Picture Post

Baby Feet

Bullets

• Morgan has a dimple in his right cheek.
• We had a friend visit from Llanfairfechan today. It was lovely to see her and talk about our boys. She has four boys too. We can relate to each other. lol!
• We came downstairs this morning to a floor covered in noodles. Jason was at work! Unfortunately they were Paul's wheat-free noodles which are not cheap.
• Morgan weighs 10lb 11oz already! He is a good eater! I need to put him on skim milk! lol!
  
• It is feeling like the end of fall here. I got out the winter coats yesterday.
  
• Caleb got his new camera today. Its an Olympus E-510 Digital SLR...Woo! Hoo! : P So watch out for loads of pictures. He is going to have lots of fun playing with his new toy.
• My Welsh class starts on Monday.
• My brother, Noah, had a car accident. He fell asleep, flipped his car and totaled it. He has over 40 stitches and he fractured a vertebrae in his back. Thankfully everything will heal and he has disability insurance! He will be out of work for at least two months.

Jason is 3.

Happy Birthday, Jason!!!

I asked Jason what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He said he wanted a red cake. A red truck? A red car? No! A red cake!

I thought this picture was so funny. Seth was saying something about how they both had school bags now and as you can see he was being very expressive. lol!

Matchbox cars are a big thing with Seth and Jason right now. And you know, no matter how many they get their collection doesn't seem to get any bigger. They are always losing them. lol!

I've been tagged...

The ABCs of Me

A- Attached or single: Attached since December 29th, 2001

B- Best Friend: Caleb (my husband) and Ellen (my friend from college and also my sister-in-law)

C- Cake or Pie: cake...cheese cake, Mmm!

D- Day of choice: Shopping day...usually Thursday.

E- Essential Item: Chapstick and hair ties

F- Favorite Color: It changes, so right now it is brown.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms

H- Hometown: Moscow, Pennsylvainia

I- Indulgence(s): Going out alone with spending money.

J- January or July: January in the States as I don't like hot weather. July here in Wales as it probably isn't hot and there is a better chance that it is not raining.

K- Kids: I have four boys. Seth Caleb 4, Jason Caleb 3, Paul Caleb 18 months and Morgan Caleb 2 weeks.

L: Life is Incomplete Without: My family and church.

M- Marriage Date: December 29, 2001

N- Number of Siblings: Five. Three brothers and two sisters.

O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges...mandarin oranges.

P- Phobias or Fears: Spiders!!!

Q-Quote:

R- Reason To Smile: The boys are playing nicely together.

S- Season: Autumn. I love the colors, smells, and cool weather. I also have a birthday.

T- Tag Three: Joy, Chrissy and Dana

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I never eat fruit from a salad bar. I don't trust others to cut it up right.

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: I have no problem eating meat, but I don't really like it anymore. So basically vegetarian.

W- Worst Habit: Cheating on my diet.

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds, I guess. I've never had an x-ray.

Y- Your Favorite Food: Ice cream.

Z- Zodiac: Scorpio...not that it means anything to me.

Morgan Cuteness

12 days old and enjoying his bath. I love the smell of freshly washed babies! He smells so yummy! Or maybe it is just the smell of baby soap that I like. :)

Morgan bought himself a swing from Ebay for just 10.00. He doesn't like it too much right now, because he doesn't like to sleep on his back but maybe as he gets older and is awake more he will enjoy it.

England

We made a trip to Luton, England yesterday...30 miles from London. 10 hours of sitting in the car. I was having flash-backs of deputation! It was such a long day! I felt bad for Paul. He is not used to that sort of thing, but he did really well. We got a sitter for Seth and Jason for after school, so they missed out on the misery. lol! The only redeeming factor was that we got Pizza Hut! We haven't had "real" (meaning not homemade) pizza since we left the States. It was so good!

When we dropped Seth and Jason off in the morning they happily left without a goodbye or a backwards glance. When I walked into the sitter's house to pick them up I was greeted with weeping and wailing. "I don't want to go home! I don't want to go home!" ...I felt so loved! lol!

Morgan is doing well with his eating and his sleeping. On a normal night he goes down around 10pm then wakes up for a feed around 4am and again around 6:30am. I can live with that. He was weighed 2 days ago and he had already put on 4.5oz. He was thinking he needed to eat every hour, but I put him on a 3 hour flexible schedule and he has taken to that real well.

