Everett's First Week

Tuesday
Happy Birthday Everett!

Wednesday
I loved our experience of having Caroline.  It was beautiful and miraculous and humbling.  The hospital... was not.  Hillcrest was perfectly adequate, but it was a much older building and the rooms were TINY.  So tiny, that there wasn't room for Chris' cot unless I turned my hospital bed diagonal.  It was a little troublesome to have guests and the nursery didn't have the same philosophies that many baby nurseries operate under now.  For instance, we sent her to the nursery for an hour so I could rest, and Caroline returned with a full tummy (from a bottle) and a pacifier.  Not so great for the breastfeeding efforts.


IU North is like a different world. Much lower nurse-to-patient ratio, nursery that fully endorses breastfeeding and doesn't give bottles or pacifiers without consent, on-demand lactation consultant, room service for meals, plenty of space for lots of guests, TV and DVD player in room, fancy shower, and comfy place for dads (or Ladeeda) to sleep.  All in all, a SUPREMELY luxurious experience.

Wednesday was spent cuddling our sweet baby, trying to wake him up for feedings (nakedness, tickles, and ice cubes on the tummy weren't enough), filling my belly with delicious food, and taking an occasional break to share the baby with our anxious visitors.  I can't fib, the adrenaline was draining and I was getting tired and a little overwhelmed. It was a great opportunity for Chris to take the girls and Brandi to house church to meet some of our closest Indy friends and have fellowship with them.  I was in serious need for some Mommy-Daughter time, so MY mommy volunteered to stay behind with me.

I *loved* our time together.  We laughed and shared stories and held hands and ate dinner together.  It filled my love tank right up, and I was in a brighter place when Chris came back for "good night" visit. 


Thursday ...  Big Day! "Go Home" Day!
My mom headed back home to spend one last day with Caroline and Kayce, who wanted to go downtown.  We didn't know it at the time, but she had some other surprises up her sleeve that she was planning to work on while we were finishing our time at the hospital.  That gave some extra time for Brandi and I catch up and cuddle the sweet boy while Chris ran and errand and tried to get his TDap shot (so that he wouldn't accidentally spread the whooping cough to Everett).  The day went by too fast, but mostly because I was so full of nervous anticipation.  I was ready to be out of the hospital (mostly because I thought I could get more rest at home), but I was also nervous about taking the baby home.  To our house.  Forever and ever.  With no lovely nurses to help care for the baby or our nerves.  

Baby E checked out fine at his 48 hour exam (which we expected) and I finished my last bite of dessert from the phenomenal hospital room service (which I practically cried over), and we headed home.  Chris and I enjoyed sharing the story of our ride home from Hillcrest with Caroline.  That day was dark and the rain was pounding.  Chris was driving the car in his usual safe manner, but I kept asking him to slow down.  At one point he had to sweetly inform me that he was only driving 15 miles an hour and if we slowed down any more we wouldn't actually be going anywhere.  When we arrived at the 61A duplex we found our culdesac was completely flooded.  I ended up carrying Caroline in wearing my pajamas and Chris' rain boots while he held an umbrella over my head.  What a difference this day was!  It was sunny, calm, and we made our way home without any major round-about drama.

The best part was pulling into Darby Ct.  I could see two sweet girls jumping up and down with homemade "Welcome Home" Signs.  There were bright balloons on the mailbox to announce E's arrival to the whole neighborhood.  When we pulled into the driveway, the girls rushed the car and I sat inside and enjoyed the paparazzi atmosphere as B snapped photos and the girls peered into the car from the outside.  It was the sweetest and most exciting moment of glee!   We were super lucky to find that Mr. Catron (our neighbor) was arriving home from a bike ride just as we had arrived.  He was able to take some very sweet photos for us, and I'm SO thankful to have this perfect homecoming captured so beautifully well.

Just as we wrapped up the photo session we noticed a car pulling into our cul de sac.  As it came to a stop in front of our house we were all a little confused at who had come to visit.  I'll tell you who.. the Pizza Man.  Friends from church had ordered pizza and had it delivered to our house.  At EXACTLY the right time.  It was a super fun blessing as Caroline is ALWAYS asking for us to have pizza delivered, but we never have.  She was ecstatic to see a real pizza delivery vehicle in our very own driveway. =)

The surprises kept coming as we walked in the door.  My mom went above and beyond (as usual) and created the most adorable homecoming celebration area.  There were banners, more balloons, a few precious gifts, flowers (with a vase decorated by LaLine Tots herself), a little picture frame with Caroline and Everett's picture already in it, a BEAUTIFUL sterling silver cup that Everett will no-doubt love to bang on the table at dinnertime, some souvenirs for the girls, a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and more.  I was completely overcome with surprise and appreciation and admiration for the love and creativity and sacrifice my mother shows us on a daily basis.  I hope and pray that I will be able to love my children (not spoil or gift my children) as extravagantly as she loves us. 

