Welcome Carter Joseph!

After waiting for five days past his due date, Carter Joseph came into the world at 7:45 p.m. on Monday, December 21st. He weighed in at 9 lbs even and was 21 inches long. Although he was over half a pound bigger than Jackson at birth, his delivery was much easier, much to this mama's relief! (Warning: birth story to follow. If you are a boy or are squeamish about such things, skip ahead to a few more photos.)

I woke up to use the bathroom on Sunday night at 3:30 and had a mild contraction after laying back in bed. I had another at 4:30, then another at 5:30. By the time I got up for work I had had one more, along with some bloody show, which made me nervous, so I called the OB nurses to make sure that was normal and okay. She said not all women have that, but that it was normal and the cervix was probably getting ready! I was very excited after 4 steady contractions, as I had had only a few real ones up to this point and they were very sporadic; never more than one real one in a day. I called in to work and said I hoped that would be the day; Curt stayed home as well. I had two more contractions over the next two hours, which were getting steadily stronger. I called both our moms to say I was pretty sure this was the real thing. By the time my mom got up to our house a couple hours later, though, we were getting discouraged as my contractions were at a stand-still. However, after Mom and I took about a 20-minute walk, I had a rather strong contraction that got me excited again. We ate lunch and then they became steady, about 10 minutes apart now, and definitely more intense. Now I was really sure that this baby was on its way! It was a wonderful feeling to experience some labor naturally and to know that my body was doing its job without the aid of drugs, which I had to have with Jackson.

We called the hospital, dropped Jackson off at daycare until his other grandparents could come pick him up, and headed in to have a baby! I had another contraction on the way in, and when they were setting me up in the labor and delivery room after 2:00, I had a few more. I was already dilated to almost 6 by this time, which was super exciting as I only had 4 more cm to go. I made sure to tell the nurse that I was ready for the epidural as soon as they could give it to me! I could have handled a few more contractions, but I didn't want to miss my window of opportunity to get the drug and I figured, why wait? I got to feel what strong, regular contractions were like and decided I didn't need to feel any more of them. :)

Brea had joined us by this time to be with us during labor and delivery; she and Mom left the room to get something to drink while the epidural was administered (it was very painful for me to have it put in last time, and Mom did not enjoy watching that!). It's a good thing they did, because my blood pressure dropped and I nearly passed out once it hit. They gave me some medication to bring it back up, and I began to feel better, except for the itching that comes with an epidural, so I sat and scratched my face and neck for the next half hour to hour. But that drug was working, baby! I was totally numb from the belly down and was only aware of contractions by watching the monitor or hearing the nurse say I had just had one. It was probably about 3:30 by this time, and we sat around watching TV/reading magazines/talking/watching the monitor for the next few hours.

The nurses checked me periodically to see how far I had dilated as my contractions remained strong and steady, and I was making progress. As it got closer to 7, my doctor also came in to check my progress before leaving for the day (assuming she'd have to return later that night, I guess), and was very surprised to find that the baby's head was already very low in the birth canal and that he was just about ready to be born! Curt and Brea had left the room at this point to walk around a bit, so Mom rushed out to find them while the doctor went to get her scrubs on and came back to get prepared in the room with the nurses. When my family made it back and the medical staff were ready, I began pushing through contractions, and Carter Joseph was born not six contractions and 20 minutes later! His birth was so smooth and easy compared to the last one! I didn't feel a thing, did not have to completely exhaust myself physically by pushing out a head that just didn't want to come, andI had no tearing whatsoever this time, thank goodness! It could not have gone any better. We have a beautiful, healthy baby, and now I'm a proud mama of two boys! (Check back later for an update on life after bringing baby home.)

It is amazing how quickly a newborn's look changes after that first day

Jackson's first picture with his new baby brother

OVERDUE!!! OH NO!!!

I went to the doctor on Tuesday, who wants this baby to have every chance to arrive on its own. I do, too, but I really hope it's before Christmas! Like today would be good. So there are no plans to do anything yet; I see her again on Monday afternoon if I make it that long. The good news was that I was dilated to 4 cm that day.

Okay, now get "The Brady Bunch" theme song in your head. Got it? Okay, here goes:

Here's the story
of a mom named Ashley
Who was waiting for her second to arrive
So she went in to the doctor for her 40-week check-up
And she came out with her head held in her hands

She's over due
She's over due
She's so sad, because now she's over due!!!!!

Doctor Update

Well, the doctor had good news and bad news for me on Tuesday. The bad news was that she decided not to schedule me for induction if I make it to my appointment on the 15th. Since the original due date was January 6th (based on when I told them my last period had been, but it got bumped up after my 21-week ultrasound), she doesn't want to jump the gun and make this baby come too early. I know this baby's health and safety is the number one priority, but I can't help but be selfish after waiting so long for it to come and being focused on this before Christmas due date! As you know from reading the last post, I wake up each morning and pray for that to be the day. So I was horribly disappointed by this news. As she walked out of the room saying, "I hope you have this baby by Christmas!" I was even more disappointed and about ready to cry. However, there was some good news. I am dilated to 3 now, and my belly measures at 40-41 weeks. She also doesn't want me to have a really big baby again after my third-degree tear with Jackson, so if I don't have this baby by my next visit, she will probably order an ultrasound to see how big it is and decide what to do from there. So it is with a very hopeful, if somewhat gloomy, heart that I close this post, hoping not to post again until I can put up pictures of the new baby! Continue to keep your fingers crossed for me, and all your other parts, too, for some extra help, please! Oh, and prayers don't hurt, either. :)

Not Yet

There are 10 days and counting until d-day, and no baby yet. Nothing exciting is happening that makes me think this baby will be born early, either. It's rare for me to even have two contractions in the same day. If you've laughed just from seeing me lately, you know that I am physically exhausted and way beyond ready! And I'm so sick of maternity clothes! It's kind of fun to wear them again at first, but by now even my underwear are rolling down off my belly! I am running out of pants that stay up - I'm down to about two pair - and even the biggest clothes I have are starting to show a bit of my belly. Grr. It is also a very good year to have maternity leave from work, as this group of preschool kids are wild and crazy! So there's another reason I keep praying that each new day is the day this child will be born.

