D-Day

He was there when we weren’t looking. Two months old!!

The first day we babysat Dallas!!

That’s how old this little guy was when he came into our lives.  We thought I would be taking care of him for only a few weeks and here we are almost three years later. He’s gone through so much. His mom “said” she wanted him back about a year and a half ago. Those were the hardest six months ever. I didn’t know if we would even see him again. When he came home with his grandma, we were the first place they came!!  What a wonderful surprise!!

         Dallas at 2                              A few days before his 3rd bday                         Another at 2

 Since that time over a year ago, we have gotten the privilege of taking care of Dallas on the weekends and a few times for a whole week at a time.

About six months after Dallas came back home to his grandma, one of the times she came to pick him up, she asked me if we would be his guardian if anything should happen to her. We were honored and glad Dallas would get to stay in our lives. A few months after that conversation, she must have been doing some thinking because she asked how we would feel about actually adopting him!! She loves him for sure, but she knows that she has to work quite a bit and staying with her would mean him being raised in daycare, which isn’t at all terrible, just not what she wants for him. She sees how excited he is coming over to our house and how far he’s come in being more social.  She explained that she still wants to be his grandma!! She just wants to be the traditional grandma. Where he goes to visit for the weekend or she comes over to babysit every now and then, but we raise him. And he would be our son!!

In a month the court date is set for his mother’s rights to be permanently terminated.  We, all of us including Dallas’ grandma, have no idea how to proceed, but I know that if it’s Gods will for Dallas to be a Hall boy then He will guide us!! I’m sure it won’t be easy, but it will be so worth it!!

Please pray:
- the termination hearing goes smoothly
- we can get an idea of how to proceed with the next steps to bringing Dallas home, if it’s Gods will.
- if it’s not the Lord’s will, that He would clearly close the doors and give a peace about it.

We are so excited about the next chapter of our story and for 2018!!

❤️ Rachel

Healing

“Time heals all wounds.”, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”, “It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.”. These are just a few of the cliché phrases most of us have heard at some point in our life. Matthew and I have heard quite a few over the past few months. We both are grieving in our own way. I feel as though I had time during Claudia’s pregnancy to prepare for her possibly passing away. I hoped and prayed, but knew the possible outcomes. Each time we got the news of her condition being worse I feel as though I mourned her a little more. By labor, when we found out she had no heartbeat, I think that was my final mourning.

Matthew, on the other hand, hoped and prayed from the moment we found out of Claudia’s conditions. I also feel as though he was kind of in denial about all of the problems. After she was born having already passed away, he struggled with frustration and bitterness. We both struggled together because of it. One of the clichés we got so tired of hearing was, “She was so special that God wanted her all to Himself”. Really? We know everyone meant well, but hearing things to that effect often was quite wearisome. 

We are moving through. Looking back, much of this last year is a blur. It feels like it never happened. I think of it as God’s grace to us. Right now, we are in the same place we were a year ago. We have three boys one of whom I’m teaching and the other being in school. The only difference is I have a bit of post baby weight to lose-that isn’t budging!! Yes, God’s grace is sufficient for sure! 

We got asked-the day after we came home from Phoenix and two days after Claudia was born, if we were going to have another baby!! Yep! We were still in shock, I was physically recovering, and that was one of the first questions we get asked! We also got asked several times after! In answer, now that it’s several months later, we are trusting God for our family and that includes any other blessing He chooses for us. We do have an exciting prayer for a possible new member to our family.  Tune in to a future post on D-Day!!

❤️❤️

Rachel

Birth Story Volume 4!! Claudia Joy

~~💝💝Claudia's Birth Story💝💝~~

Tuesday, July 25, my family was down in Phoenix waiting for my arrival. They were staying at a hotel, not too far from the hospital. My Grammy, Papa, Auntie, Uncle, and cousins all came down to see my family. We ate lunch together and went to a mall to walk around. My Auntie wanted to entice me to come by making Mommy walk all around the mall. Well, it didn't work, but Mommy had really strong contractions that didn't stop until she rested. After walking around the mall a bit my Auntie, Uncle, Papa, and cousins went back to my house in Kingman. My Grammy stayed with my family. We had one yummy supper at Claim Jumper and then my brothers went swimming for several hours. Mommy and Grammy rested a bit.

The next day, we went to Del Taco, my big brother Titus' favorite place. After lunch, we went back to the mall so Mommy could get a pedicure. She likes those when she has a baby in her tummy. When we got to the nail place, Mommy put her name in and we were going to go to a fun play area so my big brothers could play while we waited. They had fun playing, but Mommy wasn't feeling the best. She wasn't sure if I was coming or not so she started timing contractions. It was about 3:20pm. Mommy noticed they were between 4 and 5 minutes apart and lasted 45 seconds. Because my big brother came very quickly, she wanted to make sure we made it so she told Daddy she wanted to go to the hospital. So we all left and Mommy texted our good friends' Mommy to come and get my brothers. We went back to the hotel to get the hospital bag and Titus' medical things and off we went to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, Daddy dropped Mommy, Grammy, and me off and went to park the van and wait for Megan to pick up my brothers. Mommy got checked in and was taken to a room. Grammy waited for Daddy to come back.

Mommy was having contractions all the while. The nurse came in to get Mommy checked out. She checked her weight, blood pressure, and my heartbeat. She was having a hard time finding my heartbeat so she had another nurse come in to try. She couldn't find it either so they call a nurse to come with an ultrasound machine. The nurse called the doctor in. That's when the doctor told Mommy that I didn't have a heartbeat. Mommy and Daddy were so sad. But Mommy was still having contractions. Mommy wasn't even in the birthing room yet. It took almost an hour for our room to be ready. Finally mommy was able to walk to her room. It was a big room. Once she was settled, the doctor came and talked about how Mommy wanted me to be born. Mommy wanted me to come just like my two older brothers were born at home. The doctor was concerned about Mommy losing too much blood after I was born because I had so much water and swimming space so Mommy agreed to an IV lock. Like an outlet for an IV to go if needed. Mommy had contractions that were close together. She wasn't timing them anymore but they seemed to be every 1.5-2 minutes apart. Mommy notices that the contractions during my labor are similar to Mommy's labor with my big brother Solomon.

The doctor came in to check on Mommy and asked if she wanted Mommy to break her bag of water at all. Mommy gave her a time of 9:30 if I wasn't born by then. It was about 7:30 at the time. About 9:15 or so Mommy felt different. She started feeling like she needed to push, but couldn't. When the doctor came back in she told that to her and the doctor offered to break her bag of amniotic sac. Mommy agreed. She told the doctor she felt the sac being intact was keeping her from pushing me out. So the doctor broke my sac. It was very tough. It took her three tries. Mommy had a lot of fluid!! When I was born it was almost triple the highest level it should be!! When the doctor broke my water only about one quarter of the fluid came out. Mommy felt her tummy and was surprised at that. She thought I would come right out!! The doctor told Mommy she would come back in 45 minutes or so to check on her. Mommy told the nurse that she was in transition for me to be born. She was cold and her legs were shaking. She knew what that meant. She told the nurse so she left to get Mommy a warm blanket. While she was gone I was ready to come. Mommy had a strong contraction so she screamed in pain. The doctor heard me and told me she would check on me. As she was coming in, Mommy yelled, "she's coming!!! She's coming!!" The doctor knocked everything off the wall grabbing gloves just as I came out. I was born into the bed and after me came all the rest of the extra fluid!! The doctor said it was like a wall of water and she'd never seen it before!! It took quite a while to clean and dry everything off. Daddy got to cut the umbilical cord, which the doctor said was wrapped around my neck twice tightly. My mommy and daddy think that is why I didn't make it.

