Wednesday - Details

Fetch
Boy, Maggie loves to fetch!
That is all.

Slumber

Up-cycle
Caleb has been attending Camp Invention this week.
He's been creating new things from miscellaneous recyclables and office supplies.
He's taken apart a VCR to explore the components and later build something new.
He's been learning about atoms.
He's been in little boy heaven.
(Not that girls can't participate; there's about a 50/50 split between boys and girls attending.)

Normal

Hearing the Wii Fit tell me "That's overweight," is less than desirable.

Rude is more like it.

Today, victory was mine!

That condescending little voice said, "That's normal."

Organic
I usually pass up on organic produce.
It's not that I don't see the value.
It's just that my priorities place cost above quality in some cases.
I took a double take at the store today when I was looking for strawberries.
Of course, I noticed the 300% price difference between organic and non-organic.
But the starkest difference was in the color and smell of organic versus non-organic strawberries.
Organic wins hands down!

All I Want for Christmas...Wait, It's Mid-January Already?

Caleb lost his second front tooth this evening.

He got in the van after school with it rotated 90 degrees. It had to come out tonight.

Why does this have to be an hour long ordeal?  Oh, right.  I'm dealing with a 7 year old.  I forgot.

So, he bit the loose tooth at dinner and it bled.  He went to twist and pull in in front of the bathroom mirror.  20 minutes later, we still had made little progress and I wasn't allowed to touch the tooth.

He finished his dinner then tried in front of the mirror in the girls' room.  20 minutes later, he had it rotated a bit farther, but it was holding on strong.

He sat on my lap on the couch and tried for another 20 minutes, the air filled with the sounds of whining.
I finally convinced his to let me apply teething gel and give it a few tugs myself.  Three pulls and zero cries of pain later...and we have a little boy who needs TWO front teeth!

Norah's 2 months!

Norah Elizabeth

2 months old

9 pounds, 9 ounces

21 inches long

Norah's 3 Weeks Already!

Oops!  I forgot to post her 2 week stats.

Weight: 6 lbs. 8 oz.
Length: 18 1/2 inches*
Head Circumference: 13 inches

*her length is less because the doctor's office takes a more relaxed measurement instead of stretching infants as far as possible :-)

She can already:
Stay awake for 3-4 hours a day (following feedings).
Turn your head from one side to the other when laying on her tummy.
Make brief eye contact.

Norah's Birth Stats & Story

Here are the stats:

• Norah Elizabeth Freeman
• September 27, 2011
• 12:14 pm
• 6 lbs at birth
• 5 lbs, 14 oz at time of discharge
• 19.5 in long
• 12.75 in head circumference
• dark brown/black hair
• Special fact: Her birthday is the same day my daddy died 4 years ago.  So bittersweet.
• 4 hour, 44 minute labor (we delivered less than an hour after breaking water)
• no epidural = alert baby and mommy

Praying for:

• My blood pressure, still working its way back down to normal
• Stable milk supply for nursing
• Norah's overall health and weight gain
• Sleep: these night time nursing sessions are killing me

Just so you're forewarned, I am including as many details as possible.  I want to be able to read this in the future and have the whole story to come back to!

We went in at 7:30 am on Tuesday, September 27 for an induction.  At that point, I was 38 weeks, 4 days.  I was dilated to 4 cm with 75% effacement.  I expected to have the Dr. Rister come in and break my water at 7:30 am, but that didn't happen.  The Labor & Delivery nurse was training a new nurse, so things moved along at a snail's pace.  When the doc came back at 8:10 am, the nurses still didn't even have my IV in.  At that point, Dr. Rister had to go to his office for his regular day of OB/GYN appointments.  Sigh.

The IV insertion was quite an experience.  The nurse in training was sweet and gentle, but she pushed that IV needle into and back out of my vein.  Painful.  Very painful.  Made me jump out of my skin.

Once that was finally over, I had several hours ahead of me until I'd see my OB again.  Sad face.  So, the nurses started my Pitocin drip to get the labor moving along.  The contractions felt like menstrual cramps that became more intense as time went on.  This entire process of labor was annoying.  I know, I'm complaining about something that most women experience for hours on end.  It's just that I counted on things moving a lot faster, because I'd expected to have my water broken before then.