Friday
Um, not such a fun day.  We were exhausted from our first night home with the baby, which started off harmless enough but ended with neither of us getting much sleep.  I also awoke to realize we had dragged in almost every piece of baby equipment we own in an effort to calm the baby overnight.   It looked like a war zone.

I actually woke up in a panic because I thought my mom had to leave at 7am and I didn't wake up until 9am.  Luckily, she was sitting in her spot on the back porch holding my baby when I went searching through the house.  I was able to enjoy another hour or so with her before she had to leave.  (Cue to the 2 hours of sobbing after she left.  It's her fault really, if she weren't so wonderful and brilliant and sweet and kind, I wouldn't have felt such a hole in my heart when she left.)

While watching my mom and Kayce drive away was no picnic, it did provide some much-needed and much-appreciated and much-loved time with Brandi.  Brandi had been providing her special brand of quiet strength, perfectly timed laughter, and unwavering support since she arrived on Tuesday afternoon.  It was her turn to hold the baby... and get interrogated.  There are just some things you don't think (or dare) to talk about or ask when you're limited to short phone calls on a weekly basis (which hadn't even been weekly over the last two months because I was so busy finishing work and getting ready for the baby).  I loved having time to just sit on the couch with her and watch her hold my sweet baby.

More than that, she just let me cry.  She let me walk down memory lane starting with some very challenging times, through the last 9 years, and into this beautiful place we are now.   Sitting with her is always enjoyable, it's always fun, it always fills my heart up.  But sitting with her this last weekend in such awe-inspiring circumstances truly lifted some burdens I didn't even realize I was carrying. 

Saturday
The baby woke up.  For realz.  He decided that being awake and alert for 2 hours at a time was going to be his 'style', and he hasn't looked back. 

We enjoyed a trip to Trader Joe's with Brandi, some swim time in the pool, LOTS of chatty time on the couch while Chris was at an airshow and Caro was at a Radio Disney concert, and then we faced the unpleasant task of planning our trip to the airport to drop B off.  

Mrs. Carol brought some DELICIOUS quinoa and salad for dinner.  It was fun to show off our handsome baby and have a visitor for the first time since coming home from the hospital. 

The airport drop-off went as expected.   We arrived on time, Brandi said sweet and wonderful things that will feed my heart for years to come, and I bawled for first ten miles after we drove away from the gate.  You know, how things usually go.  ;)

Chris did have a FABULOUS idea for lifting my spirits.  We drove to Avon to buy a Sonic drink.  The nearest Sonic is 30 minutes from us in the opposite direction of anywhere we ever need to be, so we only have Sonic once every couple of months.  I enjoyed my Cranberry Limeade with gusto, and we stopped to enjoy a little carshow that was happening in the adjacent parking lot.

I have to say that God blessed us with the perfect evening at home.  Just the 4 of us, cuddling in our bed.  I fed Everett while Christopher read from Chronicle of Narnia to Caroline.  It was an amazing moment, and I was surprised at how quickly this is the new 'normal'.  I had prayed that it would be this way, and God granted me the desire of my heart. =)

Sunday
We slept in and began the day with another first.... morning cuddles as a family of four.  I'll tell you one thing... I'm glad we bought a bigger bed when we moved to Indiana!

I did notice on Sunday that I'm struggling with correspondence.  I can't seem to find the time to email or call or text anyone.  I'm not sure how long people will be patient about this, but I'm also not sure how long it'll be before I care to put down the baby in order to type a note to someone.  Time will tell...


Monday
Sweet Caroline is STILL waiting ever so patiently to change her first diaper.  The kid is a CHAMP at holding, cooing, shhh-ing, prepping for a diaper change, and swaddling.  She's been waiting to change her first wet diaper, but every diaper has been a muddy one.  Sweet girl, I'm sure she'll get her chance.  ;)

Monday was E's first appointment at the pediatrician's office!  He was weighed (yep, still a pork chop) and measured (a looooong pork chop) and poked at a little.  Caroline got over her initial reluctance to share her doctor and was the perfect little hostess while we were there.  I continue to be amazed at her patience and cheerfulness in the midst of all this change.  She has some moments that seem a little pouty, but I think it's more of a bad habit with her expressions than her actual sentiment because the kid is THRILLED to have this baby at home. 