Finally Mommy got to hold me!! She was so happy and sad all at the same time. I had a head full of dark hair!! Mommy loved that!! My skin was so thin that anything more than a super gentle touch made it tear. My skin even tore from just being born!! I came at 9:41 on July 26, 2017.

Mommy held me for a while, then gave me to Daddy while the doctor worked on getting my placenta to come. Because all my brothers came really close to their due dates, and I came early, my placenta wasn't ready to come yet. The doctor was concerned that because Mommy was so big with fluid, that she could hemorrhage so she agreed to get some medicine called Pitocin to help my placenta come and help keep me from bleeding too much. After a half an hour, my placenta still didn't come so the doctor had to go and get it. It hurt Mommy so much. Much more than me being born. It took several tries before she got it. Mommy's tummy hurt really bad for a while after.

Guess who was waiting to see me while Mommy was being taken care of by the doctor?? My big brothers!! If I wasn't already dancing around in heaven, I would have loved to see them and smile at them too!! My brother Solomon was kind of shy to see me. He's the littlest and all this crazy stuff going on was hard and he missed being at home and with Mommy. Josiah and Titus were very excited. They got right up on Mommy's bed ready to hold me. Mommy gave me to Josiah first. He was very gentle and held me very close. Titus had some help from Mommy holding me. He liked beeping my nose and putting his finger in my mouth. I got a kiss on my head from both of them!! Soon Solomon got a little less scared and sat next to Mommy while she held me. I even got a kiss out of him too!! Miss Megan was so kind to bring my brothers to see me. She took them back to her house for a sleepover soon after. She was so brave, she even gave Titus his medicine!! 💉💉

Soon the nurse took me out for a bit to get my picture taken, my height and weight, as well as a hand and foot imprint. That made my super tender thin skin tear all over. That made Mommy sad.😢😢 I was 14 inches long and 2lbs 4oz. Mommy fell asleep while I was gone. Daddy was awake when the nurse brought me back and held me a while longer.

Mommy got woken up really early, at 5:00 in the morning!! The nurse said we had to move to another room. So Mommy, even though she was very sleepy, was wheeled to a very small room. She stayed there and rested more until she was ready to go about 12:30pm.

Mommy is very sad that I can't be with them, but so happy I'm in heaven waiting for her!! Mommy didn't want to have to make any hard decisions regarding my care and God helped her by making the choice for her. She wanted me to share my birth story so she would remember all the details as well as be able to share with my brothers when they get older. Mommy and Daddy are so thankful for everyone that prayed for me and for them. 💝💝
https://www.youcaring.com/matthewandrachelhall-844098

An Unexpected Turn

Here we are, at yet another branch in our journey. We found out that we are expecting yet again!! My tentative due date is August 16th. I came into this pregnancy not really very excited about it. I don't know if it's my age, the really strong first trimester ailments or what, but knowing there would be 9 months of not feeling like myself on top of more weight gain to lose, I was dreading it. The first trimester was very rough-and it lasted almost the first half of the pregnancy. I was very nauseous as well as extremely tired which made me very moody!!  Everyone just chalked it up to having three boys to "chase around", but I really don't see much of a difference between two and three-especially when your #2 is Titus!!

We found out early with Solomon that he was a boy and decided to go back to Miracle in Progress to find out this time as well. What a surprise we got when those words came up on the screen IT'S A GIRL!! We were overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time. Matthew didn't think it was possible!!   We already selected a name, but didn't plan on sharing until she was born. 

We excitedly awaited each midwife appointment and wondered how close she would come to her due date. Her brothers were pretty spot on so we guessed she would be too. We were planning this time around getting the full ultrasound mainly because I will be 39 when she's born. We planned on going in on the same day as my appointment with our midwife at 17 weeks. The tech was all business but did confirm our knowing she's a girl. She measured small-11 days, and he couldn't see what he needed to so he advised us coming back in 5 weeks. He did say what he could see looked good. We were originally not going to do the repeat ultrasound, but something told me to. I just thought it would be a nice excuse to see our girl again. So, at 22 weeks, we went back. Matthew stayed with the little kids(I was babysitting) and I brought the older two to see their sister. She seemed to take an extremely long time, but I figured she was giving us a nice look at baby.  

When we got to our midwifes house, she sat us down right away and told us the scary news about our little girl. They found several things on the ultrasound that made her very sick. She found several of her abdominal organs up in her chest cavity, her heart pushed to the opposite side it should, and her lungs potentially squished as they grow. That told the ultrasound tech that she has a hole in her diaphragm. It's called a congenital diaphoretic hernia(CDH). Thankfully, as serious as it is, there is surgery she can have at birth to repair the hole. She also found something unusual in her brain, but couldn't pinpoint what. So, because of these abnormalities, it isn't safe to have her be born at home as she needs to be on a ventilator right away to help her breathe.  So with sad hearts we left our midwifes house for the last time. 

The next day, I called a good friend from the Phoenix area, whose husband was my doctor years ago and asked her if she or her husband knew of a high risk OB in the area. I explained the situation, she asked her husband, and recommended Phoenix Perineal Associates. I called and they didn't take my current insurance. Thankfully, as my birthday was coming up, I could switch to the one they took. So I then had to call and switch my insurance, but in the meantime I needed to be seen. One of the fabulous ladies from PPA recommended the Women's Institute at the university hospital as their doctors are there once a week to see patients. Unfortunately because it's also high risk, I needed a referral. So I called my midwife and asked her to fax them over with my prenatal records. What a crazy day that was! I heard nothing and called to check several times.  One of the ladies at PPA told me the university hospital also has an OB Triage, which is like an ER just for pregnant moms. She suggested I go there as a way in if I was having a hard time making an appointment. So that's what we did. 

We went in to the OB Triage and when I talked with the woman in admitting and told her my situation in trying to get an appointment, I showed her a copy of the ultrasound report my midwife gave me and a nurse told me that they wouldn't let me leave without being helped. I felt such relief!! I got an appointment for the following week on the day a PPA doctor would be in seeing patients as well as an ultrasound and we headed home. 

We both questioned and prayed about why this could happen to our family?  Well, this side of heaven we won't know the why's, but if God is using this time in our lives to bring us closer to Him and to teach us to trust Him, I definitely want to trust!! 

The ultrasound at the women's Institute showed what we already knew with her CDH, but the radiologist saw something a bit different on her brain. Something wasn't right. After the ultrasound, we spoke with the doctor for quite a while. He said they could do the surgery to repair her CDH, but the surgeon wouldn't do it until she had her chromosomes tested to see if what was abnormal about her brain was chromosomal or not. I could do an amniocentesis or wait until she's born and they could do bloodwork. We opted for the amniocentesis, but to wait until I am further along as the doctor mentioned a risk of my water breaking.  I made a follow up ultrasound to check her growth for a month later. 

