Autumn 3 and 1/4

August: Today at the swimming pool you decided to be Mermaid Keanna - you modified your swim moves and then tried flipping like your cousin. On your own you successfully did a front flip 2x.  One of the times after 'mermaid' swimming you came up and said, "I did a Braxton Hicks!"  Your grandma and I laughed hysterically and we know what you've been hearing lately!

                                                             You at  4 months and 3 years

In the bath tonight you were playing with toys and named the sea star ditsy and then said, "This is her mom, she is an occu therapist!"

"I'm cooking some mistakes for us for dinner!"  (aka steaks)

October "I have a new baby the size of a rock.  She is an automatic baby."  M: "What is an automatic baby?"  A: "Oh she eats and poops, that is an automatic baby."

On the Gondola on the way down from the Halloween safety fair a gal joined us.  You talked her ear off, mostly about the scary lady in a mask that offered you candy and then yelled 'boo' as you grabbed for it.  She was terrifying to you. 

You were talking about how your little girl doll would grow up to be a man and I asked why you thought that would happen and you answered, "well Papa says he used to be a little girl."  I explained that Papa was teasing you that he has always been a boy.  You would not believe me until you asked Papa yourself.

On October 2nd you became a big sister!  You eagerly awaited Abby's arrival and love your roll as big sister!  You love to give her kisses, try to get her to smile, talk to her repeating anything I'm saying to her and holding her for a short time - you don't really have the patience to hold her for long.  You ask lots of questions and ask what she is saying when she coos.  I hope you are always as kind and endeared to her your whole life! You are very excited at the prospect of Abby being a little girl and getting to share a bunk bed with her.

November: Your dad was watching a show about Rockefeller and talking about accomplishing things by the time he's 37 and you said, "Oh dad, just be a waffle."

When you start to be a pill doing things you should not, you will start to say, "Oh mom, I'm just being funny."

You said that you were going to marry a friend and I explained a marriage is between a girl and a boy like Jackson or Carson and most importantly that you marry a man that loves Jesus. You asked, "Does Carson love Jesus?" I answered yes and so you said, "Then I'll take him."  You've talked on an off about marrying Carson ever since.  Just the other day you told me you were 18 and so I said I guess you need to leave for college. You said, "No, Carson will be older and I'll be older and so we'll be married and live in Oahu."  Oh dear, the boy drama begins!  You enjoy playing pretend weddings with your daddy and I and then go get you picture book so we can look through the "wedding" album after the ceremony.

Abby filled her diaper and I said, "Hello poop!"  You thought it was the funniest thing and laughed for at least 10 minutes. Now you enjoy saying it when we hear that familiar sound.

As part of the recreation center's Halloween party we got to go ice skating - you thought it was so much fun and by the end was able to skate with the walker without help! You grinned ear to ear most of the time we were there and I think would have stayed all night!

You passed your first swim lessons with flying colors!  You are so comfortable in the water and had no problem doing everything they asked - head under, supported floating and supported front stroke...  You seemed to really enjoy it!

You enjoy and frequently use the words - particular and actually

You went through a stage of pretending to be my mom and then responding, "no I'm your mom, I don't have to do that." when I would ask you to do something - let's just say this didn't go over very well.

You had your first dentist visit and did awesome - letting them take x-rays and clean your teeth! They are in wonderful shape because you brush and floss every day!

We set up for Christmas and at the beginning of decorating you said, "this is the happiest I've ever been!"  You have really enjoyed every aspect of Christmas and ask a lot of questions about Jesus.  You helped with 3 trees - ours, Aunt Laurale's, Great Grandma's, set up lights with dad and made a gingerbread house with us.  On the 1st we got to go to Grand Junction and watch the light parade. You sat next to your cousin Taylor and sat in my lap. You really enjoyed watching the floats!

We met Grandma and Papa at the Children's Museum and you had so much fun at the fire station, building, with the balls, in the grocery store, dancing with tap shoes and running around in the trees. You even took an Ukulele lesson and was the lead singer for 2 songs! You are so self confident.  We then went to the Spaghetti Factory and got to sit in the train car.  You asked everyone that came by for chocolate chips and then at the end of the meal shouted to our waiter in the distance, "I'm ready for my Popsicle now!"   It was a wonderful day!

Things you enjoy - dressing up and roll playing with your babies and stuffed animals, your notebook to write clues in, coloring, drawing, crafts, collecting anything someone gives you - even fabric scraps, roll play all day long as families we know ("I'm Ashton and you are Lisa"), talking - there are times you hardly take a breath for a whole hour, dressing up and changing clothing, parks, swimming at the hot springs with Papa, swimming anywhere, running around, princesses (you've now watched Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella), Micky Mouse, and Busy Town buddies.

