My Baby Story

This is full disclosure for anyone who wants to know Olivia's birth story. So if you don't want to read about anything birth-related, stop now and look at the super cute pictures of my baby on facebook. Let me also say that there is a good portion of this experience that I probably don't remember, or remember properly. Thankfully, during all of his down time in labor & deliver, and our time in mother/baby waiting for tests and peds visits, my darling husband took the time to write in his journal about it. Did I ever mention how awesome my husband is? Because he really is. And to follow his example, I need to write about it too. (I think some day I'm going to get this blog printed and bound into a journal... it seems like a good thing to do.) This story starts on Thursday (June 21st). Prior to Thursday, I was having some Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing crazy and nothing consistent. Thursday afternoon, it seemed like I was having real contractions. They hurt, they were consistent, and I was uncomfortable. I started timing them and they started hitting 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute later that night. Cory and I watched a movie and hung out with our neighbors to pass the time and keep ourselves distracted. Finally, we decided to head about 1am to the hospital and hopefully start this baby-having process. We got to the hospital, they check us in, check to see how dilated I was, and we were disappointed that nothing had changed in a week. I was still at a tight 1cm. Since I wasn't really dilated, they hooked me up to monitor my contractions for an hour, then they checked back to see if any progress had been made in that hour. Ideally you would dilated a cm for each hour you're in active labor... ideally. My progress in that hour: absolutely none! We were disappointed and they sent us home. At least we didn't bring up all our bags and bunker down. That was the up side. Friday was a little depressing and I was pretty determined to not let that happen again. I spent my work day on Friday counting contractions since my office was essentially dead (Fridays are like that usually). They were definitely stronger. At my doctor's appointment that morning, there was a little progress, but really not much. At this rate, I wasn't expecting to see Baby Girl for another week. In fact, I had a scheduled induction for Friday the 29th. Saturday, Cory made a point to keep the day moving for me. He's so sweet like that. I think we were both equally disappointed, so it was probably a little bit for him too. At this point, too, my contractions were even stronger and making it hard to walk through them. We got up that morning and decided to go see a movie. The new Disney-Pixar movie, Brave, came out in theaters the day before. We intended on seeing the 10am showing, but it sold out by the time we got there. Fortunately there was another showing at 11am. To pass the time, we walked around the mall a little bit. Walking is supposed to help labor progress, right? The movie was a great idea, and we loved it! After the movie we tried out this new sandwich place next to the theater. Like I said, Cory really went out of his way to keep the day going for me. I know it doesn't sound like much (movie and lunch), but we don't have money to go out all the time. So when we do a meal AND something else (or something AND a meal) it feels like a special occasion. I can't remember what we did the rest of the afternoon. I probably sat around counting contractions again... I hurt for sure. That night, we waited as long as possible, but ended up at the hospital again. This time it was about 6pm. At least we knew if they were going to send us home, we'd be home early enough that we wouldn't lose sleep. We were so hopeful that we wouldn't be going home this time we even brought all our bags with us. So we got into the room, checked out (I was at a 3!!! and VERY hopeful), and hooked up. Then we sat and waited. Well, I was laying on my back. The hour went by quickly because of our anticipation. The nurse checked me again, and NOTHING. She asked the doctor if they should have me hang out for a while and walk around to see if things would get moving, but they ended up sending me home again. I took some Tylenol PM to help me sleep, since it did a beautiful job the night before, and since my contractions were killing me. They just radiated in my hips and back. I tried my best to sleep, but with each contraction closer and closer together, I didn't get a wink. Finally about 4:30 in the morning, I woke Cory up (though I'm sure he wasn't in a deep sleep since I spent the entire night tossing and moaning through contractions), and sobbed to him that I was in so much pain and didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go straight back to the hospital just to be sent home again. After all, this is my first baby and have no idea what I'm doing and what I'm in for. We called the hospital, told them the situation, and left it up to them. Do you want us to come in, or should we wait longer?... because I feel like I'm dying. (I'm sure most of it was because of all the previous disappointment and complete lack of sleep.) They told us to go ahead and come in. (The worst they could do is send us back home...) So the nurse checked me out. 5cm! Wow! They didn't bother to hook me up right away and said we were staying to have a baby! Oh the elation! We were there and I was hooked