the diapers and the wipes.  We have a place for her to sleep for the first few weeks.  The nursery is still in progress and I'm 99% certain it won't be finished by the time she gets here.  Oh well - we have a heirloom cradle in our room, as well as the snugabunny infant seat - both of which my boys used for the first several weeks anyway.  I finally ordered her baby swing and baby monitor this week, so those should be here at least by the time she is ;)  Oh yea!  We also got a new (to us) vehicle to transport our daycare family in.  We were very very fortunate to be able to buy a family member's Yukon XL after they downsized.  The vehicle is in near-perfect condition and is a perfect fit for our family.  It has the captain's chairs in the middle section so I can easily get to the back seat for buckling/unbuckling.  That was a huge must for us in the car search, as well as ample storage room.  Basically, it came down to something like a Yukon XL or a mini van and neither Brandon or I were to enthused on the van idea....

I'm going to be honest though, I'm really tired of being pregnant.  My left hip is tired of being slept on all the time, my clothes are at that point where even they are straining to keep me covered, and I'm even more tired of everyone's cute comments.  Everyone always has something really original to say like "you haven't had that baby yet!?"  I really want to be a jerk and say "Yes - she's 4 weeks old."  and then fake cry, but this is coming mostly from customers at the bank and I think getting fired days before my maternity leave wouldn't benefit anyone either.

Maybe my next post will be a birth announcement of some sort ;)....................

Sweet Summertime

We've been way too busy for me to slow down long enough to blog.  I'm really sorry about that because I really do enjoy keeping this blog, but I'm not sorry for the fun memories we've been making in our last summer as a family of four :)  

Nearly every evening after work, we take the boys to the pool.  It has been sooooo hot and steamy here in GA the past few weeks and the boys have been stuck inside mostly until the evenings when the temps finally dip back down into double digits.  After a few hours of pool time in the evening, they drift off to sweet sleep pretty easily.  They are both doing really well in the pool.  Brooks is a jumping machine and we really have to be on our toes with him near the pool.  He has jumped into the 10 ft deep end without his floaties, causing his mommy to have a heart attack and his daddy to ruin his change of clothes for the day :/  Will has made the most improvement this year - he is pretty comfortable in the pool now and will swim both with his floaties and without (this depends on how many adults are in the pool and how well I can really supervise him).  He can hold his breath for a reallllly long time and loves to practice swimming under water.  He still doesn't really like to jump in, but I'm okay with that - one less kid to chase in and out of the water.  

We've really been diligent about getting them in the water as often as possible because I am afraid once miss Tessa makes her appearance, Mommy won't be able to enjoy the pool as much as she would like :)    Speaking of Tessa - things are moving right along with the now weekly doctor appointments.  This past week's appointment found me 2 cm dilated at 36 weeks.  I've had enough babies to know that doesn't always mean anything, but the doctors are also pretty concerned about her size.  Because Brooks was such a whopper, they've been watching her through regular growth ultrasounds.  At 34 weeks, they estimated Tessa already weighed around 6 lbs and 14 oz.  We have another ultrasound coming up at the end of this week to check her growth again.  I also know these are not always accurate, but it's hard to argue with getting to see her all the time :)  My doctors have really stressed not letting me go over due (like with Brooks) because of her size, and since I'm already making "progress", we've discussed an induction around the 39 week mark if she hasn't made her appearance by then.  I'm okay with that.  I know some people really hate inductions, but I've had two wonderful inductions and considering how fast I labor (1.5 hours with Will and about 50 mins with Brooks), and how far I am from the hospital (30 miles) - I'm okay with the induction theory.  

We also had a very laid-back 4th of July.  We visited my parents in the afternoon for some pool time and then took the boys to see the local fireworks.  With the holiday falling right smack in the middle of the week, there wasn't much more to it than that.  Here are a few pics of our holiday -

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

My DIY Crib Bedding

Attention professional sewers!!  Don't judge.  This was actually my very first time ever sitting down at a sewing machine.  I know - why did I think I could tackle something like crib bumpers and a 6 layered ruffle crib skirt if I'd never sewn before??  Because that's how I roll - I just kind of jump on these tasks and go with it (much to my husband's constant amusement...)  Anyhoo -

So I knew I couldn't tackle this without some guidance, especially given the fact that I don't own a sewing machine ;)  so I enlisted a sweet lady here in our hometown who sews for a living and has an in-home sewing studio.  She agreed to give me sewing lessons, during which time we would make Tessa's baby bedding.  So every Sunday (and some Saturday) afternoons, when the boys laid down for naps and daddy was occupied with his Playstation 3, I went to her studio for lessons.