This ultrasound showed much of the same so it didn't take as long. After this my new insurance kicked in so I transferred over to PPA. I had another ultrasound as well as a "new patient " exam. 

Nothing new in the ultrasound front except for my amniotic fluid levels increased even more.  I mentioned to the dr that came in during my ultrasound that I wanted to set up a time for an amniocentesis and she said, okay, we can do that right now!! I was surprised but ready to know. When you love your child, you will do anything for them. This is one of those things. It was the most painful torturous experiences I have ever had. But I did it for my baby. Before she started we talked about removing excess fluid, but when the time came, I was in too much pain so she didn't. 

The results came in two days later as promised and her DNA showed an extra chromosome #18. It is called Edwards Syndrome or more commonly known as Trisomy 18. We were given no hope and no options other than if we want to hold her she would just pass away at birth struggling to breathe and suffering.  If we want to spend time with her they would intubate her, but the doctor said we wouldn't get to hold her.  I found a support group the next day and saw many children with T18 that were not only several months old, but several YEARS old!! I finally saw hope.  Unfortunately, the doctors don't have the same hope. Because of her T18, the doctors assume she will not live long after birth.  None mentioned any possibility of her survival. Our next obstacle is meeting with the neonatal team at the hospital I plan to deliver her in and letting them know we want to have the surgeon plan on operating on her CDH, and after we have an appointment with the doctor from PPA and we plan on telling her what we plan then.  We are praying that the doctor and neonatal team at the hospital will be supportive as well as a surgeon that will take us seriously or even better a believer that knows that life is not in his/her hands, but the Lord's. 

To be continued as the pregnancy progresses and we welcome Claudia Joy Hall to our family...

Thank you for your prayers and support!! Please click here if you are led to help financially. 

Birth Story-take 3! Solomon

What a wild ride this has been!!  This pregnancy has been the fastest so far! The entire time I have felt that I was not as far along as I really was.  We were trying to get pregnant for several months.  During that time I started having problems getting strep throat.  I had never had it before and out of nowhere got it every other month for six months in a row(3 cases)!  I talked to my ear, nose, and throat doctor and he said that my tonsils needed to come out if I had strep throat three times in less than a year.  So he scheduled me to have them taken out in September.  I was glad to finally get them out after so many new problems, but still wanted to be pregnant.  I knew if I was pregnant the surgery would have to wait not only until after the baby was born but also after baby was done nursing.  So part of me really wanted to not be pregnant so I wouldn't have to deal with possibly getting strep a lot for the next up to 2 years or more.  I just decided the best thing to do was to trust God's plan for our family.  I chart my cycles so I knew on the day of the surgery that I wasn't pregnant even though I had to take a test at the surgery center.  Well, let me just say that surgery was torture!!  But that's a different story!  My mom came to town to help take care of the boys during my surgery and recovery.  She was a huge help as Matthew could only take off the day of surgery.  I was still charting my cycles even through the surgery.  So, I knew exactly when it happened.  I was babysitting a friend's kids for a date night and couldn't wait until morning so I tested.  It was positive!!  My throat was still sore from surgery and hadn't even had my post surgery follow-up!! 

Needless to say I was so excited!  I couldn't wait to tell Matthew but I figured not a good time with extra company.  So when their parents came to pick them up I had a plan.  Since it was pizza/movie night I got the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting and put it in.  And as Matthew grows out a goatee when I'm not pregnant I had my oldest son bring him his razor to get to shave it.  Well, it took a bit for it to click.  He saw Josiah with the razor and got scared (who wouldn't be scared seeing a three year old with a sharp object), but when I played the movie and he saw the title, he knew. He was shocked but so excited!!   And since my mom was there we got to tell her in person!!  Josiah told her that mommy had a baby in her tummy.  She said the same thing she said for the other two pregnancies, "are you serious?" It was so much fun!

This pregnancy was so much different from the other two.  I had no initial early symptoms like I did with Josiah and Titus.  If I hadn't been charting I wouldn't have known right away.  I was so happy that I didn't have any of the fatigue and nausea that I had with my first two pregnancies.  Well, that was short lived.  I wasn't as tired as I was the first two times, but I was more than usual.  I wasn't nauseous, but for several weeks I threw up once every morning.  Mostly when brushing my teeth as my gag reflex is very sensitive anyway and especially when pregnant. 

I didn't exercise as much as I did during Titus' pregnancy, but after the first trimester exhaustion I did start back up. By the end of the pregnancy I was down to mostly walking.  I carried Solomon much more lower and out front than his older brothers so that made for adjustments in my workouts as well as from my chiropractor!! (haha) I had only a little heartburn even though he sported a nice head of light red hair.  I chalk it up to much better nutrition and being overall healthier this time around.

Now to the part you've all been waiting for, the labor and delivery details. I knew I would have Solomon pretty close to his due date as Josiah and Titus were born very close.  I was just hoping it wouldn't be very long after his due date.  On the day he was due, a Sunday, I was feeling so ready for him to come, but still pretty good, so I readied for church.  The day didn't feel any different.  I ate some sugar free chocolate in the afternoon between services.  sometimes it doesn't digest well so I was preparing for the consequences of my splurge.  Mostly I have a lot of gas(sorry, TMI).  My first contraction hit during evening service at church about 6:30.  I thought it was from gas as it hurts sometimes.  I knew I would feel better in the morning as I normally do.  After church we went right home since I was feeling so bad.  We made supper and I ate it just fine.  I had to stop for the contractions every so often, although nothing regular.  I still thought they were gas pains.  I think if I had skipped the chocolates I would have realized it was labor.  The pains were very different from the older boys.  Their labors were tightening all over my tummy easily timeable.  Solomon's was very sharp in my lower abdomen and back(back labor anyone?) and when I tried timing it to verify whether it was labor or not it was all over the map.  One would be seven minutes the next would be fifteen.  Not at all a regular pattern.  I texted my midwife just to ask about what I should do.  I thoroughly confused her.  She suggested I take a bath.  It did not work which added to my thinking it wasn't labor as the bath I took with Titus' labor helped immensely.  I got out of the tub and got my pjs on and tried to rest.  Close to ten o'clock I realized it was labor as I finally started noticing the pains getting stronger and more frequent.  That is when I asked the midwife to come.  Pretty soon I was in so much pain and I knew the midwife wasn't going to make it so I asked my mom to call my friend who is also my childbirth instructor as well as a doula and has used the same midwife for all four of her births.  She asked my mom if I was pushing and she said no.  She hung up with my friend when I had another contraction.  I was having to get on my hand and knees to get relief from the pain so I got on my hands and knees and cried as my mom was rubbing my back to help when felt my water break.  I asked my mom and hubby to help me pull my pjs and panties down and told them he coming now!! I pushed and out his head came.  Hubby cradled his head. I made sure to tell them not to pull on his head.  I felt another contraction come to push and out more came.  The last push and he was born!!  Still on my hands and knees I checked the time which was 10:39.  I still had the placenta inside and it was still attached to Solomon so I awkwardly turned around to sit on the space carpet so I could hold my baby.  He did cry so I knew he was alright and just held him in awe and shock of everything.  My friend came in a few minutes later shocked to see baby already here!!  She helped me as I delivered the placenta and started nursing baby.  She called the midwife who asked if I wanted her to come.  I did want her to come to check over baby and make sure I was okay.  I felt better having her come and check us over.  

