It's A...

April 6th came and went and there was no sign of a baby arriving any time soon.  I felt really great, had energy, the house was clean and I was ready to meet our bundle of joy at any time.  But this little one had other plans...

By Wednesday, April 9th when there was still no baby, I had to go for an ultrasound to check my fluid levels and make sure baby was moving okay.  I was so nervous that I would accidentally see the sex of the baby during the ultrasound that I kept telling the technician, "tell me if I need to look away."  Since Danny wasn't with me for the appointment I really didn't want to have to go home and tell him that we waited 40+ weeks to find out the sex, but oops, I spotted it during the ultrasound.  The technician laughed because she said she couldn't even tell.

After the ultrasound I was seen by my midwife and her student.  I hadn't been checked since my 38 week appointment (where I was a "finger tip" dilated) so we figured we should go ahead and see if anything was going on.  I was not quite a 2 and about 60% effaced.  I decided to go ahead and get my membranes stripped.  I had it done (twice) with Marissa (didn't need it with Dylan) and I knew it would either put me in labor within the next 24 hours...or it would do nothing.  I figured it was worth a shot!

I went and picked the kids up from the sitter's and went home to make dinner.  I was definitely feeling crampy from the membrane sweep but I knew that was normal and not necessarily an indicator that labor was going to start.  A part of me knew that I would be going into early labor that night, though.  The kids and I chased each other around the house and we got everyone settled in for the night.  I finished packing my hospital bag and preparing just in case.

Around 1 AM I woke up with a pretty strong contraction, but nothing time-able or consistent.  I woke again at 2, 3 and finally decided to get up around 4 AM.  I took a shower, washed a load of diaper laundry, emptied the dish washer and text my mom that we would probably be having a baby today.  After I did some final nesting I laid down on the couch for a few hours to rest.

My contractions were coming anywhere between 9 and 40 minutes apart by 6 AM.  Not exactly hospital ready.  I figured I would call Danny's mom as a heads up since she would be watching Marissa and Dylan.  I was in no rush to get to the hospital, though.  My mom showed up a few hours later and Danny's mom took off of work early...and then we waited.  I thought maybe I had jumped the gun a little.  My contractions were few and far between, though when I got one it was pretty strong and intense.  Definitely stopped me in my tracks.

We gave the kids lunch and then they went to Grandma's house for naps.  We packed everything up and figured we would go ahead and head up to the hospital to see if anything was going on.  The whole drive up there I kept telling Danny "I hope they don't turn us away."  I don't know why that was such a fear of mine, but I thought this is my third baby, I should know what I'm doing by now!  We stopped at the UPS store and slowly made our way to the third floor of the hospital to the triage center.  They got me hooked up to the monitors and sure enough my contractions were registering!  The nurse checked me and I was already 5 cm.  This was turning out to be a lot like Dylan's arrival.  At 1:43 PM we were admitted to the hospital.  We were going to have a baby!

The hospital called my midwife to let her know that I was in labor.  She asked if we could walk the halls for a bit while we waited for her student to show up, as she wanted to deliver our baby.  My contractions were still not regular at this point, but obviously they were doing something.  Danny, my mom and I walked the halls for a little while.  There were a few contractions where I had to stop, squeeze Danny's hand and really concentrate and breathe through them.

By 3:10 PM the midwife's student had arrived. It was time for Danny and I to go solo at this point so my mom went to the waiting room.  The midwife student checked me and I was at 7 cm.  I guess the walking was helping!  We decided now was a good time to break my water.  She had a really hard time breaking it, she said it was more like pin holes rather than a full break because the lining was so thick.  After 15-20 minutes of monitoring the baby's heart rate and my contractions they let me get back up.  I sat on the birthing ball, walked and had Danny rub my back, squeeze my hips and wrap his arms around me when a really strong contraction came on.  The whole time he was coaching me, telling me how great I was doing and encouraging me to breathe and relax.

7 cm, ready for baby!  My very last bump picture...bittersweet!

An hour had passed and my contractions were very intense at this point.  I felt that my body was very tense while I was standing so I climbed back in the bed to try and relax for a few minutes.  Danny fed me ice chips and we talked about how excited we were to meet this little boy or girl.

At 4:15 PM the midwife came back to check me and I was only at a measly 8 cm.  This was not turning out to be like my birth with Marissa or Dylan.  It was taking longer!  I told myself to take one contraction at a time and that it would all be over soon.

