Elf on a Shelf... Day 3

 What Elf doesn't like playing on a slide!?!?  Our Elf (which Makenzie has named "Deer") had a hooting good time sliding with our polar bear!

Took Makenzie awhile to find the Elf yesterday.  I asked her if she had seen him and she goes nope.  I said do you want to go find him??  Nope.  Alrighty then!  Hours later she stumbled across him :0)

Elf on a Shelf... Day 2

 Today is Baptism Day!!  In a few hours we will be having Miss Madison baptized!  

In celebration of that our little Elf pulled her gown out, snuggled up in it, made a pillow out of our napkins and fell fast asleep.

Elf on a Shelf... Day 1

Last night, while Makenzie and I were at a local toy store, a package arrived!  When we got home we found it in front of our fire in the fire place!  Of course Makenzie spotted it right away and went tearing into it.

Inside we found a little Elf that will be staying with us until Santa comes and picks him back up on Christmas Eve!!  We were warned that he likes his sweets and can get into a little mischief while we are sleeping.  And his antics started RIGHT away!

Apparently he kept Makenzie up last night singing Christmas music and was found this morning dangling from the giant flowers on her wall :-)

 I will try to keep a daily update as to what our newest addition is up to. 

The Birth Story: Part III

 (For Part I click here.  Part II click here.)

1:30  Doctor comes back into the room with his intern and a nurse.  He feels my stomach and confirms that the baby has moved... but where to?  He flips on the ultrasound machine and puts the wand low on my stomach.  I'm watching the screen and see something.  He looks at me and smiles and says 'will ya look at that!?!'  (This ultrasound machine was old and not clear at all.)  Yeah I'm looking... but what am I looking at?

'Turn the Pitocin back on and lets break her water!  That is the baby's head!'  Holy crap!  Really!?!?!?  I was ready to go home and now they are about to break my water!!  Hello!!  Next thing I know I have 5 hands on my stomach all pushing down to keep the baby from moving while the dr broke my water.  As this is going on he is explaining that the cord could come out or arm if they aren't careful so it's very important that the baby doesn't move until the head is completely down and locked in place.  If something does come out we will have to do a c section.  So those hands pushed on my belly until a good chunk of the fluid had come out and the doctor felt like the baby's head was totally engaged. 

Now I was all out nervous, couldn't see my husband, he was hidden behind all these arms and hands.  My head was spinning.... what an emotional roller coaster!!  Extremely happy, yet very on edge. 

2:00  4cm dilated and 60% thinned.  Doctor and staff has left.  Matt is making the few calls to let the family know what just happened!!  (Thank you God!!!)  And I am laying their still very nervous because the baby was moving around like crazy.  Is the baby going to flip again?  Is the baby's head going to come disengaged? I had to lay flat in bed for an hour.

3:30  5cm dilated.  Contractions consistently 3 mins apart and getting stronger.  They uped the pitocin and said I could sit up or get out of bed!  I was just getting to the point in labor where there were some contractions that I would have to take a deep breath for.  5 cm dilated and just to that!  Boy this labor was going SO SO SO SO SO much better than with Makenzie!!  I was almost 9 hours into labor before I hit 5 cm!  I spent the next hour and a half dinking around with my phone (I had just gotten my first smartphone and was working on figuring it out), chatting with Matt, wandering around the room and snacking on crackers that the nurse kept bringing me.

(The neighbors in the room next to us that were induced as well had their baby... I could hear the newborn cry and I was getting very anxious!!!  My TURN!!!!)

5:00  We were BORED!  Contractions were coming but weren't horrible.  Dr had said (keep in mind if everything had run a normal course, which it didn't) by dinner time.  Well, dinner was just delivered, I can't eat it and there is no baby yet.  Boo.  I told Matt that we were going walking.  So for 45 mins we walked back and forth back and forth.

5:45  Back to room.  Walking is hard work when you are 39 weeks pregnant and having contractions.  I headed in to sit on the couch and said... what's the scoop?!?!?  When are these contractions going to pick up??

