Noah's Birth Story

We welcomed our precious son, Noah James, three weeks early on Monday, September 24, 2012 at 12:00 noon. I want to write everything down now before I start to forget the little details that I hold so dear to my heart.

36 weeks 4 days:

We were all either fighting or getting over colds, but I felt wonderful and had a ton of energy, so I packed the girls into the car and headed to the mall for some cosmetics and lunch. Poor Hannah was sicker than I thought and ended up with a low grade fever later in the day. Luckily, for everyone but Micah, the cold was a 24 hour thing and by the next morning, Hannah was almost back to 100%.

36 weeks 5 days:

I felt wonderful again, so I packed the girls up and we headed to Kohls and Target for a few "last minute" things. I got Hannah a few new shirts (size 4T!) for church, then grabbed a few more things for my hospital bag.

36 weeks 6 days:

Micah wakes up feeling stuffy and under the weather. The girls are back to 100%, so we spend the day finishing up some unfinished school work. I have been eyeing a dollhouse for a Christmas gift for the girls, and our Toys R Us just happened to have one in stock. I had been unable to purchase the dollhouse online for weeks, so the minute Micah got home from work, I headed to Toys R Us to buy it.

I really felt sentimental this night. I was very aware of every movement, every hiccup, even every discomfort. I sat on the couch this night, very intent on my rounded middle watching as Noah stretched and balled up on my right side, forming a very odd looking lump. I put my hand over my belly as he moved a foot or a knee back and forth in the same spot until it was sore. Micah and I laughed as he'd switch sides and made waves on my belly.

Micah was really miserable all night, so neither of us got much sleep.

37 weeks:

FULL TERM! I woke up feeling like shouting it from the mountain tops. We had made it and I was so relieved! After several scares with pre-term contractions, irritable uterus, and pre-term labor, two trips to the hospital for Brethine shots to stop labor, we were here. We had made it, and if born now, Noah was almost guaranteed to be perfectly fine.

Micah still wasn't feeling well, and I said multiple times this day that I hoped he was well in time for Noah's arrival. We both shrugged it off and thanked God that this sickness had come now rather than three weeks from now. We got everyone ready, headed to church, and enjoyed a great time of fellowship. I made it a point to share with everyone that I talked to that we had made it to full term status! Several people commented that I had "dropped", but Micah said he didn't notice. ;)

We all came home, had lunch, and napped for a few hours. With a ton of energy and an overwhelming desire to clean EVERYTHING in the house, Micah and I went to work on the floors, sweeping and mopping, cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed and dusted every room, put laundry away, and tidied up the kitchen. It felt so nice to sit down at the end of the day and know that everything was clean and ready to go for the week.

After the girls were in bed, I put together Hannah's school stuff for my Mom for the following day, then tried to decide what to wear for work the next morning and what to pack for lunch. I threw a few more little things into my hospital bag and made mental note to finish packing it that week.

Micah and I hung out downstairs for a bit so I could eat my bed time snack...non-fat, no sugar added yogurt. I told myself that I would only have to eat like this for three more weeks. I went to bed hungry. :/

37 weeks, 1 day:

Micah slept awfully due to a stuffy nose and cough, and eventually, around 4:30am went down to sleep on the couch so I could get some sleep before I had to get up for work.

I got up to go to the bathroom around 5:30am. I was shocked Sarah was still sleeping in her own bed. I debated just getting up for the day, as my alarm was due to go off at 6:00am for work, but decided to crawl back into bed for a few minutes.

I had just layed back down when I felt something wasn't right. I honestly didn't know what I was feeling at first, but I jumped up and ran into the bathroom where my water promptly broke. I stood there in shock for a minute, trying to figure out what to do about the floor, my clothes, our bathroom rug. And how was I going to get downstairs to tell Micah? I considered yelling for him, but didn't want to wake the girls, so I did what any woman in my predicament would do. I grabbed a washcloth and a handtowel off the counter, shoved it in my pants and ran down the steps.

Micah had taken Nyquil before bed and was obviously still a little drowsy. I started talking before I had even made it to the family room where he slept. "Micah! My water just broke! What do we do?" This cracks me up because who asks that? This is our third baby! lol Micah jumped up at 100 mph, almost tripping over the ottoman, eyes barely opened. "Are you sure?! You're sure? I'm calling your Dad. Let's go!"

