Andymeandthemunchkins: 2013

So, I'm not great at this whole blog thing. Really not good. We've added a whole new person to our family and not one blog post about it? How's that for a terrible blogger. Ha!

Updates on existent family members and then on to pregnancy and new baby info.

Natalie was in 3rd grade this year. We're not quite done with all I'd had planned, but that's the beauty of homeschool, right? She's making a lot of personal progress, growing up more and getting better at being a big kid. She's a fun big sister and really tries to be helpful with the two younger kids. She's excited about her ballet recital which is coming up in a couple weekends. She really enjoys her dance class. Also she's able to play softball this spring/summer. She played a couple years ago, but after we'd signed up we found out that some of the games were on Sunday, which isn't for us. This year, however, games are Tuesday and Friday, so yay! She's really enjoying it, and is a little nervous about her first game which is this Friday. Maybe I'll be a good little blogger and post about it. (Not holding my breath.)

Mason did Kindergarten and some 1st grade for school this year. He's quite a clever and sweet little person and a great big brother. He and Hannah are quite the pals. He's also adjusting to being on the older half of the siblings. It's kind of hard to believe he's six! How did that happen? Time goes so quickly. He's also playing baseball this year. The Kindergarten boy's team was full by the time I thought to check things out, so really what he does is go practice with the other kids. Who would have thought baseball signup was in February?! At first I thought this would be ideal, given that he can be on the shy and reserved side. However, he's had such a good time at practice he was a little dismayed to not be playing at the games. I've got a calendar event reminder set for next February so I can get them signed up early.

Hannah. What a character! She's really quite a little person. She's, so far, both the girliest of the girls and a rough and tumble country girl all at the same time. She has definite opinions on what she wants to wear, and likes to pick out her own clothes, but also doesn't mind getting them dirty outside playing in the mud. She loves to make others laugh, loves to have fun, run, jump, play, but she's also very observant and quick to pick things up. She's very affectionate and snuggly. She's also a very independent kid, likes to do things herself, try things out,

And now on to pregnancy and baby. So, we had our 4th little bitty May 7, 2013 at 4:50 a.m. Her name is Matilda Rose. She was BY FAR the smallest of the kids, which was a complete surprise, at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 19.5 inches. She's so little. It was a fairly uneventful pregnancy, which after all the ups and downs with my pregnancy with Hannah was really nice. I started out assuming I'd be gestationally diabetic since I was on the borderline with Hannah, and then she turned out to be 10 and a half pounds. So I was careful about exercising and got information about gestational diabetes and followed the gestational diabetic diet. Turns out I wasn't even close this time, which was quite a relief, but I still tried to stay on top of my eating and activity. It was really such a fast pregnancy it seemed like. It was here and done in no time at all, which kind of makes me sad. I felt so good this pregnancy it was nice to have a chance to enjoy it and not feel like crud the whole time. What a difference better habits, being in better shape, and a not giant baby makes!

Labor story; It was an interesting labor to say the least. I went for my 39 week checkup on Monday the 6th. Everything was good, I'd made some progress from the week before. Still about 3-4 cm, as I was the week before, but more favorable. I wasn't really expecting to go into labor any time soon since I'd been 7 cm with Hannah and had to be induced cause I wasn't in labor at all. Kierston stripped the membranes at the appointment, which hadn't really done much in previous pregnancy, but might as well as long as she was in there checking things out. Can't hurt. So I went home not expecting much. I started having contractions that were really more like braxton hicks by late afternoon/early evening. They were sporadic, uncomfortable but not painful, and certainly not progressing. The contractions continued that way for hours. I still was unsure about whether it was true labor or not by 10:30 or so when I went to bed. I slept a couple hours until 12:30 and woke up due to the contractions. They were more uncomfortable, but still not to the point that I was sure one way or the other. I labored along still not sure about what was going on until about 2 a.m. and finally decided to call labor and delivery at St Francis. The nurse I talked to suggested that I take a warm bath and then put my feet up for awhile. She said that'd help the labor either stop if it was false labor, or ramp it up if it was true labor. I clean the bathtub, cause even though I'd just cleaned the tub the Saturday before I felt the need to clean it again. I got in the tub, which, let me tell you, was the most graceful thing you could ever have seen. Within 10 minutes I knew it was the real deal. It seemed like almost as soon as I was in the bath tub the contractions were nearly unbearable and very consistent. They were definitely the real deal. I got Andy up, which at that time of day is quite an undertaking, and got the kids up and texted Lydia (who I'd given the heads up about it maybe being baby time earlier in the evening before I'd gone to bed). We left the house at 3 a.m. and headed out for the 45 minute drive to the hospital, where Lydia would meet us and take the kids. That was seriously the crappiest 45 minutes EVER. The absolutely most painful contractions I've ever had! Best of all we got pulled over by the cops for going 55 in a 45 mph zone through Meriden. The officer came to my window, fortunately, because by the time I got through the contraction I was having and opened the window he knew what was up and told us to have a nice night. No police escort though! Resume mad dash to the hospital and trying to manage excruciating contractions that were coming every minute and a half or two.

