Today, I wasn't feeling very well - I have had a cold for about 10 days now. Naomi decided to help me out a bit, and poured lemonade in bottles for Kaeli, Lexi, & Libby. She spent quite a while filling and re-filling bottles and refereeing when Lexi took Libby's bottle, etc. At the end of it all, when all 3 babies were laying on the floor drinking their bottles, she came over, and plopped down beside me on the couch, and said "It sure is hard having 4 babies!"
Guess I better be a little more careful what I say :)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
2/24/12
Kaeli's comment to me today, "Look, Mommy, she (the doll) has a big tummy just like you!)
Why, thank you, Kaeli! :)
Why, thank you, Kaeli! :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
2/21/12
When we were up at my sister's house over Christmas time, she had a book titled, "Love You Forever" or maybe it's "I'll Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. I bought the book for my children, and I just love it. I especially love singing the rhyme to them at every opportunity. I am so thankful to have every one of them!
I figured out that over the past year, I have changed over 5000 diapers. I am not sure what I will do with my time when I don't have any kids in diapers anymore!
I figured out that over the past year, I have changed over 5000 diapers. I am not sure what I will do with my time when I don't have any kids in diapers anymore!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Back to the Past again - Dealing with a C-Section
Going into the hospital, I did not really even know what a C-section was. When it was covered in our class given by the hospital, the teacher was unable to make it that week, so it was a very condensed version that she shared with us. One thing I remember was that she said that 25% of the people in the class would end up with a c-section. I just looked around and wondered who it would be, never even considering that it might be me! :) I had never had any problems medically, and I just assumed this would not be any different.
After I did end up with a c-section, I felt bad that I hadn't been able to do what I was supposed to do. I knew that I should just be happy that my baby was healthy and we both survived, but somehow, it took me a long time to get to that point. I am not sure that I will ever reach it completely, but at least I understand why now.
It is the media, not to mention the competition between moms. Every mom has her own birth story or stories to tell, and those who had vaginal births are quite proud that everything went the way it did, especially if they opted to not use any medication during the births. Since I did have a c-section, I have paid close attention to everything I have heard about them since that time. I have come to the conclusion that the moms who are proud of the way their births went, along with the moms who feel guilty that their births did not go as planned, are promoting the idea that c-sections are wrong. I personally am thankful for mine - I don't think I would be here otherwise!
Apparently, it still bothers me a bit, because I get a bit defensive every time I read an article or hear someone comment about how c-sections are on the rise. I wonder why it matters to anyone that they are on the rise. Why should anyone even care how my baby or your baby was born? I researched this a bit just for my own curiosity and found that the number of deaths related to birth has declined. If just 1 baby or 1 mom was saved due to c-sections being on the rise, does it really matter how many c-sections, necessary or unnecessary, were performed?
I am thankful for all of the c-sections that my doctor performed before mine, if for nothing else than the experience it gave her so that she was able to perform all of mine successfully! :)
After I did end up with a c-section, I felt bad that I hadn't been able to do what I was supposed to do. I knew that I should just be happy that my baby was healthy and we both survived, but somehow, it took me a long time to get to that point. I am not sure that I will ever reach it completely, but at least I understand why now.
It is the media, not to mention the competition between moms. Every mom has her own birth story or stories to tell, and those who had vaginal births are quite proud that everything went the way it did, especially if they opted to not use any medication during the births. Since I did have a c-section, I have paid close attention to everything I have heard about them since that time. I have come to the conclusion that the moms who are proud of the way their births went, along with the moms who feel guilty that their births did not go as planned, are promoting the idea that c-sections are wrong. I personally am thankful for mine - I don't think I would be here otherwise!
Apparently, it still bothers me a bit, because I get a bit defensive every time I read an article or hear someone comment about how c-sections are on the rise. I wonder why it matters to anyone that they are on the rise. Why should anyone even care how my baby or your baby was born? I researched this a bit just for my own curiosity and found that the number of deaths related to birth has declined. If just 1 baby or 1 mom was saved due to c-sections being on the rise, does it really matter how many c-sections, necessary or unnecessary, were performed?
I am thankful for all of the c-sections that my doctor performed before mine, if for nothing else than the experience it gave her so that she was able to perform all of mine successfully! :)
Best Friends???
A few days ago, I overheard this conversation:
Kaeli: "I not your friend!"
Naomi: "Yes, you are!"
End of conversation. Don't you wish all friendships could be saved this easily? :)
Kaeli: "I not your friend!"
Naomi: "Yes, you are!"
End of conversation. Don't you wish all friendships could be saved this easily? :)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
February 9, 2012
Pretty quiet around here today. The kids are still sick, but I think that they are getting better. Naomi & Kaeli were fighting non-stop, so I made them go to bed at 7 PM. This is very unusual behavior for them. They usually get along very well - just like you would hope for your little girls!
