Birth Story Pics

My wonderful friend, Katie, came at 2am to take these pics for us. I will forever cherish and love them! Thank you so much Katie!!! We love you!!!

Theodore Phineas Daniel

Here is a brief birth story for our little guy.  I went to my doctor's appointment on Thursday and had the regular NST and biophysical done. There is a scoring system done with these and the closer to ten the better. I got 6 out of ten, or rather Finn got 6 out of ten. This wasn't the worst score ever, but my amniotic fluid was continuously getting lower, and there were a couple of other warning signs that he was under stress so the doctor and I decided to induce that day. I was in shock. I knew there was the possibility, but I really wasn't prepared to deliver him almost three weeks early! I went home, figured out what to do with the girls, (Thank you Kate, Ashley, Jeff, Joshua, and Celeste for tag teaming them!) and them headed up to the hospital with Grant.

 Me at 37 weeks

It started off SLOWLY! I wondered how fast I would deliver since it was so early, and I showed no signs of being in labor on my own. To make things a little slower, my usual doc had to leave for a out of state conference, so after he broke my water the other doctor refused to put me on Pitocin because he wanted to see if my body would do it on it's own. Later we found out that he had something to do with his kids at 6:00pm in Idaho Falls, and he didn't want me laboring to quickly because he wouldn't be able to make it in time. So my doc broke my water at 11am, I got an epidural around 1pm, and I finally got started on Pitocin  at 8pm. It was a long day of waiting.

Once they started me on Pit, things really started moving. I was dilating two cm every hour, and progressing really nicely. A couple of hours into it I started feeling pain, so the nurse anesthetist came and gave me another dose of the good stuff. I was completely numb, and we had fun laughs as the nurse would move my legs for different things. Totally couldn't feel anything. Around 12am the numbness started to wear off, and I could feel a little cramp here and there. I thought nothing of it, in fact I was a little relieved because I knew I could feel to push. Around 1am, the pain was far more intense. I then asked for another dose of meds, but the nurse anesthetist was in a c-section, and I was at an 8. The nurse told me that I would deliver before he was able to get there.

By 2 the pain was super intense, like nothing I had ever felt before! The nurse checked me and she said I was almost at a ten, that there was one little part that needed to go away, so she said the next contraction that I would push to see if we could get the baby's head over that little part. I pushed and wanted to die! I could feel everything, and it was like I said, the worst pain I had ever felt. We were pretty sure that he was posterior, which is chin up, and that's why it was so difficult to push. My sweet friend Katie was there to take pics, and she had done two natural child births and said to push into the pain. The nurse said the same thing. I couldn't fathom how to push into that much pain!!! It just made it worse, and I was ready to give up and say give me a c-section. I was screaming with every push, begging the doc to get him out, and crying for my mom. I was a mess, and poor Grant looked helpless. By some miracle the doc was able to reposition his little head into the correct position, and all of a sudden pushing wasn't as bad, although it was still hell. He was out in two more pushes and I was out of the intense pain, and just overjoyed that he was finally here! He was born at 2:37am. I was exhausted, but I had done it, and he was and is perfect!

I enjoyed him for a while, then Grant held him, and while  he was having his testing done, got up to take a shower. I knew immediately that there was no epidural meds left because I could walk without any numbness. The nurse then discovered that the tube hadn't been properly taped and had completely come out of my back! The doc told me to tell everyone that I had him naturally, and take the street cred. I can't tell you why someone would choose to go through that pain! I will never contemplate going natural again. Ever. It was almost traumatic. I guess had I been expecting tons of pain, it might have been different, but I shudder to think of doing that again!

We named him Theodore Phineas Daniel. Such a long name for such a small boy. He was 6 lbs 7oz and 20 inches long. He has some hair, and it's super dark! He really looks just like Grant! We call him Finn, Teddy, Theo, Ted, or any other nick name you can come up with. Most of the time Finn. I picked the first name, and Grant and Sienna picked Phineas. They really wanted Phineas for the first name, but I just couldn't do that to him! We had several other names bouncing around until the very end, but I saw him and thought Theo, so Theodore it is! Grant was really pushing for Arthur, so it could have been much worse.;)

He's a typical newborn, not very fussy, and loves to be held. His sisters adore him, and we are constantly having fights over who gets to hold him. Sienna has been a big help, and will protect him from Maggie if I need to be doing something around the house. Maggie has adjusted so well, and only had one freak out when she saw me feeding him. Apparently nursing freaks her out. Other than that, and making sure he has a pacifier at ALL times, she's been sooooo good! Grant and I have been exhausted since we were up for literally 24 hours during the labor and delivery, but my milk came in yesterday morning, so Finn is more satisfied and sleeping for a bit longer in between feedings, which means we are playing a slow game of catch up on sleep. He's only 5 days old, but so far so good! We just adore our Theodore!!! 