The nurse checked me for dilation around 11 am.  I was dilated to 7 cm and 90 % effaced.  She also noted that my bag of water was bulging.  And so that is what I'd been feeling for the last few weeks.  I had mentioned to Jadie and a few friends on several occasions that I could feel "something" pushing out.  It didn't feel like Norah's head or foot or anything, just an uncomfortable bulge very near to the exit area.  :-)  So that's what it was!  Bulging bag.  What a ladylike term.

Dr. Rister returned around 11:20 am to break my water.  Finally!  This really got things moving, as I expected.  Over the next 45 minutes, my contractions became more painful and I opted for an IV drug called Fentanyl which I could take 3 times at 20 minute intervals.  It may have taken the edge off, but I still felt just about everything.  The nurse checked me after about 30 minutes to check progress.  I was dilated to 9 cm, but she discovered that Norah's head was blocking the remainder of my water from coming out.  She shifted her out of the way a bit, released the rest of the fluid and I immediately dilated to 10 cm.  It was go time!

Dr. Rister came back to our room and told me to start pushing with the contractions.  I couldn't get myself coordinated for the first two cycles.  My body just couldn't figure out how to push.  It was probably due to the fact that I was delirious from the Fentanyl.  Once I got things coordinated, she was out after only 2 pushes!  What a relief!

Norah's birth was much kinder to my body than Caleb's or Sarah's.  I'll be sure to thank her for that later.  She managed to make her way out without the need for an episiotomy or any tearing.  Praise the Lord.  This means that recovery has been quicker and less painful as well.

The craziest thing to me is that today, on October 5, we're still 2 days away from her due date.  How in the world do women make it to 40 weeks?  I've got to give them credit!

Sarah's 2 Year Check-up

No vaccinations today...Horray!  In fact, we are up to date and she's not due any shots until she turns 4 years old.

How does she stack up against other American babies?  Well, I think you may already know the answer to that question...

Height:  32 inches (8th percentile)
Weight: 21 pounds (0.71 percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 inches (10th percentile)

Boy, do we have a dainty little girl on our hands.  She makes up for it with her sass, though.  Watch out, world!

Baby #3: Ultrasound

What?!?

I let Facebook get the upper hand!

I neglected to post the ultrasound photo and reveal baby #3's gender here on the good 'ole faithful blog.

I had a follow-up appointment last Thursday, June 2nd to take a closer peek at baby's personal parts.

I'm so sorry I didn't tell you.

According to the ultrasound tech, we are having another GIRL!!!

Name discussions are still underway.  Stay tuned...

Sarah's 9 months old!

Here are the stats:

Weight: 16 lbs. 3 oz. and 10th percentile

Height: 26 1/4 in. and 10th percentile

Head Circumference: 17 in. and 30th percentile

Praise the Lord for:

No vaccinations today

A healthy, beautiful baby girl

No teeth yet, so we're still nursing!

Praying about:

My desire to have just one more baby...

Jadie's desire to quit before we're outnumbered.

Continued health and growth for Caleb and Sarah.

The Sickies

Blech!  Between a virus and sinus drainage followed by gagging and vomiting, I've been a one woman clean up crew since last Thursday.  Both kiddos.  Then my mom and sister.
We made a trip to visit Mom and Kristin on Friday, thinking that Caleb's nausea had passed.  He seemed fine by Saturday morning, but Sarah lost her cookies (not literally cookies) during the early morning hours and a few more times through Saturday evening.  By Sunday, they both seemed to be recovered.  We said goodbye to Mom and Kristin and headed back to Waco.  About 10 minutes after returning home, Mom called to say that she had gotten sick.  Then Caleb lost his dinner.  Gross.  Then Sarah lost her dinner...twice.  Then Kristin got sick this morning!  Are you kidding me?
At least my kids are good at sharing :-)

Another Boring Narrative Post

Since I posted last Wednesday for St. Patty's Day, I've been busy.  

Jadie took care of the kids for me from the time I left Friday morning until I returned Sunday afternoon.  That's right, almost three whole days!  What a blessing he was to me this weekend!  Where did I go, you ask?  To Tyler, Texas, of course!  

Our church held the annual Women's Retreat at Pine Cove amid the tall pine trees, on the beautiful banks of Lake Palastine, in the falling snow.  Yes, you read that right.  Snow.  The snow fell on us from late Saturday night until after breakfast Sunday morning.