6:00  BOOM!  Just like that.  Nurse came in to check on me and Holy Hannah did I have a contraction.  Wow!  Okay, now that meant business.  Nurse asked if I wanted an epidural yet and I said (HERE IS WHERE I MADE MY MISTAKE!!)  No, the contractions are just starting to get strong, we will wait a little while longer.

6:30  Nurse is back in the room.  Contractions are every 2-3 mins and are just ridiculous!  Any Momma that was induced and didn't have an epidural knows my pain.  Don't get me wrong, when you are in labor it's horrible.  But when you are being induced, the contractions are HORRID!  The peak of the contraction held steady (instead of gradually increasing and then decreasing) and gave me little time to breath or regain control before the next one rocked my body.  I lost my control very quickly.  The nurse called for the epidural and came back and told me to be patient.  :-)

7:30  No anesthesiologist yet.... after an hour and a half of the contractions nothing is getting better.  I could feel my body hitting exhaustion.  I was understanding at first that they were busy, but after an hour and a half I was livid.  At this point we were trying every different position and technique to help me get thru each contraction trying to find something to give me relief.  They gave me Stadol to help with the pain, but that just turned me into a lunatic!!  Matt and I had some pretty interesting conversations in between contractions.

Nursed checked me and I was still at 5cm.  Broke my heart!  All that work and I'm not progressing!!  From here on out the nurse stayed in the room with us to help with whatever.  The poor woman was yelled at so many times to go and get the anesthesiologist.  She was AMAZING!  I could not have asked for a better nurse!  They are amazing.  She was so calm, patient and reassuring (and a great liar!!).  I was so embarrassed because I was totally screaming at the top of my lungs and she says no worries!  These rooms are soundproof!  (At that point I wasn't coherent enough to remember that I could hear the newborn cry earlier after their delivery!)

8:30  No anesthesiologist yet.  Convinced that I'm not going to get one and praying that my body is doing what it should be during the contractions.  I was emotionally drained and so wanted something to make me happy at that moment.  I just wanted to talk to Makenzie and when I saw the clock realized she had gone to bed without saying goodnight to me.  A FIRST.  I just cried.  Even if I would have been able to talk to her I only would have been able to hear her for a little bit before the next contraction hit and we would have to hang up.  Ugh.  A voice can do wonders!!

Nurse checked me and I WAS progressing!!  Thank you God!  We were in the home stretch I knew it wouldn't be much longer and was kind of amazed I had made it this far with no epidural.  Was I going to deliver without one!?!?

9:00  A new nurse came in to tell us that the epidural was on it's way!  Right... I'll believe it when I see it.

9:10  Tears of joy!!  Anesthesiologist was in my room!!  What a schmuck.... things didn't go well.  First off, I couldn't understand what he was saying to me.  I finally figured out he wanted me to move to the left.  I move to the left.  No no no!  He said... the right!!  Ugh.  Okay.  Contraction.  I said move to the right!  GRR!!  ONE SECOND MR!!  I move to the right and he still wasn't happy with that so I told him he needs to deal with it or move me himself.  The nurse looked at me and said sorry!  LOL, she goes I've never seen him before.  Perfect!   Then I wasn't bent over enough for him.  Seriously??  Have you seen my stomach??  After 2 tries and a lot of finagling the epidural was in.  2 contractions later I was already feeling relief. 

He left and the nurse told me she was going to give us a half hour to rest and then deliver a baby!!  Wahoo!!  Who can sleep after that news!?!?  But we tried!

10:00 Nurses and Dr came in.  The nurse had said something to Matthew about the baby in a little bit of distress so they were going to have me on oxygen to help with that.  I knew nothing about that thankfully and let the nurse put the oxygen on me and watched them get everything ready.  My heart was beating so fast... I was waiting SO long for this!!

The nurses went and got a mirror so I could watch the deliver too.  After having Makenzie I kind of wished that I watched.  One of those I have to see it to believe it kind of things.  BUT ew.  LOL.  I told them to put the mirror up but I probably wouldn't watch.