We got to the hospital about 3:45ish, Andy and Lydia did the kid trade off and I went into the E.R so the L&D nurse could come pick me up and take me upstairs. This was the first time I'd done the wheelchair ride. I'd always walked up to the unit, but that was so not happening this time. Walking was way not in the cards. Get up there and changed and they check me. I was at 5 cm. I asked about an epidural and the nurse said they'd call the anesthesiologist after Kierston got there and checked me. Well, Kierston got there about 20 mins later and checked and voila 9 (plus) centimeters. I guess those killer contractions were doing their job. So no epidural (and no time for Kierston to go get her tiara out of the office, I'll explain later). I genuinely thought Kierston was joking when she said I couldn't have anything for pain. Seriously incredulous. I called her a crack smoking whacko when she said she thought I hadn't wanted them anyway. Ha. Evidently I was quite entertaining, but you know, it happens when you're in pain and it's the middle of the night. I tried a couple different positions, but I couldn't manage the contraction doing knee/chest or all fours, so I flipped back onto my back. I think it took two contractions to push her out, but I was pushing with everything I had. Kierston told me to push more gently, but I only had stop and go, nothing in between. So out she comes, and they put her on my chest. I was surprised at how quickly I felt relief after she was out. Really amazing. I looked at her and thought "she's really not very big." I was really expecting more along the lines of 8-9 pounds, and looking at her I didn't think she was anywhere near that. The nurses were not in any particular hurry to weigh her, what with letting me bond with her, but all the while I was really wanting to know how much she weighed. About 10 mins later they took her and weighed her. Again, I was incredulous, 7 pounds 10 ounces. She really seems so tiny compared with the other kids.

So the tiara thing. Kierston had worked L&D at St Francis before going on to become a midwife, and a friend of hers on her last shift as a nurse gave her this tiara as a joke gift. Somehow in our conversations during appointments we'd decided that if she had time, and the nurse who gave her the tiara was on on the night I delivered she'd go get the tiara and wear it during my delivery. Well, it turns out she didn't have time cause we did super speed demon labor instead. She did go get it after I'd delivered and came back and we took a couple pics with the tiara. I'm really glad I went with Kierston. I was really nervous about how that'd go when I found out Manya was switching from OB/GYN to just GYN, but it really turned out well. Kierston and I got along very well and I really enjoyed having her as my midwife. As it turns out the nurse that I had, had taken me specifically. She was assigned post partum that night and took me as an extra patient because Kierston had called her earlier and told her that if I came in she should take me. It's nice to be the patient people want!

Tiny Matilda is such a sweet, sweet baby. She sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time at night, she eats like a champ. I was really impressed when I first nursed her after I delivered at how well she latched and how strongly she nurses. I was a little nervous about nursing since I'd had such challenges with Mason and Hannah, but she really is a dream breast feeder. She's pretty easily contented, she's a happy baby, rides in the car pretty well (which is extra nice when you live 45 minutes away from town), generally a very agreeable, relaxed baby. She doesn't even have the gas issues the other kids have had!

I've felt pretty well. Maybe a little too well. The lochia was tapering off, but when Andy went back to work I ended up doing too much and the flow picked up and got bright red again. Lydia came up this weekend to help me with stuff so I could, essentially, sit on my butt and do nothing and rest, which seems to have helped. Thankfully it rained yesterday evening so Andy is home today doing some things around the house and I'm able to rest more today too.

Now on to what everyone likes the best anyway, pictures.