Laurel's Birth Story

Today Laurel is one month old.  I figured I don't want to put off writing this down any longer.  We have loved this month of having her here. 

Laurel's due date was May 3.  Calvin was 3 days past his due date, and Albric was 8 days past his.  So I wasn't expecting anything to happen for a while.  On May 2nd, about 10 pm, I noticed that I was having bloody show.  I sent a text to Mark telling him that we might have the baby that weekend.  I put the kids to bed and started having contractions at about 10:30 while I was reading books to them. 

I tried to distract myself for awhile.  I prayed that if this really was labor that I would know.  I sent a text to Mark at 11:15 telling him that I was having contractions.  He called me and I told him I should be ok until he got off work.  At midnight, I called him to tell him it was time to call his parents to come sit with the boys.  I got a hold of Mom and she set out to come babysit. 

Mark got home from work soon after I called.  He made up the couch for his mom to sleep on and cleaned up a bit.  He gave me a blessing while I was in the bathroom and he blessed that this would be a sacred experience for us.  The blessing also mentioned that Heavenly Father was placing Laurel in my arms and trusting me to care for her.  Mark decided that he needed to shower before we headed to the hospital.  I waited for him while he shaved.  He cut his ear while shaving.  I went out into the family room and Mom was there.  I chatted with her in between contractions while Mark got dressed.  We went and kissed the boys good-bye and then headed out. 

We arrived at the hospital about 1:20 am.  I walked in to the nurses station in the maternity ward and calmly said, "I think I'm having a baby tonight," when asked what was going on.  My nurse later told me she thought she was going to have to send me home because of how calm I was.  We got all settled in the room and the nurse got my information, put monitors on, started an IV, and checked my cervix.  I was at a 6. 

My Grandma Hulse promised me before she passed that she would be with me during Laurel's birth.  As we were waiting, I asked Mark if he thought she was there.  I was hit with a very powerful confirmation that she was in the room with me.  Even now, the memory of it brings tears of joy and love to my eyes.  Laurel and I are loved even beyond the veil. 

I went to the bathroom and started feeling like my contractions weren't really ending.  I got back on the bed and had the nurse check me again. She said I was at an 8.  I started to feel like pushing, and they paged Dr. Blackett in and started to get the room ready.  I remember it being difficult to get into the position I was supposed to while they were moving the bed around.  Mostly, I remember just retreating into myself to deal with the pain. 

Dr. Blackett told me I wasn't quite dilated fully, but that she could support my cervix while I pushed.  I started pushing and pushed probably about 8 times really.  My eyes were closed at the moment of birth.  She was born at 2:29.  Mark said she shot right out along with a bunch of blood.  He videoed as they put her on my chest and he cut the cord.  After a few minutes, he started to feel woozy.  He lied down and the nurse and assistant took pictures of her with his phone.  She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 in.  She was a champion at nursing.  She latched perfectly right away. 

We moved to the Mother and Baby floor to rest.  We were able to get a bit of sleep.  After lunch, Mark went and got the boys to meet her.  They showed up right as she was having her first bath.  Calvin couldn't wait to hold her, but Albric was weirded out by the umbilical cord and clamp and didn't want to touch her.  Mark took the boys for dinner, came and said goodnight and then left Laurel and me and stayed with the boys. I decided to watch some TV while they were at dinner and Harry and the Hendersons was playing.  I took that as another confirmation that Grandma was with us.  We were able to go home in the morning. 

This month of cuddling and getting to know her has been great.  She doesn't like to nap in her crib, but she does sleep for a couple of longer stretches at night.  She is still nursing well and is starting to smile at me occasionally.  Our whole family adores her. 

Expecting

I tried to catch up with all the posts I missed last year.  I haven't really posted about this year yet, and it is almost 1/3 of the way through.  These past few months have been very challenging for me.  We are expecting our third little one in about 1 1/2 weeks.  I have been miserable the whole time.  This pregnancy has been harder than either of the boys, with morning sickness lasting much longer, and my SPD starting much earlier.  We found out just before Christmas that this little one is a girl.  We have had to buy a bigger car to fit all three car seats.  We also had to purchase a new crib as Albric broke the old one.  I am ready for her to make her appearance at any time.  I am anxious to be done.  But I know I could still go a couple more weeks.  Here are some pictures to reflect this pregnancy.

This is our first ultrasound at 10 weeks.

She wouldn't cooperate with the doppler, so we got an ultrasound at 14 weeks.

This was the picture we used to announce the pregnancy on Facebook.

Belly pic at 33 weeks.

I made a lamb for her.  This is the first progress pic.

This was from the 20 week ultrasound.  She had her hand touching her face.

20 week ultrasound.

Progress on the lamb.

Completed lamb.

The new crib, completely ready for her.

Calvin's Birthday 2018

Calvin turned 5 years old in 2018.  We did a quiet birthday for him.  Last August, Mark bought a Wii U and Zelda Breath of the Wild.  Calvin loves the game and still plays it most days.  So, I made a Link amigurumi for him, complete with sword and shield.  We gave him Super Smash Bros and a Zelda watch.  Grandma gave him some Legos.  It has been fun to have a 5 year old.  Just this morning, he told me he could do big things because he is 5 and 5 is a big number.  I love him. 

Halloween 2018

Last fall, I wanted Halloween costumes to be simple as I was struggling with morning sickness.  Albric was easy, because he fit into the Totoro costume I had made for Calvin when he was two.  Calvin came up with several ideas that he wanted me to sew, but luckily, we convinced him to be a 'zombie ghost.'  We painted his face for the ward trunk or treat, but on Halloween he didn't want to bother.  Since Mark switched to swing shift last year, he had to work Halloween night.  I decided to take the kids to my parents' neighborhood for trick or treating so I would be in familiar territory.  We did carve pumpkins, but I failed to take pictures of the process and finished products. 

Black Island Farm 2018

For Fall Break this year, my sisters invited the boys and me to hang out with them.  We went down to the Townsends' house for a yummy breakfast and then played at Black Island Farms.  Most of the pictures I took were of Albric, because Calvin was off playing with his cousins.  Albric really enjoyed the jack-o-lantern bouncy house.

Huckleberries 2018

We ended up in the huckleberry bushes three times last year.  We went up in July to check on the progress.  We were only there for a few hours, but got a handful of berries.  The second day we enjoyed a picnic and had a great time by ourselves.   We took some fun photos on some tree stumps.  The third time we camped with the family, but didn't end up picking any berries because of time constraints.  Our nephew McKay and his friend built a tree fort and slept in it.  Albric played in the car whilst we were packing up.  We love huckleberry picking and camping with family.  I am looking forward to bringing our little girl this summer!