Sandy snack

I still can't get over how tiny her toes are!

So we're finally setting into some kind of routine. Sleep is hard to come by, but we're making it through. Fall has finally decided to grace us with its presence and we're enjoying every minute of it. Yesterday afternoon the girls and I were outside for over an hour. I even fed the baby on the deck as we basked in the excellent weather. Today was much cooler so I couldn't have Allie outside. I opened the windows and let the girls play on the deck. It's so fun to listen to them when they don't really think anyone is listening. Today they were playing pirates and digging up buried treasure. I had to referee a fight after Anastasia almost killed a granddaddy long legs. Ainsley was sobbing and didn't want it to be squashed. Fortunately I intervened in time and the spider made it safely to the yard. A short time later Anastasia came in and said her sister had just eaten sand. Ainsley followed in a few moments later with sand in her hair and in her mouth. I ould hear it scraping against her teeth. Blech! Other than that it was just another typical day at our house.

Rain, rain go away

Today was perhaps the worst weather we have seen in quite some time. Fortunately our day was brightened by a visit from family so it seemed much less gloomy than it otherwise might have been. Jamie and Anastasia set out for the soccer field a little after 9. The rain hadn't really started so they were able to get the entire game in. She scored two goals and had quite a game from what I heard. Grams and Great-Granddaddy Maynard met them at the field so they were able to see her play. After the game they all came back to the house where Grams and Great-Granddad got to meet Allie for the first time. We had a wonderful visit and then we all swam upstream to have lunch. It was raining incredibly hard, but we had a nice lunch and then they left for home and we headed back for naps. The basement took on quite a lot of water but Jamie was able to soak up a lot of it with towels.

All in all it was a great Saturday and I'm so glad we were able to introduce Allie to more of her family. We're still not sleeping much at night. She wants to eat every two hours so I'm up constantly. Hopefully we can get her belly to grow some more and she'll start going longer between feedings.

Soccer Saturday

Today was Anastasia's first Saturday soccer game. Allie's feedings worked out perfectly so I was able to be there. It was overcast and not too hot....perfect weather! Anastasia didn't score a goal, but she had a great game. A few assists and LOTS of hustling. She worked so hard. I was very proud of her! At one point a kid on the other team shoved Anastasia. None of the parents saw Anastasia do anything to provoke her....she just shoved her. The girl's dad was immediately out of his chair and had the girl apologize. I was proud that Anastasia didn't shove back. She was great. All in all it was a fun morning. I can't wait for next week!!

One week old

It's hard to believe it's already been one week since Allison was born. Time is going by far too quickly for my taste. I just want her to stay my little seven-pound peanut forever. She is doing very well, although she wants to eat a lot and often. I think the kid works for Timex or something because she eats like clockwork. Every two hours, day or night. Every. Two. Hours. It's been exhausting, but she's happy and doesn't cry very much so we'll take it.

Her sisters are adjusting well to life with a new sibling. They take turns holding her and keep asking when she'll be able to play with toys. Anastasia had her first soccer game of the season tonight and while I missed it, she did score three wonderful goals! Ainsley and Daddy cheered her on despite a steady rain. She has another game on Saturday and as long as everything goes well I think the baby and I will try to be there.

One healthy baby!

So Allie had her checkup at the pediatrician today. My milk came in like clockwork on Sunday so I knew she was getting enough to eat but it was good to get some confirmation. Babies typically gain an ounce a day....Allie had gained 9 ounces in three days! She is now 7 pounds 1 ounce and over her birth weight. The doctor was very impressed and said we don't have to come back until she's a month old now. He said she looked great and we must be doing everything right.

She's been eating every two hours (or less!) so I've spent a lot of time on the couch. Sleep is in short supply but I feel okay. I've recovered pretty quickly this time around. My tailbone is still a little bit numb but if I remember correctly takes a few weeks to get rid of. My doctor said all the "trauma" from pushing the baby out numbs the nerves back there for a while. Other than that I feel pretty good. I was engorged for about 36 hours but now that she is eating so much it is becoming less of a problem. Life with three kids is going well so far. We are incredibly blessed.

