Aug 31, 2011

henry paul mason: june 8, 2011

*this has taken me so long that i refuse to go back and check it for spelling/grammar/typo errors. so just read past them.

*this is my first day back to work. appropriate time to post this, huh?

*happy 12 weeks to henry!

monday (40 weeks, 3 days):

monday we went swimming at rod-e-ney's. i stood next to his super-hot daughter in her bikini, looking giant in my hot-pink maternity tankini.  we swam and had fun and that night i started having contractions. dave had downed a dose of nyquil, so i went out to the couch to labor alone. i thought for sure this was it.

i sent texts to my mom, barb and melissa. everyone was on stand-by. my contractions came every 5-6-7 minutes for hours. at 5am i sent a text to my boss that "today might be baby day!" as a warning that i wouldn't be coming in to work. around 6am i decided to take a shower. and around 6:05am my contractions went away.

i was ticked.

tuesday (40 weeks, 4 days):

i had been up all night, but felt pretty good. i had a doctor's appointment at 11am to get checked and possibly schedule an induction for friday. dave went with me and we waited in the waiting room for almost an hour. i finally got a phone call from my midwife asking where i was. i went up to the lady at the front desk and she was rude - said they had called my name and thought i left. lies.

brenda checked me and i was between 2-3 cm. she checked your position and you were head down. things were just fine, thank goodness. you had been transverse a few times before. she gave a talk about what to do if my water breaks and when to make the trip to the hospital. you were still "floating" high, so we weren't thinking things would progress too quickly.

that night we did chores around the house. i drove the tractor while your dad cleaned out the gutters. we stayed active, but no contractions ever started. until that night.

10pm rolled around and the contractions started. i layed in bed while dave did some computer work in the kitchen. around 11pm i sent him a text (from the bedroom - ha!) saying that i had been having contractions. just so he would know. he came in, took a shower and was wide awake. the diet mountain dew he drank was definitely in full force. he was wound up.

wednesday (40 weeks, 5 days):

we stayed in bed that night and tried to relax and watched tv. we tried to sleep. i ever took a shower again to see if the contractions would quit. finally at 1am wednesday  morning i decided to call brenda. i had been having contractions for hours at this point, but they never got closer than 4-5 minutes apart. and they weren't overly painful. i could easily talk/breath/walk through them. brenda said that maybe we should come on in. we called barb to come and stay with hallie and got our things together. we went in to check on her and i got teary that this might be her last night as an only child. her world was about to change so much.

i agonized over coming in. i didn't want to drive all the way to springfield to be told i wasn't in labor. that was my worst nightmare. my plan was to labor naturally at home for as long as possible. i wanted to go to the hospital to deliver, not to labor. i worried that the contractions would slow down when we got in the car. instead, they seemed to get more painful. good! that was good!

your dad drank gatorade and i gripped the car handles every time a contraction hit. but i still worried this wasn't the real thing. after all...the contractions had petered out the night before. we got to the hospital around 2:30-3am and i still just worried and worried that this wasn't the real thing. we finally sent texts to my mom and dad to let them know we were going in. they set us up in a room and the nurse came in to check my cervix and see how far i was dialted and to put the fetal monitors on me.

i was a six! i am awesome! a six! only four more to go and you would be here. i felt on top of the world. i was in pain, but not overly so. i felt like i could definitely continue with the natural childbirth (like, no drugs) i really wanted to have.

i refused iv fluids, but had a saline-lock put in my arm "just in case." i was allowed to have clear fluids and was only monitored every hour. things were great. dave and i hung out and walked the halls. we listened to "hello dave," on the ipod - each of us had one ear bud, so we had to walk really close to each other - it was pretty funny. every few minutes i would feel a contraction coming. the only way i could get through them was to find a "tall" counter and lean against it. everything else was too short and uncomfortable.

back in the room, i sat at the end of the bed and sort of bounced my way through contractions. i had tried using the birth ball before, but it seemed awkward and uncomfortable. it was sort of flat. not good. i also enjoyed some lime popsicles.



brenda came in and confirmed that i had progressed to a seven - yay! she thought we would have this baby by 9am. excellent. and sort of scary - i was thinking about the natural delivery and starting to freak out a little. she asked if she could break my water to speed things up. at this point it was 6am and my contractions still weren't very painful. i was nervous. i knew it would hurt more and lead to the delivery and i wasn't sure i was quite ready for that yet. but okay, let's do it.

