Go 'Dores!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Overdue
I've been meaning to write this post for, well, almost for a year now.
One year ago today, a Saturday, I woke up 40 weeks and five days pregnant with Emilia.
I had gone to the doctor for a checkup the day before, and he was encouraged that I was finally beginning to make some progress, though it was minimal. My doctor was leaving town for the weekend, so he told me to prepare to have my baby without him. He even sent me across the office to meet the weekend on-call doctor, just in case (I ended up not meeting her then, however, because she was stuck in traffic). If Emilia wasn't born over the weekend, we were likely going to induce on Tuesday (so as to avoid having her share her birthday with Halloween, which was that Monday).
After switching her flights daily for a whole week, my mom was flying in to Austin that very morning, baby or no baby. Her return flight was for the following Sunday, nine days later. I really wanted to go to one last (I hoped!) prenatal yoga class, so Taylor picked up my mom from the airport and dropped her off at a coffee shop in the same shopping center as the yoga studio.
Alice, the yoga instructor, is also a doula, so she often gave us preggo yogis tips on good positions for labor, good breathing techniques, etc. I only started prenatal yoga towards the end of my pregnancy, at maybe 32 weeks, and each week I was amazed at the women who showed up to yoga class 40, 41, and even 42(!) weeks pregnant. I mentally noted which woman was the farthest along, sometimes praying for her but always feeling encouraged by her even though we never spoke.
On October 29, 2011, in a yoga class of about thirty women, I was the farthest along. I took pride in my position, and I basked in the sympathetic looks the rest of the room cast my way. And at the end of class, I eagerly accepted the foot massage Alice offered to me - she told me that massaging the pinky toes is supposed to induce labor, and since she was offering to rub my stinky feet for me, I wasn't about to stop her!
After class ended a little before noon, I met my mom in the parking lot and we drove home. Four hours later, I was in labor!
My contractions were far apart at first, about ten minutes, but they were regular. Taylor, whose anxiety was through the roof, asked if he could go to the gym, and that seemed like a great idea. I didn't need him yet, and I hoped that exercising would help him clear his mind and decrease his anxiety.
For the next three or so hours, I worked through the contractions on my hands and knees, then chatted with Taylor and my mom in between. Around 7.30 we all sat down to a full meal of chicken and veggies. I ate a lot, knowing that once I got to the hospital I wouldn't be able to eat anymore.
Since this was my first time to be in labor, I didn't know how to balance my desire to labor at home as much as possible with my ignorance about what was to come, so when my contractions were four to five minutes apart, at around 9 pm, we loaded up to go to the hospital.
My triage nurse was horrible. She wanted me to stay in the bed while we were waiting, and when I asked her if I could get up and move around during contractions since that was more comfortable for me, she called the doctor to get permission, which she (the nurse, not the doctor) reluctantly gave me. I told her my fears of having a huge baby - Taylor and both of his sisters were each over nine pounds at birth - and she confirmed my fears, saying my baby would probably be close to ten pounds. When she asked me my preference regarding an epidural and I told her that I would likely get one but that I wanted to wait as long as possible, she rolled her eyes at me and told me I should go ahead and get one early since it often takes an hour for the radiologist to come after you've requested one.
I was so, so thankful when, about an hour after I was placed in the delivery room, this nurse was called to the room next door to assist with a delivery and I was assigned a new nurse. I was less thankful that the walls were not soundproof and I got to listen to my neighbor as she pushed for two and a half hours.
Since my water hadn't broken, the nurse periodically wanted to hook me up to monitors just to make sure Emilia was doing okay. Though the pain was bad even when I was free to move around the room, the pain when I had to be on my back in the bed hooked up to monitors was so excruciating that around 12.30 am, I asked for an epidural, which did in fact come about an hour later.
Though I am 99% sure I would have gotten an epidural regardless, had I known how painful just getting it would be, I might have waited. Also, my epidural went in lopsided, so I had zero control over the lower half of the right side of my body for the next several hours; I had to have the nurse's or Taylor's help just to roll over in the bed. After I got the epidural, however, I was able to sleep for about two and a half blissful hours. Taylor, who didn't have the help of drugs, was too anxious to sleep much at all.
