Sixteen Days

This little man and I went out by ourselves for a well-baby check-up today.

Our sweet Blaise Titus was 7 pounds, 9 ounces when he was born.  Today, at sixteen days old, he was 8 pounds, 13 ounces.  He is a snuggly, content baby who seems to like to sleep.  I know that may change so I am grateful for my good sleeper so far.  He is still up to feed during the night but typically goes right back to sleep and also takes good, long daytime naps.

I love having a newborn again.  It's so worth the crazy, out-of-routine, sleepless days we are in.

This Time Around

After Shane and I arrived at the hospital to have Blaise, we laughed at one point because the delivery room looked almost exactly like the ones we had been in for our two previous induction/deliveries.  And those were in a different city, hours away from where we are now.  I had joked throughout this pregnancy that Shane was going to have to drive me down to Louisville so my old doctor could deliver our baby.  Thankfully I found a doctor here who I also love and I had a great hospital experience.

It was nice for things to feel so familiar this time around.  I felt like I knew what to expect from being induced, what I wanted to happen right after delivery, and how I would feel in the hours following.  There is something super exciting about having a baby for the first time.  But there is something wonderful about getting to go through it all again, having done and seen and felt before.

I was especially glad that all the hospital stuff wasn't new to me since this was part of my hospital routine this time around...

Our parents brought the older three up on Tuesday to see us and Blaise.  They all loved him right away.

When we got home that Wednesday, this was waiting to greet us...

People have been amazing this time around; we have had meals and sweet gifts and lots of friends checking up on us.

One of my favorite things this time around has been hearing Lieren and Simeon say, "I hold him?"  They have suddenly become big kids with a newborn around...

Silas loves his little brother immensely.  I can't really explain how grateful I am that the older three love their baby brother so much.

And this time around, this is what a first bath looks like...

I have a little audience for almost everything!

Because Blaise has three older siblings who still need to be entertained, he has been out and about quite a bit already.  We've been to the park a couple of times, to a farm park, and to church.  The older three also got to visit the zoo but Blaise and I stayed home.

We are nowhere near getting back into a routine and are just taking one day at a time still.  I am grateful for all the help we have as I figure out how to make it all work.  Just yesterday the Lord reminded me, "Do not fear."  So that has become my mantra for these days.  There will be lots of crazy, but I hope to face it with a heart of trust and not of fear.  I'm sure most of what I fear will not come to pass anyways, and if I knew some of what is to come, I wouldn't be able to bear the weight right now.  So I am finding ways to train my thoughts to trust.  And praying for grace.

Never The Same

One week ago today, Shane and I kissed our three babies good bye, leaving them in the care of my parents and Shane's mom, and drove to the hospital to have baby number four.

"There is something about certain things in life that just feel bigger than life itself," I said as we drove.

"Well, days like today you wake up realizing that life as you know it will never be the same," Shane replied.

So true.  We will never be the same now that our baby Blaise is part of the family.

We got to the hospital a little after 9 and our nurse took us to our room.  It was fun.  Familiar.  Exciting.  My doctor was in surgery so one of the midwives came in and met with us.  It took a while to get everything going as she was communicating with my doctor about the plan to induce.  So it wasn't until about 10:30 that they started pitocin.  Baby did have his head down (an answer to prayer!) but wasn't really descended and they could still move him all around.  The midwife warned that she thought it might be a long day.  We settled in.

My contractions picked up very slowly.  Slower than I remember with Silas or Sim and Lieren.  We texted our parents and let them know not to expect to bring the children up anytime soon.  Shane left for a while to get lunch.  We walked the hall.  And in the middle of the afternoon I realized I had been in labor without any meds for longer than with either of my two previous deliveries.

At 3:43 I texted my mom:  I am tired.  Just broke my water but he is not moving down as quickly as I would like :) Contractions picking up so will prob ask for epidural soon. 

I was just dilated to a 3 at that point.  And I did ask for the epidural pretty much immediately after that.  Breaking my water has always picked up labor for me and this was no exception.

