The Birth of Chloe (our little "Pearl")

(one day old)

I went in to the city for another ultra sound Monday, hoping my placenta had moved so I wouldn't need a c-section. It was partially blocking my cervix throughout my pregnancy and they wanted to check it out one last time before I went into labor. I was really set on having a homebirth so when my midwife mentioned the possibility of a c-section I was a little freaked out. We had been praying it would move, and indeed it did. Praise the Lord. But, while I was there, they discovered that my amniotic fluid was very low, so they had me stay for a non-stress test to make sure Chloe was doing okay. Boy I was anxious and sick to my stomach worried about her. Praise God, they said she was fine, but they wanted me to come into the city again in 3 days for another non-stress test and try to induce me the following Monday. Yuck. So I asked the doctor @ the hosp what he thought about me getting things going on my own, because I didn't want to be induced and I really wanted a drug free birth. And he said go ahead and try to make it happen. You've got the OK from me. So I spoke with my midwife and tried every home remedy in the book all in one day. One of them was bound to work, right?! Pineapple, Black Cohosh, Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, Balsamic Vinegar, & the dreaded Castor Oil, You name it I did it. And I also mowed the lawn, scrubbed floors, and climbed stairs over and over again & walked around the neighborhood. Then I fell asleep exhausted from all my efforts, and a little disappointed that nothing had happened and thinking I'd better just prepare myself to be induced on Monday. Then sure enough, by midnight I was waking Kevin up with contractions. So we walked around the neighborhood again, to keep them going. And @ 5 in the morning I called my midwife and she met us in the city. When I got there I was hooked up to the monitor briefly to check and make sure everything was okay and she checked to see how much I had dilated. I was a 3. Then they unhooked me and sent me on my way to the beautiful courtyard to walk around. I also spent some time on my birthing ball. Then around 10:00 am My midwife checked me again and decided to break my water, as it never seems to break on it's own. Then I headed back out to the courtyard. Soon enough, the contractions became too intense to walk, so Kevin got the Jacuzzi going in my room and I hopped in. It was amazing without the drugs, I was so much more aware of what my body was doing. In previous deliveries with drugs I still felt pain, horrible pain, but it was generalized and I had no Idea what my body was doing, and the labors were long and drawn out. But this time I swear I felt myself dilating. I couldn't hear the radio in the bathroom, so Kevin was singing to me while I was in the tub to get my mind off of the pain, and I tried my best to sing along. Soon I felt ready to deliver and climbed up onto the bed (NOT laying on my back) and asked my midwife to check me. I knew I was close, I was a 9. So I grabbed Kevin's Strong Hand and got ready to push while he rubbed my back with the other hand, and looked into my eyes. ( He is so romantical) I began to ask the Lord for help as the pain intensified and then my favorite song (Lead Me-Sanctus Real) came on the radio. It was awesome, I really felt the Lord was with me. And within a couple of seconds and a few pushes, Chloe was here, happy, healthy and Beautiful. I am very pleased with how everything went. My Hubby was incredible, my midwife was awesome and all the staff, were super sweet and supportive and really seemed to love their jobs. My midwife said that Kevin was a great coach and other nurses said they were jealous, cause he is such a wonderful and supportive man and really handsome to boot. I am incredibly blessed!

As usual, God's plan was better than my own ;)

Our Little Pearl has Arrived!

(one day old)

Chloe Evangeline

Born~6-30-10 @ 12:12 pm

Weight~7 lbs 10 oz

Length~ 20.5 in

Photos

I have no Idea what to write about, not for lack of action, but rather for too much. Life has been a whirlwind lately. I am just hoping it slows down in time for Chloe to be born. Ahhhhh! I've still
been taking lots of pictures in hopes to be able to document what's going on in our lives, and fill in the blanks on the blog when I get a chance, but just the thought of finding the time to sit down and write about it all has been overwhelming. Not to mention all the projects we've been doing, one of wich is organizing all of our old photos. I've been trying to scan and make back up files and create albums and fill frames, I can't believe Lily will be five this fall and I only have one photo album finished. I need to get crackin'! My mom kept all our photos in boxes under her bed, and I swore I would never do that. And guess what, it's already happening to me, and I'm trying to fix it.

