Swaddling and Sucking

I am happy to say that he is a pacifier baby.  My last two boys were not and would never be comforted by a pacifier, but the girls loved them.  It is so helpful on car rides and at Mass when they are little.  He prefers the Soothie pacifiers, like the green one in this picture.

I think after a week of more rough nights than not, I *may* have figured out that he likes being swaddled with his arms up and hands by his face.  I always use the Miracle Blanket (not pictured) which holds their arms straight down by their sides.  It is a super snug swaddle that most babies prefer at first.  Isaac, however, did not like his arms straight because he sucked on his fists.  I didn't want to be hasty making this call because sometimes it just takes babies a bit to get used to it, but I tried it Wednesday night leaving out the straight arms part of the Miracle Blanket the second half of the night and he did much better.  Don't know if this will solve all problems, but we will see.  That is the only difference between night and day time (other than noise and lights) that I could come up with.  He falls asleep on his own during the day and sleeps so soundly, but at night he was struggling to get into a good sleep.

This is the Woombie that we are practicing using a couple times a day.  It allows a lot more movement than he was prepared for initially, but I think that he will quickly be ready for it.

More Sibling Love

Look how insanely happy she is!

You can kind of see Judah's more prominent dimple in this picture.

I know why I don't have pictures of Drew holding him (I can't let go of the baby for fear he will push him out of his lap when he is through with him!), but I am not sure why I don't have pictures of Hannah holding him.  Maybe because Genna and Isaac remind me to take a picture.

Coming Home From the Hospital

We were discharged late on Thursday night.  We got home when the kids were all in bed, but the girls were not asleep yet.  They came down to greet him and give mommy lots of hugs.

I got him this Polo outfit to come home in.  This outfit will be making an appearance in his awaiting shadow box on our bedroom wall after he grows out of it.

The next morning Judah was greeted by his two big brothers.  I am trying to teach Drewy not to touch the bassinet because I am a little nervous that he might pull it over if I am not paying attention.  It would be a kind of paying it forward, since Isaac flipped his stroller when he was a newborn.

Benjamin Judah's Birth Story

Wednesday, August 21st, I had a Non-Stress Test scheduled at 10am.   I went alone because Brian had to work.  My mom stayed with the kids.  At the testing, Judah was fine.  His heart-rate was good.  My fluid level was good.  The doctor checked me and said I was 5 cms dilated now and at a -2 station.  So the baby had dropped and all my walking had been productive even if it hadn't put me into active labor.  The doctor said that they had room in Labor and Delivery if I wanted to stay and have my water broken.  I went to Triage after talking to Brian on the phone and asked them if I could go home, get things settled, and pick up my husband.  The doctor there, after hearing my dilation, etc. said she would prefer me to stay so that I wouldn't have this baby on the Beltway.  I knew this wasn't going to happen, but we worked somethings out so that Brian could get a ride to the hospital with my bags to humor them.

This is one of the first pictures once they had wrestled him away from his smitten mommy. 

While I waited for Brian, a nursing student came in to start my hep-lock IV.  I didn't immediately know she was a student, but when the real nurse came in and started coaching her, I quickly figured it out.  I had vowed after my last birth experience at this hospital that no students or early residents of any kind would be allowed near me, but I have amazing veins and thought I would give her a shot.  She seemed sweet and I didn't want to hurt her feelings.  Well, the first one she blew, at which point I told myself that she got one more try before I kicked her out.  The nurse helped her more on the second try and they were able to get it right that time.  I now have a major bruise on my right arm from that first attempt.  It's not a huge deal.  It was a minor issue compared to all the stuff I put up with last time.