well, that sure was interesting. instead of a big gush, it was more of a trickle. like i had peed myself. that trickle slowly become a gush every time i laughed or sneezed. and it just kept coming. and coming, and coming and coming.

it was so gross! it is one of the stand-out memories from the whole experience. there was so much fluid! i had to walk around with a towel in between my legs. i would stand up and it would just come flowing out. such a weird feeling.

things started picking up a bit at that point. contractions got more painful, frequent and longer. i decided to try the bathtub. big mistake. the pressure from the hard bathtub floor hit me at the worst spot. i was writhing around trying to get comfortable (ha!) between contractions. dave kept peeking in the door at me and i would scream at him - stop looking at me! i felt like i was in a movie.

sidenote: i didn't want anyone looking at me. not dave, not my mom, nobody! dave was the only person i would allow in the room with me. so different from hallie's birth. with her, i had an epidural and anyone in the world was allowed to come in and hang out. not so much with henry. at all.


i thought maybe this was transition? i was sweaty one second and cold the next. i felt awful. the contractions were brutal. i had been at a seven for hours at this point. so much for the 9am delivery. things just stalled, big time. i had bounced like a wild woman, walked the halls and did everything to get to the point of delivery. and nothing was working.


i called dave into the bathroom between contractions and told him that i wanted to be checked. if i was still at a seven (this was around 11am  - i had been a seven for hours and hours) then i wanted an epidural.

they checked me.

i was a seven.

the anesthesiologist came in about a half-hour later and took a million years to put the edpirual in. i had to sit perfectly still through agonizing contractions. it was awful. that was the only point i wanted to cry. i had been so close to the natural delivery i wanted and then opted out. then here was the promise of NO PAIN and it was taking forever!!!!! oh that was awful.

but then he got it in and things were good for a bit. they hauled my numb but from one side to the other so that the medicine would distribute evenly. and then you decided you didn't like being on my right side - only my left. every time they moved me to the right, you would get ticked off.


they checked me and i was an eight. they warned me about feeling pressure and i started to get excited. brenda moved me in all sorts of weird, pretzel-like positions to things moving faster. nothing seemed to be working.

and then they checked me again. still an eight. and oh WHOOPs - now my cervix was swollen. this meant a consult with an ob from st. johns, an ultrasound and then ultimately a c-section. suck-o.

i was a big girl about it. i'm not going to cry about a change like that. i knew it was what needed to be done. i couldn't deliver vaginally with a swollen cervix - that was that.

things moved quickly at that point. they shaved me, medicine-d me and wheeled me to the room with a promise that dave would be joining me soon. the medicine made my heart race and i warned the doctors that too much medicine made me want to puke. and sure enough, i had to barf a few times once we got in there. but then i felt better so who cares?

they had a blue sheet pinned up so i couldn't see my insides being tossed around (or so i imagine). it felt like the sheet was RIGHT in front of my face. did i mention i'm claustrophobic? my hands were on either side of me, like on a cross. they didn't tie them down but said they would if i didn't hold still. nice.


they brought dave in and he stood up and watched while they messed me around. he started making comments like, "gross" and "oh my gosh," and finally i said, "NO COMMENTS, please." so he shut up.

and then i heard you cry. and your daddy said, "it's a boy!!!!" and i said, "of course it is." and they brought your bloody little body around the corner of the sheet and i cried while you peed all over the place. i cried and cried and so did your dad. i was sure i would get in trouble, because my body was just wracked with sobs. i hated that i couldn't hold you and that they took you away from me to get you cleaned up.

and then i started shaking. the medicine was making me have violent tremors. it was awful. my neck hurt for days because of trying to control the shakes. it was so, so, so bad. they handed you to dave and he brought you over for me to kiss you. and i couldn't even press my lips to your face because i was shaking so badly. but dang, you looked adorable.

and we said, "henry paul." although your dad wanted to name you "paul henry." but i was the one shaking so i win.

they hadn't told us to bring in a camera, and with the hubub we didn't think of it. so we don't have any pictures of you when you were first born. it's very disappointing, so i'm making up for it by taking a thousand pictures of you every day.