up for about an hour when Dr. Jacob came in to talk to me. We decide that he would come back in a while and break my water to get things really moving. Well, when he broke my water, I went from about a 5 to a 7 in no time! I was excited because I was thinking that this labor thing might not go on forever and that we would be meeting our little girl soon. When the nurse came back to check on me, I was still at a 7. No progress. Bummer. So we talked about Pitocin. (I know... the "p" word.) We mentioned that if it were necessary, we would like to start of on a low dose and have small increments as we increased the dose. She seemed to understand. A while later, she checked me again (still a 7) and hooked me up on the Pitocin. Somehow, starting on a low dose in her book meant 4. I could feel the effects very quickly. And it was painful. But I seemed to manage just fine. A short time later (what felt like a short time) she came back, still no progress, so she increased the Pitocin. How much? Oh... only to an 8. Yeah... apparently the little chat we had about the Pitocin before it was administered went in one ear and out the other. She doubled my dose! And oh, boy was I in agony. (let me tell you... your body doesn't double... so you shouldn't force it to.) I was in tears. There was nothing we could do. Cory even tried to turn it down himself, but apparently there is some kind of code on the machine. We called the nurse to have her turn it down, but in the time it took her to get there, I was begging for an epidural. Of course the anesthesiologist got there in no time. By that time, I was in complete shock. My whole body shut down. My contractions were no longer functional. I was shaking uncontrollably. Cory had to help move me around just to get the epidural in. During this whole process, the nurse came back in and mentioned that a couple was there administering the Sacrament and asked if we would like them to come to our room. Immediately I said yes. I definitely needed it that day. I needed that reminder of the Savior. The cute elderly couple came in right after I got my epidural. The sweet sister shared a message with us, then Cory blessed the bread. He got a little choked up and I started to sob. The spirit was so strong in that room as my husband blessed the tiny piece of bread. It was a moment where you knew Heavenly Father was VERY aware of what was happening and He was watching over us. I ate the piece of bread and said a little prayer of gratitude for this tender mercy. The water was blessed, I drank, and the couple, after wishing us well, left. The spirit didn't leave with them. It stayed as we sat in amazement. I felt nothing at all but that wonderful spirit. A short time later, the nurse came back in and I hadn't made any progress yet. She started playing with the Pitocin, trying to find a level where my contractions would be productive again. Apparently jumping to an 8 didn't work. (duh!) After some time of this, they started to worry about Olivia since her heart rate started dropping down a little low. Cory called our neighbors who are good friends and asked Emmett if he would help Cory give me a blessing. Church was starting in about 30 minutes, but they came right over to help. Another tender mercy. Again, you could feel a rush of the spirit. Immediately after the blessing, my contractions began being productive, and soon after I was dilating again. It was a miracle for sure. Heavenly Father truly was aware and wanted to help us. All we needed to do was ask. About 2pm we were ready to push. I had never been more uncomfortable in my life. But I wanted to meet this little girl. We pushed for a while and the doctor came back in. Olivia was in a good position, but she wasn't moving much more and her head was turned slightly. Her heart rate started to drop again and we were worried, especially since there was a lot of meconium in the amniotic fluid. Dr. Jacob talked to me about our options. We would try the forceps, but because of the slight tilt in her head, he didn't know if he'd be able to get a good fit on her. The other option was a vacuum, but we only had 2 shots with that until there was a real risk of hemorrhage. If the forceps and vacuum didn't work, we would have no other option than a c-section. (Because that's what every mom wants to hear.) I felt incredibly blessed because on the first try, Dr. Jacob was able to get a good fit with the forceps and I started pushing with everything I had... which was not much since I had already been pushing for and hour, been up since 4:30am with really no sleep prior, and was starving. Finally, at 4:04pm, Olivia June Scott was born at 8lbs. 12oz. and 21 inches long. They whisked her away to clear her lungs since she didn't really start breathing and they were pretty certain she had swallowed meconium. A few minutes later, I got to hold my little angel. She had so much hair! And cute chubby cheeks. Holding her filled me with such joy. I hardly even noticed Dr. Jacob starting to stitch me up from how badly I had torn. I got 30 minutes with her before they took her to get her cleaned up. Then they moved me into a new room and shortly brought my baby back to me. She was perfect and so precious. I am so blessed and grateful for the opportunity to carry this sweet angel for almost 10 months and to finally hold her in my arms. I now firmly believe that true love is a love you share as an eternal family... with parents and children.