Yesterday I was looking at a couple pictures from my first pregnancy, and although I have gained more weight this time, it's not such a wide gerth as it was then. My belly is literally sitting on my lap and the baby is all out front, basketball-like. Last Wednesday the doctor said it's for sure 7 lbs. She also stripped my membranes (to no avail) and said I was dilated to about 2 (and yet here I sit). So the most encouraging news I got that day was her promise - after I begged - that she would schedule me for induction if I don't have this baby on time, rather than me going so far overdue like with Jackson. Of course with him I just wanted to deliver, but I wanted him to come naturally (not without an epidural, silly! I'm no dummy! Just without pitocin to induce labor), so I was okay with waiting for a while. This time, um, no. Sure, I would also love for this baby to start coming on its own, but I am only giving it so much more time! Plus, the holidays are upon us, and I'd like to be able to share this new gift with my family away from the hospital.

To try to prepare Jackson somewhat for having a baby around, we've brought out the carseat, bouncy chair, and swing. I also bought him a glow-worm, and he loves it! He hugs and kisses it just like he kisses my belly (cute, huh?). He likes to put his "baby" in the bouncy chair and turn the music and vibration on for it. We are talking about bringing a real baby home and him being a big brother. I know he has no concept of what's going on yet, but hopefully these few little things will help. It'll be interesting to see how he handles the change, to say the least!

Hopefully I won't make it to my next doctor appointment on Tuesday, but I will update if I do and there's anything to tell. Cross your fingers for me that this baby will be on its way before then!

Baby No. 2

Last week I went in to Curt's department at the hospital one night to sneak in an ultrasound. My doctor hasn't mentioned setting up another one, and I have been curious to know how big the baby is right now and to see it again now that I'm closer to the due date (Dec. 16). It turns out that baby was 5 lbs, 8 ozs last week, so hopefully it won't gain over 3 more pounds in the next six weeks before it's born! The first photo is the more traditional 2-D version, and it shows Baby's profile. The second is the newer 3-D ultrasound, which gives an amazing amount of detail and makes babies look so much more realistic. I think this baby looks like it's brother!

Trick-or-Treat!

All set, Mom!

For Jackson's second Halloween, he went trick-or-treating for the first time! Last year I figured he was too young, so we stayed home and waited to pass out candy. Only no one ever came to our house. So it was pretty un-eventful. This year, though, I had tossed around the idea of taking him to a church in town for their Halloween event, but I wasn't sure if there would be enough to keep a toddler entertained, or if it was mostly for older kids, so instead, I put him in my cousin Olivia's old ladybug costume, grabbed the pumpkin bag from Auntie Brea, and decided to go visit some neighbors.

It was cute to hear him say "pumpkin," a new word for him. Isn't the bag adorable?!

Jackson was too shy to actually say "pumpkin," "trick-or-treat" or "thank you" to the people, but he kept repeating the words to me in the car as we made our way. He mostly just acted shy in front of the neighbors and kept looking at me like, "What's going on?" It was funny to watch him figure out this whole trick-or-treating thing as we made our way around the neighborhood. The first bag of candy he got, he wanted me to open so he could eat it then and there. He didn't understand that he should put it inside the pumpkin and wait until later to consume it. With some distraction from their dog, I was able to sneak it into the pumpkin without him realizing it wasn't in his hands. By about the fourth house, he knew that it was okay for him to take the candy they offered without looking to me for help, and he had figured out that it was meant to go into the pumpkin. He even tried grabbing five or six pieces from the last bowl he saw! I think he wanted to stay at their house - they had an indoor dog who loved to fetch the ball for him, so he just kept throwing it and throwing it.

Halloween this year was kind of a last-minute, minimally-planned thing (I hadn't even decided he'd be a ladybug; I just never bought him anything to wear), but by the time we had visited about six neighbors' houses, I could tell he was getting sleepy and had probably had enough. We got home, told Daddy about our adventures, and shared some candy. Here's to collecting even more next year! :)

Mmm, chocolate! I think I like this trick-or-treating business!

My Sister's Wedding

Although their day didn't go according to plan, Brea and Andrew had the most beautiful wedding on Friday, September 25th, 2009. The rain in the Hudson area restricted the ceremony to Kilkarney Hills Golf Club, where the reception was held, but it was already set up and decorated so beautifully that it actually worked quite well; there was to be no sound system at Prospect Park in Hudson, where we had rehearsed the night before, but that was all set at the golf club, so in that sense it was probably better. Guests had been forewarned that there might be a change in location, and it seemed that everyone figured it out and made it on time.

They were married by a friend of theirs from UW-River Falls, a woman so spirited and fun that she was able to make the ceremony very personal, funny, and extremely touching, which fit the couple extraordinarily well. The girls wore plum taffeta tea-length dresses and carried multi-colored calla lily bouquets; the men looked classy in black tuxes. Curt and I were both honored to be part of Brea & Andrew's big day, and we had lots of laughs with family and friends - a really great time. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Jennings, and may there be many happy years to come! We love you!

(To see some of their wonderful professional photos, visit www.dansphotography.zenfolio.com, click on "Weddings," click on "Andrew & Brea," and enter password jennings.)