Autumn, you are our sweet, sassy, wonderful, fun loving, thoughtful and full of energy girl! We love you more than words and tell!!

Love, Momma and Daddy

Virgin Coconut Oil and Manuka Honey/Oil

I've been on a kick lately of sharing info on Virgin Coconut Oil with anyone that tells be about things that it might help - I LOVE the stuff!!  There is more and more research on the uses of the stuff - it is liquid gold when it comes to keeping the body healthy. The virgin part is important because it means it is unprocessed and has lauric acid in it ( the same thing that is in breast milk to help babies stay well). I bought a huge jar of it on Amazon when we got to Glenwood Springs and use it with cook, with Aloe on my face, all over my prego belly, on dry skin, in my tea (up to 3-4 Tbsp can be taken to help digestive system health, fight bacteria/virus/fungus in the system), on my baby's skin, in my Neti pot, to fight my 3 year old's external yeast infections (read it can be put on a tampon for this as well in women) and the Ringworm she picked up somewhere last week... and on and on.  I discovered it when looking for options for Autumn's recurring yeast infections after she was on serious amounts of antibiotics with a horrid MRSA infection last year and it has become a permanent part of our lives!

Here is some reading if you are interested
http://www.livestrong.com/article/91044-benefits-virgin-coconut-oil/
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/research-link.htm
http://coconutoil.com/

 Pure Manuka Honey and Oil are likely the most effective staph killers (and good at killing other bacterias as well) - from what I read it is what they use on a wound that isn't responding to any prescription medication in other countries.  Sure seems like we should be using it as a first line of defense instead of creating super bugs that become antibiotic resistant.  I will never go anywhere with out either the honey or oil in tow.  Regular honey is antibacterial on wounds and medicinal Manuka honey is 8-16x more antibacterial than honey.  It is what we put on our band aids instead of neosporin (which is pretty useless against any serious bacteria).  The honey can be used to kill strep throat or taken to kill a bacterial stomach infection. It can also be melted in a neti pot to kill bacteria in the sinus.  If something might be yeast it is best to stick with either the oil or Coconut oil as the sugar in the honey could feed the yeast/fungus. The oil is for topical use only and should be used with caution - http://www.livestrong.com/article/150268-what-are-the-dangers-of-manuka-oil/ 
The oil needs better research for dosing and uses - but it is the first thing I will put on a sealing band aid if I ever see a boil on any of us again
.
http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/203/content.pdf?sequence=1
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/04April/Pages/manuka-honey-mrsa-superbug-bacteria.aspx
http://manukahoney.com/research.cfm?page_obj_id=5&archive=N&article_id=23
http://www.manukaoil.co.nz/manuka_oil_uses.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/141248-manuka-oil-benefits/?utm_source=popslideshow&utm_medium=a1

Abby 2 months

Sweet baby girl - another month has past and you continue to light up our life!  You are so smiley, you have smile after smile for us almost ever time you are awake now.  You don't usually mind having you diaper changed or taking a bath anymore and you can spend 20-30 minutes just awake and happy in our arms or the swing.  You do have a mighty loud scream and hate getting your nose sprayed and suctioned - not that I blame you )-: We've all been sick with a mild cold for the past 2 weeks. You have become quite the mama's girl lately and at times I'm the only one who can calm you.  The milk supply helps, but sometimes you just need my cuddles. You are a pretty good sleeper for the most part and even slept 8 hours in a row one night.  Most nights you sleep 5-6 hours starting between 11-midnight, but are wide awake on both sides of the long stretch.  The long stretch is nice, but a 2-3 hour sleep on either side might be nice! You cat nap throughout the day and usually take a couple hour snooze in the afternoon.  You are most awake in the mornings and starting about 8pm.  You mostly take showers with me because it is convenient and don't usually cry until I put you in a towel at the end.  You had your one month visit on Nov. 13th (at 6 weeks because of insurance) and you were 7 pounds 3 ounces. On the 1st you started a growth spurt and look so much bigger to me - you were 8 pounds 2 ounces this evening (the 3rd), having now surpassed the average birth weight in America.