The midwife nurse showed me some squatting techniques on the side of the bed and said that this would help to move the baby down.  The nurses and the midwives left the room and said they would be back in a bit to check on me.  They hooked me back up to the monitors but they kept falling off since I was standing/squatting.  The monitors were making me feel very edgy and I begged Danny to take them off me as fast as he could.  The last thing I wanted was a monitor on my stomach during these intense contractions.  A few contractions later and things were starting to become a blur.  The nurse popped back in and quickly ran to get the midwives.  I was standing on the side of the bed and I told the nurse that I need to use the bathroom.  She advised against it and suggested that I go ahead and get back in the bed.

The midwives came back in and I literally could not lift my legs to get back in the bed.  I thought Danny was going to have to lift me.  I was finally able to get one leg on the bed when the nurse said "she's crowning!!!"  Okay, I didn't have a choice at this point, it was either get back in the bed or have this baby on the floor.  I mustered up enough energy to climb in the bed.  I was on all fours and couldn't stop my body from pushing.  The midwife asked if I wanted to birth on my hands and knees or if I wanted to get in the traditional position for pushing.  I said I didn't care, whichever was easier.  Somehow I managed to get in the traditional sitting position.  The midwife told me to push and about 15 seconds later, at 4:34 PM, our little bundle of joy arrived.  The midwife grabbed my hands and directed me to pull our baby out and onto my chest.  Whew!  It was over.  I did it!

Danny and I awed over this little person.  The long fingers, the long nails and black hair.  The sweet sound of the first outside world cry. It was amazing that we had created this life.  The cord was still attached and pulsing.  After a few minutes it dawned on us that we hadn't seen the sex yet.  I held the baby up from my chest, with the cord between their legs and I was about to announce it's a boy.  Then I lifted the cord and I turned to Danny standing behind my right shoulder and whispered to him "It's a baby girl!"  I couldn't believe it.

Our little Leila Rose was perfect.  I nursed her for the first time while Danny cut the cord after it had stopped pulsing.  She weighed in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and 18.25 inches long.  She was such a dainty thing; our smallest baby yet.  The midwives and nurse didn't even know that it was a baby girl; they didn't hear me announce it.  It was truly a special moment just between Danny and I.  While it wasn't how I pictured it playing out in my mind, or how they depict it in the movies, it was more than I could have ever imagined.  It was perfect!

Does that not look like one proud papa!?  Love him so much!

At first I felt bad that Danny didn't get to announce the sex.  All along our plan was to let him announce, but in the heat of the moment I couldn't stop myself.  He said that right at the time that I turned to him he saw that it was a baby girl.  I guess you can't exactly plan for these things.  It was still one of the most amazing experiences and I am so happy we decided to wait.

While I know that Danny wanted another little boy, whose name would have been Archer Douglas, we were so elated with Leila and we were just happy that she was healthy and as close to perfect as you could get.  She scored a 9 and 9 on her 1 and 5 minute APGARS.  Danny went out and announced to my parents that it was a baby girl.  Then he called his parents and family to tell them the news.  From what I heard, Marissa was so very excited that she got a baby sister.  I will never forget the sound of her voice as she came into the hospital room announcing "Leila Rose."  It was the cutest thing ever.

We've settled in to our new family of 5 and Leila has been the perfect addition to our family.  While I would probably have another baby (or two) if Danny said let's do it...I feel that my family is complete with Leila.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  We are so blessed to have 3 healthy, beautiful children.

Daddy holding Leila for the first time.

Our first family photo.

Happy Due Date, Baby!

Well, I have officially arrived at my due date! I think this little guy or girl is comfortable. I go Wednesday (if I haven't delivered) for an ultrasound to check fluid levels, baby movement and an estimate of the size. If all is well, my midwife will let me go until 42 weeks before we talk induction. Which would put us right at Easter. I am so excited to meet this little one but I am also trying to be patient as I really don't want an induction.

We have officially picked names (nothing like waiting until the last minute, ha)! We have decided to not tell anyone and I know both sets of grandparents are itching to know. But since we are team green we figured we might as well hold out. There's no sense in getting attached to a name (or disliking one) that we won't get to use anyway. I like to think that we did a good job naming the first two, so a few more days won't kill anyone. I will say that I think either name we have chosen goes well with Marissa and Dylan as a sibset and that neither of the names are that common. We don't like totally out there names but we didn't want your typical every day/over used/common name, either.