About ten minutes later, I realized I hadn't called the Dr, so I made a call to him, then started putting on my makeup and getting ready to head in. I wasn't having contractions at this point, just some minor low back pain, so I took my time getting ready...all the while, having my Mom texting and Micah telling me to get moving.

I ate half of a granola bar on the way out the door to make sure my blood sugar didn't plummit during labor. We were out the door by 5:50am and at the hospital by 6:05am. After we were checked in, the nurse confirmed that my water had ruptured, and that I was 2 cm's dilated. I wasn't really having any contractions on my own, so the first few hours were very relaxing and quiet. Micah and I chatted, and my Mom joined us almost immediately after we arrived.

About two hours after I had been checked in, I started to get concerned that I was not contracting. I was having very irregular contractions every 3-7 minutes, they were barely noticeable, and barely painful. My nurse (who was absolutely wonderful) informed me that if I hadn't started contracting on my own soon, that my Dr had ordered Pitocin. I was so upset hearing this, because I had no intention of having any medicine. Knowing the little I know about Pitocin, I know that it can make contractions very intense and very close together...almost going from nothing to intense labor in a very short amount of time. I got teary-eyed thinking about it and prayed that my body would take over and that I wouldn't need any intervention.

By 8:00, it was pretty clear that my labor was not going to progress on it's own, so I was started on a very low dose of Pitocin. It was increased every 20 minutes until around 10:00, I started to get more regular and have more intense contractions. And oh the back labor. I had never experienced back labor with the girls, and honestly, I'm glad. It was worse than the contractions and felt as though my low back was splitting in two. My nurse had me reposition myself from side to side to see if we could get Noah to move into the correct position and relieve the back pain. This eventually worked and I could feel my contractions only in my abdomen.

I'm not sure what time my labor started getting intense, but I started feeling nauseas and as if my blood sugar had dropped. My blood sugar was 84, so I was encouraged that maybe my labor was progressing. I was disappointed when she told me I was only at a 4+, but very thin.

As quickly as my water had broken, my labor became intense. Around 11:00, my contractions were horrible. I couldn't talk through them, and despite being told to breathe through them, I ended up doing whatever felt the most comfortable, which, for the most part, was moaning, screaming, and crying. lol. Micah made the most of the situation by asking me during my worst contractions if "it's really bad" or "that's a big one, does it hurt?" Or my favorite, "Do you want me to do the Magic Mike dance from SNL?"

Noah's heart rate began dropping with each contraction, and the nurse stuck by my bedside for longer than she had before, monitoring his heart rate. I started to worry, as she had me switch from side to side to see if we could get his heartrate regulated. I was told to breathe during my contractions to help get him oxygen, and although I failed miserably with most, I did try to breathe and not scream through the pain.

By 11:30am, I was completely beside myself. With each contraction, I was sure my body would split in two. I know I said repeatedly through tears that I couldn't do it anymore and that I just wanted to be done. I felt like it was taking forever to get to 10cm's. I was checked again at 11:45 and was an 8+. I cried when she told me. I asked for Stadol (I had told the nurse at the beginning not to give me anything even if I asked) and cried when she told me she'd start working on it. I am so glad she listened and didnt' actually administer it.

At 11:50ish, I felt like I needed to push, but was told not to. Oh my gosh, that was the most awful feeling in the entire world. The pressure was so intense that I didn't know what to do. My body wanted to take over and I had to make a conscious effort to not allow myself to push. I tried "blowing out the candles" while I waited for the Dr. I was working so hard not to push that my stomach literally shook and bounced with each contraction. Micah said it was the weirdest thing. I finally yelled out asking where my Dr was because I was told I could push as soon as he arrived.

I heard the Dr come in and watched as the broke down the bed in preparation for delivery. He told me I could push with the next contraction. I was so relieved. Two pushes and his head was out. Two more, and my precious boy entered the world at 12:00 noon. I birthed him with absolutely no pain medication, and was able to open my eyes and see him the minute he arrived. Such a precious memory.

The cord was around his neck twice, but he was doing so well after birth that the Dr layed him right on my chest. I had always wanted to hold my babies immediately after delivery but had never been able to because of the pain medicine. What an amazing experience to be the first one to hold your baby.