Around 6 am on Sunday, October 30, the doctor came in and introduced herself. I didn't seem to be progressing much (I was still only about five centimeters dilated), so she broke my water to try to move things along. Around 8 am the doctor came back in to check on me and discovered that Emilia was transverse, meaning that she wasn't face up or face down like it needs to be for delivery, but instead her face was to the side. The doctor informed me that if Emilia didn't flip to the front or the back on her own, then I would have to have a C-section. When I asked her how likely it was that Emilia would flip, she told me I had about a 10-15% chance. Because she had just broken my water a couple of hours earlier, however, she was very willing to give me time.
Because my sister had a somewhat traumatic birth of her twins - an emergency C-section at 32 weeks - I was incredibly resistant to the idea of having Emilia surgically removed unless it was absolutely necessary. My sweet nurse, Heather, was much more encouraging than the doctor; she told me that she had seen lots of babies flip on their own and she suggested some positions that might help. She positioned me on my left side with my right leg draped all the way across my body at a ninety degree angle and left me there for about an hour. Then she flipped me to my right side with my left leg across my body. Around 10 am, nurse Heather checked on Emilia and was so excited to announce that Emmy had indeed flipped! She called in another nurse to confirm Emilia's position, and about thirty or forty-five minutes later, I was ready to push.
Emilia Grace Leachman was born at 11.23 am on Sunday, October 30. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21 and a half inches long.
After Emmy was born, the doctor told me that she had overestimated with her 10-15%, and that she was genuinely shocked that I was able to have my baby naturally.
I am so, so thankful that Emilia flipped on her own and that I was able to have her naturally. I am so thankful for Taylor and the amazing support he was throughout the entire process, even though I know he was at least as nervous as I was. I am so thankful for my sweet nurse, Heather, who gave me the hope I needed.
I know that Emilia's birth story would have been perfect even if it had gone very, very differently. Above all else, I am so thankful to have delivered a healthy baby girl.
One year ago today, a Saturday, I woke up 40 weeks and five days pregnant with Emilia.
I had gone to the doctor for a checkup the day before, and he was encouraged that I was finally beginning to make some progress, though it was minimal. My doctor was leaving town for the weekend, so he told me to prepare to have my baby without him. He even sent me across the office to meet the weekend on-call doctor, just in case (I ended up not meeting her then, however, because she was stuck in traffic). If Emilia wasn't born over the weekend, we were likely going to induce on Tuesday (so as to avoid having her share her birthday with Halloween, which was that Monday).
After switching her flights daily for a whole week, my mom was flying in to Austin that very morning, baby or no baby. Her return flight was for the following Sunday, nine days later. I really wanted to go to one last (I hoped!) prenatal yoga class, so Taylor picked up my mom from the airport and dropped her off at a coffee shop in the same shopping center as the yoga studio.
Alice, the yoga instructor, is also a doula, so she often gave us preggo yogis tips on good positions for labor, good breathing techniques, etc. I only started prenatal yoga towards the end of my pregnancy, at maybe 32 weeks, and each week I was amazed at the women who showed up to yoga class 40, 41, and even 42(!) weeks pregnant. I mentally noted which woman was the farthest along, sometimes praying for her but always feeling encouraged by her even though we never spoke.
On October 29, 2011, in a yoga class of about thirty women, I was the farthest along. I took pride in my position, and I basked in the sympathetic looks the rest of the room cast my way. And at the end of class, I eagerly accepted the foot massage Alice offered to me - she told me that massaging the pinky toes is supposed to induce labor, and since she was offering to rub my stinky feet for me, I wasn't about to stop her!
After class ended a little before noon, I met my mom in the parking lot and we drove home. Four hours later, I was in labor!
My contractions were far apart at first, about ten minutes, but they were regular. Taylor, whose anxiety was through the roof, asked if he could go to the gym, and that seemed like a great idea. I didn't need him yet, and I hoped that exercising would help him clear his mind and decrease his anxiety.