I was feeling frustration and disappointment as I lay awake until 1:30 am Saturday morning.  I had been counting on getting a solid night's sleep since Sarah's still not sleeping through the night here at home.  although it didn't happen the first night, I managed a decent block of sleep the second night.  Enough about sleep, let me tell you what we did.

Friday night, we enjoyed a time of praising our Lord with songs and studying the character of a few women in the Bible.  We talked and laughed until it was time to hit the bunk beds.

Saturday we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, worshiped God some more and studied a couple more ladies from the Bible.  We worked on creating our very own quilt blocks, which I have not yet completed and we scattered all over Tyler for some free time.  During free time, I chose to hitch a ride to Tyler with 4 other ladies who dropped me off at Starbucks to meet my cousin Melissa.  She took me to my grandparents house (whom I have not seen since Thanksgiving) where we visited for a while until my mom arrived.  Mom, Granny, PawPaw, and I enjoyed a tasty dinner together at the Farmhouse restaurant in Van.  We took PawPaw back to the house and I let Mom and Granny navigate me back to Pine Cove so I could rejoin in the Women's Retreat activities.  My favorite parts of the weekend (with the exception of seeing my family) were still to come.  The Variety Show was hysterical as usual and I always enjoy staying up late telling stories and laughing until my stomach hurts.  Fun times!

Sunday morning we wrapped things up and headed home.  Jadie was still standing...did I mention he had help from his mom? I'm sure glad he did!

Jadie had the day off Monday, so we spent it running errands.  So helpful considering I would usually have to do these alone with the two kiddos.  Thank you hubby!

Tuesday was supposed to be back to normal:  Jadie to work and me and the kids getting things done around the house.  But other plans were in store for us.  Jadie's truck sputtered and died fifteen miles down the highway requiring an $80 tow back into town followed by $200 in repairs.  Apparently his ignition coil was damaged and needed replacing.  We got things taken care of though, and Jadie handled himself with such patience and calm.  I am so thankful for the way that he's allowing God to change his heart and attitude.  

Wednesday Sarah woke up feeling icky, but we trudged on to Bible Study.  She was fussy for a bit, but seemed to be herself after being fed.  We made a quick trip to the grocery store for some sandwich items and basic stuff like milk, bread, and eggs.  She fell asleep sitting up in the grocery cart.  By the time Jadie got home from work, she seemed a little warm, but I didn't really think much of it.  I should have.  Buy 8:30 last night, her fever was 103, so we hurried to the Urgent Care Clinic here in town.  She has a milk ear infection and likely has a viral infection that she's fighting off.  

Today the kids and I are sticking around here to rest and hopefully get Sarah's fever under control with Mortin.  In happy news, we should be receiving our Dyson Animal Vacuum today.  No, we didn't shell out the $599 that it retails for.  Jadie used rewards points from work to purchase it.  I can't wait to see how well it works, but I can wait to see all the nasty stuff it sucks out of our carpet.

Sarah's 6 Month Check Up

Here are the stats: 6 months old!!!
1 oral vaccine
3 shots
14lbs/1 lb 4 oz gained (20th percentile)
24.75 in long/1 inch growth (20th percentile)
16.75 in head circumference/0.75 inch growth (55th percentile)

Praying for:
A second case of Mastitis for me
My blood pressure, currently running about 120/80 (still)
Sarah's continued health and weight gain
Peace, love, and self-control as I parent Caleb

Time Off Can Be A Hassle

Jadie was off work from the 7th to the 15th because of his knee issues from earlier this month. We had the doctor fill out FMLA paperwork and he was approved. End of story. Right?

Not so much. Apparently, the FMLA is only for the first 7 calendar days. He was off work for 7 work days (9 calendar days). So, in order to receive benefits for the last 2 days he missed work, we had to get paperwork filled out for the disability group. Ok, that's annoying, but doable.

Not quite the end of the story. To further complicate the story and light a fire under us to make sure all of the details are taken care of, Jadie got a call today from the payroll department. Through this phone call, Jadie was informed that he is still shown to be off of work (even though today is his 6th day back to work). So, until the disability paperwork is completed and approved, he is not getting paid for actually being at work and working.

I'm praying that the details are worked out and that we get paid...we are a one income household, after all!

Rundown for the Day

Today was a MOPS morning!  We have only one meeting a month, so I always enjoy my mom time!  