Things you've done this month:
Thanksgiving with all 6 of your grandparents
A couple of craft fairs where you were ohh and ahhed at a lot
Grand Junction light parade
First hotel stay (the start of your growth spurt and none of us except Autumn slept much)
First sick baby visit - low grade fever with no apparent cause
First Sunday at Great Grandpa and Grandma church and afternoon at their house to celebrate great grandpa's 80th birthday
Time at Aunt Laurale and Uncle Dean's house



    

Life at 31

Another year has gone by and our little family has changed so much this year.  Hopeful I've changed a little as well, growing in kindness, patience, grace and love.  I certainly get more opportunities to practice these disciplines with a 2 and now 3 year old. I spent the majority of this year pregnant (and tired) and now we have a second little adorable girl.   My life is more blessed than I could imagine - although we have our little daily struggles, overall life is quite easy and wonderful.   I had the idea the other day that it would be fun to go through different aspects of my life right now to be able to look back on and remember.

Relationship with God:  I feel as if my relationship with God is strong, but I lack discipline in daily quiet time.  This discipline has always been a struggle for me.  I pray and communicate and try to be sensitive to His leading - but need to spend more time in His word.  He is very much an active part of my life, but I know He has more for me and I need to go deeper.  My 3 year old gives me ample opportunities to work patience, kindness, grace and peace.  I still have much room for improvement and hope to daily share His love to my girls and teach them about His ways.

Health and Wellness:  These have always been important parts of my life.  There isn't anything huge on the eating front in the last year other than adding unprocessed Coconut oil and more seaweed to our diet (and skin).  We eat a fairly balanced diet of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats and too many sweets!  My favorite foods of the year are coconut, papaya, Okinawan sweet potatoes, mango's only from Kim and Denise's trees, sushi and Korean seasoned seaweed ( I really need to get back to my island...).  I really try to make sure our food is natural and healthy. For exercise... well, I pretty much stopped all formal exercise as soon as I completed my triathlon last year.  I surfed until I was 15 weeks pregnant and did a lot of playing with Autumn in the ocean and pools.  I've done more in the last month than I have all year - swimming laps, running and lifting weights.  I'm back up to a mile jog and 12 laps in the pool.  At first my main goal was to be in shape enough to be able to go right back to surfing in February, but now I'm seriously considering a slow 1/2 marathon in March.   I've begun to use Manuka honey and oil on abrasions and coconut oil for dry skin and yeast on Autumn.  Any time I have cold symptoms I start with the Neti Pot and drinking apple cider vinegar.  

Being a Mother:  The title of mother is so sacred - it is the most amazing, rewarding, challenging, tiring, fun, thrilling, character building, privileged jobs in the whole world.  I feel like pregnancy is the most exhausting times, I have so much more energy on less sleep after they are born!  I find disciplining completely exhausting and I really struggle with patience when Autumn is in phase of overly testing the boundaries.  We are in one of those times now - and she is getting more clever about it.  I feel like the best parenting advice I've received was from my Maui mom Denise - that children's jobs are to test their boundaries and your job as a parent is to set and maintain those boundaries.  She recommended a Christian book called "Boundaries for Kids" and it worth a look. Children are relentlessly testing their boundaries (I realize mine more than others), but standing firm is much more likely to produce a responsible, healthy adult.   But I also know that it is important to be gracious and patient in this boundary setting - it is exhausting to try to get it right.  I'm so glad God is gracious to me and I hope my children are too - as I make a lot of mistakes!   My love for them is fiercely strong and deep and I pray they always know that!  We have 2 sweet girls and I thought I would only want two biological children, but I am now not sure.  We'll see what the future holds.

Wife of a Self Employed Husband: Aaron went out on his own almost 3 years ago.  We've made our finances work with me occasionally working. His clientele is growing the the income seems to be more consistent these days.  It seems to be pretty easy for me to relax about not knowing the next months income or the future.  I'm sure this is a lot easier because we have a decent savings and I can make a decent amount in a short time if I would need to as a travel OT.  I really have enjoyed the freedom in time and location we have as a family and feel like we have taken full advantage.  We've lived in 4 places and spent countless nights all over the country with Aaron able to pull his computer out and work if needed.  We've been able to enjoy weeks of working vacation this way together as a family and plenty of time without the work on vacation as well.  I think we'd both have a hard time if Aaron had to go back to corporate work.  I do admit that I do have a hard time figuring out how, when and if to approach Aaron during his work hours at home.  It is hard to pretend he is not here if I think of something I want to share with him.  But I love that if the girls are doing something exciting he can step away for a few minutes and enjoy it with me and love on them!