For the next three or so hours, I worked through the contractions on my hands and knees, then chatted with Taylor and my mom in between. Around 7.30 we all sat down to a full meal of chicken and veggies. I ate a lot, knowing that once I got to the hospital I wouldn't be able to eat anymore.
Since this was my first time to be in labor, I didn't know how to balance my desire to labor at home as much as possible with my ignorance about what was to come, so when my contractions were four to five minutes apart, at around 9 pm, we loaded up to go to the hospital.
My triage nurse was horrible. She wanted me to stay in the bed while we were waiting, and when I asked her if I could get up and move around during contractions since that was more comfortable for me, she called the doctor to get permission, which she (the nurse, not the doctor) reluctantly gave me. I told her my fears of having a huge baby - Taylor and both of his sisters were each over nine pounds at birth - and she confirmed my fears, saying my baby would probably be close to ten pounds. When she asked me my preference regarding an epidural and I told her that I would likely get one but that I wanted to wait as long as possible, she rolled her eyes at me and told me I should go ahead and get one early since it often takes an hour for the radiologist to come after you've requested one.
I was so, so thankful when, about an hour after I was placed in the delivery room, this nurse was called to the room next door to assist with a delivery and I was assigned a new nurse. I was less thankful that the walls were not soundproof and I got to listen to my neighbor as she pushed for two and a half hours.
Since my water hadn't broken, the nurse periodically wanted to hook me up to monitors just to make sure Emilia was doing okay. Though the pain was bad even when I was free to move around the room, the pain when I had to be on my back in the bed hooked up to monitors was so excruciating that around 12.30 am, I asked for an epidural, which did in fact come about an hour later.
Though I am 99% sure I would have gotten an epidural regardless, had I known how painful just getting it would be, I might have waited. Also, my epidural went in lopsided, so I had zero control over the lower half of the right side of my body for the next several hours; I had to have the nurse's or Taylor's help just to roll over in the bed. After I got the epidural, however, I was able to sleep for about two and a half blissful hours. Taylor, who didn't have the help of drugs, was too anxious to sleep much at all.
Around 6 am on Sunday, October 30, the doctor came in and introduced herself. I didn't seem to be progressing much (I was still only about five centimeters dilated), so she broke my water to try to move things along. Around 8 am the doctor came back in to check on me and discovered that Emilia was transverse, meaning that she wasn't face up or face down like it needs to be for delivery, but instead her face was to the side. The doctor informed me that if Emilia didn't flip to the front or the back on her own, then I would have to have a C-section. When I asked her how likely it was that Emilia would flip, she told me I had about a 10-15% chance. Because she had just broken my water a couple of hours earlier, however, she was very willing to give me time.
Because my sister had a somewhat traumatic birth of her twins - an emergency C-section at 32 weeks - I was incredibly resistant to the idea of having Emilia surgically removed unless it was absolutely necessary. My sweet nurse, Heather, was much more encouraging than the doctor; she told me that she had seen lots of babies flip on their own and she suggested some positions that might help. She positioned me on my left side with my right leg draped all the way across my body at a ninety degree angle and left me there for about an hour. Then she flipped me to my right side with my left leg across my body. Around 10 am, nurse Heather checked on Emilia and was so excited to announce that Emmy had indeed flipped! She called in another nurse to confirm Emilia's position, and about thirty or forty-five minutes later, I was ready to push.
Emilia Grace Leachman was born at 11.23 am on Sunday, October 30. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21 and a half inches long.
After Emmy was born, the doctor told me that she had overestimated with her 10-15%, and that she was genuinely shocked that I was able to have my baby naturally.
I am so, so thankful that Emilia flipped on her own and that I was able to have her naturally. I am so thankful for Taylor and the amazing support he was throughout the entire process, even though I know he was at least as nervous as I was. I am so thankful for my sweet nurse, Heather, who gave me the hope I needed.
I know that Emilia's birth story would have been perfect even if it had gone very, very differently. Above all else, I am so thankful to have delivered a healthy baby girl.