We can't wait to meet you baby! Go easy on your momma. :) Love you!!

House Update - All Moved In!

We are mostly settled into the new house.  We closed on February 25th.  We had started moving in the weekend prior to the 25th and spent our first night in the house on the 25th.  Danny carried me over the threshold for our first night.

It took some adjusting for Marissa the first week or so, but she is all settled in to her new room and new big girl bed.  Dylan switched from a crib to a toddler bed when we moved in and you never would have known the difference!

I am in love with our new house.  It feels just like home.  It is everything I could have imagined.  I am so thankful for everything we have worked hard for.  Though it was a long 10 months, it was well worth the wait since this will (hopefully) be our 30+ year home.

Our oasis

Marissa's big girl bed.  Uncle Fuzz gave her money for Christmas to put towards her new room and I was able to find this at IKEA!  It is so big and she looks so little in it, you can barely find her.  Thanks, Uncle Fuzz!

One morning we did have a tiny visitor.  This is a rare occurrence. 

The nursery. This is the first time I haven't had a theme!

The foyer.

Our "formal living room" AKA the play room. :)

Formal Dining Room

My other oasis. I've vowed that I will take a relaxing bath at least once a week. And in a few weeks there will be mandatory wine involved. ;)

Dylan's first night in his big boy bed. Getting tucked in by Sissa.  He looks SO happy! And he loves having her tuck him in every night.

Single Digits

I am officially down to the single digits until my due date!  The time has flown by so fast. We've already been in the new house for a month!  I have been nesting like crazy trying to get everything ready around the house, but I feel like I still have a lot to do.

I'm feeling pretty good, mostly just tired and this little baby is getting heavy!  I have a lot of swelling in my feet and ankles and it hurts to roll over at night and to even walk sometimes.  I don't think we will be having our third 30th of the month baby, considering it is in 2 days and I have zero activity going on.

I have been having an (almost) nightly ice cream cone.  I don't know why but they have been so tasty!  We still haven't picked out names.  Or installed the car seat. Or finished packing my hospital bag.  Time is really getting away from me these days.  It is especially hard working full time and caring for 2 other kids.

Marissa is so, so excited to meet baby, though.  She is 100% convinced she is getting a baby sister.  And her name has gone from "Rapunzel" to "Elsa" from the movie Frozen.  I've tried preparing her that she may get another baby brother but the girl just isn't having it.

And Dylan...poor Dylan.  I think he is going to have a hard time adjusting to not being the "baby" anymore.  He is sweet and will kiss my belly and say "hi" to baby, but I don't think he is ready to give up the spotlight just yet.  I have a feeling he will have middle child syndrome.  Daddy will have to show him the way. ;)

38 Weeks. Giving baby kisses and saying hi!

Yes, that is a comb in Marissa's hair. 

Snuggling with my babies watching Frozen after we devoured a bowl of popcorn. Love these two! :)

Slacker 101

Where do I even begin?  To say I have been slacking on the blog front would be an understatement.  It's a good thing my New Year's resolution wasn't to blog more; because I would have failed miserably so far.

Life has just been busy.  We've had ups and downs with the new year.  We are getting so close to closing on our house.  And as we get closer to closing on the house, we get closer to welcoming baby #3.  The fact that we are not settled has me feeling all kinds of anxious.  I feel like a rubber band that is about to snap!  I feel like I've reached the end of my rope.  Someone the other day told me to tie a knot and hang on.  Easier said than done!  

I just need to get my home in order before chaos consumes us.  I will be a complete basket case if I am not ready to bring the baby home.  Who am I kidding?  I'm a basket case postpartum anyway, I don't need additional help.  I'm not looking forward to the crazy hormones the first few weeks after bringing the baby home.  As much as I know people want to help and see the baby, sometimes I just need some breathing room.  

Last night Danny played video games and I just shut off the TV; settled down with some chips and salsa (note, not a good bedtime snack at 33 weeks pregnant; I needed a few tums) and just enjoyed the quiet.  Dylan was up at 5 AM yesterday; neither kid napped and I was just feeling run down and exhausted.  It was nice to just sit and hear nothing!  I know our time of putting the kids to bed and (mostly) sleeping through the night is dwindling down; so I am trying to enjoy it.

