Linnea's Birth Story

Monday morning I woke up to some intense contractions around 4AM or so. After showering and things were still going strong I called the midwife and she said to go ahead and get checked at the hospital before going to our 8 AM bio-physical profile appointment. It was still dark outside and I actually stood on the front porch while talking because there was a huge HEPA air cleaner blowing in the front room so I couldn't hear on the phone. While waiting for the page to go through I stood gazing at the early morning stars, Saturn was rising and Orion and Sagittarius were hanging in the eastern sky. I marked that moment in my mind: this is the day our daughter would be born.

We drove east along Route 50 to Annapolis and Anne Arundel Medical Center as they sky was lightening. My contractions slowed down a bit, but were still strong. When they checked me around 7:30, I was still 2cm but 80% effaced. So not exactly active labor. We went across the complex to the OB's office and did the non-stress test first. Matt read and I knitted while we waited out the 20-30 minutes of heart rate and contraction readings. The ultrasound looked good too, we could even see some wisps of hair in the images! The doctor measured her at 10lbs 11 oz, but acknowledged that that was probably way off since it's so hard to get an accurate reading late in pregnancy. Little did we realize that it wasn't that far off!

We went across the hall to consult with the midwives and come up with an induction plan. Shortly after that the hospital called and said they'd be ready at 10:30 for us. So Matt and I walked around a bit, grabbed a bite of food and sat in the sunlit patio area before heading upstairs. It all seemed so surreal to me that we'd actually have our baby that day even though my labor wasn't very active at that moment.

Finally around noon we were checked in (hospitals are so slow!!), my antibiotic IV was going and Dona our midwife had arrived. We decided to simply start with breaking my water and see how that went before trying pitocin. Contractions had stayed constant, but they were still 10 minutes apart!

At 2:15PM they broke my water, and boy was there alot of it! We all laughed at how much there was. No wonder it was hard to find her heartbeat! After about 20-30 minutes some pretty strong contractions started and we were in business. We'd talked about getting an epidural if I really felt I needed one, but I could tell things were progressing quickly enough and transition was looming so the epidural wouldn't do much and would take too long to get going anyway. But I sure wanted some pain-relief!

Matt did a great job coaching me through the contractions, using our little phrases and techniques from our "Birthing From Within" class. Mostly just chanting, breathing and focusing on the center of the pain, etc. When the midwife checked me I said I didn't want to know how dilated I was if it wasn't close to an 8. Sure enough I was a 7 that could be stretched to an 8, thank goodness! Shortly after that I heard all the room prep (my eyes being mostly closed) and knew it would all be over soon. Plus I was starting to feel the urge to push which is a fabulous feeling after wading through all the contractions.

As I started to push Dona was coaching me on holding my legs back in case the baby's shoulders got stuck (knowing she was a big baby). I wasn't worried, but then I was the one pushing not catching! I asked them to remind me to open my eyes so I could watch my belly go down. She came out just fine and was even a compound presentation: her left hand was crooked under her chin and against her right cheek! She came down so fast that she was purple all over: she looked like a chubby blueberry as they lifted her onto my belly. They gave her a little oxygen and as she cried and we rubbed her skin she pinked right up. After a little bit Matt cut her cord.

That is the best feeling in the world: having my baby lay on my body after just pushing her out. At that point I didn't care what they did to me as long as I could hold onto my little baby girl that I'd just worked so hard to get out. Pushing out the afterbirth and getting stitched up (I tore a little) was nothing as long as I could hold my baby. This was most apparent when they took her across the room to weigh and measure her briefly before handing her back. I just wanted to hold my little "reward". I couldn't believe she was 10 lbs 6 oz. She didn't seem as big to me as Henry was (he being 10lbs 4 oz) but I guess it's all about perception. And I just knew she would have dark newborn hair like her brother.

At some point before I was actually pushing I heard a woman come in the room and demand in a loud voice. "What's going on in here?" Apparently I was being rather loud during my contractions. She had come to visit someone and was confused as to which room they were in. To me it was just background noise and barely registered. To Matt and the other nurses in the room it was a total Seinfeld moment.

Another light moment was my midwife confusing my name. At some point in between contractions she gently said, "You're doing great Megan, you're almost there." I of course didn't respond but thought, she must be really busy today and forgot which patient is which. Afterwards she apologized and explained that I reminded her of a Megan she knew at church or something. I thought it was kind of funny.

So that is the story of Linnea Betsy's birth. A little later that evening Grammum and Pappy arrived with Evalyn and Henry to meet their new little sister. Evalyn came right in and hopped up on the bed to see her. Henry could care less what Mommy was doing and was much more into his french fries and drink from his Happy Meal. It was neat being all together as a growing family of five for the first time. The next 2 days in the hospital was just what we needed. Rest, food brought to us and time to recuperate. It was good to be home though when we were finally discharged. And to not have those stupid vital checks every 4 hours!