Potty trained before she turns one?!
So Emilia usually saves her bathtub poops for Taylor. As in, two out of the three times he's bathed her while I've been out of the house, she's pooped in the tub, and she has NEVER pooped in the tub while I've been bathing her, alone or with Taylor. I'm not saying I'm doing something right and he's doing something wrong, I'm just saying that I have been very, very lucky and he has been, well, less lucky.
And I'm proud to say that record still holds...
Taylor has class every Monday night, so I always bathe Emilia by myself on those nights. Tonight Emilia was splashing around happily and playing with her toys, but then she suddenly hesitated and gave me "the look." My first reaction? Scoop up that wet naked baby and plop her down on the toilet.
What could have gone very, very badly (as in, Emilia could have pooped mid-air during the transfer from the bath to the toilet) worked out in the best way possible. She pooped in the toilet!
If she's done it once, she can do it again, right??
And I'm proud to say that record still holds...
Taylor has class every Monday night, so I always bathe Emilia by myself on those nights. Tonight Emilia was splashing around happily and playing with her toys, but then she suddenly hesitated and gave me "the look." My first reaction? Scoop up that wet naked baby and plop her down on the toilet.
What could have gone very, very badly (as in, Emilia could have pooped mid-air during the transfer from the bath to the toilet) worked out in the best way possible. She pooped in the toilet!
If she's done it once, she can do it again, right??
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sick :(
My poor little baby has an ear infection :(.
Somehow, even though she is in full-time daycare, Emilia has avoided all illnesses except for minor colds. Until now, that is. My mom reminded me that I already had tubes by the time I was Emilia's age, and I know Taylor had lots of ear infections as a kid, too, so I'm afraid this is only the first of many ear infections to come (I hope I'm wrong!).
Taylor's mom, Mimi, was able to drive up from Houston on Thursday afternoon, since I had to meet with students on Friday morning (they have a paper due on Tuesday) and Taylor had to drive to Corpus Christi on Friday morning for Presbytery. Thanks for your help, Mimi!
If her fever spikes up, Emilia is totally pitiful and clingy, like in the picture above. Once we get her fever down, however, she seems totally happy and healthy, ready to play and eat. She's on Amoxicillin, which she absolutely HATES to take - I think she only gets about a half-dose each time we give it to her.
I'm sad that she'll still be taking antibiotics on her birthday (three days from now!), but hopefully she'll be feeling 100% by then.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Pumpkin Patch
Though I had been planning to take pictures of Emilia in a pumpkin patch this year, I had hoped to go with friends and maybe get lunch or dinner together before or after the photo shoot and make it a fun event. Well, then a couple of weeks ago I had a total mom meltdown because Taylor and I tried to put together Emilia's birthday invitation and I couldn't find a single. photo. out of the thousands that we have of her that I thought was good enough for the invitation. My solution? Get in the car immediately and drive to Tarrytown UMC to take new pictures in their famous pumpkin patch. Very mature, right?
Even though it wasn't the fun event I had hoped it would be (we didn't exactly start off well, did we?), and even though there were like three pumpkins total at the church (I exaggerate, of course, but really, there were disappointingly few pumpkins), we actually got some great photos of Emilia, and we were able to choose one (finally!) for her invitation.
So, here is the adorable, scrunchy-face photo we chose for Emilia's invitation:
And here is the photo we immediately posted to Instagram (look at all them teeth!):
And no, we didn't buy a pumpkin here, as we had planned to do. They only had teenyteeny pumpkins or GINORMOUS ones.
Even though it wasn't the fun event I had hoped it would be (we didn't exactly start off well, did we?), and even though there were like three pumpkins total at the church (I exaggerate, of course, but really, there were disappointingly few pumpkins), we actually got some great photos of Emilia, and we were able to choose one (finally!) for her invitation.
See that empty lawn behind Emilia?
Normally at this time of year it is FILLED with pumpkins.
We must have been there on an off day, since when I drove by a few days ago,
it was in fact FILLED with pumpkins.
