Happy Halloween

The Balancing Act

C is 2 weeks old today. I have had help of some kind since the day she was born, so I still don't feel like I've started "real life" with four kids. But I have noticed that it is going to be quite the balancing act...I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it. My biggest concern is making sure that each of my children feel loved and important. I've noticed that has become more difficult as they've gotten older, because each child wants to be loved in a different way and has different needs.

I have had a pretty easy recovery this time around. I feel pretty good...actually, I feel a little energetic. Is there such thing as post-pardum nesting? :) I feel the need to tackle all of the organizing and cleaning projects that have been shoved aside for the last 9 months. Today I re-arranged the furniture. Yesterday I sorted through G's desk (it took almost the entire day). Next on the list--clean out the fridge. :) Of course, I'm only able to get all of this done because my Mom took L and A home with her for three days. :) I'm sure once I have all four girls on my own, my outlook and energy level will be quite different.

But for now, things are looking good. :)

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She's here!!!

C joined our family last Thursday evening, October 15th. She was two weeks early. Here is the story for anyone who's interested. :)

At 3:30 I headed off to Costco with all three girls in tow. On the way there I started feeling contractions and considered going home. But I really needed to get some things, and I figured they would stop. About 10 minutes into our shopping trip I realized I needed to get out of there. :) The contractions were about 5 minutes apart and growing in intensity. I told the girls we needed to hurry. It didn't go over too well with them, since they love to taste all of the samples, but we got out of there pretty quick. As soon as I was outside Costco (4:30) I called G and told him that I thought I was in labor. He left work immediately and picked up a babysitter on his way home. We arrived at the hospital and I told them my history. It was obvious I was in labor (I could no longer walk during contractions) so they checked me immediately. Sure enough I was dilated to 4 cm. They admitted me immediately, bypassing a lot of the standard protocol stuff, which I really appreciated. I asked for an epidural right away, only because I knew it would take FOREVER to actually get it (which it did---about 2 hours).

I was very happy with my ability to stay on top of the contractions. By the time the epidural came, I was definitely ready for it though. However, it did not work as well as ones I've had in the past. My right side was completely numb, but my left side was not. The pain was dulled, but I still felt quite a bit. The worst part was that the last hour or so I felt almost everything. I was surprised, since I have had epidurals in the past and felt completely nothing. The doctor told me I had what she liked to call an "epidural light." Basically it had worn off by the time the baby was descending through the birth canal. Now, why would I ask for an epidural if I wanted to feel the baby coming at the end?????!!!!! Anyway, I survived. I only had to push for 10 minutes, so I shouldn't complain too much. She was born at 11:12 pm.

Here are some pictures of her. So far we think she looks like a mix of all of our family members, which is kind of fun!

One of my favorites

R was very unsure about the baby in the hospital. She wanted nothing to do with her. Now that we're home, she is doing much better. She giggles every time she sees C and says, "baby" over and over again.

Daddy and C

A admiring C. She was SO excited to hold her.

This picture makes me laugh. I thought I was smiling SO BIG! Apparently I'm a little tired. :)

Another cute one

The girls painted a picture for C.

I thought this one was cute because L's legs are crossed. She wants so much to be a grown-up. L is completely enamored with C. She is going to be a great helper! :)

Baby on Friday?

Well, I spent 6 of the longest hours of my life yesterday in Labor and Delivery. I went in because I was nervous that I was leaking amniotic fluid. Can I just say how much I detest teaching hospitals??? The time it takes to work through the chain of command is ridiculous. Yesterday I was the guinea pig of 1 nursing student, 2 OB interns, and 1 OB resident. It was SO obnoxious. Even the nurses were upset with how long I was there. What should have taken 1.5 hours took 6 hours! Ridiculous!

Long story short, I am not leaking fluid, which is good. However my blood pressure was high and they were toying with the idea of inducing me while I was there. I tried to explain that my BP was high because I was so irritated after being there so long, and because that tiny room induces anxiety because of my last experience there (quick un-medicated delivery of Rose). But they didn't seem to care about that. Finally they decided to run some tests and let me go home for a few days to let the baby grow for a little longer. So on Friday morning (Oct 16th) I go in for the test results (and no doubt, MORE tests) and then they'll decide if they want to induce me that day or wait until the 22nd (which is already scheduled).

Honestly, I REALLY want them to induce me on Friday. I'm already dilated to 3cm and I am so afraid of going into labor and having a repeat of my experience with R. After spending 6 hours there yesterday, I'm convinced that if I'm not induced, I'll end up with an un-medicated, scary delivery just like last time. So I'm laying low for the next couple of days and really, really hoping that the doctor wants to induce me on Friday. Wish me luck!!! :)

Overheard conversation

Today L and A were outside playing "barbie" and this is what I heard:

A: But why are you poisoning me?

L: Because I want to be queen!!!! (evil laugh)

A: OH...that's great.

L: I will be queen forever! (evil laugh)

A: (thinks about this for a second then says) Okay, you can poison me.

I was dying laughing because this is a perfect illustration of A and Li's personalities. L calls the shots, and A just rolls with it! "Sure! You can poison me. No problem!" :)

Handle with care

This is how #3 is preparing to treat her new baby sister (#4):