Things are going great so far.  The first month was rough as he wouldn't sleep unless he was being held and upright.  I struggled with some depression and the shock of his quick and sudden birth took a few weeks to wear off.  Now he's a happy smiley twelve week old who sleeps much better and loves his brothers.  God has really blessed our family and I am excited to see what God has in store for each one of my boys.

We're Climbing the Ladder!

About two months ago Matthew and I set a goal.  We have a big project to pay for, the birth fee to be able to have baby #3 at home. So far the postings on Craig's List haven't panned out.  We had a garage sale in April that gave us some but nothing substantial.  However, God is an amazing God and much bigger than we can imagine.  I started babysitting a baby a few months ago a few days a week.  That has definitely helped.  Now, starting today I am babysitting a toddler five days a week for the next six weeks!!  Even though it's just temporary the timing could be more God orchestrated!!  He's a few weeks younger than Titus but the size of Josiah!!  He's adjusting very well for it only being his first day.  With the income to help, we are kicking in about half from our taxes(we really didn't want to pay the midwife directly with all tax refund money), the midwife will be able to be paid in full by the time I'm 36 weeks!!  What a huge blessing and a load off our shoulders!!  Two months ago I wasn't even sure we were going to be able to have him at home, but God isn't good, he's great!!(To quote Tony the Tiger) We are going to have a garage sale the first Saturday in May just to have a little extra for the birth kit we need to buy soon as well as a non insurance covered third trimester blood test.  It's so exciting to be able to trust God in times of uncertainty and then praise Him when He answers our prayer and takes care of us!!  Stay tuned for more updates on Baby #3!!

Almost There!!

This time around time is flying! It seems that I blinked and now I'm almost 30 weeks pregnant.  He's moving around quite a bit, but in specific times so maybe that means Mamma gets a break when he's born and he will be an easy baby??  We'll see about that!!  I am really enjoying this pregnancy so far.  Now that I'm in the final stretch of Third Trimesterdom I'm feeling the end is in sight and looking forward to holding him in my arms.

I may be crazy but I'm actually looking forward to the last several weeks of pregnancy too.  Once I turned 36 weeks with Titus I started exercising more intensely and even did jumping jacks and a bit of jogging! Now while I may not go to that extreme to encourage baby to come I really want to "step up my game" so to speak.  Even though in retrospect I'm glad he didn't come when I wanted him to I sure was fit and in shape to help prepare my body for the physical demands of labor!  So come 36 weeks I will be amping up my workouts and pushing myself just a little more because the end game is so worth it! And if it actually does bring baby early as long as he's ready then GREAT!!  I felt so good after Titus' birth and recovered so much better that I will do it again!! Bring on the next 6 weeks!!

Our Next Big Goal!!

With baby number three on the way and coming soon we have been praying about what we are going to do for his birth.  We had such a wonderful experience with our midwife with our youngest(soon to be middle) that we have been seeing her for our prenatal appointments and would love to have her deliver our next little bundle.  So now the clock is ticking for us to raise money for baby boy's birth!!  
We have started by posting a few things on Craig's List that we don't really need anymore.  I think that a garage/rummage sale is in the books in the next few weeks.  I am also going to try to do a little babysitting for the next few months.
So if you could be in prayer with us that we continue to trust in God's provision and perfect plan we would be extremely grateful!!  I will be updating in the coming weeks and months!! 
For those whose glass is half empty, we do have a few alternatives as backup so we will not be left in a lurch!! Thanks for being there for us and praying!!

Dressing Up Should Always Be Fun!!

I love dressing up for church.  Since my uniform tends to be jammies or whatever is the most comfy, dressing up is something I look forward to a few times a week.  Even date nights I try to dress up.  I think it's nice to look your best for your favorite person!!

Recently, in the past few months, my oldest son has been asking to wear ties to church because he wants to be like his daddy(awww!!)  He's only three and there really isn't that many options for him other than the the children's suit sets that cost an arm and a leg!!  This pattern made two ties, a small short one and a thinner larger one.  The total cost per tie was about $2, give or take some change.
I utilized my friend, Pinterest, and found a great tutorial on the making of children's ties. Click here to see how!!  This one tells you how to make it from an old shirt, but they also give you the measurements so any comparable fabric will work. I only had the woman at the fabric store cut about 1/4 a yard and was able to make two ties from it.  A very small one for my one year old and a little bigger one for my three year old.  I think next time I will use the same amount only cut them evenly so the ties are similar sizes.   I took my three year old to the fabric store and let him pick out the fabric.  He really liked that. I would advice a pattern that is small as the end result could hide the design on a lot of the bigger patterns.  Lesson learned.  It still worked out, I just had to adjust the way I folded the fabric.  I actually started out buying children's tie clips on amazon super cheap(.95 each!!).  He are some pictures of my progress.

Those are pictures of the steps I took to make the ties.  I didn't take any of the tying part, because I had to Google tying a tie to a tie clip.  Click here to watch the how to on putting a finished neck tie onto an empty tie clip.  I tried to do it with the measurements in the tutorial but it was very difficult to attach to the tie clip.  The second tie I made was much longer and thinner and I like the way it turned out better then the first.  

So make sure to get enough fabric to account for an extra tie if you don't like the first.  It's definitely a learning process as the second was much easier and I made it a lot faster than the first.  The second one I made was longer than the first and has a "tail" on it, or just like a non clip-on tie, it has the small, thin part in the back.

Here is the finished ties!! 

My favorite is the one on the right.  The one on the left was the first one I made and it's a little too wide for my liking and it was extremely difficult to attach to the clip.  The corner of the clip is still showing on the left side, but I kept it as the collar on Titus' shirt covered it up.

So there you have it!! It's not a step by step, but I have included the links for you to have the step by step.  I have more empty clips so I may have to run to the fabric store in the near future.  Be sure to check them out on a munchkin near you!! Thanks for tuning in!!

Were You Trying For a Girl This Time??

 It's official!! Our third little blessing from God is a......BOY!!!!  

Even before we knew the gender of this new little one we got so many friends and even strangers asking if we were trying for or hoping this is a girl.  My response was either, "I would really love to have another boy." or "we were trying for a baby".  The latter a little more sarcastically than I should admit.  

This time around we had the blessing of having several ultrasounds.  At just under fifteen weeks the tech couldn't tell because of the baby's position.  The next week she had us come back and a different tech couldn't quite tell but was leaning toward a girl!! She wanted to be completely accurate so she sent us to a different location where the tech was more experienced.  She had to shake and wiggle my belly to get cooperation but finally said that it is a boy!!  Well, because of the conflicting announcements we didn't put too much stock and when I was twenty weeks we went to the clinic my midwife recommended and got the confirming, "It's a boy!" It was so much fun having family there!! My parents and niece got to be there for the announcement!! 