Living with my Parents: If you had told me 13 years ago that I would move back into my parents home for large amounts of time, I would have had a good laugh.  I did not like others rules and had a lot of work needed in the areas of grace and kindness toward my parents. Somehow now with the combination of personalities and each of us granting each other a lot of grace, love and kindness, we all really enjoy life under the same roof! We love having the help with the girls, knowing that the girls will know my parents well and we try to help get projects and chores done around the house.

Work:  I graduated OT school 6 years ago. Seems so crazy! I've never held a full time normal OT job. I've either done contract travel jobs or PRN work.  I've done OT work in home care, hospital rehab and acute, nursing home and pre-K through HS schools. I love being an OT and find helping people through creative problem solving to be very rewarding.  I also have enjoyed running my very small hat business.  It is a nice creative outlet and fun to see little ones with things on that I have made. Right now I'm hoping that a couple of bigger craft fairs on the weekends on both sides of Thanksgiving will afford us plane tickets to come home from Hawaii each Thanksgiving.  We shall see!  I haven't gotten tired of making hundreds of hats each winter and still need to use up the hundreds of yards of fabric I have!

Birthing and Breastfeeding: Two babies later I've found out what this body is truly for!  Pregnancy is completely awe inspiring! The fact that a little person grows from a spec to a baby inside of you is completely crazy!  All but 4 months of the last 4 years I've either been breastfeeding or pregnant and I assume it will be 2 more years of nursing.  I had so much pain the first 6 months of nursing with Autumn, that I was dreading the first 6 months with Abby.  I'm happy to say that there has been far less pain and no need for a shield. Autumn used to pull off almost every feeding choking and get a face full of mild from the spray.  Abby handles the sprinklers better, but spits up a lot - likely from the chugging she is doing to keep up.  However, I still need to block feed (only offer one side for 3-4 hours before offering the other) and put a large bumgenius insert in my feeding tank top to catch leakage (which I have even leaked out of before).  The lactation consultants call this oversupply and milk ejection reflex.  Fun stuff!  I have also been blessed to have two completely natural labor and deliveries. Never needing an Advil or anything.  I wanted it that way, didn't have complications and had slow labors that allowed me to rest and relax.  I feel like breathing through and relaxing during contractions is my strong point, while I could pass on the whole pushing thing!  Good thing pushing is last and not an option - just had to get it done to be able to meet my wee babies!

Friendships:  I'm so blessed to call so many wonderful women my friends!  Right now my friend face time is at an all time low and all my friends are hours away.  Blogging, facebook, texts, Skype and phone time are so valuable for me to keep in touch with those dear to me.  In Hawaii my friendships were starting to really grow and I'm excited to get back to face time with these friends! I had friends to exercise with, surf with, have playdates with...  strangely I have way more friends in Kona than anywhere else, even though I've spent far less time there than in Colorado. While back on the mainland, I feel very blessed to have gotten to spend a nice chunk of time with Kait this summer and look forward to the next time we get another chunk of time together!  I also have gotten to spend smaller amounts of time with friends and mentors here in Colorado/Utah that have been very nice! 

Abby 1 month

Abby - this first month with you has gone by so quickly!  We have stayed very busy and you have joined in (or should I say sleep right through) the fun.  We left the hospital on the 4th and went straight to Mimi's for lunch with Nana and Papa. Papa met us there as he had drove over to meet you and spend the weekend with us. It was the first really cold day of the season.  Daddy, you and I bundled up and walked to the dentist for me to get xrays and checked, as my teeth had been feeling funny toward the end of pregnancy.  All was good and so we headed to the Murphy's.  The Murphy's are our friends that graciously let us stay at their home during our time in Loveland and so we stayed a few more days before heading back home to Glenwood.
Why we had you in Loveland: A few months before you were born we moved to Colorado from Hawaii to be closer to family and save money. The way insurance worked out we could not have you in Glenwood and so we chose to go back to Loveland to the Dr that delivered your sister.

During our time in Loveland, we had dinner at the Lyon's, at Papa and Grandmas and brunch with the Wilms. We got back to Glenwood and have settled into our own little routine. The weather was beautiful the first week we were home and so we went to the parks and on a couple of walks. 
Since then we have been busy doing harvest and Halloween activities, going to the rec center to let your sister swim, shopping when needed and hanging out.

On your one week birthday we did your baby photo shoot - it was so much fun and we got some great pictures of you!  You are so beautiful!!!

When you were 2 1/2 weeks old our friends the Watson's came to see us all the way from Washington! It was such a special treat to share your baby snuggles and visit with them!

