November and December

I am so far behind on this blog! With our house as full as it is, I find myself neglecting the blog. Anyway, November was full with Thanksgiving, Debbie's visit, and Josh's Birthday. December kept us hopping as well with Lily's various violin concerts and Christmas festivities.

Sterling's Second Birthday Oct. 12, 2009

Happy late 2nd birthday to my only son, Sterling! We had Sterling's birthday celebration late due to the birth of Moriah, and we also waited until my mom came down to visit us. My mom made Sterling a monkey cake and he loved it! As most of you know, Sterling has a stuffed monkey that he cannot live without. He will ask for it by saying, "Oohh, Oohh, Aww, Aww." So cute. (That is a monkey sound for those of you who do not know!) Anyway--thank you for the gifts from the Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles. My little man is getting too big!

Pictures of Moriah

8 lbs 3ozs

Lots of hair!

Gald it is over!

Me and my girls! Sterling didn't want his picture taken...

The Arrival of Moriah Grace

I am going to start with my check up on October 5th, 2009. I went to my 39th week check-up and was quite discouraged when I was waiting to be seen by my doctor. I was expecting to hear that I was not progressing. I didn't feel like that baby was settling into position like my other births. So, when I was examined, I was surprised to hear that I was dilated to 3 cm. The doctor said that he expected me to go into labor with the next day or two. I was pleasantly surprised!
Well, that night I was up all night with 'flu' like symptoms. However, I still didn't have any contractions. All day on the 6th I was miserable. Lily and Isabel were so helpful! They took care of Sterling and Ava for me. I basically packed a couple more things in my hospital bag and spent most of the day in bed. I also took a very long soak in the tub hoping I would feel better. I had a lot of abdominal pain, but nothing that felt like 'classic' contractions. Throughout the day I would call Josh and I expressed that I thought I would have the baby that day, but was concerned by the lack of strong contractions. Josh had a brief to give in the evening and he was trying to prepare it and give it to his boss to present so he could come home.
At 4 PM I knew needed him to come home. I called up to his work and I couldn't get a hold of him. I talked to some random solider who answered the phone. I asked if Josh was still there and he didn't know. I told him he needed to find out where he was because I needed him. So, he found Josh's boss and his boss had said that he was on his way home.
At 4:30 my contractions were hard and 3-5 minutes apart. Josh was still not home and it is only a 30 minute drive. I was getting worried. At 4:45 Josh came in the door. There was a car accident and it was slow going on the way home.
Now, we just needed to have one of my friends come over and stay with the other four kidos. I had three friends lined up. I called my neighbor, and she was stuck in traffic due to a PARADE in town! I called my second friend and only got her voice mail. I tried my third friend and only got her voice mail as well. So, I was FREAKING out! I send Lily down the street to see if my other neighbor was home, but she was not. I just picked up the phone to call my Pastor's wife when the phone rang and my friend Tina was on her way. Thank goodness! We left before she arrived because Lily can watch her sibling, but not for an extended period of time.
So as we were going through town--there was the parade kicking off the county fair. We knew it was going to be in town and we tried to take a 'short-cut' around it, but it was still stop and go. So a normal trip to the hospital would be 10 minutes--it turned out to be 30 minutes. Breathe, right?
When we got there I was checked in and found out I was only dilated to a 4!! I was so un-happy with that number! I was not officially a labor and delivery patient at that time. The nurse said they would monitor me for an hour and then officially check me in. The nurse was named Jackie and she remembered me from when I gave birth to Sterling. She was happy that I was a natural birth. She said she loves the women who go natural.
So, after an hour passed I was dilated to a 7!!! Yippie! My body knows how to move it! (0: In another 30 minutes I was a 10 and was ready to push! I waited as long as I could. From past experience--I know that the longer I wait to push the less pushing I would have to do. So, the doctor came in. (She had been at the fair and was on her way to Walmart when the nurses told her I was fast one and she needed to fore go Walmart.) She came in and checked me and told me that the baby was at a -2 station. NOT good! I knew I wasn't feeling right. I had been saying for days that I didn't feel that the baby was settling into my pelvis. She was also face up. Not good. However, when she broke my water Moriah turned face down and I was ready to go. Two and a half pushes later---Moriah Grace made her much anticipated debut! Love at first sight. As she came out---Josh said----I WAS WRONG! So instantly I knew we had another girl. The doctor actually almost fumbled her. I didn't stop pushing once her head came out, and I don't think she was ready for me to do that. (the doctor was awesome--Dr. Jennifer McCann---she is the sister of the doctor that delivered Sterling--small towns--gotta love em) So, Josh cut the cord and we had our precious girl. 7:23pm October the 6th 2009

Prenatal Week 38 Check-Up

Today I had my 38th week check-up. It went better than the 36th week check. I still need to keep off of my feet, drink the H2O, and no salt. However, my blood pressure was okay . Unfortunately, I am not dilated or effaced. The doctor reassured my that since this is my 5th pregnancy, it doesn't matter. He said I will just 'go.' He said that if it was my first he'd say I'd still have two weeks left. That was some good news. However, I just want to be done and have the baby here.

Prenatal 36 week check-up

Okay, so I had a bad prenatal check-up today. I went in thinking every thing was fine except for a little swelling. Well, my weight jumped up 5 pounds, my blood pressure was high, and I was swollen. SO, my Doc told me----NO salt, drink a GALLON of H2o every day, put my feet up for 6-8 HOURS a day, and at night. Uh, does the sentence-I-Have-four-children-at-home-who-are-home schooled-mean anything? This is going to be a challenge since I live 1,300+/- miles from any family. He said if I don't do this he expects me to have pre-eclampsia by next week. Lovely.

Ava-isms

Well, Ava is at is again. She always has something funny or cute to say. A few weeks ago, Ava was looking closely at my skin. She saw the beautiful stretch marks I have acquired through five pregnancies and she said, "Mommy!! You are stripped!." Yes, in the eyes of a four year old I have stripes. Last night as we were sitting in church, Ava reaches over and starts to stroke my stomach. She looks up with her big blue eyes and says, "Mommy, I am petting the baby."