So since I have been slacking on documenting the house progress and pregnancy; here's a quick re-cap of what the new year has entailed...

Baby #3:

• I am currently 33w2d along.
• We are still team green!
• I have absolutely no idea what we are having.  At first I was sure it was a boy. But lately I've been thinking it could be a girl.  Hopefully it is one or the other. ;) 
• I've had a sweet tooth lately; whereas the beginning of my pregnancy I was craving more meat.
• I have a new love of Arby's Reuben sandwiches.  Hmm...maybe if it is a boy we will name him Reuben.  Mmm...I've decided what I am having for lunch today!
• For the first time in 3 pregnancies, I failed my 1 hour glucose test.  I had a Reuben that day.  
• I passed the 3 hour glucose test with flying colors.  My fasting sugar level was 76.  I was not happy that I had to go through that!
• I'm currently measuring a week behind but my midwife is not concerned.
• I've gained approximately 16 pounds so far this pregnancy which is the least amount of weight between the 3 pregnancies but everyone says I look bigger. Gee, thanks!
• My sciatic nerve pain is flaring up again and it is near impossible to get comfortable at night.  I keep wanting to sleep on my back which of course is a no-no.
• I'm still wearing my wedding rings but my hands have been swelling at night.  I really have to watch my sodium intake and drink lots of water.  
• Danny was nice enough to take some maternity pictures for me for Valentine's day. I still want to get a few of us together, though.  He's quite the photographer! :o)

House Update:

• We should be closing no later than February 26th.  Which puts us at 10 months since we sold our house last April.  Such a long process!
• The house is looking really good. I am so happy with our color choices.  It feels like home already.  I can't wait to get settled in.
• I am in love with my kitchen (yes, I get to say my kitchen because Danny doesn't cook). ;)  It is the heart of the home and it is everything I imagined it would be.  
• We had a few set backs with weather, the loan and just getting the small details finished.  Our first appraisal with Bank of America came back low; which really put us in a bind.  So we had to get a second opinion which came back much better.  I was really stressing about the appraisal and it was a huge sigh of relief to get the second opinion back.  I officially would not recommend Bank of America to anyone.  Their customer service is terrible!
• We should be doing our final walk through soon.  I feel like I have a mile long list of small touch ups and things that need to be completed.  I just know that it is best for the builder to fix these things before closing because from what I've heard, it is hard to get them back out after you've closed.

They need to take out the two dead trees on the left. They still have to do the final grade and put in the front sidewalk, but we have to wait for this weather to break first.  The columns and the trim on the front door need to be painted white.  Lots of little details that still need to come together, but it's looking good!  I love the bay window; it lets in so much light.

Family Room off of the kitchen.  I'm hoping Danny can get the built in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace built before the baby comes, but that might be asking too much of him. 

::Swoon::

His and Hers Master Shower 

Resolutions

I am not one to really make new year's resolutions, but there are a few goals I have set for 2014.

1) Purge!  I know we are getting a bigger house and with a bigger house comes more space and with more space, you can store more crap.  Well, I don't want to store crap.  I already have a list of things in my mind that are currently in our storage unit that will be given away/donated/sold soon after we move in.  I want our house to have a fresh start and I really want to live a more minimalist type lifestyle.  I don't want to hold on to things that I/we don't use.  We will be going through household items, toys, clothes, knickknacks and memorabilia as we unpack.  And come April I will have either a lot of boy clothes or girl clothes to purge!

2) Patience! I want to have more patience this year.  I don't know if it is just my pregnancy hormones, stress from building a house or a combination of life in general, but I have felt very short fused lately.  I want to focus on not stressing about things that I cannot control and focusing more on what I can control.  This will be hard for me because I'm a total control freak.

3) Be a better mother.  I don't think I am a bad mother by any means, but patience with the kids is something I think most parents can improve on.  I am reading a parenting book and I hope to take a different approach with some of my parenting tactics.  Marissa is at a very independent, defiant age.  I want to be able to effectively communicate with her; rather than getting frustrated when she doesn't do what I ask the first (or fifth) time.  I want to stop making idle threats of taking away tablet time, TV, etc. and find a way for us to both get what we want.  I also want to be more firm when I say no to something.  The book discusses standing by your decisions and not letting anyone sway you.