This morning we heard from a local GYN who presented information about women's health and typical women's concerns.  Of course, the topic everyone was most interested in was birth control, followed closely by decreased libido.  It's always nice to know that I'm not alone!  The GYN said that 90% of the time, decreased libido is due to stress; only about 10% of the time it's due to hormone issues.  I'm not counting on the stress level decreasing anytime soon.  I mean, there's someone calling my name or requesting my help from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. every day...and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  After our speaker, we discussed some further details about birth control methods, getting first hand information from the other moms in our group about what they've tried and how exactly each option works.  This time was very educational (I've only ever used the pill and that was almost 5 years ago).  After our enlightening conversation, we stamped some cards to be used for notes or thank yous.  What mom can't use more of those?

When the kids and I returned home, we ate a quick bite and then ran errands with Jadie for the rest of the afternoon.  We exchanged some clothes at the mall, had my ring inspected to ensure my lifetime warranty, traded in some movies and video games, exchanged some wall plug face plates and browsed the bathroom vanities at Home Depot, and returned something to Lowe's.  By the time we were at Home Depot, Caleb was displaying his I-haven't-had-a-nap-today behavior.  That was fun...

I made enchiladas for dinner, with one leftover for my lunch at BSF tomorrow.  Jadie's trying out his new video game while I blog and Caleb plays with his GeoTrax.  Poor kiddo.  He's still got an ugly looking rash on his hands and arms.  The nurse from our doctor's office said that if it's only isolated to his hands now, it's probably getting better and we should give it another week.  She did say that it's not contagious.  Let's hope she's right!

Cheater

**Ok, os I'm cheating a little on my "Blog Everyday" goal.  I'm actually writing Monday's post on Tuesday evening.  But it will contain news from Monday.**

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.  This morning was my Monday morning BSF leader's meeting.  Last week I was running late because of timing issues with Sarah's feeding "schedule."  This week had the makings for a repeat of last week, but Sarah remained patient while I put her off until arriving at the church.  She is a sweet one!  The ladies were excited to have a baby to take care of and I was excited that the timing had worked out better than last week.  I was on time instead of fifteen minutes late!

While the kids and I were at BSF, Jadie was at his follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.  The doc restated that he had expected to find a torn meniscus when looking at the MRI results, but instead he found no indication of anything abnormal.  So, no surgery.  he still requested for Jadie to take some time off of work, so we drove to Temple to pick up the FMLA papers for the doc to fill out.  Jadie should be back to work next Monday.

Ailments

Today we had two doctor's appointments:

Caleb's 4-year check up

• Height-3'3"
• Weight-32 lbs
• BMI-14.79 (20th percentile)
• Vaccinations-DTap, IPV, MMR, Varicella
• Immediate Annoying Reactions-Screaming, crying, bargaining for extra stickers and lollipops
• Later Adverse Reactions-Rash on hands, torso, legs, elbows
• Imformation From the Nurse-This is a normal reaction to the varicella vaccine.  Give him some Benadryl and alternate Tylenol and Motrin for possible fever.
• Further Diagnosis-I searched for "varicella vaccine," on Swagbucks, of course.  I discovered that Varicella is the vaccine for chicken pox.  Caleb may actually be experiencing a mild form of them.  And could possibly pass them along to household members (Sarah, perhaps).

Jadie's Orthopedic Surgeon Appointment

• This was needed for his knee because of a pop followed by continuing pain.
• An X-ray revealed no bone fragments floating around and no bones fractured or broken.
• The doc thinks it's probably a torn meniscus due to the situation in which he hurt his knee and the type of pain that he's experiencing.
• An MRI was taken this morning.
• A follow-up appointment is scheduled for Monday morning to determine if surgery will be necessary.

Sarah Is 4 Months Old!

Here are the stats:

• 4 months old!!!
• 1 oral vaccine
• 2 shots (4 vaccines)
• 12lbs, 10 oz/2 lbs gained (48th percentile)
  
• 23.75 in long/1 inch growth (26th percentile)
• 16 in head circumference/0.75 inch growth (48th percentile)

Praying for:

• My blood pressure, currently running about 120/80 (still)
• Sarah's continued health and weight gain
• Jadie's cough.  He was sick over Thanksgiving and his cough is still lingering...

Growing Girl

We had Sarah's two month check this morning. This appointment was much better than her nightmare of an appointment at two weeks. Apparently getting into the doctor's office (with an appointment) during the first week of school means you'll be waiting at least two hours. This morning we were in and talking to the doctor within fifteen minutes!