By the time Brian got there, I was set up in a room and they broke my water at 1:30pm.  I was lucky enough to get a midwife this time which is just better when you don't want pain medication.  They are more encouraging of it and don't try to push me into getting an epidural.  She even listened to me do my regular cry about having to have my water broken ordeal.  I do this every time I have to be induced or have any intervention to start my labor, mainly because I am scared to death to choose to be in pain.  So all of you who think I am Wonder Woman or something because I have natural childbirth can rest assured that I am really just a scaredy cat like everyone else.  You might think after 4 births that I would waltz in there and give birth like a pro with no thought to the pain.  Unfortunately, I can no longer forget the pain of childbirth.  It is forever seared into my mind.  :)

So I was scared and the midwife, my loving husband, and a dear friend talked me off the ledge and gave me all the support I needed to do what I had to do.  I was afraid that the contractions would come on really strong and fast, but it turned out that they started light and gradually got harder just like in a normal labor.  So they started right away, but they were more than bearable for a good two hours.  The midwife also told the nurse that I could be monitored only a quarter out of every hour (which was great!) so that I could move around.  Those dumb monitors barely let you breathe without coming off and the nurse rushes in thinking the baby's heart-rate has dropped.  This made it possible for me to walk around.  Out of all my labors, once I get past 6cms I hunker down in the bed, but this time I was determined to walk around as long as I could take it.  I walked around until about 3:30pm and then I started leaning on couches and things because the contractions got a lot harder.  At ten til 4pm, the midwife came in to check me because her shift was ending and she really was hoping to deliver me.  I had just moments before told Brian, "Okay, I'm done with this now and I want it to be over" literally moments before she walked in.  Turns out I was at 9cms!  I was so so happy!  I still hadn't really showed signs of being in transition or anything.  I felt that things were just getting hard to handle, whereas by 9cms I am normally in so much pain that I am wanting to quit and doubting myself.  The midwife said she would go do her paperwork and then see if I was ready to push.  If not, she offered to have me push once while she tried to get rid of the rim so I would be ready to have this baby.  That's what we ended up doing and then she had me start pushing.  

 I have to be honest and say that although I felt pressure, I was not totally ready to push yet.  I went ahead and pushed when the contractions came.  I was not feeling as effective as I normally do, but in the end it turned out to be a good thing because I pushed longer and didn't tear.  Three pushes for each contraction and three contractions later, my little bundle of joy was born.  I instantly thanked God that it was over and that my beautiful baby boy was here and healthy.  That feeling when you are done with the hardest part and you have your reward in your arms is amazing.  There is nothing like it, truly.  He was born at 4:40pm, 3 hours and 10 minutes from when they broke my water.

I was able to hold him right away and nurse him for an hour before they took him to clean him, do tests, and get his stats.  He latched on like a champ and has a very vigorous suckle unlike Drew who took days to figure things out.  His APGAR was 9, I think.  Because he was a heavy guy, they took his blood sugar.  It was 38 and so they insisted on supplementing with a syringe-full of formula.  I had misunderstood at the time and thought they said his sugar was 30 which is a bigger deal.  I probably should have pushed for a second opinion on that one, but it didn't hurt him.  It was a sad moment for me since none of my children had ever had formula until that moment.  When I commented on that, the nurse said, "It's okay, this doesn't count.  We won't tell."

Look at Drew's wide open mouth!  He is so expressive.  He kept saying, "Tiny" and "Hey" while he poked at the Plexiglas like it was a fish tank.

 Then he was pricked in the heal 4 more times throughout the night until he was cleared for his blood sugar.  Those four were all in the normal range.  It was an eventful night with the heal pricks every 2 hours.  He slept great that night except that he was spitting up mucus every 5 minutes in between feedings.  I didn't even get one solid hour of sleep.  That and all the nurses and doctor visits are what led me to leave the hospital earlier than I usually do.  We went home just after the 24 hour mark so I could try to sleep in my own bed.

I felt great at the 24 hour mark.  I was very dizzy the first few times I tried to get out of bed, but after that I was okay.  Brian went home to bring the kids and my mom up which turned out to be a mistake since traffic was so bad that they didn't even get there until almost 9pm.  It was a late night for all of us.  