At 5:39 I sent a text to a few friends:  Pray baby descends.  He is still high from being breech.  So ready to meet him!

And I had only dilated to a 4 by then.  What's funny is that my nurse kept doing things to get ready for delivery; getting things out, setting things up.  She kept saying she didn't trust me to take long since this was my third pregnancy.  I just thought it was funny and didn't believe her.  It had felt like a long day that was far from over.  I was only at a 4, after all!

A little before 7 we decided Shane would run get something for dinner.  His dad had come by so they chatted for a bit, Shane ordered a pizza and left to pick it up.  I was still at a 4 and my nurse just warned him to stay close.  I told him nothing was happening soon.

My mom called at 7:20.  Shane's mom had just left to bring Silas up to the hospital to see us.  We had promised him he would get to come meet the baby and since I expected it to be late before I delivered we wanted him to at least get to see us.

I was sitting upright in bed as I was talking to my mom, one of my nurse's suggestions to help baby descend.  About 2 minutes into our conversation my nurse stuck her head in asking if I was ok and said she would come back in a few minutes to check me.  As she walked out I felt something huge change!

I doubled over and felt like I was having the baby!

My nurse ran back in and said she needed to check me now!  She had seen on her monitor what I was feeling.  I said yes! and at 7:22 told my mom I had to go because the nurse was there to check progress.  I could hardly even get the words out.

We're having a baby! she said.  And I totally believed her.  I could tell.

But Shane's not here!

My doctor was just out in the hall so the nurse went to get her.

At 7:23 I called Shane.  Answer your phone!  I couldn't believe he didn't pick up till the 3rd or 4th ring!  I told him we were having a baby and that he needed to come back now!  Seriously!?  He kept saying.  Yes!!

At 7:26 I texted my mom:  We r having a baby.  She replied:  Now?  I wrote back:  Yes.  Then:  Call Judy and tell her to come back to get u all.

My doctor and everyone else began descending on the scene.  As long as you're ok, we'll wait, my doctor reassured me, knowing I desperately didn't want Shane to miss a thing.

(On a side note, Shane called the pizza place on his way back to the hospital to tell them he wasn't coming because his wife was having a baby.  Ha!  Then he ran through the hospital to get up to the room.  He said it felt like a movie scene.)

Shane walked in just as I was saying I was going to have to push.

And our darling baby Blaise was born at 7:40.

Silas, Simeon, and Lieren got to come meet him with Papa, Nana, and Grandma as we had promised...

And finally, late that night, we were a family of six...

We love you, baby Blaise.  We will never be the same because of you.  And for that we are most thankful!

Two More Sleeps

I was downstairs with Simeon this morning when Silas woke.  I heard him running down the hall then he practically hopped down the stairs saying, "Mommy, Mommy, only two more sleeps then the baby will be here!"

He is right...only TWO more sleeps!

Our baby Blaise cannot seem to keep his head down for any length of time.  By the middle of this week I was sure he was breech again.  And when we went in to see the doctor on Thursday, she confirmed it.  She moved him quite easily right there in the office and when we left he was head-down again.  But I don't think he is anymore.  So as we talked through our options and what was most important to us, we all agreed that inducing on Monday was the best plan.  My hope previously was to go into labor on my own (I was induced with both Silas and the twins).  But now it has become more important to me not to have a c-section if at all possible.  My doctor explained that most physicians will not try to turn the baby if you are already in labor.  If I were to go on my own and he was breech, it would most likely mean a c-section.  So we hope to get him in a good position on Monday then get labor going.

Because we now know when baby is coming, my parents came on here rather than waiting a few more days like they had planned.  We had fun picking them up at the airport last night (our three children ran all over that place!) and a nice lunch today here at home with Shane's mom and Lee joining us.

Just after lunch today my mom said, "Well, just think, in 48 hours he could be here!"

It is crazy to me that our "babies" are about to be big siblings!

We will let you know when he's here!