Surprise Baby Shower

My Friends Michele and Karen are so thoughtful, and threw me a surprise baby shower for my "little pearl" Chloe this weekend. Kevin was in on it too! I can't believe they all kept a secret for so long. I was completely surprised, especially being that I am having my third little girl and didn't really need too much for her arrival. Even so, It was such a blessing and so much fun to have a relaxing afternoon with friends and delicious food. I am so thankful to have such great women in my life ;)

Star Cottage Homestead

Before Kevin's surgery we had big plans for a backyard homestead this year, so he and I made some raised beds ahead of time in March, knowing he would be out of commission for a while after the operation. Then Grampa Gary, being the blessing that he is, trucked in lots of great soil and manure from a local farm and helped me fill the beds. We have lots of them! In fact we have done 3 truckloads full, and we still need more dirt/manure. Nothing like biting off more than you can chew ;) In the mean time, while Kevin was home recovering from surgery, he kept me company (snuggled up in a lawn chair with cozy blankets to keep him warm and comfortable) while I shoveled dirt and planted some strawberries. I was happy to do the planting, while he and I chatted and the girls played in the yard. When Grampa came to visit on Sunday, he kindly informed me that I had planted them much too close together. Woops! Live and learn I guess. That's what this whole experience has been, lots of living, and a whole lot of learning/screwing up along the way.

We've had such amazing weather that I have been so busy in the Garden all spring, Hence my absence from the computer & the blog. By the time I shower off all the dirt at the end of the night, I just don't have the energy to hop on the computer. We've both been falling asleep with the girls, and just barely waking up before them in the morning. I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that It's still a bit rough and uncomfortable for Kevin to get around, and I am in my 3rd trimester. Yay, only a couple months to go ;) Chloe hasn't even arrived, and already I can't sleep well, I'm up every hour or so to go to the ladies room in the middle of the night, more of why I am so exausted.

Shattered Homebirth Dreams

I have been in a funk for the past few weeks and haven't been online much to read all the lovely blogs I love, or to post on my own blog. So much has happened in the past few weeks, I have been overwhelmed with emotions, but mostly I'm embarrassed to say, I was feeling sorry for myself, which is always pathetic and lame, but it happens from time to time. You see, we were planning a home birth. I had been seeing a midwife from the start of my pregnancy and had already started shopping for my home birth supplies. Only to find out, just two weeks before my six month appointment after a long battle with our insurance company, that they would only cover a small portion of the cost and we would be stuck with a whopping $3,000 out of pocket. I don't know about you, but we just can't swing that, especially when we are doing all we can just to pay our bills. My hubby called all the midwives within a fifty mile radius to try and find another midwife who was in-network or who was less expensive, but no one else in our area does home birth besides the midwife group I was already working with. So I cried and got mad and frustrated and determined to have this baby @ home no matter what, then I became obsessed with researching "unassisted birth" which quickly got the kibosh by my hubby. I was all gung-ho for it, being that I am extremely stubborn, especially when I've made up my mind. But for the safety of Baby Chloe, we are going to leave it to someone more experienced. He was cool with a home birth as long as it was with a certified licensed midwife, but reading up on it on the Internet and then winging it by ourselves, is another story as far as he's concerned. And as my hubby, the voice of reason, said, I could never live with myself if something bad happened, because of my inexperience and the fact that I was too stubborn to go to the hospital, especially when we have complete coverage. He said it would be negligent on our part. I thought to myself I should listen to my hubby, after all in most cases, though I hate to admit it, he is almost always right. I am so glad God gave me such a smart and sensible man. So all that being said, I was still feeling sad and sorry for myself, because I was grieving a lost dream.
But all that was put into perspective when I got a very upsetting call from a dear close friend of mine who was only about a month behind me in her pregnancy, which is pretty far along. She called to let me know she had lost the baby. (and this is not her first miscarriage) Suddenly my problem was no longer on the forefront of my mind and all I could do was pray with her and grieve with her, all the while feeling foolish for acting like a spoiled brat and being thankful instead of grumpy and selfish about my own situation. I made her a meal last week and I'm going to watch her munchkins while she goes to the doctors this Thursday, but I feel so frustrated that there is nothing else I can do, nothing to take her pain and sadness away. I hate watching my loved ones go through heartache. It is such a helpless feeling to have to watch.
I didn't make my decision to do a home birth public, because I thought it was a personal thing and I only told my family and a few close friends. I also didn't feel like dealing with all the naysayers. So because I kept it private, I was dealing with all the emotions surrounding this disappointment privately as well. However I still feel foolish for being so affected by it. And feeling the guilt of being such a ninny about not having my own way, @ least my baby is safe inside me, and however the Lord chooses to bring her into the world, then I am going to be thankful. I need to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get on with life. And I can't help but think, maybe there is a bigger reason, that I am not able to have her at home. Maybe God is orchestrating all of this.

Please pray for my friend and her family as they go through this loss.