After talking with the doctor, we had a jolly old time getting poked with needles! I went first and I took it like a champ for once. I got the seasonal flu shot and didn't even shed a tear. Trust me, this is usually a tearful experience. Caleb's flu shot was next, and he was already panicking as the nurse rubbed alcohol on his leg. What followed was not pretty. Let's just say I'm glad I brought my mom along so she could escort him to the car. Finally, it was Sarah's turn. She was not a happy camper to be awakened by having medicine squeezed into her mouth. She had to endure an oral medication plus THREE shots in her legs. Thankfully, that part is over.

As if today's trauma of the doctor's visit wasn't enough, Sarah is sporting her first battle wounds from her big brother. I'm sure he didn't intend to hurt his little sister, but I just wanted to scream at him at the top of my lungs. We were at my mom's new house (No, she's not moving. This is an investment property) just hanging around while the appliance man fixed the dishwasher. Caleb was rolling this knitting loom across the floor.

I had already told him not to roll it anywhere near Sarah's car seat, which she was sleeping in after having endured the torture that was her check up. As usual, he continued doing as he pleased, quickly forgetting my warning. Sure enough, as he tossed the ring for another roll, it whacked her right in the eye. She's got a red mark above and below her eye. Man, have I got a challenging time ahead of me.

Anyhow, here are Sarah's new stats:

• 10 lbs, 1 oz/3 lbs, 3 oz gained (40th percentile)
• 22.75 in long/3.25 in growth (55th percentile)
• 15.25 in head circumference/1.75 in growth (49th percentile)

Praise the LORD for:

• A healthy, growing girl!
• A little boy who doesn't listen...

Praying for:

• Continued health and growth for Sarah
• A little boy who doesn't listen...
• Balance and time management for me

Two Things You May Not Want To Know

Since this is where I document the happenings in my life, you have the priviledge of being subjected to occasional stories that only close friends and family (most of you reading fall into the category anyway!) might otherwise hear.

Today's tidbits are both breast-related, so brace yourself...

1. I have officially experienced Mastitis AKA Breast Infection.  "Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that causes pain, swelling and redness of the breast.  Mastitis occurs when bacteria enter your breast through a break or crack in the skin of your nipple or through the opening to the milk ducts in your nipple. Bacteria from your skin's surface and baby's mouth enter the milk duct and can multiply — leading to pain, redness and swelling of the breast as infection progresses." -Mayo Clinic website

I first experienced tenderness/mild pain during the day Friday.  I just wrote it off, until the chills and fever kicked in on Friday night.  Jadie was out fishing for the night.  I called him home at 3:30 am so he'd be able to wake up Saturday morning and help me with the kiddos in case I wasn't feeling any better.  That was a good call.  I spent most of the day in bed with fever of 102-103, an unbearable headache and general body aches.  Not cool.  We called the OB and he called in a prescription for antibiotics.  Praise God for medical knowledge, because these drugs have done glorious things for my problems.  I'm not over it yet, but feeling 80% better.

If you intend to breast-feed, I encourage you to study up on mastitis prevention, because you will want to do everything that you can to avoid this if at all possible.

2.  Although I am modest and use a nursing cover in public, I am very open in my own home when it's just our family.  With that said, I was nursing last night when Caleb came over to kiss Sarah's head.  So precious and so frequent an event!  He studied my breast and pointed to my very obvious veins asking, "Mommy, is your milk GREEN?"  That was a fun conversation.  

Sarah's Two Week Appointment

Here's our Little Miss at 2 weeks:

Here are the stats:

• 6lbs, 14 oz/20 oz gained (12th percentile)
  
• 19.5 in long/1 inch growth (15th percentile)
• 13.5 in head circumference/1.5 inch growth (23rd percentile)
  
• 2 hours, 10 minutes at the doctor's office (next year's appointment will be scheduled after school starts so we don't have to contend with kids needing school shots and sports physicals)

Praise the LORD for:

• Good milk supply for nursing!
  
• Better sleep at night!
  
• Friends who brought dinner Sarah's first week!
  
• Melanie and Gail who have taken Caleb out of the house for some fun time!
  

Praying for:

• My blood pressure, currently running about 120/80 (already much improved)
• Sarah's continued health and weight gain
  
• Caleb's strong-willed attitude

Sarah's Birth Story

Hopefully I remember the details well enough to tell a coherent "story" for you all.  But first, some pictures!

