Wordless Wednesday

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Baby Grace is Here!

Grace Elise Olson is Here!
August 20, 2009
12:15 am
8 lb 15 oz
19.5 inches long

Grace didn't make me wait until September! Yeah, Grace! And I am so glad after finding out how big she was at birth. I would not have been able to guess that!

For those of you interested in a labor story, here it is. For the rest, skip down the Hannah and Grace video clip.

Labor started around 3:15 in the afternoon and I called Daryl around 3:45 to ask him to come home from work a little early. Contractions were happening about every 3 to 5 minutes, but only for 30 to 40 seconds at a time. When I called the midwife, I asked if these could possibly be from dehydration (Hannah and I had gone to the beach that morning to beat the heat) and she said definitely could be, especially since they weren't lasting very long. She said to drink several big glasses of water, put my feet up and call her in an hour. Contractions really didn't change much and when I called back, the nurse on call said that I could come in for a labor check if I wanted. I decided not to (since they couldn't guarantee a bed and I was during fine laboring at home).

Daryl made dinner for Hannah and we just hung out together for a while. It is VERY different being in labor with a toddler. Hannah kept asking "what's mommy doing?" while I was breathing through the contractions. At one time Daryl told her "Mommy's breathing." Hannah answered, "What's mommy believing?" I had to laugh right in the middle of a contraction.

We debated whether or not to call Derek and Jessica about taking Hannah, but I was afraid it would be for nothing because the contractions would go away. So we decided to do her bedtime routine and put her to bed. Daryl handled most of this while I was out in the kitchen taking a few bites of dinner and browsing the internet. All the sudden the contractions started coming one after the other... I barely had a minute in between to recover! Daryl came out from Hannah's bedroom and wisely suggested I call the midwife again. Her comment to me "Honey, I think it is time to come in." At which point, I burst into tears (not sure exactly what they were about). I'm glad we had most things packed because I could not think about what was needed.

We dropped Hannah off at the Boggs' and headed to the hospital. The contractions were continuing to come one after the other with the bonus being BACK LABOR (again)!!! We made it to the hospital without a roadside delivery and I started walking a wheelchair to labor and delivery while Daryl parked the car. A very nice doctor waved my need to stopped at registration and took me straight to my room.

I needed an IV and antibiotics (since I tested positive for strep), but it took 3 nurses and over an hour to start this (my arms bare the battle wounds, but the IV nurse finally won!). At this point I was 4 cm dilated (really... that's it!?!?!?) and decided to take a walk around the floor. I made it one lap before my back was stabbing pain from the back labor. I went straight back to the room and requested an epidural.

It took over an hour and a half for the epidural to take effect. There was a lingering stabbing pain in my right side. During this time I was checked again... 7-8 cm!!! Wow! My water broke with signs of meconium, so the midwife needed to get special care and a pediatrician involved at the point of delivery. At 11:30-11:45, the L/D nurse said I was fully dilated and just needed to wait for the midwife and the special care people to arrive before I could push.

It was just after midnight, 2 or 3 contractions (with about 3 pushes each) that Grace Elise made her appearance. She is beautiful, but very different from Hannah's newborn pictures. Mom and dad are delighted with their second little girl.

Here is a short clip of Hannah with her new little sister.

The Due Date

Yes, the little floaty baby on our sidebar is still floating even though the countdown says ZERO! Why do they give us due dates when (apparently) only 4% of pregnant women deliver on that day. I'm definitely an advocate for the due month. Although in this case (and with Hannah) the possibility exists that baby won't come during that month. They will let me go another 2 weeks! Go check your calendars... yes... that is correct, if this baby waits, he/she could be born in SEPTEMBER!!!!! (insert sigh here)

No, I'm not impatient... ok, well maybe a little. I went to the midwife yesterday and the baby is slightly posterior (just like big sister Hannah), so that may be the reason I'm not progressing. Please join me in saying "turn baby turn!"

So, no news to report yet. I spoke to a friend tonight who said the new moon is as effective as the full moon at bringing on babies. She's predicting if not before, then on Thursday (the new moon) and definitely by the weekend I should have a newborn. We'll see if she's right. Until the next edition of "Olson Baby Watch." Good night!

