Announcement

Ruby Lu

Here she is. She's beautiful, and sweet, and doing everything she is supposed to like a champ. She loves her pacifier and her mommy, being swaddled, and napping. She doesn't like NOT having her pacifier (see last picture!) Here's just a few snaps I got today, I'll do another shoot in a day or so once everything around here calms down... I think she's pretty:)

Meeting the Fam

The kiddos didn't end up coming to the hospital to see the baby. They were busy with school and piano lessons (what a mean mom I am!) and we kept thinking we were going home soon, so they stayed up late and didn't get to meet her until we got home. They were SO EXCITED - I think Sam even more so than Pearl. Sam is the one who has been talking to my belly the most, asking me occasionally if she's going to be cute, and otherwise interested in the baby. I think they're going to have a special relationship... once, while we were at Target about a year and a half ago, he asked me where she was. I think he knew she was coming:) There has been a flurry of handwashing and holding her last night and this morning, I don't think she minds too much.

So the kids are happy to meet her... Max... not so much. His attitude hasn't changed since she got home, we're hoping for some progress in the near future, but not holding our breath...

Welcome Baby

So, on Wednesday, thinking I was never going to have the baby... I went into labor:) We got to labor and delivery at about 1 am after contractions every 3 minutes... and I was only 3cm:( But, lucky for me, the contractions were consistent enough AND I was group B Strep positive, so they admitted me so that they could make sure I got all my doses of meds before delivering baby. SCORE!!! After 8 hours of antibiotics, I was only at 4, so they started Pit. A few hours later, I got an epidural, and slept for a bit. Nice. By 6:00, I was STILL only at a 4, but she kind of thought she could feel baby's head. She kept saying that my cervix was so soft it was hard to tell... that baby just needed to come down! She was still afraid to break my water... so I was all settled in to wait some more when the attending came in and made the call to break my water. An hour later, I was ready to push! She was still a bit too high, but they asked me if I thought I could push her down, and I said YESSSSS!!!!! So, as with all the other babies (except this time I got to see it, I asked for a mirror) they said, ok, go ahead and try to push, and halfway through the first push they yell STOP!!! They got the doc all gowned and ready, and she was out in one push, well, one and a half. Which meant she spent almost no time in the birth canal, and that she has the most perfectly shaped head for a newborn:) It was bizarre to see it, I asked for the mirror because it was my last child... and I'm kind of glad I've never seen it before. It may be amazing, but it's not pretty.

We were able to have a short hospital stay, just barely over 24 hours, so I only had to have baby in there one night. Which was awesome, the second night is always the WORST because baby isn't sleepy anymore and you're stuck in a tiny room with nowhere to walk. She was still up all night last night, but we could move to different rocking chairs and look at halloween lights and just be happier in general:) The stay was so short, and she was such a good eater and pooper, I didn't really take many pictures... but you get the idea:) She's beautiful, I am SO GRATEFUL for all of my healthy children, truly, it is an amazing thing.

Baby News

Jared thinks I should include a picture of my belly. I'm pretty sure I want no recollection of just how HUGE I was with this baby. Some things are better left to the imagination. Suffice it to say that the receptionist noticed a change in my size in the 5 days since my last Dr's appointment, and the Dr says this will be my biggest baby. She's predicting 8 1/2 pounds, a pretty significant change from my largest so far, which was 7 lbs 1 oz. I sure hope she still comes out in one push!

So... not much going on still. I'm 50% effaced, 1 1/2 cm dialated, but the baby is hanging out so high up, the Dr had a hard time finding her heartbeat and had to get the ultrasound machine out to make sure she was still head down. So, even though my body is trying to be in labor, if baby doesn't cooperate, it's a no go. Stinker. I did get an eviction date, October 7th, which is a relief. After my last appointment, this was the soonest I could have hoped for. So, now we're mere days (well, like 10, which is better than two weeks...) away from a certian end, maybe I can relax and be patient. Maybe. The Dr kept saying she hopes I go on my own, and I certianly do too, but it feels better knowing that there IS an end to this, because I'm not counting on this baby ever wanting to leave. Maybe it's a foreshadowing of things to come... she will be the youngest. Either she's really stubborn or she's a homebody. I keep trying to tell her that it's great out here... maybe she fears change (which may be a genetic trait...). Oh well, I guess I'll just keep thinking of crazy projects to get done so we can just relax when she finally makes an appearance!

More nesting...

So, I've pretty much accepted the fact that it will probably be another two weeks (that's the soonest my Dr will induce). So, the nesting is in full gear. Cleaned out the pantry this morning, headed to the fridge next. As I recall, with Pearl, when I finally decided she wasn't coming yet, I pressure washed the porch. Tempting. Maybe when it's not quite so hot. I'm sure I'll be happy all these projects were done before she gets here... though as I recollect, I tend to do crazy things after the baby because I finally feel like a person again. Maybe it's not nesting, maybe it's just my brand of insanity.

Today

I went to the Dr today. What's going on? A whole lot of NOTHING. She is way too cozy in there. Dr tried to massage/strip my membranes, and I'm so long that she couldn't reach the sac. Nice. What's that about the last shall be first and the first shall be last... maybe the last baby will be my first experience with going overdue. Lovely. Well, that should certianly cement her "last child" status, maybe that's what she's going for. I'll truthfully be ok as long as she comes BEFORE Sherry leaves for Michigan... I just don't trust Gary to get Sam and Pearl ready for school, and I doubt he wants to take Max appraising with him. Though Max might think it's a party:)