4) Healthy Habits. I think overall we eat fairly healthy, but I want to get back on track with cooking homemade meals.  It has been hard with everything going on with the house, but chicken nuggets and PB&J for the kids, and fast food/quick meals for us is not cutting it.  I can really tell when I've been eating horribly because my hands begin to swell from too much sodium.  It is also my goal to ensure the kids are getting well rounded meals and to really cut back on some of their junk food intake.  They are probably considered deprived compared to some kids, but their eating habits today may impact them for the rest of their lives.  You don't need dessert every night and more often than not, healthy snacks are better and more filling than sweet, sugary, carb loaded ones.  I don't want to deny them all sweets or do anything drastic, but I want to set them up for healthy eating habits that I hope last a lifetime.

5) Nurture.  This kind of goes along with my patience goal, but I want to nurture my marriage more.  I know it is hard with two kids, another on the way, building a house, work and life in general; but I want to make sure that we get date nights, one on one time together and that we communicate effectively.  Danny is the whole reason I have two children, with another on the way, a new house that we will soon call home and he is the reason for my life.  Corny, I know...but he really is my soul mate and without him this wouldn't be my life.  I don't know where I would be, what I would be doing or who I would be with, but I know I wouldn't have these little people in my life that I call family.  Not that the kids will ever take a back seat to our marriage, but I think it's important for couples to put their marriage first.  I would be lost without them and Danny has forever changed my life.

So that's what I have in store for 2014.  Here's to hoping it is a happy, healthy new year!

Bringing in the New Year with Third Tri Exhaustion!

If anyone is wondering where I've been, it is obvious to say I have not been in the blogger world.  Life is absolutely crazy and hectic for us right now.  And we're adding in another baby in approximately 3 months...what were we thinking?! ;)

Christmas has come and gone.  To say we were busy is an understatement.  We traveled 6 hours south to visit my brother in law.  Then traveled to my parent's house on Christmas Eve-Eve and stayed until Christmas day.  Then we headed back home to have lots of family (5 nephews!) come to visit for Dylan's birthday and our family Christmas celebrations.  Last night when everyone had gone home and the kids were in bed I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks.  I think all of the travel, excitement, cooking, cleaning, wrapping presents, lack of sleep, opening presents, more cleaning, colds for the kids, birthday parties and Christmas celebrations caught up to me.  I am coming into the third trimester next week and I can definitely tell that the baby is growing and I am getting tired more easily.  I know I am going to need energy for when we move into the new house, but right now it just feels so far away.

Other than exhaustion, I have been feeling pretty good.  My sciatic nerve pain has flared back up again, though.  I think from sleeping on different beds, being in the car too long, on my feet for too long and just not taking my normal precautions has caused it to start hurting again.  Hopefully things can settle down for a few weeks and I can get it under control before moving.  The baby feels like he/she is sitting so low already; I am hoping the little one decides to move up soon.  I am still getting lots of movement, though Danny hasn't really felt the baby much.  I am still leaning towards it being a boy.  We haven't even really discussed names yet, we should probably get on that soon!  I'm officially down to the double digits; 96 days until my EDD! Eeeek!

In other news, the house is slowly coming along.  Things were really rolling there for awhile but due to the holidays it seems like things have really slowed down.  It is kind of disappointing, as it feels like they've forgotten about us, but hopefully by the end of January we will be new home owner's.  It has been such a headache and just one thing after another from getting the home loan, to staying on top of the builder, to finalizing everything from cabinets, floors, paint colors, etc.  I will be happy to put this behind us and start 2014 in a new home with our new family.  The 120 days from "start to finish" has almost come and gone and it is a little disappointing to not be in our house yet.  I know it will all come in due time.

Danny and I are going to go check things out today, but last we saw the dry wall was up and primed, the trim was done and the interior doors were in.  Floors will start on the 2nd and they said they should be done by the 9th.  Then they will install all of the electrical outlets, lights and fixtures.  Cabinets will go in once the floors are complete, plumbing has to be finished and then we will be almost ready to call it home!  The siding still needs to be finished on the front of the house and the garage doors need to be installed.  I know there is still a lot left to do, but it should be coming together soon.

I have tons of pictures to share from the last few weeks!

The birthday boy! Dylan turns 2.

Christmas morning at MiMi and PupPups

Making Christmas cookies for Santa. 

 Fun at Bristol Raceway

Visiting Santa

Christmas parade with friends 

No updated house pictures...hopefully once the siding is done. :)