Even when we tell them we are having a boy we get the question, "are you going to try again for a girl?" or the sympathetic response of, "that's too bad.  Boys are easier anyway"

When did the perfect family have to have one of each gender?  I'm so glad that God knows what our family needs more than what we humans think we want!! Whether God blesses us with another and it's a forth boy is not up to me or even my husband.  It's completely up to God!! Even the gender and the order of the gender of our children!!  If God chooses to bless us with a girl down the line, it doesn't make all of the children after number one to be mistakes or not good enough.  If we have five, six or seven children(no I'm not announcing a preferred number, just an example) and they're all boys, I will be the happiest mamma to be blessed with exactly what God intended!! I think to want anything different, even the gender of children, is discontentment and if you're not content with God's BLESSINGS then spend some time with Him and ask God to give you contentment and see why you're not happy.  Are you comparing yourself with "the Jones"?  Are you wanting a "mini-me"?  I look at my nieces from my younger sister and, even though they are girls, I can see the ones that resemble their dad more than their mom.  I can see in my own boys how my oldest has more physical features taking after my husband and my current youngest after my side of the family.  So many just assume any boys take after their dad and any girls after their mom.  I would get a chuckle if God blesses us with a girl and she strongly resembles my hubby!! I'm sure I would get told a lot that she would look just like me!! 

In my own heart I pray to continue to be content with the plans God has for me.  I will admit to a little disappointment when the ultrasound tech said the words, "It's a boy!!"  When the first tech said she leaned toward a girl and we were en route to the second office to confirm I was also a bit disappointed as the name I liked would have to wait.  Talk about discontentment!! So when we got a confirmed gender, I also had to really pray and trust that God has a special reason for assigning me the title of Boy Mommy.  

I remember house/babysitting for a good friend several years ago.  She has four boys and three were at home at the time.  Sometime during the week I was there I remember thinking, 'I am in waaay over my head!! I bet God's going to give me all boys!!'  Little did I know I would be right!!  There might be a mom of one or two boys that feels overwhelmed that I could encourage.  That is all I need to know that it's worth it!!  So for all you fellow "boy moms" or "girl moms" There's a special reason God is assigning you the task!! Ask God to show you what it is!!  He may not right away, but at least in the mean time you will save a lot in clothes!!

Some moments I will not treasure...

There's the old saying, "treasure all the moments because the go so fast"  I'm sorry but when there are tantrums and naughtiness going on, I will not treasure them!! I love my boys but I am wholeheartedly looking forward to the time when I don't have to worry about being hit or kicked by flailing three-year-old hands and feet.  I'm glad that my almost two year old isn't at that stage...yet.  Right now he's at the I-want-mommy-to-hold-and-carry-me-all-day phase.  I'm actually thankful, even if my back and tummy aren't, for that.  

The moments I will cherish are the ones of Josiah hugging and kissing me at the store when I wasn't feeling well and leading me to my bed telling me I need to go to sleep when I told him I wasn't feeling well.  The moments that I will never forget are the ones where Titus pulls up my top and kisses the "baby" and says, "Hi Baby!!" with a huge smile on his not quite understanding face.

The struggles over bedtime or cleaning up toys I look forward to forgetting and moving on from.  Potty training and accidents will be ancient history.  I will probably miss the diapers and super long nursing sessions, but the spit up and blow out clean-ups I won't miss.    

I am so thankful God has blessed me with these two boys and third one not here yet.  Just like I don't miss the arguments and spats I have with Matthew, I know I learn and grow from them and move on.  I pray that I am continuously growing as a mom and learning how to raise these young men to love the Lord and others above themselves!!

Third Pregnancy in Three Years!

Whew! Life is going by super fast!  It seems that not too long ago I was planning my wedding and then getting ready for a new baby.  Now I'm pregnant with baby number three!! So far, in the beginning, I've felt great!! My first clues to pregnancy with the first two was exhaustion.  I could barely get up in the morning and with my first I was going to bed at 8pm!  This time around I had just had a tonsillectomy and was recovering from that when, even though it was early, I took a test.  I was pretty sure it would be negative as I didn't feel extra tired or hungry.  It was super hard to tell, but I thought I saw a faint shadow.  I wrote it off a negative.  Something in me decided to take another one that evening.  My mom, Matthew and I were babysitting some friends kids so it was the perfect time, right? Well, for some unknown reason, this test was POSITIVE!!  I was through the moon!! I couldn't believe it.  I had a special reveal to Matthew that I had planned and knew that having 5 kids in the house was not the right time to share the news.  That was so difficult to wait.  Well, once the kids we were babysitting went home, I finally got to put the movie in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and had Josiah hand him his dessert, a cookie, and a razor.  His tradition has been that when we're NOT pregnant he wears a goatee and when we find out we're pregnant, he shaves it off.  I know, silly, but fun for us!  At first when Matthew saw him following him around with a razor, he almost chewed him out, but when he saw the movie come on he asked me if it was really true.  I excitedly told him "yes!"  My mom was also with us, but as her sight isn't the best she didn't get the meaning behind the movie and especially the razor.  I brought Josiah over to me and whispered to him to go tell Grammy(my mom) that mommy has a new baby in her tummy.  He did very well and as with my other two pregnancies her first words reacting were, "Are you serious?!" Mostly in shock.  She is very excited for us and I'm very glad to get to be pregnant for at least a few months with my sister who is coming up on the final weeks of her last pregnancy. 

Now I am a few weeks further along and I am much more nauseous and exhausted.  Similar to my first pregnancy, eating seems to help.  I'm trying to be healthy this time around as I ate terrible the first two times.  I gained ten pounds less my second pregnancy because I worked out six days a week the whole time.  I would like to gain ten less pounds this time around so in addition to exercising I am trying to cut as much sugar as I can.  I look forward to a healthy uneventful pregnancy.

 We'll see what the next few months brings.  I am planning a homebirth with the midwife that delivered my second child.  We scheduled my first 8 week ultrasound at a place in Henderson called Miracle in Progress as the midwife only schedules 20 week ones.  I just couldn't wait that long to see my precious miracle.  I promise to keep you posted...

Pregnancy Craziness Take 2

Here we go again! The first time I got pregnant with munchkin number one we weren't really trying per say.
We had decided that if I did get pregnant then great. Well that plan happened right away.

Here he is a few months ago at his 1st birthday party!

This time around we knew we wanted another one so they would be about a year and a half apart.  My body wasn't ready just yet so we knew we would have to wait until it was.  I was nursing so I thought I would have to wean munchkin number one before even thinking about munchkin number two.  Not so!  It did happen when number one was eight and a half months old.  This time around I had started to chart.  We used information from the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  Well, two months later, I discovered munchkin number two was on board!  

