3 Under 3 for 3 Weeks

Being a mom is hard. I know I usually sing the happy song about how wonderful motherhood is and how much I love it and how great a calling it is etc. And I mean every word. But let's just be clear here. Sometimes being the mom kind of sucks. Grace doesn't sleep. My other two slept great from day one. I've never known true sleep deprivation. But she usually averages 2 hours at a time during the night. During the day she sleeps like a log. Like, no amount of naked chilliness will wake her. But at night she wants to be up every hour and a half. And after 3 weeks of sleep deprivation, I'm toast. The electrical pulses in my brain that make up common sense, preventative thinking, and patience have turned from lightning quick pulses to sludge. If I think something, I think it too late. Like this morning when Addy gagged and I didn't even register it. And then my mom told me that she was gagging. And I didn't even register it. And then she puked and finally I realized, "Oh crap! I should grab her a bucket or get her to the sink!" Which was, of course, too late. And so I got out my scrub brush and cleaned cocoa mo's our of my white carpet.
I have been counting down days until my mom got here for months. I have literally been almost more excited about that than about having the baby that was the cause of her trip. And my poor mom. Monday night, after our kids were in bed (except Ellie who is teething), Scott and I headed off to see a movie. I needed a break! And while there, my mom texts that everything is fine but Ellie isn't exactly asleep, but rather, finishing a bath. She'd thrown up. We also realized that Grace was spitting up more than usual and it consisted mostly of snot. After a quick call to my doctor we figured it was probably nothing. Dr. Jones said not to worry unless my other two were coughing or fevering and then maybe we should check. Addy coughed all night. My mom and I loaded up the kids Tuesday morning and took them to the office. The verdict? Bronchitis. And Gracie has an ear infection :( Which he was really surprised about because he "doesn't see them in babies this little." Great. So she's two and a half weeks old on an antibiotic. She still struggles breathing. Then Addy woke up around 11 last night throwing up. After a fierce battle against tomato sauce puke and white carpet, we got her back to bed, only to be woken up 3 times more with puking. Luckily she made it to the toilet, which I am immensely grateful for. Today she threw up literally every time she took a drink. Or ate one bite. Until about 4 this afternoon. She ate a rather large dinner, and I find myself praying every time I hear her cough that I won't be cleaning hot dog and watermelon out of my carpet...
While I am so glad that I have my mom here to help me, I am also so mad. I was planning on having a fun week with Mimi and getting things done and relaxing and simply enjoying my three beautiful, wonderful, perfect children. Instead, Addy is sick, and also being a total attention monster. Grace can't breathe and I can't sleep. And Ellie is getting her eye teeth. My mom says it's these times that define who we are. So maybe I should change my attitude. But sheesh. I'll be honest. Sometimes being a mom isn't fun. It isn't glamorous, and it isn't appreciated. (My mom, however, is feeling VERY appreciated this week :)
But I guess it makes you appreciate it that much more when Mimi takes the older two home with her for a few days and you can actually take a nap!
I can't help it. I have to end positively. Because today Addy snuggled me for half an hour and just read books with me. She told me she loves me when I tucked her in. And she slept so peacefully. And Grace smiles in her sleep, which she does with her eyes open. And Ellie had a laughing fit while I tickled her. So even though sometimes being the mom sucks, sometimes it's pretty great too. And those times are more often than the first.

And Then There Were 3

This was our attempt at pictures of all 3 kids...it's way harder than it looks! Ellie wouldn't sit still so I was basically setting her on the couch and then jumping out of the way so Scott could snap a shot lol. It was entertaining, as you can tell from the girls' faces!

Mom, I left some in color for you, but I really like the black and white with the naked bebes :)

We sure have come to love this little baby. She has changed our lives already and we can't imagine life without her. Funny how that happens every.single.time.

Katie Grace's Birth Story

Our induction was scheduled! May 30th. I was to call at 5:30 AM and see if there was space for me to come on in. And then, because of some scheduling issues at the hospital, Dr. Jones informed me that I would be scheduled instead for the 29th! I was so excited! I know it's only one day, but I was thrilled. But at the same time overwhelmed. Like I said, I knew it was only one day, but I still had so much to do! After a busy, crazy week of trying to be prepared, the day finally came. At 5:30 AM Scott called the hospital...and was told that we couldn't come in yet and that we should wait until 10 before calling back...I was SO upset. This was the same thing that had happened with Ellie and we didn't get in until 6:30. Of course every worst case ran through my head. We weren't going to get in at all that day and because the next day was so busy with people already I wouldn't be able to get in there either. I was mad because here I was, rearranging babysitting and changing plans because they moved my date and yet they couldn't get me in on the date they picked! We went back to bed pretty dejected and tried watching a show to get my mind off it. Well, about 6:30 we got a call. They wanted us to come in! What a relief! So we called Courtney to come be with our kids and took off as fast as we possibly could! We were at the hospital at 6:45 :) 

Here I am ready to go! 39 weeks! 