First came the cutting.  Oh my goodness.  I would never have guessed how much time we would spend just simply cutting the fabric - bumper pieces, bumper ties, ruffles, cording....  we spent at least two afternoons just cutting the fabric into sections and strips.  My second surprise was the amount of ironing I would be doing.  Holy moly!  We pressed seam after seam.  Finally, on about my 2nd or 3rd lesson, I got to sit down at the sewing machine.  I'll admit, it was VERY intimidating at first.  I constantly felt like I was about to make a major boo boo.  I went VERY SLOWLY at first.  I think this is when my teacher probably realized just what a project she had taken on ;)  But after a few sessions, and more and more time in the hot seat, I did become more comfortable.

Eventually, the fabric started to actually form pieces that looked very similar to crib bedding -

A couple more sessions later  (and a lots of time stuffing 15" foam into an opening the size of my fist), we had our bumpers!

After the bumpers were finished, we tackled my favorite part of the whole bedding - the ruffled crib skirt.  Now although this is my favorite part of the bedding, this was my LEAST favorite part of sewing the bedding.  Whew!  Those ruffles wore me out!  The sewing, scrunching, pinning and sewing again.... by the end of those two days, I could have seriously done without seeing another ruffle for a WHILE.  After day one - our bed skirt looked like this -

Doesn't look like much, but after another day dedicated to ruffles, we had ourselves a crib skirt -

I couldn't wait to run home and put it on the crib, but the crib was disassembled until last weekend.  After Brandon got the room painted, we put the crib together, and put our girl's bedding on.  So here it is, my first ever sewing project, Tessa's hand-made crib bedding:

(excuse the poorly-tied bows - I had a few "helpers during this photo op)

Now I realize the bed would look better if it were in a girly antique white, but "you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit!"  So we'll just stick with the expresso colored crib just as it was when we bought it for the Willster :)    

There will be another nursery post eventually, when we get a little closer to the finish line.  I still have curtains and wall decor to finalize, but I wanted to share my project with you.  Be sure and let me know what you think :))

Swimming and Sewing Lessons

Our little family has accomplished a lot this week!  This past weekend, I finally finished sewing Tessa's crib bedding.  Whew! This little project took me waaaayyyy longer than I ever thought it would - not because I thought I could zip through it, but mostly because I just didn't account for just how much there was to it. 

I've been spending just about every Sunday and a few Saturday afternoons for the past 6 or 7 weeks in the basement of a local sewer's (is that how you say that?) house.  When I initially decided to make the bedding myself, this sweet lady offered to help me learn to sew and I took her up on it.  I'm not sure she knew just how much she was getting herself into, considering I had ZERO sewing experience, but she has been so sweet to spend so much time teaching me the basics.  I'll wait until I can actually put the bedding on the crib to give you lots of details about the bedding.  The crib is dissassembled at the moment, but we're working on getting the room to a place where we can assemble it.  The bedding reveal will probably be a post of itself, so stay tuned....  Here's a little sneak peak to keep you hangin' :)

Will has also had a big week.  He had his very first swimming lessons and really enjoyed it.  He went four days this week and is technically done with lessons, but we're going to make every effort to continue working with him this summer based on the techniques our swim instructor gave us.  For those of you who weren't aware - up until this summer, Will has had a GINORMOUS fear of pools.  Not water, just pools.  We're not really sure where his fear came from considering he's had no major incident that could have resulted in this fear, but nonetheless we've really been unable to enjoy the pool for the past two summers because he screamed (and cried and shook) so badly that we really learned to avoid it.  By the time we realized that his fear wasn't going to subside on its own last summer, it was too late to get him enrolled in any lessons, so I made sure to get him enrolled this year.  I think I called this instructor in February?  Seemed way early at the time, but I was bound and determined to get him the help he needed to avoid spending the whole summer dodging the pool.

This particular instructor came very highly recommended and gave private lessons, which is exactly what Will needed.  There's no way he would have benefitted from group-style lessons.  Before Will started his lessons, he would get in the pool with arm floaties on, but insist on being held and/or holding your hand the entire time he was in the pool.  Even though he could touch with his head clearly above the water level, he would not let go.  He would stick his head under the water voluntarily and even jump off the side, but he just wouldn't let go of my arm.  This was a great improvement however, over last summer when he screamed hysterically when he got in. 