I knew within days.  I became very tired that first week and it seemed different.  I mentioned it to hubs and we excitedly hoped it could be.  He thought we should wait until that Saturday(FOUR whole days later!)  Well, I got to Thursday and couldn't wait any longer.  It was in the morning and I knew I had a test in my  bathroom so I did it!  I took the test!  It was very faint, but it was positive!!  I wanted to take a second-just to confirm so I was going to head out to the store to get one.  I went to get a coupon for one in a box under my sink and lo and behold there was another test that I had forgotten about!  So I took it.  This one was the fancy digital one that had words.  It came back positive too!  I was so excited that I couldn't contain myself!  First I knew I had to go to hubs work to surprise him with the news.  I had a plan.  I first took a picture of the tests as proof :) then I put munchkin number one in a special outfit I got for just this occasion, then off we went!

I took the bottom one first then confirmed with the top one!

There is no mistaking the top test!  I just stared at it in unbelief.  Wow!  Another little miracle that God will bless us with!

 He posed so nicely for the picture too.

It was so much fun going to hubs work to surprise him.  Munchkin one was only ten months old and he wasn't walking yet but he excited to share with daddy.  When I got to his desk the first thing I did was to let Munchkin share the news.  I held him up to show Daddy.  He was so excited.  We didn't want to share with too many people for a few weeks as a precaution, but of course we called family right away.  Hubs' brother and his kids were in town so we were happy to tell them.  Munchkin donned his outfit. I actually made a two layer pink and blue cake with white frosting to bring.  We waited first for everyone to notice the outfit.  MIL didn't notice until I help munchkin up for her to see.  No one noticed the cake colors until I mentioned it. Hehe.  It was fun planning though.

We called my family and got to tell my sisters they would be aunts again.  My parents were of course very excited too.  Munchkin got a lot of use out of that outfit.  He wore it to church on the next Sunday.  Everyone was very excited.  

So far this pregnancy has been different than the first.  I am just as tired, but I was rarely queasy-so far.  I wanted to remind myself all that I felt and when I felt it so I made myself a 40 week pregnancy calendar.



The first pregnancy I started having trouble with my neck and jaw/ear around 10 weeks.  This time around I started noticing pain about 6 weeks.  I knew it wasn't an ear infection so I tried taking ibuprofen for the pain and inflammation.  That seemed to work for a while.  When I had my consultation with the midwife she suggested going to my chiropractor.  That did the trick.  I had my neck adjusted and while it hurt quite a bit the next day, it quickly started to feel better.  I'm so glad that this pregnancy will be relatively medicine free.

So far I have only had to go in about once every month or so.  I'm also learning how to adjust my neck at home and doing certain stretches and exercises to strengthen my neck joints.  Speaking of strengthening, long before munchkin number two was on board I decided that I would be sure to exercise the whole time the next time I was pregnant.  So far I am so glad that I am.  I'm feeling great!  I've also noticed that I'm not showing as soon as I did with preggo number one as I am in much better shape.  I've definitely had to modify some of the move on workout DVD's so as not to give the munchkin any seasickness.  I'm also enjoying using the elliptical hubs got me for Christmas last year.

Titus' Birth Story

So, it's been a long time in coming, but I finally wrote the story of the birth of my husband and my second child.  I seem to wait until I'm pregnant to feel the need to do so as I'm newly pregnant with my third and I wrote my oldest's birth story after I found out I was pregnant with my second.  My midwife actually inspired me to write it as she asked for home birth stories for a website and I volunteered. So here it is:
I had a much healthier pregnancy than my first as far as exercising and eating somewhat healthy.  I had gained a lot of weight with my first, not done much exercising, had a stressful job, and thought pregnancy was my free pass to eat what I wanted.  I paid for it at the end of my pregnancy with terrible braxton hicks contractions and gaining so much.  My knees hurt from the stress of the weight on them.  I decided once I got down BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight that I would never again get that heavy.

 4 Weeks

 24 weeks

39 weeks 5 days

With this pregnancy, I never had any braxton hicks contractions.  I made sure to exercise every day but Sunday, my day of rest and I ate much healthier, even though I craved desserts this pregnancy(salty foods were my friend with baby #1).  I was positive baby would be early because I had such bad contractions early on with my first baby.  By the 37 week mark I was exercising extra to get baby to come.  Long walks and jumping jacks were my way to try to hurry things along.  My mother even came early from out of town to help out with my older child.  Much to my chagrin, baby waited.  

About 6pm on my due date, April 4, 2013, I went to the restroom and thought I felt my water break(it had broken with my first so I knew the feeling).  I thought if I laid down and my bag was broken, water would gush out.  So I laid down for about 20 minutes and nothing happened so my husband and I decided to run an errand.  I guess walking around helped and on the way home at 7:08 I had my first contraction.  When I got home I told my mom and she got a paper out and recorded it and subsequent contractions' time apart and length.  I was having a friend watch my oldest and wanted to make sure it was the real thing before calling her.My contractions were stead at 10-11 minutes apart, but they were intense enough that I couldn't handle my toddler being there. 

 Once he was at our friend's house for the night, things really got started.I had to really concentrate for contractions.  They were between 3-4 minutes apart.  I let my midwife know.  She was surprised they progressed so fast since she knew my first baby took 25 1/2 hours from when my water broke to his birth.  She, assuming a long labor, had made plans and couldn't get away right away.  I should add that she was located about an hour and a half away!  She told me to call my childbirth teacher/doula.  About 10pm she came and sat with me, encouraging me to try different positions during contractions until I found one that made me comfortable.  I felt better kneeling against the sofa.  Upon her arrival my contractions eased back up to about 10 minutes apart.  I did some walking back and forth down the hall to get things going and they did.When they were back to about 3 minutes apart I felt the need to get into the bathtub.  The warm water was so relaxing, but that didn't slow labor down as I thought it would.  It just eased the pain of the contractions.  I was getting anxious about the midwife arriving on time and was assured by Robin that she would assist with the birth if needed.  My midwife came just as I was starting to push.  I pushed for about an hour.  He came out a little then went back in then out a little more etc.  Right before his birth he came out up to his nose and stopped. This time he didn't go back in.  That hurt so much and I screamed in pain.  I begged the midwife to "pull him out!!"  She was so patient with me and just calmly said that she couldn't and the next contraction I needed to really push hard.  He came out quickly after that and she put him to my chest right away.  She rubbed his back and suctioned his nose and mouth.  He didn't cry right away even though he was breathing so she was working at cleaning out his airway to annoy him enough to get him to cry more.  It worked and a few minutes later he was wailing.  The placenta was an easy birth as I didn't do anything to deliver it and it was out. Titus Matthew Hall was welcomed into the world at 3:19am on April 5, 2013.  

 Titus Matthew Hall 6lbs 10oz 18 1/4 in 3:19am

 Meeting brother for the first time.

It was such a wonderful experience and I know that if he were born in a hospital under the same circumstances the doctor would have given me an episiotomy and possibly pulled the baby out and roughed him up or taken him away from me for an unknown amount of time to examine him to make sure he was okay as his breathing wasn't the best right away.  I am very thankful for my midwife, my doula Robin, and especially my husband for all supporting me in this special time.  I am happy to be planning another home birth for my third baby due in early June, 2015.

Excited about messy diapers!!

