Monday, September 26, 2011

Part two of Esther's birth story....

After I heard the first cries ... I could see her briefly and a bit far away. But I could see this little lady had some dark hair and what seemed like a lot to me!

I was still on the operating table because I still needed to be stitched up but first they did the tubal ligation, so yes -- it's permanent as much as we have any control over the matter. And it's a good thing that we had determined we were done having kids, because the doctor would have recommended to us not to have any more. He discovered the walls of the uterus were very, very thin - which is not ideal for pregnancy.

And I was also informed that we got Esther out just in time, because the doctor told me that there was some meconium in the amniotic fluid, but luckily not to the point that it was going to cause her problems. I know that I couldn't have done this without the help of my husband and I'm so thankful he was there for the birth!

So after a morning of feeling lots of contractions that were very painful and hurting I had the baby within 4 1/2 hours of the onset of my contractions...

Here I am 3 weeks later and I love not feeling pregnant anymore, and my feet have finally gone back to their normal size and my baby girl is so fun to have around. The rest of the kids are doting on her all the time, and the older girls always want to hold her.

When the kids came in to the hospital to see Esther after school on the 6th ... they were all in 'instant' love with her.

I'm still having major feelings of being overwhelmed with all the tasks that I should be doing on top of taking care of a newborn, in addition to healing from a major surgery. But I just need to constantly remind myself that it will take time and I will feel "normal" again.

I can't complain too much though because my little beauty sleeps pretty well at night... especially if she's swaddled! Like last night she fell asleep at 12 am and made noise around 2:30ish in the morning but when I came to check on her, she was still sound asleep. So I let her be, and laid back down and she stayed asleep till 6am. But of course, these nights of sleeping well don't make up for the sleepless nights I had at the end of the pregnancy and even the last few weeks ....


I would like to put up some pictures... but I think it would be easier to just put together some scrapbook pages and post those instead.  But here is a picture of our cute little girl at 1 week old. 

 ESTHER CAROLINE  
8 lbs 4oz   19 1/2" 
Sept 6th


Monday, September 12, 2011

Sit Right Back and I'll tell you a tale ....

PART 1

What a crazy last few weeks I've had. First off, on Labor Day which was the 5th of September we didn't do a whole lot of anything. Just trying to make sure that the items needed in my absence at the hospital would be in the house, so we took care of picking up those few things that I hadn't gotten to yet. And then come that evening we had already been planning on going to the Orem Owlz baseball game that was happening that evening. Well, it all started off because we didn't know that the game time was an hour earlier than normal. ( I don't know how we didn't notice that before we got to the ball park that night). So when we got to the game it was already the top of the 3rd inning.

Yes I was at the ball game the night before I was scheduled to have my baby!! I was having contractions on and off all throughout the day but nothing that seemed time-able or regular to indicate I was in labor at all. So I made it through the ball game, and at the end we were ready to leave because we were still waiting to hear from the hospital to know what time to report to get ready for the c-section. So we were leaving the ball park and the event staff was handing out little "fat boy" ice cream sandwiches were GOOD!!

We hopped in our van and headed home, and halfway home we got a call on my cell phone, but doofus me left the phone in the bag which I put in the back of the van. We missed the call but found out that it was labor and delivery calling me. So I called them back (which I'm surprised that they called that number anyway as I had given them my home phone and Chris's cell numbers to contact us through). They told us that our c-section was scheduled for 9:30 am the next morning and that I needed to be there by 7:30am in order get prepped and be ready in time. All the kids were excited because now everything started to seem so real.... and I, well I started to CRY because all of a sudden here is this time that I thought would never get here, and I wasn't sure I wanted it to happen yet. I'm chalking that up to pregnancy hormones.... haha...

So now, I couldn't put off packing my hospital bag anymore... I needed it ready to go in the morning!! I had mostly everything together, but I had to double check and then add a few things I hadn't put together yet. We thought we would have a really crazy morning trying to get the kids to school and our 4 year old Ethan to whomever would be watching him. When it dawned on us that I only had to be at the hospital from 7:30 till it was time, and that Chris could easily be a driver and get everyone to school and the sitters etc.... we worked it out to have Chris's sister Amy watch Ethan for us, and we were able to just drop of the older school kids at school about 15 minutes earlier than they should have been there. So that was the plan to shoot for as of the night before.... Well I tried to sleep as best I could.... and knowing how lousy sleep I had been getting for the previous few weeks I'd be surprised if I had any better sleep tonight. Well, after I had everything ready and a bag ready with some supplies in it for Ethan I attempted to get some sleep. Well, I had contractions still coming into the evening and they had all been painful even the ones throughout the day time. So I was just trying to relax and not think anything of it.

I was trying to get some sleep and trying, and trying... but I ended up having a few contractions almost every hour and they were WAKING ME UP!! they HURT!! OUCH.... Around 4:30 (maybe even earlier but this is when I started keeping track) I realized I was having contractions about every 5 - 7 minutes apart and they hurt like nothing I'd ever experienced before!! Okay well maybe I had experienced it before but I couldn't remember how bad and intense they were from before. Well, I eventually had to start breathing to get through these, and I was crying because they were causing me A LOT of pain. And everyone else was SLEEPING, so I was jealous too!!!

I tried not to think anything of it, and just tried to work through each contraction, and finally around 5:30 I decided I needed to get my shower, because who was I kidding I wasn't really going to get any sleep. I showered and had a few while in the process of taking my shower .... so I braced myself against the walls for some support.