Our nurse, Barbara, introduced herself and her student nurse (whose name I cannot remember..oops) to us. She then asked if the student could do my IV. This is something I swore I would never do. It's already bad enough that I have to get one, but then to have someone who has done "maybe 5 or 6" do it was just a thought that I couldn't handle...but somehow those tricky buggers interpreted what I said to mean that she could do it...so I told her that if she had to poke more than once she was banned lol. She ended up doing fine...except it took her FOREVER and she forgot to close the valve so my blood shot everywhere, which was just a great feeling for an already woozy and anxious and lightheaded pregnant woman. After they got all the blood mopped up, the IV was in and they started me on fluids. This was at 7:45. And yes, about 20 minutes of that first hour was spent on my IV... I texted my mom and sister: "the worst is over!"

At 8:10 they started pitocin and labor began! I was dilated to a 3 at this point. At 8:30 my doc broke my water. There was a lot of water. We were to find out later why...dun dun dun! Don't you love cliff hangers?! After that the contractions got pretty real pretty fast. I remembered what it felt like with Addy and how intense they end up being and at 9:25 I called my nurse and said, "Epidural please!" At that point, I wasn't in too much pain, but with my first two babies having to have two epidurals and never getting one working with Addy, I thought it might be a good hour or two before I was getting relief. However, my nurse told me that Jeff, the anesthesiologist on call that day, was usually really fast. And he was! He got into my room and not fifteen minutes later that sucker was in there and starting to work...on one side. "It's going to be Ellie all over again!" I said to Scott. I was just sure I was going to have to have another one. But this time, turning me on my left side sent the medicine right over and I started feeling great! I am a big fan of Jeff :) Third time's a charm! So by 10 my epidural was in and working. 

I tried to sleep, but failed. I was too antsy. Scott, however, slept like a baby! So I was also pretty bored. I texted my mom and Shauna and tried to sleep and thought about our baby and how excited I was and how real it was becoming to me that we were actually going to have another one of those. Pretty soon after my epidural, I began itching like no other. A side effect. Awesome. At 11 my nurse turned up the pit and gave me some newbane for the itch. It didn't help, but I learned to ignore it. Much easier than ignoring contractions, let me tell you. Around noon, my nurse came in to check me because the baby's heart rate was dipping too low and said, "I am going to go call the doctor...I can't feel this baby's head." Um, okay...I started to mildly freak out. Well then Doctor Jones shows up, and says the same thing and asks for an ultra sound. I was half tempted to ask him to check and be sure we were having a girl (our 20 week ultra sound was kinda sketchy) but I could tell that something wasn't going right and it wasn't the time to be having fun. Turns out Grace had backed out of the birth canal and turned sideways. We repositioned my body to get her heart rate back to normal and backed off on the pit. Dr. Jones explained to me that we could end up doing a C-section if her heart couldn't keep strong during contractions and if she didn't turn back head down. I was horrified. He also said that more likely than not she was all tangled up in her chord and that was what pulled her out, kind of like a bun-jee chord, he said. 

My whole world started spinning. I was bawling, Scott was telling me that no matter what it was going to be okay. And all I could think was "If this goes C-section I will never have 8 kids. I won't probably be able to deliver vaginally again. What if the chord is around her neck and she isn't getting oxygen?" and so on and so on. 

We called Courtney's husband, Justin, to come help give me a blessing. I don't even remember what Scott said in that blessing other than blessing my body and the baby to know what to do and do it. After that I felt very calm. I didn't know how things were going to turn out, but I wasn't freaking out. I was still scared, but just wasn't quite so uptight. 

At 1, my nurse came in and said that her heart rate looked great and that she was tolerating labor better. She said she was still seeing some dips during contractions but that it looked more like head compression, which would mean that she was getting squeezed into position. And sure enough, she was back head down! Still really high, but headed the right way. I was so relieved and happy. We turned the pit back up and decided to play it by ear. Oh, and I was at a 6!

By 2 I was dilated to an 8 but the baby was still really high. However, my nurse told me that if the baby got in trouble again, we could probably still achieve a natural birth rather than C-section because my body was far enough along. I was very relieved at this point.

Forty minutes later, her heart rate was dipping even lower so my nurse came in yet again. She flipped me onto my other side and said that we were at a 9 and that in an hour or so we would probably be pushing. We were starting to get excited! About 5 minutes after she left, I started feeling like I was ready. I wanted to push and could feel enough of my contractions to know when I should. So Scott went and brought Barbara back in and sure enough, she called Doctor Jones. He showed up at 2:47 and Katie Grace Carter was born at 2:57. I texted my mom at about 2:45 telling her we were getting ready to push. When I sent her a picture she said, "Holy crap that was fast!" lol. 

7 pounds and 8 ounces of wailing baby right there! I fell instantly in love. They did have to suck out her stomach though :( Poor girl didn't like that. 6 cc of fluid was pumped, which apparently is a lot, from the way the nurse told me...