I am one crazy person you might be thinking.  Who likes to change poopy diapers?  well, I've come to see a trend in my day.  I really do breath a sigh of relief when that odor comes wafting to my nose.  With pregnancy it could be from a completely different room!  That relief is coming from realizing that once I change and clean out his poopy diaper, he's done for the day!  Then, like today, I get thrown a curve ball and bam!  What?  I think.  How can he have another messy diaper?  He already had one today.  He has a very reliable schedule of one per day!  Then I remember the menu from yesterday and realization sinks in.  Oh yeah.  I told myself to expect this.  But then I know after round two that it's been a long time since there has been three rounds, so I'm safe for the day.

As a cloth diaper mamma, these messy diapers mean a lot more to me than disposable diaper mammas.  Mainly because I have to actually clean out the diaper in the toilet before the diaper work is done.  However, when I get blessed with a messy diaper that comes clean quite easily, I throw a silent cheer as the next time I might not be so lucky and could end up with a mess on my bathroom floor.  The good old diaper sprayer.  

My Easy Homemade Packing Tip For Really Big Packages

Today I had to wrap and package up my little niece's birthday present.  It was very fun to wrap.

She is going to LOVE it!!

It actually didn't take up the whole roll of wrapping paper.

Here's what I did:

•  I found a grocery store in my area that still offers paper bags for groceries.  I bought a few groceries so the store would be compensated a little for the paper bags.  I wasn't sure how many I needed so I just started with four.  I will be building up a supply as I shop so I will be ready for present mailing season!
• Next I carefully opened up all of the bags and lay them flat.

• Next I taped all of the bags together making sure the side I wanted facing out(not the side with the grocery store name) had the tape on it to make it more secure.  I started with three and checked to see it it would be enough, but the package was too big so I ended up needing all four.  I made sure to tape all of the seams so the paper would be secure.
• Lastly, I treated the package like a present and wrapped it.  I used packing tape and then proceeded to run out so I found some duct tape that I knew would hold it nice and tight!  

Here is the finished product!  All set to address and mail!  The grocery store I got the bags from had handles that I removed before wrapping the package and since I will be going to the post office with the package as well as most likely carrying a small toddler, I taped two of the handles right back on the package!  Besides, the post office workers will now have something to grab on to and hopefully not manhandle and tear the package!  It's also not very heavy so if you have a heavier package be careful if you're trying the handle idea.

I would love to hear what types of things you would pack using this idea!!

Happy Halloween?

With so many differing opinions regarding Halloween and the should we as believers allow our kids to go Trick or Treating or not?  Well, hubby and I have prayed about it quite a bit even before munchkin number one was born.  We have come up with what we feel is right for our family.  We think that it is great for kids to dress up and use their imagination.  When they're really little as mine is right now they don't even understand anything about it.  If we skipped it they wouldn't even notice.  At this point it's mainly all about fun for mom and dad(you know it's true) and great pics.  Next year we might need to explain things a little bit.

What we've decided is that we think it's ok to do the whole trick or treating and pumpkin carving.  Don't forget the tradition of watching "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown".  We plan on explaining to our munchkins that these are just fun things to do as a family together.  We're in the process of deciding what we're going to say in regards to Halloween's origin and what some people believe and how since we love Jesus we just make it fun.

For now we just love the cute stuff and love the memories that we're making with our munchkins!  I'd love to hear you're thoughts on Halloween and traditions you have!!

Our little lion cub

First pregnancy craziness

So right now I'm currently pregnant with baby number two and already I've noticed the difference.  Well, I wanted to share about my experience with baby number one for those that happen to be working while pregnant as well as for my little munchkin so he knows what mommy went through carrying him.

So let me just start by saying that pregnancy is HARD!  Working while pregnant is even harder.  Less than a week after coming home from an amazing honeymoon(cruise and Disneyworld) my new husband and I were getting ready to take the 45 minute drive to the nearest Target when, standing in the kitchen, I almost fell over from stomach cramps that came on me very quickly.  I knew when I should have expected them, but at that time it was too soon.  So I hit up Ask dot com to find out what might be going on.  One of the first answers was pregnancy.  Both my husband and I were shocked, but excitedly hopeful.  I had heard it could take several months to get pregnant. I don't remember why but we decided to wait four whole days to take a test.  So the test was of course positive. I was very happy although my husband was understandably doubtful.  We decided since it was so close to Christmas we would take another test on Christmas Day which was three days away and tell my mother-in-law.  We also called my parents and told them on Christmas too.  Everyone was very excited.

I decided not to share with my coworkers for the first few months to make sure everything was ok.  I did tell my boss so if anything did happen she would know why. It was an extremely difficult first trimester.  I would come home from work and be so tired I would fall asleep about 7pm.  I remember feeling horrible because here I was newly moved in to the house we were renting, newly married, and so tired that I couldn't even unpack let alone clean the house.  Thankfully I married the most amazing understanding man on the planet!  He really helped a lot when I couldn't do much.  I learned that in order not to feel sick I needed something in my stomach every two hours and I could tell if it was going on two hours and fifteen  minutes.

Here I'm 12 weeks pregnant and not yet in maternity clothes

Thankfully my second trimester was much better.  I started having longer increments of feeling better.  I also popped out pretty quickly too.  I think that's because I'm small so baby has nowhere to go but out.   We did a lot of traveling during my second trimester.  I think a lot of that was because we were still newlyweds and wanted to visit a lot of people that couldn't make it to the wedding and just spend time together as a couple getting to know each other.

Here I'm 20 weeks pregnant and showing a lot.  I'm standing in the house we bought!

So to add insult to injury, err pregnancy, newlyweds, pregnant and we also just bought a house as I was into my second trimester! Whew!  That makes me exhausted all over again!  What were we thinking?!  Well, in retrospect, I'm very thankful.  So on top of working and just being married, we had to move.  I am so so so thankful for my mother-in-law!  She came and helped me get a lot of things done to clean up the rental as well as put together our new house.

I remember the second trimester was the easiest and it went by the quickest.  I don't remember a lot about my second trimester, but I do remember that so many people had their ideas about me.  Everyone was convinced that I was having a girl based on that old wives tale on how I was carrying the baby. Then as the pregnancy progressed, there were other ideas that I was having twins!!

Here I'm 28 weeks(WOW)

In any other woman I look like I could be due any day, but I still had 12 weeks left at that point.  I take it in stride and just use these pictures to see how I may look during this pregnancy.  I was definitely all baby.

The third trimester was the roughest.  Because I was so big I had problems with my back as well as my knees and ankle hurting.  I also had tough heartburn at night and drank a lot of milk and tried sleeping propped up with pillows to help ease it.