Big Baby Bash

This past weekend sure was eventful! My sister, Kristy, flew in Thursday night, so Friday, I swapped for the morning shift and spent all afternoon and evening with my sisters (...well, Kristy and Kelli since Korrie wasn't in town yet). We didn't do anything crazy. For the most part, we just sat around and talked. It's so rare for us to be able to get together and just chat, so it was really fun. For dinner that evening, Kristy and Kelli had already picked up some pizzas, and we ate dinner at a park. Again, it was really nice to just sit and relax with my sisters (and their kids). Kristy was in a little bit of shock at how big I am. Well, I guess that happens when you're a month from giving birth. :) Kelli sees me far more frequently, so there's no real shock factor for her. That night, my mom and Korrie drove in. Mom and the girls stayed at our apartment, and Korrie drove up to Kelli's to stay there with Kristy. Mom and I put the girls to bed right away (on our living room floor) and Mom and I stayed up a little too late chatting... like we often do when we haven't seen each other for a while. Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early and all of us girls (me, Chloe, Cailee, Kristy, Kelli, Korrie, and their babies) too Mom to breakfast at Kneader's for a belated Mother's Day. Can I just tell you how delicious their breakfast is? I even brought home a pastry or two to share with Cory. How nice am I? After breakfast, Mom, Kelli, and Kristy went to the mall to get the twins' 1 year pictures done. It's kind of traditional. They ended up getting Kristy a new phone too, since her old phone's ringer would ring. She got no alerts at all until after the fact. While they were out, Korrie and I went back to my apartment, picked up Cory, and went to take some maternity pictures. They turned out really cute and didn't take very long at all, which was really nice considering our time constraints. Kristy and Mom weren't quite finished with the phone thing, so Korrie and I decided to just head over to Costco and pick up what we needed to pick up for the baby shower, then go start setting everything up. Fortunately, we were using the church across the street from Cory's grandma and aunt (and her family). They came over and sure helped a TON! We really would not have finished everything if not for the Harrisons. The baby shower was fantastic! So many people came... I was a little surprised. Mostly because I don't know a ton of people. But family from both my side and Cory's made up about half of us. The rest were friends from high school, work, and church. It made me so happy to have so much support from friends and family. Oh, and did I mention that the food was awesome too?! Here are some pictures:

One Year Ago

I thought one year ago was the happiest day of my life. I married my eternal companion in a holy temple of the Lord for time and all eternity. We are sealed together by a bond that can only be broken if sacred covenants are broken. While I truly adore my husband, and one year ago today was such an amazing day, it was only the first day of the happiest days of my life. I have had many, many since and will surely have many, many more with him by my side, and as our little family continues to grow. Cory has been patient and kind in every way. He exemplifies manhood and fatherhood. He takes such good care of us and treats me as an equal. He never expects me to do or be anything or anyone in particular. He wants me to be me... and the most amazing thing of all is that he loves me for me - post-baby dough belly and all. He has never made me feel sub-standard, even when I don't wash the dishes or forget to pull the laundry out of the dryer to fold and put it away. Even if I feel I do, he has never made me feel like I should lose weight, wear more makeup, or dress up more. He still holds my hand every chance he gets. He kisses me good-night and every morning at the very least, but usually more often than that. He is worthy of the Priesthood and never hesitates to use that power to bless me or those around him. He works hard and tries his very best all the time. I love him with an eternal love and look forward to the next 100 years with him. Happy Anniversary.