And baby makes five!

We've been a family of five for just over 48 hours now. We were fortunate enough to be discharged and home from the hospital by dinnertime yesterday. Things are going very well and we're settling into our new routine.

Thursday-9/10/09

I was up before my alarm and decided to go ahead and get up. I called the birthing center as directed right at 6:30 (okay, it was actually 6:28) to see what time they wanted me to be there. They said to come at 7:15 so we got moving. The girls got up and had breakfast while I made Anastasia's lunch and Jamie loaded the car with our last minute things. The girls knew something was up but they couldn't put their fingers on it. Jamie and I left and then mom and dad got them off to school and daycare. We arrived at the birthing center and were immediately taken to our room. It was room 105....the very same room where I delivered both Anastasia and Ainsley. I got changed into a gown and into bed. At 8:20 they started my pitocin drip. We basically spent the morning relaxing and resting. Anna and Chris arrived about 9:30 a.m. We all sat around talking and killing time. They broke my water at 9:50. I was 3 cm and 40% effaced. Mom and Dad came by before lunch as well. My wonderful nurse checked me at 1:10 p.m. and I was only 4 cm but my cervix was really thinning out. My contractions were really starting to hurt at this point. Everyone left to go get the girls from school and daycare. I had planned to wait until after I saw them to get the epidural, but my pain had other ideas. I was begging for it by 2:45. The doctor came in at 3 and started the process. It was really hard to breathe through the contractions because I was hurting so much. Truly I waited way too long to get it. After the epidural my nurse checked me and I had progressed to 6 cm and 70% effaced. My epidural didn't seem to take very well on the right side. I had the shakes so badly I was afraid I was going to bite through my tongue. I was in a lot of pain and asked my nurse to call the doctor so we could kick the epi up a notch. She checked me at 4:10 and I was 10 cm and fully effaced! No wonder I was hurting. With the 10 cm discovery it was time to push. My room became a flurry of activity as everything got into place for delivery. They kept calling for my doctor but she was finishing up with another patient. I started pushing and eventually they had me STOP pushing so the doctor could come in. She arrived and the baby came right away. Allison Cora Lamar was born at 4:41 p.m. I didn't have to push very long at all and out she came! She weighed 7 pounds .3 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. She had a full head of hair and cried right away. Jamie cut the cord and then they got her cleaned up. I nursed her right away and she latched on like a pro. Around 6 her sisters got to meet her. They were immediately in love. I got some dinner and made a pig out of myself. I was SO hungry but I ate too much too fast and ended up needing anti-nausea meds. We had a steady stream of visitors until around 9 p.m. when were finally able to relax and spend some time just admiring her. We had a great first night. We got some rest so we all felt pretty good. She slept next to me the entire time. It was so nice to snuggle up next to her.

Friday-9/11/09

Friday morning brought more visitors. I saw my doctor early on and the pediatrician came to check out Allison. She declared her perfectly healthy! My doctor said we could go home later in the afternoon. Jamie and I were thrilled. Life is so much more comfortable at home so we were more than ready to get out of there. I got an awesome breakfast of cinnamon rolls thanks to my coworkers so I was feeling much improved! The girls spent time holding their sister and we had a pretty chaotic morning. Our room was a constant flurry of activity. Around 1 p.m. everyone cleared out and we got to sleep for about an hour. Allison slept next to me and we would've slept longer but they came in to do her hearing screening. She passed with flying colors. The girls and everyone else came back over after nap and helped us get packed up. We were on the road and home by 6 p.m. We had a pretty good night last night. She doesn't cry very much at all. We actually slept from 2 -5 a.m. which was heavenly! I felt so much better after that stretch. She nursed really well all night. Once my milk comes in she should have no trouble gaining weight.