Chris was up around 6am and I was in tears and updated him on the condition I had been going through for the last hour and half. Now things seemed to be more serious and real, and we had to get the kids ready ... and take with us, so that Chris could just take me to the hospital, and then turn around and drop off the kids without needing to go home to get them ready or anything. SO .... it was an EARLY morning for our family, we aren't used to being up that early! And I was exhausted.

So we arrived at the hospital about 10 - 15 minutes earlier than we were told to be there, and when I arrived I said how I was scheduled for a c-section but that I was in labor as well and had been contracting since 4:30am. Once I was sitting in a wheelchair I told Chris to take the rest of them and hurry and get back!! They pulled me into my pre-op room and who ever tried to get my IV started wasn't very good or I just had retarded veins that wouldn't cooperate, so it took three attempts to fnally get one in, and the placement of it couldn't have been worse. It ended up in my right arm (which I am right handed) and it was in the crook of the arm. ANNOYING to say the least.

But the nurse checked me to see how much time they had to get the OR ready and I was at a 5 by the time I got there, and I was only at a 1.5 on Friday the 2nd of Sept. So I was for sure in labor and being a huge baby about it. I didn't want anymore pain.... !!!! And the whole time I was anxious for Chris to make it back!!

The Doctor who was supposed to do the surgery at 9:30 wasn't even in the hospital or close by, so luckily another doctor with the same office was there, and stepped up and took over. They got me into the OR around 8:30ish to get the spinal block in place, and once that was in place within just a few minutes I was in HEAVEN... no more pain. Which of course, meant no more control of my legs either. The nurse checked me again and in an hours time I went from a 5 to a 7!! She was not waiting to be born any longer -- today was the DAY!

Just after that Chris was in the OR with me in his "scrub" gear with the camera in hand and was there to hold my hand finally!! I don't think I have ever loved him more than at that very moment when our eyes met and we knew what was about to take place. And within just a few minutes about 10 or 15 - I heard the first cries of our little daughter Esther Caroline Randolph!! Boy what a set of lungs she has!!

Pictures to come later.... (Blogger isn't letting me load them right now)

Monday, September 5, 2011

Twas the night before .....

Well tonight is the last night in my life that I will ever be pregnant. Kind of a bitter sweet moment for me. But my body is so ready to have this little angel join our family. I have been having painful contractions throughout the day, but nothing that is timeable or consistent to make me think that I might be in labor. So now that we have gone to the baseball game and got our call on the way home from the game to say that the c-section is scheduled for 9:30am and we have to report by 7:30am. I hope I can get some sleep tonight, which I'll be surprised if I can sleep because of how miserable the last few weeks have been during the night. But at least this is the last night to sleep being pregnant and then tomorrow night I start the whole not being able to sleep because I have a newborn. I've been terribly emotional this entire pregnancy and the slightest little things will set me off into crying. And I kind of feel like that now. I know what I'm doing is special, and that I'll just fall in love with her the minute she's put into my arms. The kids are all EXCITED to meet little Esther tomorrow after school. And it was really hard to actually get them to go to bed tonight, I just hope that everyone can wake up an hour earlier than they are used to in order for me to get to the hospital at the right time. I do feel like an EPIC FAILURE as far as cleaning up the house goes because the kitchen and living room aren't tidied and I don't have energy to do a darn thing about it. Hopefully my kids will kick into gear and get things done while I'm away for a few days. (Crossing my fingers) I still can't believe I'm about to have another baby and a little girl at that!! It's been several years now since I've had a little girl and now that little girl is 9 years old!! Well, this is the one time I've waited till the last minute to pack my bag... actually most of it is done, I just need to make sure that everything is actually in there now. So I should go, and maybe try to wash up the kitchen dishes at least so that Chris doesn't have to deal with them tomorrow. I can't believe another incredible journey is going to begin tomorrow morning. I'm nervous, excited, tired, sad, and scared all in one. But I know with my husband close by I can make it through anything, and with all the friends and family praying for me and wishing my family an I the best... that things will be okay. So I'm signing off for a few days, and when I'm back I'll have pictures to share!!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Maternity Pictures from August 16th, 2011

So I had a great friend of mine who is talented and just plain AWESOME take some pictures of me a few weeks ago.   Here are some of my favorites.   And now, it's just a few more days until the arrival of our little Esther girl.   Tuesday SEPT 6th will be her birthday ....UNLESS something changes between now (Sept 2nd) and then.   Chris is taking me out tonight for a "last FRIDAY date night" before we have a baby again.  And last night on top of all the regular pregnancy pains and ailments... I stepped on a bee or wasp and ended up with a "sting".   YES it hurt!!!  YES I cried!!!  YES it throbbed most of the night causing me to get very little sleep!!  YES this resulted in me taking a two hour nap today!!   

But Chris being his funny self ... when he realized that I was stung and I was hysterical and completely freaking out and crying like a big baby ... said something like, " Oh my, I think you are allergic your foot is already swelling up"     REMINDER:  I have had swollen feet for 2 months now.   I wasn't laughing when he first said it, but about 15 - 20 minutes later it came back to my mind and I was laughing in the middle of crying ....If that is even possible.





I like this picture ALOT... except you can really see how fat and ugly my feet are and have been. haha.