39 Weeks

Yesterday I hit the 39 week mark. Yay! I also had one of my last doctor appointments until I'm due. I have one on my due date next week, but I'm really hoping I don't make it to that one. For those of you who are faint of heart when it comes to baby/pregnancy things, stop reading now. Here's what they told me: I'm 1 cm dilated and 50-60% effaced. This is really good since last week I was dilated to about nothing. She said that she has seen people in my condition go into labor that very night after seeing them. Well, that didn't happen, and I wasn't expecting it either. But I am hoping she'll come before my due date, just because I'm excited. I asked what happens if she doesn't come by my due date. Her response was that it all depends. If I look like I'm progressing, they could possibly schedule an induction the week of the 25th. If I'm not progressing, the soonest they'd schedule an induction is the 29th. So either way, I won't go much over 41 weeks, which is nice. We'll get to see out baby girl very soon! So far I haven't had many contractions. They're faint, few, and far between. But they're there... I think. Maybe it's my imagination because I'm just that excited. The really good news: she's head-down!!! She's been liking the transverse position lately, so I was a little concerned. If she's transverse when I go into labor, it's pretty much an automatic cesarean. Not how I want to have my first baby. So I was happy that she's cooperating with Momma. Good news all around. I'm really excited. And thanks to Tylenol PM, I finally slept last night and feel great. Today would be an awesome day to have a baby. Probably won't happen... but you never know. :)

Nesting

I've been working on a post about my lovely baby shower. I just haven't finished it yet... but no worries. It's coming. Pictures and all. Until then, I've been completely been distracted from studying for my final (which is Thursday, mind you) by this phenomenon called "nesting". If you're wondering what this means, it has something to do with pregnant people making a home ready for babies. I didn't hear the term used until our neighbors came by one day last month and saw Cory and me scrubbing our apartment top to bottom. I've been progressively nesting since then. I'll just get a sudden urge to clean, organize, purge, craft, and pretty things up. I've posted a few of my crafty things in the past, but they're starting to come together. In the past two days, while not at work, I've done nothing but nest. I cleaned off our counter, organized papers, and thrown a ton away. I moved Baby Girl's bassinet from on top of the changing table my sister gave us to the side of the bed. I still have to figure out how to keep the AC from hitting her, but I'll figure it out when the time comes. After the baby shower, I took some of the decorations my sister gave me or left behind and cozied up Baby Girl's corner of the world. I'm trying to get all her blankets, toys, and doodads organized and where I can easily find them again. I already had a scare where I couldn't find the blankets my mom made. Enter panic mode. But I found them in the pile of clothes I set aside so I can pick which outfit to bring her home from the hospital in. I've been looking through the baby book my mom gave me so I know what I need to remember to write in it later. It seems like the more I nest, the less organized things seem. But that's only because I'm not finished yet. Right? Oye. Cory is going to come home today, ask what I did, scold me (with his eyes) for not studying and for making such a mess. I really could put this off for two more days. But I don't want to. I'd rather procrastinate the studying right now. Thinking about my baby makes me too excited to sit still and study. (I will have you note, especially since you can't see, that the entire bottom of this bassinet is FILLED with blankets made or given by so many people who love this little girl already.) Baby Girl is due in 10 days and counting! Anyone want to start taking bets on when she actually comes? Cory's co-workers already have. Some are calling as early as the 18th... but then again, they're all men in his office... I also might have a slight addiction to Otter Pops... as a side note.

