Clara Marie

We welcomed Clara Marie on December 30th at 3:09 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 18.5 inches long. She's beautiful and healthy with just a bit of jaundice that we will have to keep an eye on. I'll post more about her and the delivery when I can steal a bit of computer time.


I do need to take a moment to thank you all for your prayers for Clara and me. I took so much strength from those prayers during labor and I'm so grateful for all the graces that have flowed down upon us. Thank you so much and God bless!

Still here!

Button and I are still here! I'm so glad to be done with Christmas and now I can just focus on getting ready for the baby. I got my hair cut, washed all the receiving blankets, sleepers, spit-up cloths, etc., and moved the changing table and co-sleeper to our room and now it's finally beginning to feel like a baby will be here soon.

The kids are getting excited and even Gustin understands to some extent. We talk about the "baby in Mommy's tummy" all the time. I know Gustin can't possibly understand how much his little world is going to change once the baby arrives, but he definitely senses the change coming. Just over the last few weeks he has started baby talking and wants to be held much more. I have to say, I do indulge him when he asks for cuddles. I want to savor that time with him, too.

I had another check up today. I'm now dilated at 3 cm, but other than that there hasn't been any major changes. I'm having a few contractions, but nothing like what I've had in the days immediately preceding birth of my other babies. So, we're taking it easy around here, relaxing, anticipating baby but not getting overly anxious yet. I'm still thinking it will be January before Button makes his or her debut. But, one thing I know for sure about babies is that you have to be ready for anything. Who knows, Button may come tomorrow or may even break the mold and actually go overdue. We'll just have to wait and see!

Update

I just got back from my OB appointment. Nothing has really changed since my last visit, which isn't surprising since I haven't had all that many contractions. The good news is that my Group B strep test came back negative, so I won't have to schedule an induction! Hurray! Button will get to come on his or her own time. We might actually make it to January after all, which would be my preference. Fabulous!

37 week OB check up

So, here are the stats:

2 cm dilated
60% effaced
baby's head at zero station


The doctor remarked that the baby's head is really low, as in if this was my first child, he would expect me to be in labor by tomorrow. But, since it's my fourth, he thinks I'll probably just carry low from here on and deliver at a time similar to my other pregnancies (I average about a week early).

After today's check up, the fact that Button will be here soon just got much more real. I'm starting to get excited!

Reflections on pregnancy #4

I'm at almost 37 weeks gestation now and Button will be here before we know it. For various reasons, I don't believe my body nor my doctor will allow Button to wait until the due date (January 8th). I'm fully expecting a new baby in our house before the end of the year. So, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect over this fourth pregnancy that will soon come to an end.

This pregnancy has been very different than any of my others. But, I guess that is the norm. Just like every child is unique, their individual journeys into this world are different. For starters, this pregnancy has gone be very quickly. I might not have agreed with that statement in the early weeks of nausea and exhaustion, but it is true. Life has been very busy since we first found out about Button last May. Most of the busyness could be considered normal for a family of 5, but then we added selling a house, a move and a massive bedbug infestation. Our days and weeks have been very full, especially lately with all the holiday preparations thrown into the mix.

I've also been much more fatigued this pregnancy. The first trimester exhaustion has continued throughout the entire pregnancy. Looking back, I think I really should have talked to my doctor about it because at times the fatigue really has been extreme. Maybe I've been dealing with low iron or some other condition that the doctor could have helped alleviate. Instead, I got frustrated and upset with myself for how unproductive I have been when in reality I just wasn't physically capable of anything more. I need to learn when to say "uncle".

So, with all the busyness and fatigue, I feel like I have done very little preparation for Button. I've hardly been able to anticipate and ponder this new little one. I've put much less time and energy than normal into picking out names (which still isn't done), prepping baby supplies or just imagining what it will be like to hold a newborn once again. If you walked into my house right now, you would see virtually no evidence that a new little one is expected soon. That's so different than when I was expecting my first when practically everything was ready (including diapers and wipes bought and little sleepers hanging in the closet) months before Jonathan was born. I feel like Button has been cheated a little.

Finally, I have found myself much less tolerant this time around. That is, less tolerant of other people's opinions of when the baby will be born, what the gender will be, if I'm carrying high or low or if my belly is extremely large or surprisingly small for my number of weeks gestation. I smile and reply kindly, but sometimes I have to almost physically bite my tongue. The worst is some family members who repeatedly explain to me the exact date that will be most convenient for them for the baby to be born. Personally, I want Button to arrive exactly when God wills it, not a moment sooner or later regardless of the date on the calendar. I'm generally a patient person, but with crazy hormones, excessive fatigue, and feeling like everyone is rushing Button's arrival that I'm not ready for, that patience is being sorely tested.