Jason and his Baban (Baby)

Baby Story

Introducing

Morgan Caleb
Born: September 10, 2007
4:12 am
Weight: 9lbs 5oz
Length: 21 1/4 in

This is a very long post. I was going to write it out then edit it to put up here but I decided to just post the whole thing. If you want the short version go back a post and read Caleb's entry! lol!

Morgan's Birth

Between 5 and 7pm I started feeling twinges. I didn't recognize them as contractions just pain every so often. I got the boys school lunches made and set out their clothes for the morning just in case. For some reason I didn't eat dinner...can't remember why. By the time we got the boys to bed at 7 I knew it was contractions, but thought maybe it might stop because they were so far apart. I asked Caleb to help me get the house clean, which we did. Thought it would be a good idea to try to get some sleep in case I woke up in "real" labor. So I got a shower and went to bed around 9pm.

As soon as I lay down I noticed that each contraction was coming sooner then the last and was a bit stronger. By 10pm they were between 5-6 minutes apart. Thought it was silly to lie in bed waiting for the next contraction to hit so I went downstairs to watch a movie while sitting on the birth ball. I had some toast.

I loved having the birth ball. I sat on it all the way up until I got in the pool. I found the hula hoop movement relaxing. We decided to call the midwife about 11:30 when the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and they were strong enough that I had to breathe through them. I was 3-4 centimeters dilated and almost all the way effaced. I had some bloody show...my first ever.

The midwife arrived about 20 minutes later. I was expecting Sian (Shawn) as that is what Caleb thought was said on the phone, but it was actually Sharon who we hadn't met. I was so disappointed when she came in from the hallway. I will tell you how it made me feel even though I am a bit embarrassed by it because having a midwife/doctor that you don't know is a very normal thing. I didn't want to talk to her. I didn't want to see her and I didn't want her looking at me. She was a stranger invading my very personal private space...my haven that I had made to give birth to my child and I didn't want her there.

I was still uncomfortable but the contractions stopped. Sharon introduced herself. Checked my blood pressure...it was fine. Checked my progress and told us what we already knew. Asked for urine sample, but I told her no. She sat down to start her paperwork and said she would stay for a while to see if things picked back up. I cried and told Caleb I wished we hadn't called her. I was so uncomfortable with her being there that I got up and said I was going to walk around the kitchen for a while. Partly to see if it could get the contractions going again. Mostly because I would be alone.

Walking around in the kitchen nothing was happening. I decided to try visualization which I had read about in other birth stories. I closed my eyes and visualized everything opening and the baby sliding down. It worked! I had 3 contractions before Caleb came in to check on me. I told him not to tell Sharon because she said she would leave if nothing was happening. Caleb just laughed. After a couple more contractions I decided I needed my birth ball. So I asked Caleb if Sharon could do her paperwork in the kitchen so I could have my space back. I don't know what he told her but she went to the kitchen and stayed except to check the baby's heart a couple of times.

She called the back-up midwife, Iona, who (once she arrived) stayed in the kitchen with her. Caleb put on another movie. Hooked me up to the TENS machine and then made banana bread. I continued breathing through the contractions while hula hooping on the birth ball. I am not sure if the TENS helped or if it was just a psychological comfort. It did not take away the pain, but I continued to use it with each contraction. The dial goes from 1 to 8. I only got to level 5. By then the contractions were strong enough that I wanted to get into the pool. Caleb was rubbing my back and giving counter pressure through the contractions. I asked the midwife to check dilation. I was 5 centimeters. She suggested I wait until 6 before getting in the pool and figured it would be about an hour.

Caleb put on another movie. About the movies...They were to mark the passage of time for me. Except the first one I wasn't actually watching. lol! I went about 20 minutes more before saying I was getting in the pool NOW! After getting in the contractions slowed down to 3-4 minutes again, but they were still very strong. It was nice to be able to relax in the between time. This was my first birth where I had breaks in between contractions. Even while pushing I had about 1 minute between. About 3am I asked the midwife to check my progress. I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere because the contractions were still 3-4 minutes apart. She said it was not necessary and she could tell I was making progress. I told Caleb that I really wanted to know so he checked. I was an 8.