We were in the restroom at Wal-mart the other day (we spend a lot of time in the restroom no matter where we go!) Naomi & Kaeli went into the same stall, and were just giggling away. I am not sure what was so funny, as I was changing one of the babies at the time, but they were sure having a good time! Nothing puts a smile on a woman's face like hearing 2 little girls just giggling away. I discovered this as I watched the other women leaving the restroom stalls :). I just love those little girls, and am so glad that they can light up other peoples' lives even if it is just for a moment the way that they light mine up on a daily basis!
We were in the restroom at Wal-mart the other day (we spend a lot of time in the restroom no matter where we go!) Naomi & Kaeli went into the same stall, and were just giggling away. I am not sure what was so funny, as I was changing one of the babies at the time, but they were sure having a good time! Nothing puts a smile on a woman's face like hearing 2 little girls just giggling away. I discovered this as I watched the other women leaving the restroom stalls :). I just love those little girls, and am so glad that they can light up other peoples' lives even if it is just for a moment the way that they light mine up on a daily basis!
Back to the Beginning
I would like to go back and start at the beginning about my children, since I have missed quite a few years before I came up with this idea.
I was living in Phoenix at the time I found out I was pregnant - my husband had taken a job in Tucson. I resigned my job the following week, and left 2 weeks later. Luckily, it all coincided with the sale of our home in Phoenix, so I was able to just stay at home for the remainder of my pregnancy. We had a few events planned - my brother was getting married overseas, and I didn't want to miss that! My pregnancy was fairly uneventful. At about 7 months along, during a scheduled doctor's visit, the doctor was not sure that the heartbeat was steady, so I had to go to the hospital and do a non-stress test, which turned out fine - it just completely stressed me out that there might be something wrong!
I had always heard that the first baby comes late, so we did not expect her until close to her due date. On a Sunday morning about 8 AM, when I was 37 1/2 weeks along, I was sitting there talking to my husband, and I sneezed. I felt my water break right then, and ran for the bathroom! He had no idea what was going on, so I told him that my water had broken, and that we needed to go to the hospital. His response was "Can't we go to church first?" Apparently, he had not read the paper I had given him to read! We packed a suitcase, and got ready to leave. I was quite nervous at this time, but very excited. My contractions had not yet started.
We got to the hospital about 9 AM, and still no contractions. The nurse that came in first wanted to put the IV in, and I agreed. A student nurse asked to watch, and I didn't have any problem with this, either. The nurse stuck the needle in my hand, and it hurt, and I mean, really hurt. I felt the pain, kind of like a shock go all the way down my first 2 fingers, and it just kept on. I started crying, but didn't say anything, because I didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be painful (this was my first time ever in the hospital). She then explained that she had "blown the vein", and told me to give her my other hand. Of course, I refused, and said that I would rather wait for the IV until I needed it. They had to go and check with the doctor, and the doctor said that it was necessary to be set up because my blood pressure was high . . . ummmm hello, I was nervous . . . who wouldn't have high blood pressure at this point??? Anyhow, another nurse came in and put the IV in, and it was practically painless.
The contractions started around 10 AM. I was already dilated to 4 CM when I went in. After a few hours, the contractions were getting harder and closer together, but I was not dilating any further, so I decided it didn't look like this was going to be a fast delivery. I requested the epidural at that time. It took them forever before they came and gave it to me. By this time, the contractions were getting really close together, and were quite painful, but I still had not dilated past 4 cm. As soon as they gave me the epidural, I completely relaxed, and dilated another cm immediately. My husband said, "We are going to do this right away next time!" (meaning the epidural).
I was able to just relax for the remainder of the day while my body did all of the work. When I was about 7 cm dilated and had been that way for a while, they came in and said that they were going to give me Pitocin to get things going again. They gave me the Pitocin, and one nurse told me that I should stop taking the epidural so that I would be able to push when the time came. Then, they all left the room, so it was just me and my husband in there. Of course, I obeyed her instructions because I wanted to be able to do everything right.
A little bit later, all of a sudden, the door opened and several nurses came rushing in, and asking me what was going on! By this point, I was in so much pain that I was not coherent enough to answer their questions, and I had no idea why they were even asking. One of the nurses pulled the oxygen mask over my face, and another one reached over and pushed the epidural button (that they weren't supposed to touch!) Thankfully, she did, because then I could at least focus on what was happening. Apparently, the pain was so bad that I was holding my breath, and it caused the baby's heart to stop beating. After that, I only took as much epidural as I needed to cope with the pain. At this point, they said that I was dilated to 10 cm, and I could start pushing.
I tried with everything I had, and nothing happened. The doctor finally left and told me to rest awhile. She came back sometime later, and told me to start pushing again. Again, I tried as hard as I could, and nothing happened. This same thing happened 4 times, before she suggested a c-section. The baby was just not dropping at all. I agreed to the c-section, even though it was not really what I wanted. I did not feel that I had a choice, if the baby was ever going to come out!
They prepared me for the c-section, and a short while later, at 11:03 PM, I had a beautiful baby girl!