Please pray for me. Pray that we have a peaceful Christmas, a healthy and safe delivery and a joyful experience of welcoming our newest little one into the world. Please pray that other people will be considerate of me, my needs, and my desires for Button's birth and that I can be calm, relaxed and patient. We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season and I don't want to lose sight of that.

A quick snapshot by Elizabeth

Can you tell I'm bigger than last time?


32 weeks!

Me at 29 weeks

I've been meaning to capture of few pictures of myself this pregnancy. Somehow I didn't seem to get very many of the last three pregnancies except for one or two at the very end when I was huge and my face was all swollen. Sweet Shannon encouraged me to post one the other day and that was just the extra little nudge I needed to actually get it done. So, I grabbed my camera and snapped a self portrait just as I was.


I have to say, I don't recommend taking a self portrait when you're wearing old clothes, no make-up and your hair is in a sloppy pony tail. That's why out of the couple dozen pictures I took, I chose to post the one with the camera in front of my face. This is, though, the normal everyday me. As you can tell, being a stay-at-home mom is very glamorous. :)

I snapped another one this morning after church. At least in this one I'm neat and tidy. I love this maternity dress. You can't see the details on the front because of my arm and the camera, but it's really cute and I love wearing it. I also love any excuse to wear my boots!


(By the way, with these boots on I'm about 6'2" or 6'3". Believe me, a 6'+ tall pregnant woman tends to stick out in a crowd! Thankfully, I've finally gotten over being self-conscious about my height. It only took 30 years!)

I really intended to show my face in this shot, but I couldn't get my camera to focus properly without looking through the viewfinder. I even had make-up on and everything!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! We sure did!

Relieved!

I had a follow-up ultrasound yesterday and my low-lying placenta is no longer low-lying! Isn't that wonderful? Thanks be to God!

I thought I was doing a good job of not worrying about it and the possible complications that it could cause, but when I heard the news yesterday I felt so incredibly relieved that I had to admit to myself that worry had been causing some stress. When the doctor told me about the condition a month ago, he spelled out all of the risks and potential problems. He's done that with every issue we've encountered, large or small, but he's also very realistic and in the past he's always been very encouraging as well. He would be matter of fact about all risks, but quick to reassure that he didn't foresee their being any long term problem or that most likely the problem would rectify itself, etc. Well, none of that reassurance came this time. In fact, he seemed to really emphasize that because of my particular situation, we needed to be prepared for all possible eventualities.

Also, when I did some research on the condition once I got home, the information I found on the internet was much more reassuring than my doctor had been. It's rare that information found online is actually less frightening than what the doctor says!

So, the results of the ultrasound yesterday were a big surprise! I was just hoping for a little improvement, but instead my placenta had moved completely out of the danger zone and I'm cleared to have a completely normal delivery and have no reason to anticipate any complications!

I have to give a big thank you to all of you who said even the smallest of prayers for me and Button. Thank you, thank you, thank you! God is so good!

20 week ultrasound

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Early in the pregnancy I thought I would really like to find out this time. But, as time got closer to the 20 week mark my feelings changed. I'm really glad to not know right now. It gives me an excuse for all the time I spend pouring over baby name books; I have to come up with two names now instead of one! :)

The ultrasound did reveal one thing we weren't expecting. I have a low lying placenta. Not placenta previa -thank you, Lord! - but the baby's placenta is very close to the cervix, only 1.5 cm away. Normally during the course of pregnancy the uterus stretches and the placenta moves away from the cervix. My doctor said that my placenta is in the part of the uterus that does not stretch very much so it may not move very much. It needs to move to at least 2 cm away from the cervix to avoid an automatic c-section. If, at delivery time, it is in the 2 cm to 4 cm range, he said I would be induced about 2 weeks early under controlled conditions where an anesthesiologist is available in case of an emergency c-section is necessary and blood is on hand in case I would need a blood transfusion. The concern is that the placenta would detach during labor which would, of course, put the baby in danger and I would be in danger of excessive bleeding.

So, I'm really praying that we can get to the 4 cm mark at least. There is plenty of time between now and when Button should be making his or her debut, so I'm trying not to worry and just be patient and see what happens. I go back in 5 more weeks for another ultrasound to check the position of the placenta.

In the mean time, I think I'm going to go see if I can find a novena to St. Gerard. :)

Good news

I had a follow up ultrasound today and everything looked perfectly normal! No more bleeding behind the placenta and Button looks like every baby at this stage, basically like a large gummy bear.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! It's such a blessing to have such great bloggy friends!

An update

We are still very busy around here. We have a contract on a new house (that I love!) and have been doing inspections, etc and we're starting to pack for the move at the end of the month. This entire house selling/buying process has gone so smoothly that I know God's hand must be in it. I am continuously amazed at how perfectly everything is working out. We are so thankful for everyone who has been praying for us!