Pics of a Leprechaun

Sienna is so stinkin funny. Today she asked if she was a leprechaun. The way her mind works is logical, but ridiculous at the same time. Yes my dear, you are a ginger, and you are little, but you are not a magical creature that grants wishes and has a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, although you do act like you live at the end of a rainbow. You have you're own little world. I hope that never ends.

Her grandmothers have been asking for pics of her lately, and I will say I have taken less pics of her than normal. This past year she has changed from a little model to the awkward canned smile stage that we all go through sometime in life. Today she looked cute, and let me do something nice to her hair, (which is rare these days) so I thought lets go out and take a couple of quick pics. The child could not hold still. She would take a pic and then say, "Hold on mom, let me get my wiggles out.", and then run the loop around the sidewalk outside our front door. She would then come back and give the forced smile and repeat the before mentioned wiggle getting out process. No wonder why she's so skinny! I got four pics. That's all she had patience for.

She's still adorable. I love her so much!

Our Anniversary

We are boring. Hahaha, that sums us up. We are happiest together at home. This year we tried to make plans for a romantic anniversary, and at the end of the day, we both are just to tired to do anything. I think it was a relief to both of us that we didn't expect a huge romantic gesture. Grant shows his love for me everyday, and I hope I do for him, so maybe that's why? I don't know, but it ended up great that we didn't make huge plans, because they would have been cancelled. I ended up having a small uncomfortable procedure done yesterday that has left me bed ridden and drugged up. I won't go into details, so don't ask, but I will say it hurts to walk.:(

Anyway, I'll start from the beginning of our plan making, because I find it quite hilarious where we actually ended up. We originally planned on getting a hotel for the night in Pocatello at one of those themed suite places. We planned on it for about a month, and then we both decided that it was pointless, and that we'd rather just sleep in our own bed. So then we decided on dinner and a movie. The movie was quickly exed, because we hate movie theater chairs, and we'd rather cuddle on the couch. So then that left just dinner. That was our plan. Well, I ended up at Community Care yesterday evening, and after that we knew eating out wasn't an option, so the plan was for Grant to pick up the food, and we would just eat and celebrate with the girls. Grant got home to take our food orders and it became clear that Maggie was going to be attached to him for the rest of the evening, and he was unsure he could handle her and carrying out the food from the restaurant. We then downgraded to McDonalds drive through.
  
So our anniversary was us eating McDonalds on the couch watching The Colbert Report. It's funny to me to look at the way we celebrated our first year, to this year.  I think we'll end up really going out to eat next week, and probably get a redbox on the way home, but for now I love that we know how much we love each other, and that's all we really need. So far my years with Grant have made me the happiest I've ever been, and I don't see that ever changing. Next year we're planning on a cruise, so maybe that means we'll actually make it to dinner at a nice place without the kids? Who knows, but as long as we're together, I know we'll be happy. :)

This seems like just yesterday, and an eternity ago.

That Time I Went Grocery Shopping

I never go grocery shopping without Grant. Maybe twice have I braved a shopping trip with the kids without him. Occasionally I'll wait until the girls are asleep and he's doing homework to go, but usually we go every other Saturday as a family. Well, that was supposed to be last Saturday, but Maggie and I were sick, and Sienna sounded like she could hack up a lung at any second, so we opted not to go.

Today I wrote a list and decided to brave it. It's really not that the kids run wild, they are actually well behaved most of the time, it's the loading and the unloading of kids and groceries that I dread. Lazy, I know. But the lack of food around lunch time prompted the trip, so I got dressed, got them dressed, and headed out to good old Albertson's. (Walmart in IF was out of the question.) They both still have wicked coughs, and Sienna is running a barely there fever. Even with that, I decided that we had to have food. Grant would have ordered a pizza and called it a day. Sometimes I need to be more like him.

Anyway, by the time everyone was ready to go it was 1:30, and the girls were starving. I debated on making some oatmeal and eggs for lunch, but Sienna and I decided that Jamba Juice sounded better. So we went to Jamba, and we all got shakes and a pastry, and then to the store with shakes in hand. The trip went well. Sienna was occupied with her shake, and the free bakery cookie, so she didn't beg for anything. She did tell about four people that she had a 99 fever and both girls got their cough on. I was one of those mom's that you judge for bringing their sick kids in public. Aside from that, we were in and out.

And then it happened. I loaded the girls in the car, and Maggie started her uncontrollable coughing/gagging. Then her Razmataz Jamba was every where, and it wasn't being spilled out of her cup, if you get my drift. There was a puddle in her new car seat, all over her overalls, shoes, and coat. A mess. All I had was baby wipes, which I learned very quickly are not absorbent. And then the gagging and vomit got to me. As Sienna wisely once told me, sometimes you just have to swallow your throw up, and it's okay. Well that's what I did, and it was not okay. I wanted to die. Not really die, just die for a second to get me out of that moment. Grant is the one with the strong stomach, and he's so good in situations like that. But all they had was me. Sienna was making gagging noises also, but I assume she took her own advice. It was all pretty horrific.