I was living in Phoenix at the time I found out I was pregnant - my husband had taken a job in Tucson. I resigned my job the following week, and left 2 weeks later. Luckily, it all coincided with the sale of our home in Phoenix, so I was able to just stay at home for the remainder of my pregnancy. We had a few events planned - my brother was getting married overseas, and I didn't want to miss that! My pregnancy was fairly uneventful. At about 7 months along, during a scheduled doctor's visit, the doctor was not sure that the heartbeat was steady, so I had to go to the hospital and do a non-stress test, which turned out fine - it just completely stressed me out that there might be something wrong!
I had always heard that the first baby comes late, so we did not expect her until close to her due date. On a Sunday morning about 8 AM, when I was 37 1/2 weeks along, I was sitting there talking to my husband, and I sneezed. I felt my water break right then, and ran for the bathroom! He had no idea what was going on, so I told him that my water had broken, and that we needed to go to the hospital. His response was "Can't we go to church first?" Apparently, he had not read the paper I had given him to read! We packed a suitcase, and got ready to leave. I was quite nervous at this time, but very excited. My contractions had not yet started.
We got to the hospital about 9 AM, and still no contractions. The nurse that came in first wanted to put the IV in, and I agreed. A student nurse asked to watch, and I didn't have any problem with this, either. The nurse stuck the needle in my hand, and it hurt, and I mean, really hurt. I felt the pain, kind of like a shock go all the way down my first 2 fingers, and it just kept on. I started crying, but didn't say anything, because I didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be painful (this was my first time ever in the hospital). She then explained that she had "blown the vein", and told me to give her my other hand. Of course, I refused, and said that I would rather wait for the IV until I needed it. They had to go and check with the doctor, and the doctor said that it was necessary to be set up because my blood pressure was high . . . ummmm hello, I was nervous . . . who wouldn't have high blood pressure at this point??? Anyhow, another nurse came in and put the IV in, and it was practically painless.
The contractions started around 10 AM. I was already dilated to 4 CM when I went in. After a few hours, the contractions were getting harder and closer together, but I was not dilating any further, so I decided it didn't look like this was going to be a fast delivery. I requested the epidural at that time. It took them forever before they came and gave it to me. By this time, the contractions were getting really close together, and were quite painful, but I still had not dilated past 4 cm. As soon as they gave me the epidural, I completely relaxed, and dilated another cm immediately. My husband said, "We are going to do this right away next time!" (meaning the epidural).
I was able to just relax for the remainder of the day while my body did all of the work. When I was about 7 cm dilated and had been that way for a while, they came in and said that they were going to give me Pitocin to get things going again. They gave me the Pitocin, and one nurse told me that I should stop taking the epidural so that I would be able to push when the time came. Then, they all left the room, so it was just me and my husband in there. Of course, I obeyed her instructions because I wanted to be able to do everything right.
A little bit later, all of a sudden, the door opened and several nurses came rushing in, and asking me what was going on! By this point, I was in so much pain that I was not coherent enough to answer their questions, and I had no idea why they were even asking. One of the nurses pulled the oxygen mask over my face, and another one reached over and pushed the epidural button (that they weren't supposed to touch!) Thankfully, she did, because then I could at least focus on what was happening. Apparently, the pain was so bad that I was holding my breath, and it caused the baby's heart to stop beating. After that, I only took as much epidural as I needed to cope with the pain. At this point, they said that I was dilated to 10 cm, and I could start pushing.
I tried with everything I had, and nothing happened. The doctor finally left and told me to rest awhile. She came back sometime later, and told me to start pushing again. Again, I tried as hard as I could, and nothing happened. This same thing happened 4 times, before she suggested a c-section. The baby was just not dropping at all. I agreed to the c-section, even though it was not really what I wanted. I did not feel that I had a choice, if the baby was ever going to come out!
They prepared me for the c-section, and a short while later, at 11:03 PM, I had a beautiful baby girl!
Lexi & Libby's Birthday
Today was Lexi & Libby's 1st birthday. The older girls were extremely excited. We just had a family party, and spent a lot more time getting ready for it than the actual party, which lasted about 15 minutes. Neither baby is walking yet, not even taking steps on their own. They are all sick right now . . . again, but at least I haven't caught it this time . . .yet:)
Schoolwork
Sunday morning, at 4 in the morning, Kaeli rushes into our room, exclaiming in a very excited voice, "Mom, Can I work on schoolwork?!!" Schoolwork is her word for playing Reader Rabbit on the computer, which I have to get up out of bed and get it started for her.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Purpose of this Blog
I read the other day that someone started a journal when her kids were young, and just posted 1 little sentence per day to help her remember what when on during those years. As the mother of 4 small children, I have realized that the time is just passing like a blur, and I can't remember what happened yesterday, much less over the past year, so I am going to attempt to post at least 1 sentence per day of something that I think I would enjoy reading about in the future. Occasionally, I will try to include pictures or videos if I think that it applies :).
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