His instructor spent this week with him without floaties pulling him through the water while he kicked and learned to float on his belly.  He has a real tendancy to want to pull his legs down and kick bicycle style (which only makes you sink).  His teacher thought he might have been in a life-vest at some point because of the way he wanted to swim vertically, rather than float on his belly.  To my knowledge, he's never been in a life vest, but his tendancy seems normal, considering he's never had to float in the water.  The only time that he's ever actually gotten in the water, he's been able to stand and touch.  That makes sense, right?  She also put diving toys on the bottom of the steps and had Will floating and going under to pick up the toys.  She recommended that we get him some goggles like the ones he used during lessons, so that's on our to-do list.  So while he's not swimming on his own yet, he is more comfortable in the water and he actually likes the toy-retrieval kind of games.  So based on her recommendations, we'll spend the rest of the summer helping him learn to float on his belly and playing the diving games with him in the shallow water.  She said that if we can eventually turn the belly floating into swimming this summer, that would be great, but not to stress over it.  I would just be happy if he could get comfortable enough to enjoy the pool this summer and float and play along with his brother.  I hope to get him back in the pool this weekend if our schedules and the weather cooperates.  I know once Tessa gets here, our pool time will be nonexistant so I really need to spend the next few weeks reinforcing what he learned this week to keep him comfortable.  I'm a bad momma and have zero pictures of him during his lessons :(  I didn't want to distract him by standing on the sidelines snapping pics.

30 Weeks & Counting...

I went for my 30 week OB appointment this week.  I had to do the follow-up 3 hour glucose test because (of course) I failed the one hour.  That test sucks soooo bad :/  This time, because I had already done this test two times before and knew the ins and outs, my OB said I could leave between blood draws.  So for one hour I had my OB appointment.  For the 2nd hour I walked across the street to the hospital and pre-registered for labor & delivery.  For the 3rd hour, I drove to TJ Maxx!  Not too bad I must say.  Maybe I'll have the results tomorrow....

A few highlights from this appointment:

• I only gained ONE pound!!! Hallelujah!  I actually acted like an idiot and made the nurse give me a high five.  I considered it jump-up-and-down worthy, but was afraid doing so would result in a baby on the floor, so I stuck with the high five ;)
• Baby is head down and will hopefully stay that way.
• I don't have syphilis (ha! I didn't even know they tested me for that, but apparently I'm good...)
• Next appointment is in 2 weeks!  This is when it always hits me that we are in the "homestretch".
• I'm still trying to decide whether I want the tubal ligation or the new "Essure" procedure done.  Either way is a permanent baby-stopping procedure.  The tubal is obviously a small incision done while you're in the hospital after delivery.  The Essure procedure is where they insert two small spring-like thingies into your tubes at your post-delivery appointment.  After the springs are inserted, you wait several weeks and go back in to see if your tubes have in fact "closed in around" the springs.  The Essure process is considerably less invasive but is also pretty new and I've heard mixed reviews....

How am I feeling??
I'm still feeling pretty good.  Sleep is non-existent thanks to a baby girl who likes to hang out on my sciatic nerve.  I spend most nights tossing and turning and somewhere between 1 & 3 AM, I end up on the sofa.  I am still walking 2.5 miles 2 or 3 times a week with my neighbor friend.  It's getting more and more difficult to carry on conversations during our walks (and that's really what I walk for ;))  and the last time we walked I had some pretty fun braxton hicks contractions afterward.  Fun times.  Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I'm still walking but as long as it's not too hot, I want to keep it up.  It's good for my soul and good for my sugar issues.

Are we ready for her to get here??
We're still trying to get started on Tessa's nursery.  Unfortunately, this has been such a slow process thanks to our work schedules.  We're also trying to nail down a *bigger* vehicle for our growing family.  We've been car payment free for two years now and we're a little spoiled :/  A couple of my sweet friends are throwing me a small baby shower in a few weeks and I'm getting excited.  I certainly didn't expect one, but I'm very grateful to have friends who love me enough to do something so sweet for us.  I'm excited to see my friends in a couple of weeks and celebrate this crazy miracle baby :)

I think that's it for now friends.  I've got supper to cook, a walk to take, and two little boys to love on :)