10:30 Doctor gives me the go ahead to start pushing.  This was weird!  I had no feeling.  None. Nada!  I could definitely feel it with Makenzie and could feel the contraction and know when to push.  This time.  Nothing.  I did push (or so I thought).  The Dr laughed and said... your not pushing!  Keep trying.

The room was silent.  No tv.  No monitors beeping. Nothing.  It was very peaceful!  After a few attempts at pushing I got it figured out and progress was being made.  No, I wasn't looking in the mirror.  Until the nurse said here comes the baby!  Got me!  How do you not look!?!?  I've been waiting a LONG time to see this baby and didn't think we were even going to have the baby that day.  At that point I couldn't take my eyes of it.

A few more pushes and the head was out... blue.  My heart stopped.  I swear I stopped breathing.  No one was acting panicky, but I knew that wasn't right.  The Doctor never flinched, he went right to work.  The cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck and he quickly tried pulling it off.  That wasn't working.  At that point I shut my eyes and laid back down.  He told me that they need to quickly cut the cord and then push the baby the rest of the way out. 

10:42  The Intern and the Doctor got the cord cut and pulled while I pushed.  The next few minutes were kind of a blur but the biggest thing I remember was the silence.  I just delivered a baby and that room was silent.  As the baby came out the doctor announced that we had another girl.  He quickly threw her onto my stomach and as soon as he did that two nurses covered her up and took her to the corner of the room, followed by the doctor and intern. 

I took off the oxygen mask to try to get a look as to what was going on but couldn't see.  I then heard my Doctor say okay, she's coming around and could hear little baby noises.  I don't know how many minutes it took before she started to cry but even when she did it wasn't a typical newborn cry (that didn't happen until a day later!).

After 30 mins of not seeing my new baby girl I sent Matt over with the camera to take pictures!  Then he brought the camera over for me to see.  

40 mins after delivery I was given my baby girl... Madison Lynn.  7 lbs 15 1/2 oz 21" long  Looking at her took me back!  I was looking at another Makenzie.  Incredible.  We were in love.

 

What a stinking roller coaster ride that day was.  I was just thrilled to have another baby girl in my arms and I wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

My FAVORITE Summer Dish... Tomato Basil Pizza

I need a better way to keep track of some of my favorite recipes!!  So I think I will start sharing them on here as I come across them!

Here's my FAVORITE recipe from the summer... shoot, maybe my new favorite all together!  You can have it all year, we just won't be picking fresh tomatoes and basil :-)

Tomato Basil Pizza

Ingredients:

2  Pizza Crust (JiffyMix)
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil
1 1/2 C   Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/3 C    Parmesan Cheese
2 Med Sized Tomatoes Sliced
8 Basil Leaves (cut into strips)

-Make pizza crust as directed on package... EXCEPT before you add the water sprinkle in garlic salt and about a tablespoon of italian seasoning.

-When crust is out of the oven and ready for toppings brush the top of the crust with olive oil.

-Cover crust with1 Cup of Mozzarella cheese on top of that; followed by sliced tomatoes and basil.  

-Add remaining Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan Cheese. 

-Lightly sprinkle garlic salt over the top.

-Bake at 425 for 10-15 mins (or until cheese starts turning a golden color).

Makenzie and I LOVE to make pizza, so this was a nice change from the traditional pizza. Wasn't sure how Matt would like it because he pretty much despises any meal that doesn't have meat in it, but he loved it!  He even said "This may be my favorite pizza!"  Score!

Sneaking Out!

I just had to share this!!  This happened last week, but my keyboard wasn't working so, we had to wait!

We are STILL working on getting a routine that works for us.... Seeing as how Madison doesn't have one yet, it makes things more difficult. 

One thing that I HAVE made sure that we do each day is quiet time for Makenzie.  After lunch we do about half hour to forty five minutes of Makenzie being in her room reading, quietly playing or snoozing.  While she is in there keeping herself entertained I am busy doing chores around the house or tending to Madison.  I have been trying to coordinate Madison sleeping to Makenzie's quiet time so I can haul around with both not needing my attention.