Noah scored an 8/9 on his Apgars. He weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches long. His head circumference was 35cms. Absolutely perfect in every way. I was able to hold him after they cleaned him up and we snuggled and he nursed for an hour in the delivery room.

They took him to the nursery and had me order lunch. I was confused why I wasn't out of bed and showered yet. My nurse was in several times a minute checking me, and she told me I was bleeding more than I should be. She pushed on my stomach SO hard numerous times, which was the most awful experience ever, but eventually got my bleeding slowed down enough to allow me to shower.

I look back on that day and could relive those first few minutes of Noah's life over and over again. Everything I went through during this pregnancy, the nausea, the gestational diabetes, the discomfort, the preterm labor. Everything was so worth it. I'd do it all again 1000 times for my little boy. I am in complete and utter awe at the love I feel for this precious baby. It never ceases to amaze me when I think about how much I love each of my babies. God is so, so good.

One week.

It's been one week since I last posted.

This past week has been especially trying in relation to this pregnancy. I've had horrible, time-able contractions, an issue with my blood sugar which has now lead me to a very strict, diabetic diet, and just utter exhaustion and discomfort. I hate to wish this time away, but I'm so ready to be done, too.

So where were we?

First, a few from last Tuesday night. I took the girls outside to play. We started out in the yard, then ended up in the driveway. It's a smaller space than our back yard, so I can keep the girls contained much easier, which allows me to sit if I need to.

Of course, we ended the night with an injury. Hannah was running after Sarah and fell. She cut her chin, knee, and arm on the pavement. It's always an adventure at this house!

Wednesday, I started back to work. It was bittersweet, as I love my job, but hate leaving the girls. We hung out on the couch Wednesday night when I got home.

Thursday, we learned more about the letter "A". After she finished her school work, Hannah colored a picture.

Friday, we continued talking about the letter "A". Hannah glued beans onto her worksheet to trace big A and little A. She had so much fun! We also talked more about Noah and the Ark. She made a visor! (I missed focus on this one, but it was too cute to toss!)

I always try to give Sarah something to do while Hannah and I work on her school work. This day, she colored and sorted crayons.

Friday was also the day that I ate Coco Puffs for breakfast, which shot my blood sugar to 208. Can I just say that that has never happened? I've been insulin resistant at random times for the past few weeks, but have been monitoring my blood sugar with a glucometer several times per day. Cereal had never spiked my blood sugar prior to this event.

So, I did what anyone would do when they weren't thinking clearly. I didn't eat anything. An hour and a half after my high reading, I started to feel unwell. My vision was blurring as I was trying to read to the girls, and I started to feel lightheaded. Luckily, I still had enough sense in me to check my blood sugar. Even standing up to walk to the kitchen from the family room proved to be a task and I knew something wasn't right.

Just an hour and a half after my last reading, I had plummeted to 48. Not thinking, I made myself a salad. A salad?! I've worked in the medical field for the past 8 years and have dealt with countless diabetics, yet I couldn't even think straight enough to know to get something sugary!

I called Micah to let him know that I felt like I was dying, and I texted my Mom to let her know. Luckily, my Mom called Micah to rush home from work. I called the doctor, who told me that if I checked it again right then and was still that low to get straight to the hospital. It was then that I realized how serious this was. By the time I checked it again, the half a cookie and glass of pink lemonade had brought me back up to a reasonable 74.

Let me tell you, I hope that never happens again. I'm so glad I thought enough to check my glucose level, and that I wasn't too sick or completely out to get sugar into my system. Being home alone, pregnant, with two small children is not a good combination. Thank goodness this awful diet is regulating my levels quite well. Trust me, though, I'll be glad when this is all a distant memory in a few weeks.

Saturday, my parents were overly concerned about me, so my Dad picked us up and brought us to their house. Hannah and I played with my remote. And no, I don't usually look this unkept.

Can I just say that I feel like I'd be totally content with just my 5dmii, 35L, and wireless remote? We have had so much fun taking self portraits lately.

Sunday was church, then home for lunch and naps. Sarah woke up well before Hannah, so she enjoyed a slice of watermelon while we hung out.