Keep Life Simple - Wear Pants

6 months of the exact same wardrobe gets a little... well, boring. Remember how I recently found all the maternity clothes my sister gave me and I was so excited because I was getting tired of wearing the SAME THING day after day? Well, often in the morning, while I'm eating breakfast or showering, I think about what I might want to wear that day. Yesterday I wore a sun dress that I bought for our trip to Florida and found another little gem hiding in my closet. It was roomy enough around the waist that it just might fit around by baby bump... well, more like baby beach ball. I was excited to try it because, hey, something new I could wear! I was thinking about it fitting about my belly and forgot that before I was pregnant, it usually hit just below the knees. So when I put it on, it was about an inch or slightly so above my knees... at least from my high-above-my-belly perspective. No big deal, right? Well, not when you're pregnant and Mormon. Most girls (LDS or not) would just say, oh well, and go on with life. Some might try to make a too-short dress modest by adding a pair of leggings underneath. Like so:

Well, after criticizing the act so much, and being so excited about the possibility of wearing something new (ish), I caved. I tried it. I pulled out a pair of leggings I had (I wore them under skirts for dance classes... you never know what will happen) and put them on. They hit just below the knee, so you only got a few inches of legging. And I though to myself, "this just might work!" (Keep in mind, I don't have a full-length mirror... and there's a reason for that.) Then, Cory and I walked outside to the car to go to work. My dress was already riding, and I already regretted the decision. But it was too late. If I turned back now to change, we would be late, and I would be an indecisive mess. I decided I would just suck it up, and since I sit behind a desk at work, no one would know, or see. I felt terrible the entire (7 minute) drive to work. Then we had to get out of the car. The wind was a little blustery... but not Marilyn Monroe blustery. Even still, my dress continued to ride. I told Cory that I just didn't know how girls (LDS girls specifically) felt good trying to justify immodesty. I also told him that I would just end up being his inappropriately-dressed, pregnant, trophy wife for the next 5 minutes as we walked to our offices. I was not comfortable, and I just wanted to go back to the car, drive home, change, and come back later (...still do). The whole time, I judged myself negatively and joked that Cory needed to stop. He told me before the leggings went on that the dress might be to short, which I knew (he was really sweet about it). He was trying really hard to be supportive and just didn't mutter a negative word to me. So I appreciate that. I think he knew that this would be a learning opportunity for me and let me have it. And it really didn't take long for me to tell him exactly that. So that's where I am now. Uncomfortable, even behind a desk. I feel pretty bad about a decision I made just to try something new, and too lazy to turn back. And it's only 10am. What did I learn from this? 1. It just feels better to wear real pants - or clothes you don't have to worry about. (And no, that doesn't mean ugly or frumpy. Who wants to feel ugly and frumpy?) 2. I now have a recent experience to use to teach my daughters about the importance of modesty. (And how it feels when you're not.)Immodesty, even innocent immodesty, is just not worth it. 3. I can now say from experience that LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS! And yes, when I finish with work in 3 more hours, I am promptly going home and putting on some real pants.

What's Goin' On?