Longing For Summer

I long for the warmth & freedom of summer. To be swimming @ the lake again. The arrival of our 3rd baby girl. And to be able to fit back into my favorite sundresses. *Sigh*

(photo taken from our annual family camping trip to the 1000 Islands Summer, 2009)

Craving Citrus

My cravings are so different this pregnancy. I love acidic foods this time around. I am not typically a fan of grapefruit, but since I became pregnant with baby #3, I just can't get enough of them. I eat one almost everyday. I suck on lemons, make lemonade daily and drink lots of orange juice. I crave tomatoes too. I have no desire for sweets, not even chocolate.
With my first two I craved Meat and Dairy, and I ate lot's of sweets. That's probably why I gained so much weight. lol
I have heard, that craving citrus means you are having a boy. I know they are all just old wives tales, but being that this pregnancy has been so different than my first two, I was beginning to think there was some truth behind it. Haha. Wrong! I had my ultra sound this week and we are having another Girl ;) We are so psyched! Quite honestly we would be psyched either way. After all, God is giving us a precious gift. We really aren't concerned about the gender. And we don't plan on stopping at 3 ;)

Anthropologie ;)

Yay! I am so psyched! They opened up an Anthropologie in the mall 15 min from my house. And can I just tell you it's absolutely fabulous. It's a store that's just fun to be in. I wish they'd open up a cafe, so I could sit in a comfy chair sipping tea and reading a magazine while taking in the pretty atmosphere. I had been missing the one in Boston since I moved, but this one is way bigger! Kevin took me yesterday, he knows I love that place, he even liked it. And he took serious note of the clothes and fragrances I liked. The girls love shopping, so they were having fun bringing stuff to me. Lily brought me a twirly dress and begged me to buy it. I looked @ the price tag and laughed. We didn't end up buying anything, being that I am quite pregnant and feeling rather Rotund & frumpy @ the moment. But after the baby is born and I lose the extra weight I plan on splurging on an outfit or more specifically a pretty dress. I wish that Anthro wasn't so darned expensive. After perusing the store for a while with Kevin and the girls I shot over to the sale racks and found quite a few things under $20 and even some under $10. So that was encouraging. Of course the dress I loved had to be $148. What?! I have such a hard time justifying such an expensive purchase, especially when I can sew, and had a few fashion shows of my own in college. However, finding the time to sew, is another challenge all together. So maybe, I'll get lucky, and by the time the baby is born and I lose all the baby fat, maybe just maybe by then this dress will be on clearance ;)

Okay, enough daydreaming about frivolous things that I really don't need & can't afford. *sigh*

Pregnancy News, & Baby Names

I am pregnant and about a week shy of four months. I have been so busy and the first trimester was kinda yucky. Not as bad as when I was pregnant with Lily, but bad enough that I was totally exhausted and nauseous at times and couldn't wait for it to be over. So here I am in the second trimester very happy, and feeling much better. And ready to catch up on all the blogging I have missed. I will be trying to fill in the gaps in my blog, because a whole lot has happened this winter. So here I am bulging @ the seams. I definitely wasn't this big @ 4 months, with my first two. My goodness!

Now onto the fun part, Baby Names ;)

If we have a boy, The name will probably be Oliver. In french, the meaning is the Olive tree. The biblical Olive tree symbolizes fruitfulness, beauty & dignity. Extending an Olive branch signifies an offer of peace.

I have never heard a more wonderful name for a boy. And even better, I don't know any Olivers, so don't ruin it by telling me there was an Oliver in your elementary class that you hated or was a brat ;) Thanks.

We are still unsure of a middle name, My first choice was Grant (meaning "Bestow" 0r "Great" "Tall") -Kevin's not a big fan of Grant, so that's been scratched from the list.

Next up is Landon (meaning from "from the long hill"), wich I thought of while watching little house on the prairie. ;) Micheal Landon. lol I'm not obsessed with him or anything, it's just that as soon as I find out I am prego I start the mad hunt for the perfect name and I even start paying attention to movie credits and names I hear in books, magazines, and anywhere else names pop up. You never know when you might spot that perfect name. Anyways I like that his name would be " The Olive tree from the long hill" Awesome! So this may be the final choice for a boy.

Our Runner up name for a boy is Elliott~ from the hebrew meaning "My God is the Lord" I love this name also, and think it's good to have a back up just incase he comes out not looking like an Oliver ;)
And I love the name Henry ;)

If it's a girl we have it pretty much narrowed down to 4 favorites.

Chloe which comes from the Greek and means "Blooming". It's one of Kevin's favorites and was in the running for our other two girls. And since I like to stick with the garden theme, I am very pleased with it's meaning.
Another Beautiful Name is Esther which means Star or Myrtle (wich is a flower), I mean seriously, how lovely ;)

I also Like Elianna, which comes from the Hebrew and means, "God has Answered" We would call her Ellie. This is a favorite of Lily's.

Evangeline is lovely, and means "good news". Great meaning also! This one is my Mom's Favorite.

So they may end up being first names or middle names, I have no idea @ this point, but we have quite a few months to make up our minds.