And finally, Monday. Micah was home for Labor Day, so he finished painting the trim in Noah's room. I am so happy to report that everything is painted, and we've begun rearranging and switching furniture in preparation for his arrival. I'm hopeful that the room will be completely finished by this weekend, minus the crib, since Sarah's still sleeping in it.

From Monday, 34 weeks, 1 day pregnant.

We are hopeful that baby Noah will stay put for at least another 2 1/2 weeks!

A little of this, a little of that.

Saturday morning, the girls and I posed for pictures. I remembered that I had bought a wireless remote a few months back and had never used it, so I grabbed it to take a few shots. I am choosing not to post the ones with me in them because frankly, a 35mm, somewhat wide angle lens and a 33 week pregnant mama don't exactly mix. I am glad that I have them for me to view, though, because it is a rare occasion that I actually make it into a picture. I've been thinking of this lately and would like for my children to know that I was present when they look back, so, I plan on using the remote more often, even if it yields less than desirable results for me right now.

Hannah and Sarah had a blast pushing the button on the wireless remote and hearing the shutter click. They'd dash over to the camera to see what they had captured. So cute!

Unfortunately, Saturday night resulted in a trip to L&D with me hooked up to a fetal monitor. I have been having contractions on and off since about 28 weeks, but they have become more frequent, regular, and uncomfortable over the past two weeks. Saturday evening, I had contractions anywhere from 3-5 minutes apart for an hour. After a few contractions that were 1 1/2 minutes apart, I made the decision to call the doctor. As I expected, I was instructed to head right to the hospital.

After three shots of Brethine, my contractions finally stopped and I was allowed to go home. I have to say that I hope I never need another shot of that stuff ever again. I was shaky, nauseas, and my heart rate topped off at 140+ beats per minute for a good three hours. I felt miserable, sick, and exhausted. Thankfully, though, the medicine did what it was supposed to do and Noah is still baking.;)

Sunday morning was church, then home for lunch and a nap. We finished the evening off with some ice cream from Gram and Pap.

I, of course, had to make myself the smallest cone known to man...which in turn sent my blood sugar to 160. Fabulous! It appears as though this insulin resistance persists. After a cone, Hannah followed Micah upstairs to "help" him paint Noah's room. Little did I know that she would be painting as well!

We have two more walls to be painted, then it'll be time to bring all of Noah's furniture in and start organizing his closet and drawers. We are getting so close! Seven weeks or less until we meet our little man!

Monday, we were back into our normal routine. Hannah started her third week of preschool. We learned about the letter "A", what sound it makes, and even met a new "friend" to help us remember. Alexander Alligator, the green finger puppet, has joined our family, and Hannah has not put him down since. Thank goodness I photocopied the page of her workbook. I have a feeling Alexander won't last long, and I'll be happy to have a way to replace him when he makes a trip to the trash can.

I'm happy to report that he's still intact. ;)

It's Friday.

I never promised to have a witty title for my posts. I seem to be lacking greatly in the creativity department these days. I'll chalk that up to pregnancy brain and hope that some of it returns after baby is born in a few weeks. ;) We had our retaining wall replaced, so we had a crew of men at our home for two weeks. The girls loved looking out the windows to watch them work, and I'd occasionally hear Hannah yell, "Way to go, guys! You're doing a great job!" I love that she's so encouraging! On Tuesday, we decided to bake the crew some cookies. We had learned about our eyes, ears, and nose in school that morning, so I thought it would be a great way to further illustrate what each of those body parts did through baking. We used our eyes to read the recipe, our ears to listen for the timer to go off, and our nose to smell them baking! It was a great experience, and I'm happy to report that when I reviewed everything with her today, she could recall what each body part did! I'm so proud of her! I edited this whole set a bit differently than I normally would, and I'm still not sure how I like them, but naptime isn't that long, so I left them as is.

I always let the girls lick the beaters...even though I know Micah wouldn't approve! ;)

After our cookies were done baking, and after we had each sampled one, Sarah was ready for a rest.

Wednesday, I had a doctor's appointment. My blood pressure and weight are still great, but I still need to monitor my blood sugar and watch my diet. I've been having a lot of contractions and low back pain lately, so the doctor advised me that I need to take it a bit easier to ensure baby Noah stays put for at least another 4 1/2 weeks. While it's not exactly what I wanted to hear, I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe and healthy until his birthday. Per doctor's orders, I rested while the girls napped.