Here I am, fairly swollen and ready to go the day before giving birth.

Caleb checks out his baby sister.

Caleb is so proud to hold little Sarah.  He wants so badly to pick her up.

Let's assume I'm swollen.  

As of today, I'm down almost 20 pounds, so let's hope at least 10 of them came from my thighs :-)

At 5lbs 10oz, Sarah was so tiny that she required lots of extra support at discharge time.

Now, for the scoop.  

Two weeks ago, at my July 28 appointment, Dr. Rister scheduled me for an induction.  That day I was dilated to 4 cm, but had not been experiencing labor pains, only uterus contractions that felt like mild pressure. At my August 4th appointment, I was still measuring 4 cm and I still had not had any labor pains, but was getting nervous about the possibility of going into labor on my own.  I was mostly nervous because Jadie was still working during the day and I didn't want to be at home alone with Caleb when the moment came.  I offset this fear by convincing Kristin to spend time with me nearly every day.

We walked through the doors of the Women's and Children's Center at Hillcrest Hospital at 6am on Friday the 7th.  The paperwork and arm bracelets took about 10 minutes and then we were off to the Labor & Delivery Room that had been prepared for us.  The first hour in the L& D room was spent signing more paperwork, answering 100 questions, checking my vitals (which revealed even higher blood pressure) and getting the IV in.   

I was set up and ready to get the pitocin flowing around 7:15 am.  Emily, my nurse, started me on the lowest dose of pitocin since Dr. Rister would be in surgery from 7:40 am to 8:30 am.  At 7:25 am Dr. Rister came in to break my water and check dilation.  At that point, I was dilated to 5 cm.  He said he thought we'd have a baby before lunch.

The nurse and I discussed when to get the epidural.  I was 90% sure I wanted it, but was unsure of how soon to get it since I didn't know how long the labor would last and I didn't want the medication to wear off before the worst part was over.  I decided to wait until after Dr. Rister's surgery (the anesthesiologist would be in the surgery and unavailable during that time).  It took about 20 minutes for me to begin to feel any contractions at all, but by 8 am, I was asking for alternate pain control options.  I knew I only had to wait 20 more minutes for the anesthesiologist, but I was feeling what I thought were intolerable contractions.  I kept telling Emily (the nurse) that I must be a wimp to think my contractions were unbearable only 30 minutes into my induction.  Jadie was my hero, getting right in my face to help me breathe and stay calm.

At about 8:15 am, I began to feel panicky because I was pretty sure I felt the pressure of Sarah beginning to push her way out of the birth canal.  I felt my body beginning to push without being able to control myself.  I was quickly losing any shred of calm I had left.  Emily said she'd check my dilation (she seemed to be trying to appease me, to calm me down).  She seemed surprised as she told us that I was already dilated to 9 cm.  She left the room for a few minutes.

When Emily returned with a second nurse, I was frantic.  I told her I was pretty sure that the baby was already crowning.  I had unknowingly already began spreading my legs and holding one of them in the air.  Again, she seemed to have trouble believing me.  The other nurse took a peek and said, "I can see some hair!"  She told me to stop pushing the baby out.  I told her that I wasn't able to control myself, my body was doing the involuntarily.  Seriously, I had lost control.  She told me to pant like a dog, which I thought was dumb, but it actually worked and I was able to stop pushing for a few moments.  Dr. Rister came in quickly (apparently leaving his surgery a little early) and was shocked to see Sarah's head crowning.  Once he had on his gear, I stopped panting and my body kicked in again and her head was out in no time.  Dr. Rister also told me to stop pushing (which wasn't going to happen), that he could finish delivering Sarah on his own.  I still kept pushing and she was out at 8:21 am!  

That was some seriously crazy 56 minute labor.  I still cannot believe it.  Both Emily and Dr. Rister said that they had never had an induction lead to delivery in under an hour.  Whew.  It was traumatic, but it was over before I knew what had hit me.  Not having the epidural was excruciating, but I actually have memory of the delivery this time.  With the epidural and then the blood pressure medicine I had with Caleb's delivery, I can hardly remember a thing.  This time everything was so different.

Hopefully I didn't leave out anything important, but if I did I correct it later since the main reason for recording this is for my own personal reflection and future reading.  Thanks for joining me in my journey!