So, here is the adorable, scrunchy-face photo we chose for Emilia's invitation:
And no, we didn't buy a pumpkin here, as we had planned to do. They only had teenyteeny pumpkins or GINORMOUS ones.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Hello, Goodbye
Here are some of my favorite videos of Emilia saying "Hi" and "Bye Bye." I love them all for different reasons, so I couldn't choose just one to post.
In the last video, Emilia demonstrates the two different waves she has for "Hi" and "Bye Bye" - hilarious.
Emilia LOVES to watch these videos of herself! She will follow along and wave or clap as I direct her to do in the movie (and she is often more cooperative as she watches the clip than she was when I actually made the movie).
Enjoy!
In the last video, Emilia demonstrates the two different waves she has for "Hi" and "Bye Bye" - hilarious.
Emilia LOVES to watch these videos of herself! She will follow along and wave or clap as I direct her to do in the movie (and she is often more cooperative as she watches the clip than she was when I actually made the movie).
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Welcome to the world, Simeon Augustine Wilson
Simeon Augustine Wilson was born on August 28, 2012. So, seven weeks ago. But don't you think I needed to hold him in my arms and kiss his sweet face before I could properly write a blog post about him?
Hopefully Simeon doesn't mind sharing his post with Emilia, without whom a post on this blog would not be complete.
You can read about Simeon's sweet mama, Mary Ann, here.
Taylor was scheduled to go elk hunting over Columbus Day weekend, so I thought that would be a perfect time for Emilia and me to trek up to South Bend, Indiana to meet sweet baby Simeon. Taylor ended up having to cancel our trip, but Emilia and I took ours anyway. We flew direct from Austin to Chicago, then took a three hour bus trip to South Bend. Simeon's daddy, Ben, picked us up on Notre Dame's campus.
Emilia charmed everyone in the security line by waving to them!
Since this was my first time flying solo with Emilia, I prayed for kind, understanding seat mates on the plane. My prayers were answered! Two TCU sophomores, who just wanted any two seats on the plane so long as they were together, sat next to us and oohed and ahhed at every noise Emmy made. The girl in the middle seat even offered her magazine to Emilia, and she let Emilia rub her hand all over her fuzzy sweater.
Emilia fell asleep shortly after take-off and woke up when the plane started to descend for landing. Hooray!
We then had about an hour and a half to kill before our bus arrived. We got our bag, ate lunch, then found a place to play.
Emilia, waiting on the bus to arrive
Emilia loved looking out the window of the bus.
We had a whole row to ourselves, so Emilia could climb from me
to the window and back again.
About thirty minutes after we left Chicago, Emilia crawled in
my lap and fell asleep in my arms. So sweet!
She hasn't fallen asleep in my arms in months!
Emilia slept for a little over an hour, then woke up and headed back
to the window. Look at the gorgeous fall colors!
After a looooong day of travel, we finally made it to the Wilson abode.
Here's the happy mama and her sweet-cheeked little boy!
Baby introductions. Emilia's clapping is surely a good sign.
Doesn't she look so old next to him?
Emilia wasn't too sure what to make of baby Simeon...
Especially once I was holding him!
It felt so different to hold a newborn after a whole eleven months with Emilia!
Emilia quickly made herself at home in Simeon's bouncy chair.
Thankfully Simeon's parents are much more laid back
than I was when Emilia was Simeon's age!
We packed lightly since we were traveling without Taylor,
so the Wilsons were kind enough to share Simeon's books with Emilia...
...and his Bumbo, which became E's highchair for the duration of our visit.
Note, Simeon hasn't even gotten to read these books or sit in this Bumbo yet.
He didn't seem to mind, which I take as a clear indication
that he will share his parents' generous nature!
The Wilsons' actually shared quite a lot with us, starting with their one-bedroom apartment. We put Emilia to bed in their pack and play (Simeon is still in a smaller bassinet) in their bedroom. Then, when they were ready for bed, Ben moved the pack and play out to the living room and helped me set up the pull-out sofa bed. Emilia made the transition each night without any trouble, thankfully! Each morning when she would wake up, I would nurse her in my bed and then she would curl up on my chest and go back to sleep for 30-45 minutes. Why won't she do that at home?!
