We're Here and Having a Baby

Well, by the time I got the internet, my computer and the pictures ironed out the "having a baby" turned into "had a baby". You'll see why I had time to start this post during labor below. But, here's the story...



Yesterday at a time so early in the morning I couldn't even register the number, Heather woke me up to tell me this might be the day, go back to sleep, but be ready to hop up and start calling people and packing the car.





The next time she woke me up it was around 3 something in the morning. The rest of the morning was a blur except that Mom showed up and Kelly showed up and we got into the car to drive to the Hospital. Mom, huge "Thank You" for waking up so early to come over and take care of the girls and watch them for us!





We immediately got a room and Heather was put on Arithromiacin for group B strep. Apparently that's something in everyone's body that can build up under the stress of pregnancy to dangerous levels for the baby if she were to get in contact with it. Thus, they wanted to put Heather on a 4 hour drip of this antibiotic before the baby came through the birth canal.





After much labor--consistent and strong contractions and dilation to 7 centimeters--everything paused. Heather was chillin in the gurney and we were all wondering what happened and what to do next. Coincidentally, around the time the antibiotic drip started, Heather's contractions faded out. So, Heather decided to start walking around the room and the contractions began again. However, once she had gotten back up in bed, the contractions stopped coming just as before.





We decided to have Dr. Zuckerman break her water, which surprisingly hadn't happened naturally yet. Before he arrived from whichever surgery he was completing, Heather started walking around again to get a good wave of contractions going. She wanted to progress things a little more before her water broke and intiated the onset of the challenging final contractions and pushing. It worked better than planned and she progressed on her own; her water broke and then she delivered at 12:26pm. It was a bit more challenging than Selah's delivery but a better experience than she had with Mckenna. I was waiting for Heather to ask for an epidural but once again she gutted it out through relaxing (how that helps, let alone how it is possible, I would like to know) and breathing those 'deep cleansing' breaths.





Praise God for this new little one. Alivia was born 6.13 lbs, 18.5 inches long. So far no jaundice as far as I can tell, and is very healthy. We are grateful to God for his kindness.

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Almost there!

Just about one week until my due date. I thought it was high time I got some pictures of my big belly before it's gone!

The girls are so excited about their new little sister. They love to hug my belly and give kisses to the baby. I think the thought of another little person in the house is starting to become more real to them. I am praying for an easy transition, especially for little Selah. We all can't wait to meet her....soon.

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Baby Update

Went to see my doctor today. Not much to report. Dilating slowly, but surely - around 2-3 cm now, very soft. I'm doing well, looking forward to the day I'll have this new little one, yet content that she will come when she's ready.

Every time I go to the doctor Mckenna asks, "are you gonna get the baby out?" Selah often just asks, "baby come out?" But mainly I think because she wants to go to K's house (Kelly has offered to keep her a few days after the baby comes to help adjust with things ;o).

Still nesting like crazy and have the urge now to paint my kitchen. I am just sure about the color...

We'll keep the blog updated when I go into labor. Dave will probably try to post from the hospital from his phone.

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Needed reminder of my Savior

I am currently reading Knowing God, by J.I. Packer. This morning, as I read, I was filled with fresh gratefulness for my Savior as I was reminded of what he accomplished for me and what life and eternity would be like without God. Packer writes:

"On the Cross, God judged our sins in the person of his Son, and Jesus endured the retributive comeback of our wrongdoing. Look at the cross, therefore, and you see what form God's judicial reaction to human sin will finally take. What form is that? In a word, withdrawal and deprivation of good. On the cross Jesus lost all the good that he had before: all sense of his Fathers' presence and love, all sense of physical, mental and spiritual well-being, all enjoyment of God and of created things, all ease and solace of friendship, were taken from him, and in their place was nothing but loneliness, pain, a killing sense of human malice and callousness, and a horror of great spiritual darkness...

So, too, those who reject God face the prospect of losing all good, and the best way to form an idea of eternal death is to dwell on this thought. In ordinary life, we never notice how much good we enjoy through God's common grace till it is taken from us. We never value health, or steady circumstances, or friendship and respect from others, as we should till we have lost them. Calvary shows that under the final judgment of God nothing that one has valued, or could value, nothing that one can call good, remains to one. It is a terrible thought, but the reality, we may be sure, is more terrible yet...God help us to learn this lesson, which the spectacle of propitiation through penal substitution on the cross teaches so clearly; and may each of us be found in Christ, our sins covered by his blood, at the last."

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Baby Girl #3

This poor little girl still does not have a name (any suggestions???). But here she is (this is a profile of her face), for the last time on ultrasound before we meet face to face...

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I have to laugh...

when, after folding a whole load of laundry and putting it neatly in a laundry basket, I later come to find that Selah took every article and threw it back in the washing machine - that's momma's little helper!

How I love my little Gracie!

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Much needed baby update...

It's hard to believe the summer is just about over, let alone that I am due in less than a month. This has been the fastest summer for me EVER!! My good friend, Esther, just told me she learned recently that one of the absolute most stressful things in life is moving. I told her that I would put that side by side with having a baby....and well we're doing both back to back here. For the many of you I know how have done these 2 things even closer than I am - well, you have my deepest respect! Honestly, though, there has been much grace!

Ok, to the baby...I just had a sonogram and appointment yesterday and all looks good. The baby is very much a girl and looks great! I am just about 1 cm dilated, if that. I feel like one big braxton hick lately, with a tummy about as tight as baseball. But that's a good thing...getting some of the work done ahead of time. The baby is about 5 1/2 pounds right now and the sonogram tech said baby's gain a maximum of a 1/2 pound a week at this point, so she'll be the most around 7 1/2 pounds at birth. Personally, I think she'll probably weigh in around Selah's birth weight at 6 lbs. 13 oz....if my memory serves me correctly, she was around 5 1/2 this stage in the game. But we'll see.

I have learned this summer that I am not a very good multi-tasker. I focus on something and go full-throddle with it, and many other things get pushed to the back burner. For me, it's been the house lately. The pregnancy has me nesting like crazy! Since moving in, my focus has been on getting settled and getting things done in the house, although as I look around it often doesn't look like it ;o). We still have a ways to go, but are slowly making progress. So, hence, my neglect of this blog. But I am going to do my best to update more this month, as things get closer to my delivery. I also just got my camera back last week and am hoping to get some pictures up soon.

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