Micah started painting Noah's room.

We've decided on a sage green and a grayish blue to match his nautical bedding set. I can't wait until everything comes together in there. Each stage of repurposing of that room makes me more excited to meet him! Thursday, I completely forgot to get my camera out until after dark. We had been so busy throughout the day. We had just come inside after going to inspect what had been done with our retaining wall, and I happened to see Hannah lean in for a kiss after Micah helped get their shoes off. So sweet!

And Friday... School time this morning:

Sarah doesn't have true assignments, but she loves to be a part of the action, so I find little things for her to work on as Hannah completes her school work. ;)

Two weeks of studies...we learned our colors and shapes, and parts of the body. Most of it was review, but Hannah learned how to color in the lines and trace with a crayon. :)

After school, we played and watched as the crew cleaned and packed up their equipment. Our retaining wall is finished! Although we didn't plan to replace it for another year or so, I'm glad it's done and we won't have to worry about railroad ties falling into our driveway. Sarah ran off with my lens cap and used it as a cup.

Sarah did eventually give the lens cap back. ;)

And then she ran off with the giraffe. haha

Hannah decided she needed to wear her princess nightgown. I told her she couldn't, so she took it upon herself to put it on.

Too funny!

Well, naptime will be over soon, and I suppose I should work on some wedding pics. I am pleased to report that I am finished with wedding number one, and am 3/4 of the way through wedding number two. I'm getting so close to being done! Woohoo! Happy Friday!

Catching Up...

No promises were made that I'd post everyday, just shoot everyday, so I have some catching up to do. Sunday I had a sunrise maternity shoot.

And a few from today.

We're in the process of rearranging some furniture to make room for Noah. These bookshelves were in Sarah's and Noah's room, but have since been moved to our living room to house our homeschooling books.

Excuse the mess of cords and wires. We have yet to figure out what to do about that. :/

Always love baby feet. :)

Day Two

I probably won't be posting daily, but I do have two pictures to share from our day today. Our ministry recently acquired a building to meet in. We've been meeting almost solely in homes for the past 4+ years, so this is exciting. The building has been vacant for six months or more, so there was a lot of cleaning that needed to be done. We headed out early in the afternoon and helped scrub and wipe down all that we could. The girls tagged along and even helped Pap wipe down some windows. I'm told Sarah really got into it and was doing a great job. :)

Day One

Today is Day One of my brand new 365. The plan is to bring out my camera every.single.day for an entire year, then upload my captures to this blog as a way for me to both see progress in my photography and to keep a record of our day to day lives. The girls are growing so quickly and I am simply amazed at how much they change even by the month, so I think it will be fun to compare pictures from today and the ones I'll take on this day next year. :) I have to be honest. I'm horrible with keeping up with my blogs. It's something I always want to do and wish I had, but finding and making the time to keep up with it is another story. I feel like our days are over in a blink (MOST of the time. Other days feel like they'll never end) and I, of course, want to spend my nights with Micah. That usually means me trying to catch up editing photos. Right now, I'm working my way through two weddings. Whew! What a lot of work! I had two weddings in one weekend, so I'm trying to work on both at the same time. It's fun, and I like to be creative with my editing, but it's also getting to feel like a bit of a task. Culling through and editing 1200+ pictures can be a bit daunting. I'm happy to report that I am about 1/2 way done and it's only been two weeks. I consider that a success since I'm currently 31, almost 32 weeks pregnant and have two little ones 3 and under running around. Let's begin this right. A few pictures from Wednesday first. Micah and Hannah spent some time reading while I put Sarah to bed.

Thursday, I snuck a few shots of Sarah napping. Yes, she still sleeps in our bed...but only for naps. ;)

Friday, we finished up our first official week of school with Hannah. She did wonderfully and asks to "play school" throughout the day. So sweet. Sarah brought two friends along with her as she ran through the house.

Later on, we headed upstairs so that Micah could start prepping Noah's room for paint. Hannah and Sarah followed to watch. Hannah eventually got bored, so she played on her LeapPad in the hallway.

These pics are so small, and I honestly have forgotten how to upload them any larger, so bear with me as I figure that out...again.