i was still shaking (and i mean SHAKING) while they sewed me up, so they put lots of warm blankets on me. it didn't help. they wheeled me back to our room and a nurse went out to get hallie. i got to watch hallie meet you, her baby brother. sort of. i got to watch from my bed on one side of the room, while you, your daddy and your sister had quite a lovely moment. i may or may not have sobbed hysterically at that point.


we gave hallie the sucker that said, "boy" on it sent her out to tell the grandparents. all we could hear was screaming from down the hallway. again, why didn't we think to video that moment??!! i would kill to see their reaction when she turned that little sucker around.


i was still shaking -always shaking. so sad. they said it would take a few hours for the medicine to work its way through my body. i couldn't hold you until i stopped for fear i would drop you. GOOD GRIEF THAT IS AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!

and then nurse joanne, aka my angel, appeared and said i should try to nurse you. apparently that can somehow get some hormones moving and help stop the shaking. they hauled me over on my side (i was still numb, you know) and put you on my boob. and you started nursing instantly. and i stopped shaking instantly.


it was a miracle and i cried.

once i stopped shaking, they hauled me back over and i could nurse you normally. you were beautiful and i will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.


Aug 29, 2011

don't be jealous.

08/14/11 - Springfield, IL

Aug 26, 2011

a big milestone.

henry's first ride in the semi. he was thrilled, can't you tell? we drove down to meredosia to drop off the hopper and decided to make it a family affair.



we live such exciting lives.

ps - breastfeeding on the bunk of a very bumpy semi is sort of tricky. henry was holding on to my boob for dear life and believe me when i say that is uncomfortable.

this is the last full week of my maternity leave.

i will be headed back to the daily grind on wednesday. this has been the best summer of my life. i have enjoyed every, single day. spending every day with henry and hallie has been better than i could have ever imagined. i love seeing dave during the day and eating lunch together. i love being there when hallie gets off the bus.



so today i celebrate my final friday of freedom by:

eating tootsie rolls and drinking diet pepsi.
napping on the front porch swing. oh that was awesome.
not making the bed.
staring at henry as much as i want.
oh, i don't know...maybe some online shopping? yes, please.

i will miss being at home. a lot. i mean, i will really miss being at home.

but i love a good routine too. i just wish my routine wasn't going to start so early in the morning!

Aug 24, 2011

transitions are hard.

i am having a very, very, very, very hard time leaving henry to go back to work. he is not making it any easier by refusing to take a bottle.


yesterday, i dropped him off at the sitters with two bottles, diapers and a change of clothes. tough love, you know.

it was a really, really, really long day. really long. i know he needs to take a bottle. i know it. i just hate that i have to leave him somewhere and know that he is hungry and wanting me.


so today we are leaving him again. but this time we are heading to st. louis to watch a ballgame with some friends. i'm a wreck.

a wreck.

what if he doesn't eat at all? what if something happens and i'm two hours away? what kind of a mom am i???


the original plan was to bring him with us. no problem-o. but now there is a heat advisory with a heat index of 105. not good for my angel.


he will be fine at irma's. fine. he will eat eventually. he has to.

oh geez.

i.

am.

a.

wreck.

Aug 23, 2011

baptism by water.

we love the lord up in this hiz-ouse, so sunday was a very awesome day for us. both hallie and henry were baptized and as a family and congregation, we promised to help them live a life loving the lord. (how's that for alliteration?!)

hallie's sponsors (aka godparents) are my brother kurt (lives in colorado) and melissa, dave's sister.

henry's sponsors are luke and jessica crawford.

we just love them all. and they all love our kids. very important.

now, pictures.








Aug 19, 2011

caught on camera!

the stinker started rolling a week or so ago. but every time i took my phone out to record it.... he got camera shy.

i finally got him on camera today! please ignore my annoying voice. 





back to school feast: 2011 edition.

we celebrated the start of another school year by having a rockin' back to school feast. oh who am i kidding? it was thrown together at the last minute and was slightly lame.


last year's was much better.

at least we had some sparkle juice.


this year's theme was "reading rocks!" i know. i really couldn't think of anything else. i should have just had it be "kindergarten rocks!" but i absolutely adore alliteration.

hallie took a really long time to eat. she is very pokey.