Baby Linnea Is Here!

Linnea Betsy Baun was finally born Monday Sept 24th at 4:47PM. She weighed a whopping 10 lbs 6 oz and measured 21 inches long. I really didn't think she'd be that big! She is very sweet and easy going so far.

Here are some pictures and I'll post more when I write up her whole birth story. Thank you for all your prayers and well-wishes. We definitely felt them. We are so happy she arrived healthy and with out any complications. It was a very fast labor once they broke my water. 2 1/2 hours and she was out! So we were able to labor naturally at the hospital with our midwife and have 2 days to rest while Henry and Evalyn kept Grammum and Pappy very busy at home. All while having a new roof put on, mold inspectors tromp through, concrete repaired, closet doors installed and even finding time to bake cookies and fill our fridge with homemade chicken soup. Thank you Grammum and Pappy!!

Baby Linnea Album

Just Listed!

We finally listed our house this past week! It feels weird to see the actual sign and have the lockbox on the door. Plus seeing the online listing. It is definitely more real that our house won't be "ours" for that much longer. No showings yet, but it's been good practice the last few days to try and keep counters cleared and clutter off the floors. The kids rooms seem a little hopeless, but we do our best!

However, the excitement to list the house will be cut a little short with the arrival of our baby. My due date was the 19th. Still no baby as of right now. After consulting with the midwife and considering all our options, we've decided to try inducing on Monday. This means we won't be giving birth in the Birth Center with the midwives but checking into the hospital across from the birth center. Seems a little silly to have made the decision to have our care with Bay Area Midwifery and drive the 40 minutes one way to Annapolis for all our appts just so we could have a natural birth outside of the hospital ONLY to decide at the last minute to forgo all that and have a hospital birth afterall.

We go in tomorrow morning at 8AM for our BPP (Bio-Physical Profile) where they do an ultrasound to check out the amniotic fluid, placenta health, and the baby's non-stress test to see how she responds to her own movements, oh and a weight estimate. This has become standard for my pregnancies since I always go post-date. :) This will also tell us whether she's decided to turn her head to an anterior position yet rather than hanging about transverse. (She is head down at least!!) At some point tonight we'll get a call from the hospital telling us what time our induction will be. We're pretty low on the list so we may end up hanging out in Annapolis for most of the day only to come home and try again on Tuesday.

So that is the plan. I'm relieved to know that I won't be pregnant past Wednesday at least!! Matt's mom is coming down tonight in preparation. I'm still hoping to go into real labor on my own and avoid the pitocin, but at the same time I'm just eager to have the baby. It kind of goes against my underlying philosophy of childbirth to go the hospital route, but you do the best you can in whatever situation. And despite what I've said in the past, I AM looking a little forward to 2 days postpartum in the hospital where I might be able to rest more than at home! We'll see....

First Fall Firebowl

Saturday evening was crying out for a family campfire in our seldom used firebowl. The air was crisp and the kids actually needed sweatpants on their little legs. Evalyn and I had been out running a few errands and picked up the requisite marshmallows and chocolate (graham crackers being a household staple). Matt got the fire going and what a lovely marshmallow roasting event it was!

Evalyn kept finding new sticks to use and discovered the fun of burning the 'mallow and blowing. Henry was content to just stuff his mouth with "raw" marshmallows straight from the bag. Matt and I took turns eating the marshmallows that Evalyn changed her mind on. Sticky fingers, a lovely chill to the air and some quiet time after Daddy took the kids in for bathtime made for a lovely end to day. I basked in the heat of the fire on my face as I watched the embers dance with light swirls.

Bells on Their Toes

So I never actually read that book, but this fabulous idea from a friend of mine made me think of it. She highly recommended this website, Parent Hacks, and the idea of having your kids wear bells to keep track of them outdoors. Our yard is big enough and with enough visual barriers from the windows in the summertime that I wish I'd heard of this idea ages ago! So here it is in case anyone with youngin's can benefit from it.

Fall is Approaching

I meant to post some happy thoughts on the change in the weather a couple of days ago, but it got away from me. On Wednesday we woke up to a cool crisp morning. I had a midwife appt first thing so it wasn't until later in the morning I fully took in the amazing weather. I actually stayed outside watching the kids play rather than retreating inside in front of the AC vent with the window cracked, glancing out now and again, which has been my standard late summer practice. Instead I swayed in the hammock while my kids climbed around me, swinging in the dappled morning light as the light breeze tossled hair and wafted up late summer flower scents.