The kids were thrilled and couldn't wait to have a turn holding him.  Hannah's arms got tired quickly, and Genevieve said, "she would never get tired of holding him.  Isaac suddenly was done and just dropped his supporting arm without warning.  We'll have to practice, I guess!  Drew held him in my lap very briefly.  He was pretty good about being gentle.  All our baby doll practice paid off.

Judah had gifts for all his big sisters and brothers waiting for them too.

We still haven't figured out exactly who he looks most like, but I will bust out the old baby pictures soon and make a direct comparison.  I am leaning towards Genna, but his head and face shape are different from hers and his eyes are not as big as hers.

One delightful surprise was that he has the cheek dimples that I have been wanting each of my children to get.  His left dimple is deeper than the right and you can only see them when he smiles or grimaces, but I am thrilled nonetheless.  I dreamed he had a head full of dark hair and dimples, so I wasn't too far off.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see how often Drew kisses Judah when he rarely ever even kisses me.

I brought this t-shirt that has frogs on it since he was my little tadpole in utero and my little frog now.

The Great Name Compromise

It's been

Dad 

 verses

Mom

when it comes to naming this baby boy.  We had 8 names going into the delivery room.  I had one favorite and all the rest were just "so so" in my mind.  Brian had one least favorite and the rest were all equally good.  However, he had one slight preference.  The biggest problem was that his least favorite was my favorite, and his most preferred was pretty low on my list if forced to rank them.  So, he had no name until we were faced with the birth certificate form as we were being discharged from the hospital.  We had finally come to the compromise that we would pick our two favorite names and make one the first name and one the middle name instead of picking a middle name off our middle name list (which was also quite lengthy.)  I agreed to let Brian have the first name if he would let me call him by his middle name.  Yes, this is a strange arrangement.  Brian will call him by his first name and I will call him by his middle name.  We will introduce him however we want.  The assumption is that one of us will eventually start calling by the other name at some point.  For now he certainly doesn't know the difference.  Heck, he's still being called Tad a good part of the time.  So what's the name?

Benjamin Judah Smith

It sounds nice together.  Both names are Jacob's sons in the Old Testament and tribes of Israel  They are also both saint names.  The only real problem I foresee is what to monogram on everything that I have been waiting on.  The whole name is too long for some items.  Haven't quite figured that out yet.

He's Here! (Photos Added!)

He arrived at 4:40pm on Wednesday, August 21st, 2013.  He weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.  The internet wasn't working at the hospital for patient use and so I must apologize for how long it took me to get this posted.  We are home now, but this little guy is really not a good sleeper so far, so I am highly sleep deprived and up writing this in the middle of the night.  I am going to have to promise more pictures, his birth story, and even the name we finally agreed on later.

D+5: A Ray of Sunshine

Brian told someone I was a "ray of sunshine" when they asked if I was crabby since I was overdue.  Of course, this was sarcasm at it's finest.  I have been okay most days really.  I mean I do love being pregnant most of the time.  I am just so stretched to the max and heavy feeling right now that I am short on patience by the end of the day.  Especially when I spend the day teaching a toddler to "use his words" instead of screaming, trying to get a 5 year old boy to swim to me instead of crying when water gets through his goggles and in his eyes, catching up on chemistry experiments with the girls, scanning workbooks into the computer for school, and sewing baby gifts for my godson.  Did I mention I woke up at 4:15am and couldn't go back to sleep?  No, I am not a "ray of sunshine," but I wish I was.  My favorite part of Little Women is when the mom gives the married Meg the talk about being the "sunshine-maker of the family."  That's something to strive for!

I went walking again this evening with my mom for an hour.  Contractions were coming, but I could walk through them, albeit painfully.  Tomorrow is my Non-Stress Test where I anticipate the nurse telling me that he is healthy and active with plenty of fluid and just fine to stay inside.  I know this because this guy is a serious mover and shaker.  I just sat on the couch after my walk and watched him climb around like a little alien, hands, feet, and elbows were everywhere, rolling across my tummy.  Brian actually videotaped it.  No decreased fetal movement here!  