Saturday-9/12/09

We had to get going pretty early since Allison's checkup was at 8 a.m. We saw her doctor and he was pleased with all her stats. She's lost some weight but he doesn't expect it to be an issue at all. We got back home and got a nice nap in before lunch while Pop and Gran took care of Allison. She ate again after I had lunch and then we napped together in my bed. She's such a mellow baby. We're all so taken with her! Anastasia can't get enough of holding her and Ainsley loves her as well. Hopefully we'll have another good night ahead!!

One more sleep

I had my 39 week check up this morning. I was there for almost two hours, but the outcome of the appointment made all the waiting worthwhile. Dr. Ballard listened to the heartbeat and said "How do you feel about induction?" I assumed she was talking about next week, but after she found me to be 3 cm dilated she said I could go tomorrow. We're to call the birthing center at 6:30 a.m. and see when they want us to come. Dr. Ballard said she has ordered a small pitocin drip for me and after about an hour of that they will break my water.

We are SO excited that she'll be here tomorrow. After all this waiting, it's finally time. We haven't told the girls yet. We figured they would never sleep if we did. They know we're close, but not how close. I've gotten all the laundry done, we did the dishes and got the house in order. We had a nice dinner with just the four of us. I felt like I was prepping for a marathon since spaghetti was on the menu for this evening. I guess in one way, it is the night before a marathon. I had to carbo-load and I won't sleep a wink. I suppose we're ready as we'll ever be. Tomorrow at this time we'll have THREE kids. *Gulp*

12 days and counting

So the full moon didn't do the trick. At least it hasn't as of 3:20 a.m. I've had a rough 24 hours. I just feel lousy. All day Friday my lower back was KILLING me. The pressure was constant. I had quite a few contractions last night, but nothing regular. I woke up about 45 minutes ago feeling clammy and icky. I got some ice water and a few saltines and I feel a bit better. The baby is incredibly active. Her movements make sleep uncomfortable and next to impossible. Thank goodness today is Saturday. We don't have any plans for the weekend other than to rest. We need to take care of that while we can. 

38 week appointment

I feel like a very large ticking time bomb. Every time I walk into a meeting people look at me with the desperate eyes that say "Should I boil some water and grab the towels?" People are being extra nice to me which is a wonderful perk, or perhaps the only perk of being 38 weeks pregnant. I'm uncomfortable and not sleeping well at all. Last night I dreamed about work, no doubt spurred on by the millions of things I am trying to accomplish before I go into labor. The baby is incredibly active, especially in the evenings. She has completely run out of room so I am frequently having to stuff an elbow or a knee back in the side of my belly. Her limbs were all askew and protruding during a meeting yesterday. I know how uncomfortable I am so I can only imagine her discomfort. Now if we could just convince her to come on out. 
 
I went to the doctor today for my 38 week check-up. My weight was down two pounds from last week (yeah!) and my blood pressure was good. I saw the doctor right away and she checked my cervix. I'm more than 1 cm dilated but just under 2 cm. She said the baby's head is WAY down there. Other than that, it was an uneventful visit. I go back next Wednesday. It's just a waiting game at this point. There's a full moon on Friday night which would be fine with me. I'm more than ready!

Can you hear me now?

Over the weekend I notices Anastasia wasn't hearing me very well. It wasn't just your typical kid ignoring her parent kind of thing either. I could be looking right at her and she'd ask me to repeat myself. It happened quite a bit and led Jamie and I to believe there was something going on. Jamie left work early today and took her to the doctor only to discover she has a double ear infection. She's now on antibiotics so hopefully it will clear up soon. 

Tonight was supposed to be our next soccer practice, but we ended up double booked as so many families do. Open House for kindergarten was tonight as well. We originally had planned to do it all, but with the unexpected trip to the doctor, it turned out to be a bridge too far. Anastasia decided our family going to open house was more important than soccer so we all went to school. She showed us around her classroom, including some great artwork she had done. She also had prepared a book "All About Me" which was quite entertaining to read. Her teacher bragged on her for always having such good manners and treating those around her with respect. Sounds like she's off to a great start so far.