I had another OB appointment yesterday with an ultrasound. I guess an early ultrasound is standard practice these days. Button looks healthy but something did show up on the ultrasound. There was some bleeding behind the placenta. My doctor said it is common and usually is not a problem but it could also be a sign of a threatened miscarriage. I'm supposed to go back for another ultrasound in two weeks and I'm supposed to take it easy in the mean time.

I know I've asked for a lot of prayers lately, but would you please continue to pray for Button and for a healthy pregnancy? I'm trying not to worry about it and leave it all in God's hands, but it's hard.

On the nausea front, I've actually been feeling a little better the last couple of days. Normally that would be very exciting, but with the threat of a miscarriage, it makes me wonder if it's a sign that something is going wrong. My pregnancy symptoms are not gone (which I know would be a bad sign) but the nausea is less. Is it possible for morning sickness to go away before the 12 week mark (I'm at 8 1/2 weeks now)? In my last two pregnancies, morning sickness lasted until 19 and 22 weeks, respectively. Of course, it was much more severe during those pregnancies as well.

If anyone could share stories of their own personal experiences with morning sickness, I would appreciate it. I just want to know that what I'm feeling is normal!

Thank you!

Hopeful

I had my first prenatal appointment this week. My doctor tries to be understanding, but I think he really thinks NFP using Catholics are a bit loony. We got into a discussion on the theology of the Catholic position on contraception. I wish I had been more articulate, but I don't think anything I could have said in a 5 minute conversation would have done much to change his mind anyway. It was an interesting discussion, though.

While talking to him I mentioned that in my last pregnancy I was extremely ill and that so far this time I only had some relatively mild nausea. I was waiting for him to give me some assurance that that was a good sign but all he said was, "Oh, but it's still early." Gee, thanks.

But, I'm still hopeful. I've had symptoms for a week and it hasn't been too bad. I'm taking that as a very good sign.

However, the fact that my pants are already getting tight when I'm only 7 weeks along is not such a good sign. :)

We sold our house!

I think St. Joseph was working overtime! Thank you all for your prayers! It was on the market for only 12 days. I'm so thankful that we won't have to keep a perfect house anymore and no more dinner time showings. We still have to get through inspections, etc and will probably close at the end of June. Next we're switching into looking mode. I hope we can find a great house in our price range as quickly as we sold this one!

In other news, so far my nausea has been relatively mild. No vomiting or dry heaves and I've been able to function almost completely like normal. I so hope it continues this way! I can't remember exactly, but I think I was sicker than this at the same point during my pregnancy with Gustin. Thanks again for all your prayers! You guys sure are effective prayer warriors!

One more thing. I don't know if I've mentioned it before on this blog or not, but we always nickname our babies while they are in the womb. Jonathan was Young'un, Elizabeth was Squirt and Gustin was Peanut. Within minutes of finding out we were pregnant, Eric named this one Button. I guess now I have a new belly Button. :)

An announcement and a prayer request... or two

We have a lot going on right now. Having the house on the market is a full time job. I have it "show" ready by 9:00 in the morning and then each time we leave the house throughout the day, I have to make sure everything is perfect in case someone comes by while we are out. So far, the response to our house has been good. We've had a showing or two almost every single day and we even got an offer. But, the couple changed their minds because our house is a little too far out from the city for them. Still, I see it as a good sign.

The decision and the preparation to sell our house all went very fast. But, we prayed about it and felt confident that this is the path that God is leading us down at this time. There were so many reasons to sell now rather than a year or two from now. One of those reasons was that I wasn't pregnant yet. So, I bet you now know what the announcement is that I referred to in the title. Yep, I'm pregnant! We found out a little over a week ago, one day before we put the house on the market. We are very excited about this baby!

But, I'm also rather scared. I've mentioned before that in my last pregnancy I got very sick. As in about as sick as it is possible to get. I was so sick that I was unable to function in any capacity.

Yesterday the first twinges of nausea began. If it progresses like last time, it will continue to get worse everyday until it gets completely unbearable in about two weeks. My one hope lies in the fact that this time we will be able to afford the expensive nausea medication. I so hope it works! With Gustin we could only afford the cheap medication and it only helped minimally.

So, will you please pray for me, my health and the health of the baby? Also, please pray that we sell this house very quickly. I don't know how much longer I will be able to keep up with the work involved with having the house on the market. Also, Eric and I are supposed to do a talk for a married couples group at church a week from this Friday. The thought of speaking terrifies me but I also really want to do this talk (we'll be relating the story of Eric's conversion and how it affected our relationship with each other, God and our marriage). Please pray that I am well enough to speak.

Thank you in advance for your prayers,