Oh, how I miss the cuddly baby stage!
Matching pacis for the babes, on the way to Mass on Sunday morning.
Mary Ann's dear friend Claire was kind enough to loan us her extra
infant carseat for our visit. She's expecting her own little one any. day. now.
Claire's due date was the day Emilia and I arrived, and so far,
that little baby still hasn't been born! Perhaps he/she heard that it is already
quite chilly in South Bend... We're praying he/she comes soon.
Ben is an excellent, attentive father. Here he is demonstrating
one of his (and Simeon's!) favorite calming methods:
the football hold. Doesn't Simeon look like a peaceful pigskin?
When he's not making for the end zone, Simeon also likes a nice, tight swaddle.
Emilia and Aunt Muffy had just enough time to become fast friends.
Can you see the look of pure joy on Emilia's face?
That's because she's Skyping with her daddy!
Our last night in South Bend, Ben and Mary Ann (who are both M.Div students at Notre Dame) had a meeting on campus. Simeon, Emilia and I joined them for dinner, then I took the babies back to the
Wilson home - in a borrowed car, since the Wilson coche is a stick shift and, well, I can't drive stick.
What an adventure! I had Simeon in the Ergo and Emilia in a stroller, which Mary Ann's friend Claire (that's right, the 40+ week pregnant friend!) helped me push back to the car. Once I got the babies in the car, I realized I had forgotten to write down the directions to get me from campus to the apartment. Simeon was screaming, and my sweet baby big girl leaned up in her carseat, waved to Simeon, and kept saying, "Hi, hi." She was trying to help me calm him down! She's so old! And smart. And helpful.
We made it back to the apartment without too much trouble (Mary Ann had told me the directions, and they weren't too difficult to remember). I got both babies in the door, and then I let Emilia completely unload the Wilsons' tupperware cabinet while I fed Simeon a bottle. I plopped E down in the pack and play so I could change Simeon's diaper and when I went to get her out, she was standing up by herself. That is new.
Once Simeon was dry and full, I put him in his little rocker seat, which I had dragged over to the bathroom door. I then proceeded to give Emilia the quickest bath known to babies. Simeon was calm, so I got her into her jammies, read her a Bible story, and called Taylor so he could say "Goodnight" to her. I somehow got Emmy into bed, then picked up Simeon and cuddled with him on the couch, exhausted. Having two babies is hard work!
Instead of cleaning up the mess Emilia and I had made (tupperware, clothes, towels, books, etc. were strewn across the entire apartment), I just enjoyed my last long snuggle with newborn Simeon. Mary Ann and Ben came home a couple of hours later, and not only were they not outraged at the state of their apartment, they showered me with beer and homemade Uecker Family molasses cookies and let me keep cuddling with Simeon while they cleaned up my mess.
In general, that's about how our visit went: instead of being super-helpful with dishes and laundry and cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping and all of the wonderful things Mary Ann did for me after Emilia was born, I spent my time chasing Emilia around and eating their food and using their books/pack and play/Bumbo/toothbrush (that's right, I forgot mine, so I had to bum one off the new parents!). And they couldn't have been more gracious!
Cuddling with sweet baby Simeon and eating
an Uecker Family molasses cookie
The girls, waiting on the bus to take Emilia and me back to Chicago.
Isn't fall lovely in Indiana??
Surprise! My sweet friend Claire from Vandy now lives in Chicago and (lucky for me) is currently unemployed, so she took the L out to Midway to help us through the security line have lunch with us. We had about three hours from the time the bus dropped us off at the airport until our flight left, so she was such a great diversion!
Claire and Emilia playing together on the floor.
Claire took this picture of me with Emilia - I love it!
Wilsons, thank you for such a wonderful trip! You are incredibly gracious hosts, even during this chaotic time in your lives. Simeon, I pray that you would grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and with man, and that you would know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made by a God who loves you as his own. Your parents love you fiercely, as do I.
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