I was still working full time and some even more than 40 hours a week.  I tried not to show my fatigue or the aches and pains that I had.  I have seen pregnant women whine and complain and I wanted to carry my fair share of the work load.  The beginning of July I got a vacation week and used it to relax and get things done putting the house together after the move.  It was great!!  Upon going back to work being about 34 weeks, the baby decided that he didn't like it.  I went from listening to my body and taking it easy when necessary to ignoring the need to relax at my desk and work through it.  I started having strong Braxton Hicks contractions.  After that Monday when I got home I knew that if I relaxed and they went away that they were true Braxton Hicks.  If they continued then it was real labor.  Well, the next morning I felt much better getting a full nights rest and relaxing.  The next day at work the same thing happened.  I even had to lean over the counter after hours to relax because the contractions were so strong.  They went away after I relaxed that night so I dismissed it again.  I was scheduled for my doctors appointment the next day on Wednesday and had a half day at work.  Because I didn't get that time to relax like I did when I could sleep it off, I was in a lot of pain when I got to the doctors office.  She came in to my room and I was having a very rough time.  She asked what was wrong and I told her.  She did my exam and ordered me to go straight to the hospital.  She was worried that I was in premature labor.  I knew it wasn't because as soon as I rested I was fine.  I had to do the tests and lay very uncomfortably in bed with monitors on.  They gave me medicine to stop the contractions and the OB prescribed additional medicine as well.(Upon reading the warning label stating not to take it to stop preterm labor I threw it out without taking any)  We finally got to go home where I had the order of bedrest for at least a week.

32 weeks and feeling it!!

I took it easy for the week.  My doctor kept me home until the baby came just because my job was pretty stressful.  I really didn't follow the bed rest rule very carefully though.  I listened to my body and when I needed to rest I did.  I was able to get a lot accomplished with the house as there were still boxes that needed to be unpacked.  It was a long three weeks.  I was achy, uncomfortable and getting bored as I couldn't do what I used to do and at the same pace.

38 weeks at the baby shower ladies from my church gave me.

The highlight of the end of my pregnancy was my mom coming.  She came in time to attend my baby shower.  That was very special to me.  It was such a fun time.  I thought there might be 6 or 7 ladies, but there were over 25 women there(not counting my hubby who came to support me and do my bidding ;) )

My mom's visit was such a nice diversion as we were all now waiting for baby to come.  I was secretly hoping(oops, secrets out!) that he would come before my shower.  What 9 month hugely round pregnant woman doesn't?  I was sadly disappointed.  That day wouldn't come for almost two more weeks!  My poor mother!!  She was planning on staying a month and she was beginning to think that she would have to leave before the baby was born.

Well, that day finally came!  It started out like any other day(sounds like a mysterious novel, doesn't it?) I was tired just like I had been.  When my hubby came home from work about 5:15 I was resting on the sofa after walking around the block with my mom.  I also didn't feel right.  Well, we ate supper then we watched TV.   About 7:30 I needed to use the restroom and heard a pop.  I wondered it my water broke or if I used the bathroom.  I knew that if your water breaks and you're standing, the baby acts like a cork to keep any more water from coming out.  So I thought if I lay on the sofa and it was my water that broke then it would come out.  When I lay down nothing happened, so I knew it wasn't my water breaking.  About five minutes later I had a strange unexplainable feeling and I had to stand up.  When I did I felt a gush of water and I was soaking wet. I told my mom and hubby that my water broke and asked for towels.  I went over to the bathroom so I wouldn't get the carpet wet.  I called my doctor and she told me to go in to the hospital.  I knew that as soon as I got to the hospital I would be strapped down and uncomfortable so we decided to take our time.  I wasn't having any contractions yet so I was doing fine.  Hubby shaved, we checked our bag to make sure we had everything and got the dog and everything we needed for her and off we went.  First we went to MIL's house.  She was going to watch our dog for us.  We prayed for the baby and the birth and headed to the hospital.  I still didn't have any contractions so I felt strange going to the hospital.

I started having very light contractions about five minutes apart on the way to the hospital.  We were not rushing.  For those first time preggo mom's out there or those who have never experienced their water breaking, let me give you a piece of advice.  If you think that it would be a great idea to wear a skirt to the hospital so it doesn't get soaked, you are mistaken.  It doesn't get wet, but it's still not a good idea.  Everything else was soaked and extremely uncomfortable.  I would recommend wearing sweats or jammies or something similar.  When we got to the hospital I was still only having light contractions.  I went to get registered and needed to go to the restroom to adjust my wardrobe slightly.  I couldn't wait for a wheelchair as I was still running water/fluid like crazy and it was very uncomfortable.  When I got to my room I got to change to a hospital gown(yea!!) and the nurses had to check to make sure it was my water that broke(duh!).  Now that I was officially admitted in, the waiting started.  I thought that when your water breaks, things go pretty quickly.  Nope.  It was a long time coming.  I could tell the contractions were starting to get a little stronger.  Hubby and I passed the time by playing Skipbo!  I highly recommend it.  By the end of the game, the contractions were strong enough that I knew I couldn't play another game.  By that time I was having a rough time relaxing.  Getting up to use the restroom was a chore.  I did spend time walking around my room a little.  In retrospect, I should have walked around more or used the suggested exercise ball.  I started having very strong contractions and thought that might mean I was in transition so I was hopeful.  These hard contractions, however, were lasting several hours.  My doctor was concerned that I wasn't getting close to ready for baby to be born so she said that I needed to either have some medicine to relax me or have surgery to have baby.  I took the medicine.  It didn't work at all.  I ended up getting a spinal block which numbs from the waist down.  I was able to relax and rested for several hours.  Baby was getting ready to come!!  I started pushing around 7:30 the next day and with a little too much encouragement my little, big baby was born about 9pm on September 2, 2011.  Because of the too much encouragement in pushing, I tore very badly.  It took the doctor over 45 minutes to stitch me back up.  I wanted to hold my baby so badly!!  Finally almost an hour after he was born I got to hold him.  It was so wonderful!! 

About an hour after baby was born!!

What a day!!  Well, it wasn't all over just yet.  The first night was quite the learning time.  Learning to feed baby and getting up enough in the night.  Was I ever tired!!  But I was happy.  Well, because of the rough time baby had being born, he developed jaundice.  So I was so sad that he had to stay away from me and in the nursery under special lights. Thankfully I was still able to nurse him while under the lights.  I just wanted to go home.  Finally, after being in the hospital two and a half days after being born we were able to go home. It was so wonderful!!  And from there the adventure begins!!

Proud grandmas!!

Making himself at home!!

He has definitely quickly gotten a hold of our hearts and is now a happy growing toddler.  

So,  here's my takeaway from my working while pregnant:

• It's good to share with your boss right away.  I didn't tell everyone right away, but I did tell my boss because on the chance that something happened(miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, etc) I wanted to give her the courtesy of a heads up.  Plus if I started getting bad morning sickness she would have an explanation.
• Follow your boss's lead on when to share with coworkers. If everything is normal and you seem the same as always, then great; however, if you are moody, queasy, or just having a tough first trimester, then as mine did, she may suggest sharing with everyone so they have a little understanding.
• Don't try to be superwoman.  I tried to prove myself throughout the pregnancy.  When you're in the last few months, you can trust your body to tell you when to take it easy.  While it was ok the first two thirds, I really should have accepted help and admitted that I needed help the last trimester.  I think that would have eliminated the first trip to the hospital.
• Depending on where you work, especially if it is in the public eye, don't take seriously the things customers or clients say.  I ended up in tears after a customer practically told me I looked like a cow.  As wrong and insensitive as that was, his(yes I said HIS) opinion is not that valuable to me in comparison to my hubby or my BFF.

I hope this was a helpful and somewhat entertaining capture of what went on in my head during my first pregnancy craziness!

Stay tuned for Pregnancy Craziness Take 2...