Could it be?

Yes, it is after midnight and I am up with mild cramping on and off for the last 2 hours or so. The last couple nights this happened earlier in the evening and by the time I laid down to sleep, they went away. This time... still at it! They aren't really painful, but distracting enough that it is hard to fall asleep.

So I'm up browsing the internet. It feels kind of like TV... so many places to go, so little that is truly of interest. I suppose that should be a sign of just go lay down again. I suppose that is best. We'll let you know if anything more happens!

Hannah cracked me up tonight! She was heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth, but very clearly stating that she wanted mom to help her and not daddy. Here is the exchange.

H: Not daddy, mom. Daddy, you can watch.
D: Are you a Prima Dona?
H: No, I'm the Vice President.
(At this point, mommy cracks up, so of course she repeats that.)
M: So, you're the Vice President. Who am I?
H: No, you're the Vice President. I'm Obama.

Crazy kid!

What is my name?

Hannah has been going through a phase recently that I'm curious if other moms and dads have experienced with their 2 year old. For the longest time (long in the "she's only 2" sense), Hannah has been calling Daryl and I... daddy and mommy. These were the names she settled on after the early babbling of mamamamama... dadadadad. About 2 weeks ago, she started calling me mama. It was kind of sweet and I was getting used to that name. Then several days ago I became mom. I feel like I have a teenager all the sudden. Last night, she cried out because she had lost her sippy cup and Daryl went to help her. After he found the cup, she said, "Bye, dad!" I don't know these names just sound so grown up to be coming out of the mouth of our toddler.

So for others out there, when did your kids settle on a name for you?

Impatience

I tried... I tried really hard, well, kind of hard, to not put any stock in my "due date" and yet here I am 10 days before the "official due date" and I'm finding myself getting impatient. I know (in my head) that I don't want to rush through whatever days remain of our precious family of three. I'm treasuring the moments I have with my little girl and yet I long for the energy of a non-9-month pregnant body. This may be our last child, so I'm trying to treasure the kicks and rolls and the imagining who this little person is, but I'm tired of running to the bathroom every 10 minutes (or so it feels). My friend who shared a due date (or at least a due week with me) has already met her precious son. That probably contributes to my impatience although I knew it was likely that she would have her baby first.

The last three days we had the privilege of watching our good friends' son, but I realized how hard it is to chase after 2 toddlers. I'm just not a fast as I imagine myself to be. Daryl took some time off work to help and that was a HUGE blessing. The kids did great and I was so impressed by Hannah's willingness to share her space and her parents with Levi. She was even heartbroken that his parents came to get him today. It gives me hope that she will enjoy her little sibling just as much.

So now what... my bag is partially packed for the hospital and I'm getting restless. Lord, help me to trust you for these final hours and into this next great adventure. As my husband reminded me tonight, "One day at a time." This has been a mantra since we started dating. Thanks Honey! How right you are!

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday was Daryl and my 5th year anniversary... crazy! The time has flown and yet it seems like I have known him forever, which is really cool. We had a fairly low key evening and yet it was just perfect (accept for the potatoes:-( ). We fed Hannah her dinner separately and then Daryl put her to bed at 7 while I cook our anniversary dinner... grilled fresh salmon with garlic mayo sauce, asparagus with a cream sauce, roasted potatoes and for dessert... cake! It was VERY yummy if I do say so myself, but even more than the food was the fact that we actually got to have a quiet conversation, eating at our own pace without 5000 questions. I love our daughter, but it is nice to have a chance just to talk to one another without her darling little voice. The rest of the evening was more of the same... conversation. I didn't realize how much I missed that. We are always asking ourselves what we did before Hannah was born. I think part of the answer is just talk to each other. Mental note... do this again:-)!

Follow-up on Baby Grover ~ everything look really good! He/she is measuring exactly where she/he should be. In fact, the ultrasound tech estimated the baby was already 7 lb 6 oz. That is one ounce smaller than Hannah was when she was born... 9 days late! I'm hoping we go a little early, although it would be nice to have at least one more week before the baby is born. God knows and I'm trying to trust Him!