I realized it's been a couple weeks since I've posted anything. Well, my family has pretty well stayed updated since I talk to them a lot, but for anyone who isn't related, here's the update. First: Tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY! Yep. I'm excited to share it with my husband. And do you know what I decided I wanted to do? We're going to the temple. I think that's a great way to spend a birthday. Besides, this little girl comes in just over a month and I might not be able to make it as often as I'd like. Plus, of the names I have to work on currently, I have one left before we can finish off these ordinances for the family we've been working on for almost a year. The reason I love my birthday is because everyone seems to want to talk to me. :) I like when people go out of their way to talk to me or visit me. Who doesn't? And it seems to happen most on my birthday. So I'll take it! Second: I had some kind of terrible stomach bug last week. I ended up calling an on-call doctor twice in the past week because of how miserable I was. Fortunately I wasn't throwing up, but at the same time, I wish I could have just to get rid of whatever ick I was feeling. It felt like I needed to throw up. Food no longer sounded/looked/smelled appetizing. I even called off work one day, which really doesn't happen unless I'm on my death bed. I didn't feel bad this time because Cory and I are working 60 hours a week now... so we won't be completely broke if I miss 4 hours. As a result of my 4-day ick, I ended up losing about 3 lbs and after my stomach started to feel better, my digestive system went all out of whack...for 3 days. Super. And, ouch. I called my doctor again last night because it was TERRIBLE (I will spare you the details) and he told me what I could pick up OTC to relieve some of the discomfort and symptoms. Yes, we went to the store on a Sunday. It was an ox in the mire moment. And it was SO worth it. I'm back at work today and feel great! I ate food, food stayed in my body and digested properly, and I was satisfied. Happy day. And now we CAN go to the temple tomorrow without fear of... issues. Thank goodness for on-call doctors. Thank goodness for OTC medicines that don't cost an arm and a leg. Thank goodness for reasonable/compassionate husbands. Third: Baby Girl is huge. And I am huge. But that's okay. I love her and I love that I get to be her mommy. The fun part about Baby Girl getting bigger (besides her being healthy) is now I can feel her wiggle on two sides of my body at the same time. It's pretty fun. I'll feel her little hands moving around my hip while her toes are playing in my ribs on the opposite side of my body. I also love that Cory can distinctly see her movements and point to her. She's good entertainment during church. She also started getting hiccups at night. It kind of freaked me out the first time. I wasn't worried since she was moving so much. I thought it was bizarre that her movements were so rhythmic. That was on the 8th. She had hiccups again last night. It cracks me up. I just know this little girl is going to have a dynamic personality. She's so funny. I just have a feeling. Fourth: Mother's Day was the BEST! My cousin's wife had their baby the Saturday before, and she's a cutie. I think it's great timing. It's my aunt and uncle's first granddaughter, so they're thrilled. I loved Sunday because I got to enjoy Mother's Day as a mother. The youth in our ward passed out planter pansies to the women in the ward. At first I kind of wondered what I was going to do with pansies in dirt. I live in an apartment. I don't have a garden. And then, I noticed the youth had stuffed chocolate into the dirt. SCORE! When we got home I found a pot and potted them with some potting soil I happened to have from previous potting efforts. Cory also made me breakfast for Mother's Day. He made me really yummy French toast stuffed with cheese, spinach, egg, and a bunch of other goodness. Unfortunately, because of my ick, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I really wanted to. So I felt really, really bad. But I know he understands that it was good, I was just sick all week. I'm very grateful for my wonderful husband. Fifth: Cory gave me the option of going to see a children's play on Saturday, or going to see the new Avenger's movie. Considering one was 2+ hours long and the other was an hour tops, one was here for the weekend and the other will be around for a while, and I was still sickly, I picked the children's play. There weren't too many seats sold in the balcony, so we picked seats up there to stay away from everyone. Yep, two adults with no extra-utero children went and saw a children's play. Fancy Nancy and Other Story Books. It was awesome. Cory and I ended up laughing quite a bit. They turned 5 children's books into short musicals. It was so fun! And less expensive than the movie anyway. It was a great, inexpensive way to get out of the house. Sixth: I organized! I got rid of a bunch of stuff, made a nice DI bag, and de-cluttered. It felt SO good. Until my body reminded me that I wasn't feeling super great. Cory rolled his eyes at me. But, I was in the mood, which rarely happens. And I accomplished a lot. I even found where I stored all the maternity clothes my sister gave me when we first found out I was pregnant. Double score! New wardrobe, for free!!! I had already been wearing some of the things she had given me, but some of them were more summery and I couldn't wear them while it was cold, so I put them away. Perfect time to find them! It's past 80 degrees today! My next organization goal is to rearrange the pictures on our walls. Just because. And can I tell you how nice our apartment feels now that it's less cluttered? I feel like we might actually be able to fit a baby in there! Lastly: I love our neighbors. We invited them over last night to play a game and just had a blast. We get along so well. They are also expecting a baby girl, but not until Sept/Oct. We could have easily scared them off... and by we, I mean I could have easily scared them off. Many times. But they haven't run. I take that as a good sign. It's so nice to have neighbors that will talk to you and do things with you. I'm glad they're planning on sticking around for a while. We will miss them a lot when one of us eventually moves. *sigh* I think that's all for now. Coming up in just under two weeks is my baby shower. I am thrilled!!! So I'm sure I'll be posting about that in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll get a chance to throw something in before then. I make no promises.