I stripped Maggie down to her onsie, and strapped her in the middle seat belt, which if you know me that's a HUGE deal. I'm all about car seat safety, and it's one of my biggest pet peeves, but the store is literally less than 5 min from our house, and there was a huge puddle in her car seat that wipes weren't cleaning, so I decided this was the best course of action. Then I loaded the groceries, and came home. Sienna was a big helper and helped carry in and put away groceries while I changed and cleaned Maggie up. It's funny how well things were going until that point, I was even thinking, why don't I do this more often. Now I know why. I can promise you that it will prob be a while before I get the courage to go without Grant again. 

She's a mess.;)

And the Name Is,...

Baby boy has a name. Kind of. Well a middle name. That we shorten into a nick name. Is that confusing enough?! Sienna and Grant have fallen in love with the name Phineas or Finneas. Can't decide on the spelling. I just can't bring myself to use that as a first name, so it will be the middle name and we have been calling him Phin, or Finn. His first name is up in the air still. I would tell you what we are considering, but I don't want you to report us to CPS, so we'll just announce that on the day he makes his appearance, but for now we are referring to him as Phin, or Finn. I think I like the spelling Finneas better, so that it will be Finn, but my mom says that people will think we are idiots because we don't know how to spell Phineas. She may be correct. But we are in Idaho, and just click on THIS to read why I don't think people will think twice about a weird spelling here. But anyways, we've slipped up and referred to him as Phin so many times in front of people that it's pointless trying to keep it a secret. So there you go. 

P.S. When I spell checked this only Finneas and Phin were misspelled. Way to make me feel even crazier spell check.

Things that are weirder than having a SIX year old.

Prob should be more weird, but whatevs. In case you didn't know, my Sienna is six. She turned six on the 17th. Yes I'm late in blogging, but last week was crazy, and we got sick this weekend, and I'm not great at blogging, so there. The cashier lady that rung up the birthday goods looked at me in shock when I told her my oldest was turning six. She was all wow, six, is that weird?! I took it as a complement, because I obviously look way to young to have a six year old, or maybe it was that she's 18 and only sees other 18 year old college students at the store in this college town, but I'm gonna believe the first.

Anywho, when I thought about her question, I decided it wasn't weird to have a six year old. Actually it's really nice. She's my helper, my comedian, my drama queen, and the best playmate to her sister. I love this age she's at. She tells me what she thinks, she has opinions about everything, including her disgust for matching socks (hers NEVER will match, by choice), and she comes up with the funniest stuff. The other night she asked us if ketchup is healthy, and Grant and I decided it is because it has lycopene in it. She then was all, "So I could just drink it and say,'What, what, it's healthy!'" I keep expecting to go down in the middle of the night to find her in the kitchen guzzling ketchup. Yes ladies and gents, that's my child.

There are so many other things that I find way more mind blowing than having an older child. Like that my lil sis, the baby of our family is in her 20's. Or that all of my brothers are married. Or that I'm having my third child. Or that Grant will be done with his bachelors this year, and he has a big person job. Or that we might live in Idaho for the rest of our lives. Or that we've gotten almost no snow this winter. Sienna being another year older is just fun now. She's a little person that is all her own, and every year she's older, I get to know that person a little better. I'm loving every moment of being her mom.

Here's a quick recap of the birthday festivities:
Tuesday she woke up early and we all ate donuts together as a family. It was early, but worth it. She didn't have school, so we took her BFF Lily to go get manicures, then we came home and ate McDonalds, and played dress up. At that point we were going to take her on a shopping spree later on that week, and at 5pm she told me that she wanted presents to open. So the second Grant got home I ran to Walmart and went crazy. Later we went to Sammy's, her favorite place to eat, and she opened all her presents and we took Lily home. A fun day.

                                                                                                         

We planned a surprise cake and ice cream party for Saturday. Lots of people from the ward, and her teacher Mrs. Judy came, and we all yelled surprise! She was so happy, especially because she thought the shakes we got at Sammy's replaced her blowing out candles. Babe, you will always get a cake as long as I'm your mom, which will be forever.  I was busy with the festivities and put Grant in charge of pics, so we got like one or two on his phone, that I don't have, so those pics aren't included, but just picture tons of balloons, and poppers that made a huge mess, and lots of kids, you get the idea. But here's a pic of the way Maggie smiles now. Closes her eyes every time. haha

It's an honor to be Sienna's mom. She's so wonderful, I feel like the most blessed mom in the world!