Hannah was showing Drew some nail stickers she received.  

Drew with his baby and empty gum container.  With Isaac being very into the newness of chewing gum, Drew has been dying to have some too.  He has settled for an empty container.

Well, I have a little more sewing to do, and I suppose I should pack for the hospital since I figure I will actually get to go there eventually.  So I will be back tomorrow, one way or another, with news of this Tadpole.

D+4: Nothing Much Happening Here

I had a much better night's sleep last night which I needed.  My sweet husband prayed with me before heading off to work this morning.  My mom, the kids, and I went out for errands before lunch.  Drew's been a cranky mess all day.  I went walking this afternoon to try to get things moving in the right direction while the big kids were at the neighbor's house.  

Where did that leave me?  A very uncomfortable overdue woman.  

Mother Mary, St. Jude, and St. Gerard pray for my labor to start.

D+3: Really Thought It Was Time

Last night at 1am, I woke up with really bad indigestion.  When I got back in bed, contractions started up harder than I had been having and pretty close together.  I tried to sleep and did sleep in a half-sleep sort of way most of the night.  The contractions were sometimes as close as 5 minutes so I was getting very excited to have to wake Brian up in the morning and tell him we may have to go to the hospital soon.  This was my thinking at 5:15am.  By 7am, they stopped being hard contractions and then they really started to spread out.  We decided to get up and see how getting ready to go to Mass went.  Things totally stopped, and so off to Mass we went.  I got to see many jaws drop at church when people saw me still pregnant.

Although I sat through most of Mass because I was uncomfortable and exhausted, everything was mostly proceeding as usual.  I took a nap when we got back because I had a friend coming for a visit after lunch.  I had a  nice visit with her.  Then it was back to the regular routine: making dinner, getting kids ready for bed, story time, and prayer time.  

So no baby, just an awful night's sleep.

D+2: Patience is a Virtue

Soon I'll have three boys!  I am thinking things are going to get a lot rowdier around here.  Still no baby born yet, but I am holding onto to hope that this guy isn't going to make me be induced.  

Today, I kept on with my never ending to do list this morning.  My mom and the girls did laundry for me.  This afternoon, I left the resting/napping kids with my mom and went to the hospital to visit a good friend of mine who just had her baby yesterday.  Precious little boy!  And I mean little!   At a little over 7lbs, I am just in awe of how tiny his head and torso are.  They arre doing great!  This is the second time I have been overdue and found myself visiting a friend in the hospital who just had a baby...early.  I'll tell you one thing if you ever want sympathy for being overdue, the postpartum wing of the hospital is the place to go.

This evening I was blessed to be able to go to another friend's going away party since I wasn't having a baby.  We had a great time and I am so glad I was able to go.  God knows what He is doing.  I will trust in His timing.  May God have mercy on me and allow me to have this baby without Pitocin.

D+1: Here we go again!

One day past my due date AGAIN.  My boys really don't like to come out into the world until they're drug out and weigh over 10 pounds.  Why is that? I wonder.

Today was a full day.  No rest for the weary.  It started with heading out to my doctor's appointment with all the children in tow.  They've been to most of my appointments, but I usually try not to take them to these last few when I have exams and such.  We came up with a last minute plan though when other plans fell through.  The big kids were going to step out into the hall when the exam occurred, but there ended up being a big curtain so they just hung out on the other side of that instead.  Turns out I was 4cms this time.  Surprise.  Surprise.  I already knew that would be the case.  That's how things go with me.  I walk around in labor, but not "in labor" for weeks.  Anyway, I scheduled a non-stress test for Wednesday and a Thursday evening induction that I may or may not keep.  I have a tendency of rescheduling those, just so sure I am going to actually go into labor on my own then panicking when I go one day beyond the farthest that I have ever gone before.  This time that would be 13 days overdue.  I'm hoping it doesn't come to that.  We'll see how things go.