Aug 18, 2011

first day of kindergarten. sob.

just kidding. i did pretty well. i got a little choked up as i walked out of the gym and could see that she was pretty scared. that was hard. but she sucked it up pretty well and didn't shed a single tear. and neither did i.

we dropped her off in the gym to be lined up with her other teeny tiny classmates. precious. that is what they all looked like, dwarfed by their backpacks. (hallie's is rapunzel...of course).

her teacher is a total hottie, by the way. young and pretty and bubbly. exactly what a kindergarten teacher should be. mrs. brown. i'm glad we are in her class.


dave and i jetted off to do some important business - made a will, finally!! and then i picked her up at 11:15 in a long row of other parents doing the same. she was so happy when she saw me. such a sweetie. she gave me a few details of the day - fell asleep at rest time, colored a raccoon picture, etc. and then that was it.


she was tired and grouchy for a while when we got home. and then she got HYPER.


thank goodness for a 7:30pm bedtime. both the kiddos were asleep by 7:40pm. excellent.

and here's a super cute picture of henry and maggie.
little darlings.

Aug 17, 2011

Success!

Aug 15, 2011

illinois state fair, jason aldean and a very tired little girl.

sunday night i took hallie to springfield to see the jason aldean concert. she is a big fan. she knows more of his songs than i do and probably dave too. i knew she would love the show, but i didn't realize it wasn't going to start until 9:45 that night. yikes.

it worked out. we did a meet and greet with jason (we are best friends now, you know) and then decided to ride some rides.

ps - it is a rip off. period. stupid amounts of money to ride just a few tickets. so dumb.

and then we rode the scrambler - twice. she wanted to go for a third but i told her i was afraid i was going to throw up. i was really, really close to throwing up. so we went on a wimpy rollercoaster. she wasn't thrilled.

the concert was great. very, very loud. very loud. luckily, we had ear plugs for hallie. but for awhile after the show she kept telling me i was talking too loud. we got to sit by the monitor guy, so we were soooo close the action. great place to sit.

he played most of hallie's favorite songs and then blondie decided she was ready to go. and so was i. we left about halfway through the set, but we missed all of the traffic and got home before midnight. we were pooped. big time.

pps - if you're wondering where henry was, well, grandma barb watched him. he was an angel (naturally), but wouldn't take a bottle. great, huh? not.

now, pictures.




chapin big country days.

rather, teeny weeny country days. sorta sucked this year, i'm not gonna lie.

the parade was awesome, thank goodness - short and tons of candy. that is the perfect parade in my book.

but the food options were limited and i just wanted a hotdog. just a hotdog! can't a girl get a hotdog?! the answer is no - at least at this festival. and the shaved ice was gross. we picked watermelon on account of it being pink. bad decision. i should have stuck to the winners - grape, cherry and lemon-lime. a waste of papa mike's $2 right there!



Aug 14, 2011

front porch living.

henry do-dah loves him some front porch action. it's been so flippin' hot, but we have had some beautiful days lately to enjoy the porch swing.

only a few more days until hallie starts kindergarten! cue the tears.

Aug 13, 2011

grandma lucille.

we spend a lot of time with great-grandma lucille these days (dave's grandma). we both get lonely, so it's a pretty good set up.


she was in heaven this day that henry fell asleep on her. she got to hold him for an hour, which made her a very happy grandma. this was the anniversary of paul's death 22 years ago.

she was sad, so i'd like think this made her feel a bit better.

Aug 12, 2011

Hallie Gets Her Eyes Checked.

and is a teensy bit farsighted. totally common.

Aug 10, 2011

Honestly, Dave? And Happy 2 Months to Henry!

This was my view for an entire DAY last week. Count them - four pairs of shoes (plus my teeny flipflops) right smack in the middle of the mudroom. It's what you see and trip over as soon as you walk in our door. It's his my least favorite of his messy habits.

By the way - happy 2 month birthday to Mister Henry (on Monday!).

Stats:

10 pounds, 13 ounces
22.5 inches long
3 shots, not happy
still a super awesome kid. Like, i'm totally in love.

First bottle at 8 weeks.

an appropriate expression, given the holder. and her awesome bedhead.

the stinker now refuses to take a pacifier. at all.