 Oddly enough, there was nothing wrong with her chord. It wasn't wrapped around her. It wasn't too short. She must just be quite the squirmer to pull herself up and sideways in the middle of labor! Here she is with Doctor Jones. We are so grateful to have him as our doctor. His enthusiasm and bedside manner are amazing and the fact that he knows everyone in our family is amazing. He also said to me, "See, don't worry Shiloh. You'll make it to 8." I hadn't even reminded him or expressed that concern to him. He just remembered and knew that we wanted that many kids. I am so grateful that he took into account our wishes and dreams when he was making decisions about our care. Thank you Doctor Jones!

 When the brought her back over to me I tried to nurse her, but Scott was talking to the doctor and she had zero interest in me. She just wanted to look up at him. It was the sweetest thing ever. She knew his voice and at minutes old was choosing her daddy. And we have yet another daddy's girl...

First smile

 There is nothing better in the whole world! One thing that I really enjoyed this time around was that Scott bathed Grace. He bathed the other two as well, but when he was done the nurse stepped in and redid it...which was fine. But this time, Scott was the only one. Our nurse didn't feel the need to step in. I liked that about her and appreciated it. Scott said later that it made him feel like she thought he was competent :) Which he totally is!

 Because RSV ran really late this year, they weren't letting kids up to the hospital. Until the day Katie was born! So our girls got to come and meet her in the hospital. Addy fell right in love with her. She asked to see my tummy, I'm sure expecting me to be skinny, and looked up at me and said, "So there's another baby Grace and she can come out tomorrow?" lol. I had to explain that mommy's tummy was just going to be fat for a while haha.

 We headed home the next day, less than 24 hours after she was born. I was anxious to get out of there. My recovery has gone perfectly smoothly. I've had trouble with my milk supply being outrageous with my other two, but that has been perfectly smooth sailing this time. My body isn't sore. I never took any painkillers other than a few ibuprofen. This whole experience has been quite amazing and I am so thankful for this tiny baby who has already transformed our lives and family. We love you Katie Grace!

3 Under 3

Well, we've had three kids for a whole week now. I've already learned so much! And Scott has only been back to work for a couple days, and half days at that! I just wanted to write down some of the things I've learned during this week.

1. Time. It's a tricky bugger. At night, the hour and a half that Grace sleeps at any one time feels like about a minute and a half. But yet, the minute and a half that covers me finishing feeding Grace while Ellie cries feels like far more than an hour and a half. Also, you would think that adding one more person to get ready would increase preparation time by the 20% of your family that she is. But you'd be wrong. It now takes double the time. 
2. There is nothing sweeter than watching your toddler hold and bond with your newborn. Watching Addy as she checks out fingers and toes and "pets" her sister is the most amazing feeling ever.
3. There is nothing more scary than watching your toddler hold your newborn. Accidental excited jumps from a two year old and nearly inevitable whiplash make watching a roller coaster! And then there's always the fear that, while you're in the bathroom for .7 minutes your toddler will decide to go solo...
4. Patience becomes even more essential as you try to delicately explain what's going on with your recovery to your two year old. Ya know, like, what a breast pump is and why it's not such a good idea to give mom spankings right now and what a pad/breast pad is for, etc. Because it doesn't matter how well you hide them, she'll find them. Addy's vocab for the week: breastfeeding, pump, mom diapers...
5. Pride is simply not worth it. Sure, it would be nice to walk into the doctor's office 5 days post baby with your hair and makeup done and your three children groomed and happy. But it looks more like a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie. But guess what? Nobody cares. Least of all you, who spent about 4 of the 10 hours you spent in bed actually sleeping.
6. Sometimes, you have to put your baby down and remember you have other kids. Yeah, it would be nice if the older two just played in their playroom that is literally overflowing with toys while you had time to just hold that newborn and memorize every detail as it changes every day. But guess what? The other two need attention too. Just as much, if not more, than they did before that bundle of attention stealer entered their lives. And guess what? They're changing every day too.
7. Your kitchen is dirty? Yep. And after you clean it, your husband will get home and kindly prepare dinner. And it will be dirty again. Don't let it get disgusting, but don't stress. It's okay to just snuggle your baby while you have a tea party. 
8. When dad gets home, be happy. Even if your day was really long and really hard. Because he didn't just come from a party. He came from work. You've both been working all day. You're both tired. It doesn't matter who's more tired. Team up against the force of the teething and hungry children. And have fun. 
9. If all 3 kids nap at the same time, so do you. Everything else can wait. Trust me. Nap. Always choose nap.
10. There is nothing more amazing than being a mom. Nothing. All the women in the world today who believe that having a career is more fulfilling or that it makes you more important are wrong. They just are. And you'll never convince them. But it doesn't matter. Because you know. What you do is important. What you do is hard. What you do is worth it. 

I know. I still haven't posted any pictures of the baby and I still haven't written the birth story. It's that tricky time. Every time I try to sit down and edit pictures it disappears. So I'll get there. But I wanted to make sure and document how I felt after a week. I'm tired. In fact, I'm exhausted. But I'm happy.