Well, while I was busy doing housework almost each time I checked on Madison there was something "new" in her room or in her crib with her....

apparently it was Makenzie's baby's nap time too :-)

At one time the baby was in her bouncy seat, her swing and then finally the crib with Madison.

The Birth Story: Part II

It felt so weird heading into the hospital to have a baby and FEELING fine.  LOL, no contractions, no nerves.  I LOVED IT!  And I was SOOOOO excited.

We headed up to the third floor and were given our room.  They were running a little behind with the induction that was scheduled before us so, we waited.  I was in no mood to wait.  Ek!  I started stressing out a little.  (Not to mention... I was HUNGRY!) 

7:30  The nurse came in and started getting me hooked up to be monitored, put the IV in, blah blah blah.  After two tries in two spots she got the IV in, in my hand... which grosses me out!  The nurse checked me to see how far I had progressed since my Dr's Apt on Monday and she said that I was at 2, maybe 2 1/2 cm.  (Remember I was at 3 on Monday).  Weird right?  Made me a little nervous thinking the baby was not going to cooperate with us.  But that pitocin will pump him or her right out! 

8:20  All the prep work was done and the pitocin was started!  Woot woot!  Here we go!  We had the heart monitor cranked up so we could listen to that little heartbeat tick away.  Love, love, love that sound and wouldn't be hearing it once the baby made an arrival!

10:00  My doctor comes in to see how things are going.  I was having contractions 3-5 mins apart, nothing bad, just noticeable.  He was going to break my water to get things moving even quicker.  But first!  He had to check me.  He looks up and says "Uh... where's the baby!?" 

*Insert squealing slamming on the brakes sound here!*  I was like 'What do you mean where's the baby?  Do you not see the massive mound of my stomach?  I'm barely having contractions, pretty sure I didn't have the baby yet!'  Then he gets more specific and says that the baby was not engaged and is "floating".  Bottom line: Not good.

He hollers at the nurse to go get an ultrasound machine and we wait.  She brings in the machine and then wait for it to turn on.  We waited a long time.  (Seriously, that machine took about 3 mins to turn on... that's a long time in this situation!)  During the wait he told us that if the baby is breech our options are to have a c-section or go home and wait for the baby to flip.  At 39 weeks the chances of your baby flipping on it's own is pretty rare, but could happen.  He also offered to try to flip the baby by maneuvering my stomach to encourage the baby to flip, but there is only a 30% chance of that actually working. 

My mind was spinning.  The ultrasound machine clicks on and he has the wand low on my stomach and we see nothing.  He moves the wand up and there is the baby's head in my right rib.  "Shut off the pictocin!!!!" He shouted to the nurse.  I just closed my eyes.  The anticipation of that day, the long night of getting Makenzie ready and aware of what was going on, the uncertainty of what was going to happen next and accepting the fact that we were going to be sent home with a breech baby nestled in my tummy with mild contractions. 

The doctor left and Matt and I just looked at each other.  We quickly called the family and got the prayer request fired up.  Then I ordered Matt to Google it!!  What do we do!?!?  I said we are going to get this baby out.  I laid on my side and was trying to maneuver the baby by myself.  Without much success.  I got up to go walk around.  Matt felt my belly and we couldn't feel the baby's head in my rib anymore.  Did the baby flip??  Or was the baby totally up and down with the head between my ribs?  We didn't know... so off we went on a walk.  Mentally I had come to terms that we were going to go home.  Things weren't going along with MY plan, BUT, the baby was safe and healthy and IF need be I have an amazing Doctor that would do the c-section at 40 weeks.  Things would be okay.

12:00-1:00  The Doctor was suppose to come in and try to flip the baby.... no Doctor yet.  Contractions were still steady.  They didn't get any worse and stayed about 3 mins apart. Now the nerves were kicking in because if the contractions didn't stop and turned into labor we would have to have a c section or try delivering a breech baby.