By now the contractions were very intense and I was at the I-don’t-want-to-do-this-anymore! stage. Caleb was wonderful and continued to be great support. Rubbing my back and helping me remember how to breathe as I forget how to when the pain is intense. I started pushing about 3:45. My water broke just as his head was coming out. The midwife checked for the cord around his neck…it wasn’t. One more push and with a gush Morgan Caleb joined this world at 4:12am crying as soon as his head popped out of the water.

I held him and we rested in the pool waiting for the cord to stop pulsating. He was very, very clean…no blood or vernix or slimy stuff. He looked like he had already been cleaned up and handed to me. He had a beautiful birth. I felt powerful and in control of my body in response to the pain. Not that the pain was controlling me, but that I was working with it. I remember it all clearly while with the others I was overwhelmed with the pain and everything blurs together in memory. I wanted to feel him coming down and out the birth canal like I had read in other’s stories. And I did. It was amazing! Oh, and I did check to see if he was a boy! lol!

Besides the midwife thing (which was okay in the end) Morgan’s birth was just how I wanted it to be. Peaceful. He is a beautiful little boy and I am so glad he has come to join our family.

5 Days Overdue...

9pm...I'm not for sure, but I think things are starting. I'm having regular contractions but they are like 20 minutes apart and don't last even a minute. Hoping to be holding my baby tomorrow. Going to try to get some sleep now.

*edit* 10:15pm

No, I am not sleeping. Contractions are now 5-6 minutes apart and there is no way I can sleep through them.

*edit* - By Caleb 12:35am

Midwives arrived. Never met them before tonight. They are very nice, but make Dawn nervous. I have sent the midwives to the kitchen and they are being very cooperative. Dawn is on the birth ball and is feeling well although her contractions are getting stronger and are about 3 1/2 minutes apart. She is using the TENS machine. We don't know if it helps, but she keeps using it. Dawn requested banana bread and it is in the oven now. The house smells wonderful!

*edit* - By Caleb 1:40am

Dawn has had her banana bread and has now moved from the birth ball into the pool. Midwives are hovering. I'm thinking about asking them to head for the kitchen again. Dawn seems to be doing well. Shouldn't be long, but we'll see. Contractions are very strong. Maybe I'll just have to let the midwives stay.

*edit* - By Caleb 1:50am

Things slowed down a little after getting into the water. Dawn likes the chatter. Midwives can stay.

*edit* - By Caleb 5:12

He's here!!! Everything went well. Dawn and baby are doing fine. Born 4:12am. I'll let Dawn update you on the rest.

Nesting or Not??

A picture really does last longer...

A Clean Kitchen

A Clean Living Room and Play Area

A Sleeping Jason!!!

First Day of School

Two very excited little boys ready for school.

Seth goes a full day now. He went right into his classroom with no problems and immediately opened his lunch bag to show his beloved Auntie Bethan his lunch that he was very excited about. School had an effect that we did not expect. He was completely exhausted and in bed by 7 and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning! Yippee! I certainly wouldn't mind if that continues. :P

Jason goes to school for two hours in the morning and he has a lunch club on Mondays and Thursdays. I am glad that he has the afternoons alone without his partner in crime. It will be good for him! :)


And until the baby gets here Paul has a couple of hours of one on one time. Unless he is taking a nap and then Mom and Dad get a couple hours of peace. :D

Hello, Due Date...

...Goodbye, Due Date.

Okay, we are ready!

We finally got the last thing done in preparation for the baby. Which was to get the car seat out of the attic and cleaned. Yeah! I now have a birth pool in my living room. Waiting for the big day. Since I have had two very different types of labor we need to be prepared for the shorter type which would not leave us with much time to get things ready. With Seth and Jason I started with active labor. With Paul I had between 4 and 5 hours of early labor.

An interesting kwinky dink...
There is a girl from my home church who was pregnant the same time I was with Jason. She had her baby around my due date and I had Jason 18 days late close to her date. She was pregnant this time around too. She just had her baby near my due date! I am not liking the end of this little setup! lol!

I have started having lots of pain...low back pain, pelvis pain, abdominal pain, strong Braxton Hicks contractions...just not any "real" pain. My body is beginning to get ready. And the good news is...Baby is definitely coming within the next 4 weeks!

School starts tomorrow! Hooray!