• Mrs. Leah brought her AMAZING ceviche shrimp tacos, rice, watermelon, key lime pie, sparkling water, and coffeecake over.  Super generous and thoughtful!
• Our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Emrich, dropped off a very sweet gift on the porch - a little green plaid outfit for Everett and a puzzle for Caroline.
• Mr. Schaeffer waved to us through the door and met Everett that way.  He thought he was too stinky from splitting logs to come all the way into the house. =)

Tuesday
Skyped with Ladeeda.
Everett took a big floppy nap so I could catch up on some journaling before I forget everything. ;)
Week 1, check.

Happy Birthday Everett!

Tuesday, July 10th

Yay!  Induction Day is here! 

Except... we weren't scheduled to be induced until 7am and I woke up at 3am with some intense contractions.  The pain was far more intense than with the contractions I had during Caroline's labor, but they were also much shorter.  I was relieved to know that my body was finally showing some signs of being ready, primarily because my biggest reservations around the induction were 1) the time it could take to have the baby and 2) the amount of Pitocin I would have to take during that time.


I tried to sleep as much as possible, but I gave up at 5am and decided to take Ruby for a walk.  We walked through our neighborhood with all the other early birds, and I was blazing a trail down each street to make as much progress as possible before we actually checked in at IU North. 

Back at home, Chris and I loaded the car with our bag and backpack o' activities, kissed and cuddled a sleeping Caroline who would be a sister very soon, and prayed with my mother for a safe and quick delivery. 

Once we arrived at the hospital, the nurses were encouraged to hear I was having some "mild" contractions, but were openly surprised to find that I was already dilated to 5cm.  We decided to delay the Pitocin (yay!) and see how things would progress on their own.  My water broke about an hour later and we were on the fast track to meeting our baby.  Truth be told, I wasn't comfortable on the "fast track" and hadn't prepared to have a son by 10am.  I actually asked the nurse if there was anything we could do to slow down a little, and she just laughed. 

I did decide to have an epidural, and that ended up slowing things down.  A lot.  I was definitely more comfortable from a pain perspective, but I did not like the sensation of the epidural and it didn't improve throughout the day.  I discovered something important about myself - I have a very high tolerance for purposeful pain.  It's not really scary or overwhelming if I know the pain is serving a distinct and amazing purpose.  Even if it felt creepy, the epidural did slow down my progression and bought me those extra hours I had been hoping for.  :)

My mom and Caro and Kayce came to the hospital for a short visit - Caroline had been very curious what the hospital stay would be like.  When they arrived, our sweet girl was so full of nerves and apprehension that she actually asked Chris to carry her into my room because her legs were shaking and she didn't think she could walk.  He held her for several minutes until she felt more comfortable.  It broke my heart to see our confident girl so stricken by her concern for me, but I was happy to see her find her way out of it and she was singing and dancing across the room by the time they left. 

Another unexpected piece of the day... Brandi was on her way!  Brandi scheduled her flight to Indy several weeks before my due date.  The idea was to come and visit and help after my mom left.   E's arrival 10 days after his due date caused a WONDERFUL juggernaut of special visitors at once.  Our dear friend from church offered to pick Brandi up from the airport and drive her to to the hospital to meet us there.  It was an extremely kind and thoughtful gesture, and I was excited at the growing possibility that Brandi would actually be HERE when he was born.  (I'll have to write an entire post about the significance of B's presence at the hospital.)

Brandi, Chris, and I hugged excitedly as she arrived that afternoon, but the nurses asked them to step out after a few moments to do a quick check of my progression.  The check was quick, and the answer was surprising - Let's Have A Baby! 

Within 5 minutes the lights were adjusted, the OB arrived, and the baby nurses were ready.  It was truly amazing to watch the quiet, relaxed, efficient dance of these experienced professionals.  We calmly entered the most physically demanding part of the day.  Chris and I whispered prayers to each other, and set about our task.  We were pleasantly surprised when only 4 contractions later, we heard the sweet cries of our blessing child, Everett.  It was remarkable, and we laughed with joy at the sound of his sweet little cries.

Chris and I were anxious to hold him in our arms.  When we were FINALLY able to hold him (well, it was probably only 6-7 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime), we prayed over him and thanked God for our beautiful, healthy, strong baby boy. 

Next step.... INTRODUCTIONS!

First up... Caroline came into the room so that we could reunite as a family of four.  Her face was the epitome of joy and happiness, and I wanted to watch from afar and swallow them up in my arms all at the same time.  My heart overflows each time I think of how she beamed as she entered the room and ran to the baby.  Her expressions of wonder and love-at-first-sight just set my heart on fire, and I was so thankful that we had planned ahead of time for Caroline and Everett's introduction to be private.  She showed off her sister skills right away as she held and shhhsh-d in his ear just like the nurse taught her in the newborn care class a month earlier.