What a welcome the cool dry air is! Leaving the windows open at night, not needing two fans blowing on me to sleep comfortably, walking around outside without sweating.... Ahhhhh! I love the fall!! I'm sure we have some warm humid days to get through still, but the change is in the air. Relief is here.

In other news, we just found out that we need to get some extra work done on the house before it's eligible to be purchased by our relocation company (which is our safety net if we don't find our own buyer). So it's been a stressful stream of estimators for roof, basement drainage and mold the last two days. Nothing too serious of course, just some general fixes. But it does get a little overwhelming with everything stacked against eachother like a house of cards. If one thing falls through than something else will fall. Everything is riding on something else. I'm sure it will all work out, but there are moments during the day where I wonder.

We do have our plane tickets though! Very weird to see all five of our names in a row with seats A,B,C,D and E. Plus our cat. This will be an adventure for sure!

Finger/Body Painting

This morning Evalyn wanted to finger paint. I mumbled something about maybe later and tried to distract her with getting ready for playgroup and such. It was a warm very rainy humid day. (Thank goodness for the much needed precip at least!) After naps and too much TV and another sweet entreaty to play with finger paints, I finally summoned enough energy to make it happen. (Plus Evalyn DID clean up all the scattered toys/games in her room as part of the deal so at that point I was really committed.)

Anyway, I changed them into grubby-it's-okay-if-they-get-stained clothes and we went outside utilizing a flattened cardboard box as canvas (since the easel was sold at the garage sale). I was only able to get a couple of shots before the battery died in the middle of a movie that didn't finish taking. so it goes.

The after picture of both kids would've been great. Henry discovered that finger paint was slippery if you stand in it and before long Evalyn was sliding on hands and knees and feet across the cardboard! At one point she even rested her forehead on the board while painting with her feet! Fortunately finger paint does wash up pretty easily, especially outside on wet surfaces. It was a great activity for all, the kids had fun and I felt good doing some constructive "mommy playtime" for a change.

Universal Remote Control

So I'm talking to my sister on the phone the other afternoon while the kids are playing outside. I can't remember what Evalyn had asked me to do, but I sure wish I had a Universal Remote Control in this late stage of pregnancy. Everything, especially standing up and sitting down countless times during the day, takes so much effort. And my very umh, perceptive 3 year old seems to sense this and tries my patience to the utmost degree.

"Mommy I want a snack please!" (Push Snack Retrieval Button)
"Mommy where's my blankie?" (Push Blankie Retrieval Button)
"Mommy Henry has a poopy diaper!" (Push Poop Vanishing Button)
"Mommy can I go outside and play?" (Push Unlock Back Door Button and Engage Extra Pair of Eyes Tool)

"Mommy I'm thirsty!" (Push Fill and Retrieve Sippy Cup Button)
"Mommy I need to go potty!" (Push Open Bathroom Door Button (currently child-proof doorknob to keep Henry from the toilet/sink disasters))
"Mommy push me in the swing please!" (Push Automatic Swing Pusher Button)
"Mommy Jadie wants in/out." (Push Open and Close Door With Childproof Forcefield Button)
"Mommy I don't want to take a nap/go to bed!!" (Push Sleep Mode Button and set timer for 3 hours hee hee hee in my dreams)


You get the idea. It's not like any of these tasks are especially difficult. It's more that they seem to be made the second I sit down from some other request. Call me lazy, but there's my wish of the day.

Fortunately when Daddy comes home, he does a pretty good job of filling in where the URC would otherwise, if it existed. : D

Good News!!

This afternoon we received a call from our realtor that the offer we made on the Yreka house was accepted! This was good news in many ways. For one, we made the offer on Friday and hadn't heard all weekend so were getting a little nervous. Second, we made our lowest offer fully expecting to have a counter offer and go up some more in price. Because this didn't happen, it basically means that our new mortgage will only be about $10k more than our current one!! This is truly a miracle for us.

A bigger house (yay!), smaller yard (1/2 acre lots really are hard to come by anywhere), higher interest rate (can't really be helped), and only a slightly higher monthly payment. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that all the details play out smoothly. What a relief though to have this decision made this early in the game. I'm so happy we decided to go out there now despite my greatly pregnant state and all that rigmarole. How much easier will our move be to have an address and place to move into rather than living in a hotel for several weeks with small children!! Our prayers of gratitude have been ascending all afternoon!

So that's the good news. The only bad news was letting go of the beautiful but more expensive house dreams in Lake Shastina and telling our fabulous realtor couple there that we decided for Yreka instead.

Now, if we could only have a crystal ball to see what the interest rates will do for the next 60 days to decide when we should lock in our rate..... any forecasters out there??