I was alittle dejected feeling after my appointment because the doctor was the same doctor I saw last week (which just about never happens for me) and he gave me completely opposite advice this week as last week.  Last week it was, you could probably just break your water to induce if you get up to 5cms, and this week it was, you should try Pitocin first and break your water after that.  Aaagh!  The inconsistency just is not helpful to this emotionally unstable overdue pregnant woman!

So then our day continued with lunch at Urban Bar-BQ, one of our faves out by the hospital and on the way to the airport.  We then headed to the airport to pick up Mimi, my mom.  About 10 minutes from the airport, Drew starts screaming, specifically, "Out!  Out! Out!" (which he NEVER does in the car) and I am trying to calm him down.  Just as it hits me that he might be getting car sick, I look back at him for a second and start to tell Hannah to grab the bucket when the puke starts coming.  He threw up his whole lunch, and then felt so much better.  Unfortunately, it got all over him and the straps of the car seat before Hannah could get the bucket up to him.  We get to the airport shortly after and Mimi rushes to open the van door, only to be greeted by the cutest toddler covered in vomit.  Welcome to Maryland!  And welcome to my life!  I wiped him and the seat down and put a clean shirt on him before we headed back home.  He promptly fell asleep for the drive home.

I was contracting every 6-9 minutes at this point and feeling miserable, but hopeful at the same time.  We decided to try to go out to dinner after my contractions got a little better.  That turned out to be not the best decision since Drew's usual 3 hour nap had been about 45 minutes long.  He was a disaster, and usually he is pretty good at restaurants.  My contractions spread out during dinner and are just not cutting it now.  All I can do is pray for pain, I guess.

So that I do not leave you without any pictures, here are the girls after completing one of their chemistry experiments this week.  They made the first ten elements using different sized and colored marshmallows for the protons, neutrons, and electrons.  They learned about how the nucleus is where most of the mass/weight lies, how to tell how many protons and electrons there are in each element by looking at the atomic number, and about energy levels and how many electrons can go into the first two energy levels.

A casualty of this experiment is that Drew may refer to marshmallows as "neutrons" for some time.  He kept asking to eat "neutrons."

Mother Mary and St. Jude, pray for Tad to be born a healthy little guy this weekend.

Dear Due Date

This picture was taken yesterday. 

Dear Due Date,

Oh, how I wish you meant that my baby would actually come!  You really just get everybody's hopes up for nothing.  I'm not a big fan of you, Due Date.  I was hoping since this time you are on such a beautiful feast day (Feast of the Assumption) that maybe, just maybe my baby would be born miraculously on that special day.  The day's not over, but, I've got to say, it's not looking good for me.
                                   
                                                                                                 Sincerely,
Gone Past My Due Date Too Many Times

Yesterday, we went blackberry picking with some friends of ours.  It was a beautiful day with a breeze, sunshine, and 60 degree temps.  The kids had a lot of fun, but Drew got bored after I wouldn't let him eat anymore blackberries for fear of the diapers to come.  Turned out I was right to be concerned about that since he got the rash of a lifetime by that evening.  He was crying so hard I ended up soaking him in the bath to soothe it.  He's a very tough guy, and I have only seen him cry like that when he's gotten his head busted pretty badly.  It was hard to keep track of how many were going in his mouth.

An example of how tough Drew is, he actually pulled a "bee" off his neck and let it go.  It probably wasn't a bee since I never found a point of sting, but I wouldn't put it past him.  My other three kids were such weanies that they would've run around screaming if they just thought a bug of any kind might have been on them at this age.  

"What do you mean I can't eat anymore blackberries?"  Look at those cheeks full of berries!

"Eat.  Eat.  Eat."  That was about all he could say during our hour of picking.

The dirty little hands after the job was done.

We filled a whole bucket and another pint container with blackberries.  We've probably eaten half of the giant bucket already.  We are hiding them from Drew until his precious bottom heals a bit.

I'll be trying to post daily until the baby is born.  Once he's here and I have posted about his arrival and long awaited name, I make no promises about posting.