My mom and Kayce and Brandi came in several minutes later and we let Caroline introduce Everett by name to everyone.  There were loads of giggles (mostly from Ladeeda ;)), and plenty of hugs exchanged around the room.  We moved to our postpartum room and Chris took over all of the communications (which he's still handling, as I quickly realized how nice it is to turn the phone OFF and concentrate only on what was in front of me) to our precious loved ones in other places who had been patiently waiting on details and photos of the birthday boy. =)

Before Everett's arrival, I really kept myself from imagining the birth or introductions for reasons I won't delve into here.  But if I *had* put a picture together in my mind of the perfect way for the day to unfold, it would have looked just like the real deal.

I'm humbled by God's love for all of us.  It was evident each moment of the day.  The timing and progression and delivery of Everett last Tuesday was full of special moments that I longed for but had never uttered aloud.  But God knew the desires of our hearts, and he met us in that place and blessed us abundantly in more ways than we could ever explain. 

40+ weeks

I haven't done a great job at archiving this pregnancy.  I'm going to use some of the next 8 weeks at home to go back and capture the precious and fun moments of this blessed time, but I thought this afternoon I would just offer some of my recent proud moments.  (I'm 10 days past due, it's my prerogative ;))

Don't worry, it won't take long...

(Actually, don't worry because you can skip it if you want.  No one is MAKING you read my interwebs jibber jabber :p)


I made it to church. 

This is my ADORABLE youngest sister.  Seriously, she just oozes the perfect combination of style and humor and humility and Southern charm.  Having her here this week has been SO uplifting and, let's face it, she makes pictures of "40+ week MA" a little more fun to look at.

My HONEY.  Isn't he just too handsome?!  I can't pretend that I haven't LOVED being at home with him every day for the last 5 weeks. 

I walked in our neighborhood 4th of July parade.  It was 98 degrees.

I won't fib - I mostly did it because I thought it would send me into labor. 

I sent my sweeties off to watch fireworks, and didn't even mope around too much that they had so much fun without me. 

 


I encouraged Chris to get out of the house and do some fun things, even though I would love for him to have never left my side.   He took a few motorcycle rides and even played disc golf with my mama! =)

Taking a break from being the most wonderful mom and Ladeeda to focus on some making some quality Favorite-Mother-in-Law memories.

 

See you tomorrow!

How often do we say those words?

Today I can say that with such joy and anticipation!

Praise the Lord, my sweet and loving mother was supposed to head back to Texas today, but has found a way to stay here a little longer. 

See you tomorrow!

Praise the Lord, my strong and determined friend has fought and prayed through the side effects of her most recent round of chemotherapy and will still be able to fly here as planned to hold my hand and encourage my heart.

See you tomorrow!

Praise the Lord, Tuesday is finally approaching and - even if it looks different than the delivery in my imagination - we WILL be able to meet and see and hug and kiss our sweet baby boy soon. 

See you tomorrow!

I usually start each day by reciting the first verse I ever committed to memory... "This is the day the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be GLAD in it!".  Today, just today, I'm going to jump the gun and go ahead and start rejoicing for tomorrow.  He understands.  =)

Blessing Days Like These...

I'm not going to take long for this, but I wanted to make sure I made a special place in our online family diary for this memory...

I can't sleep.  Not because I'm not sleepy, and not because the fan doesn't feel heavenly, and not because I'm uncomfortable (as surprising as that may seem at +1 day PAST my due date).  I can't sleep because sounds filling my room are just too precious.

I can hear Chris, Caroline, Kayce, and my mom playing a serious game of 2-on-2 basketball in the pool.  The splashing, the laughing, the squealing, the occasional outburst of "Heeeeeeyyyyyy" - which I can only assume is directed at the tallest player for breaking some rule he made up himself.   I'm so blissfully happy to have my mom and sister here.  I wish our WHOLE families were here, but when you live a thousand miles away, we're very happily satisfied to see ANYONE we know.  It's a bonus if it's someone who knows about HEB and can bring us our favorite Texas-shaped food items.

This weekend has been so fun already.  I know there are tough, painful, physically demanding moments ahead, but right now I am so happy and unencumbered by fear.  I'm just happy to be here, in this happy place, able to make homemade salsa and eat lunch under a big yellow umbrella with my loves... and finish it all off with a pink lemonade cookie and a nap under the fan.

Our lives are about to GROW and stretch and fill with more color than I ever thought possible, and yet God has still given us THESE moments to enjoy and embrace and be thankful for.

For the first time in a while, I am just completely consumed with excitement.  What a gift!