Your sister loves you so much and enjoys getting to kiss, snuggle and talk to you. She always asks if your eyes are open and if she can see them.


Things of Note this Month -

For sure First Smile - Oct 30th (you smiled a few times before this but I was unable to tell if it was intentional)

Abby, you are very vocal - you clearly let us know if you need something.  Mostly you let us know if you want fed, burped,held or your position changed. You don't really care if your diaper is clean or not.

You still sleep most of the day, but are starting to wake up a little bit more each day.  You string about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours together.  One night you slept over 5 hours at once and about a week ago you had a growth spurt and were up every 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a couple of nights. You like to be swaddled, but when you wake up it makes you angry and you want your arms out.

Your pee and poo have force - who new a girl needed a pee pee Tepee?  You were on the bed while I was changing you and before I could get the new diaper on you peed all the way up to my chest while I was standing there.  Another time I had you facing me on the changing table and you blasted me with poo and even got it all over the wall.

You are a good nurser and have no problems getting milk.  You are spit after almost every feeding, especially when set down (even after burping you) and I only know you are too full if it turns white. Sometimes you grasp my finger or the top of my shirt when nursing and it is so precious.  You are not usually fooled b the pacifier, but occasionally it does satisfy.

You are a grunter - you have all sorts of crazy and fun grunts with contorted expressions.

You give a lot of reflex smiles all day long.

You like your swing most of the time and don't like being set down unless you are in a deep sleep.

You are starting to check things out like the fan and mobile.

Your poor skin was so dried and cracked when you were born and just in the last week it has really improved.  I kept Berts Bees ointment, coconut oil and Aveno lotion on you constantly.  Your little feet and hands were the worst.

Until the last 2 baths, bathtime was tragic and caused you great distress.  You would scream at the top of your lungs (which is quite loud) from the time I undressed you until you were cuddled against me again.  The last two baths you settled in the water and seem to enjoy it.  Getting dried and dressed is still quite upsetting. I love the way your hair curls up after your bath!

You are around 7 1/2 pounds. After a couple of rounds of trying on the bathroom scale we realized that it is not very accurate. We won't get an accurate measure until after the 10th when we see the pediatrician for the first time since the hosptial.  You still only fit in your newborn clothes and the one premie shirt that used to fit does not any more. 

Abby you are a sweet little one! We are so glad you have joined our family and we look forward to getting to know you better each and ever day!


We love you so so much!!!!!!

Mommy and Daddy

Abby's Birth Story

Sweet Abby - this is the story of how you came into the world.  You are my second little one and so my mind was full of what birthing was like last time and wondering how similar or different your story would be.  It is full of some similarities and some differences and I would say second time around things were easier - not easy, just easier!   Once again my body went into prodromal labor - I was hoping that like with your sister it meant the end would only be a few days later at the latest!  Starting Sunday the mucous plug began to fall out and I was having random mild contractions every 10-30 minutes. I walked a couple of miles hoping to jump start regular contractions with no luck. Nana and Papa headed over the mountains because we knew you might come anytime now. We had a full and late night Sunday - Autumn and I went to the park with Grandma and Papa, your dad went to a birthday party in Denver, and we went for walk with Papa while Autumn told us about things that do and do not make sense. It was midnight before we were all tucked into bed.  I was able to get some sleep, only waking with contractions a few of times and a couple hour stretch I couldn't get back to sleep.  By Monday morning I was sure all the plug was gone and  the contractions were stronger.  Papa, Autumn and I walked to the park and I walked while they played. I also called the clinic just to see if it would be good to get checked in case the spread out contractions were actually doing more than I thought.  They said that would be a good idea, so your dad and I packed up and drove to the hospital.
 

It didn't take long for them to let us know that I was only at 2 cm, 80% effaced and -2 station and that true active labor had not started yet.  We headed back to the house and I was able to nap while Autumn napped for a couple of hours.  Papa headed back over the mountains to work since we didn't know when you were coming.  Nana made us burritos and then daddy, Autumn and I walked to the park again.  My contractions still did not pick up and so I figured it would at least 24-48 hours before we would get to meet you.  We got ready for bed and I couldn't sleep so I showered and dinked on the computer having contractions 10-15 minutes apart.  I got about two hours of sleep and then woke up around 3am with contractions too strong to sleep through and had to work to relax, breath and get through them. I started timing them on contractionmaster.com and they were consistently 10 minutes apart and about 90 seconds long.  At about 4 I went upstairs to see if a bath would calm them down and it didn't seem to make a difference. I woke your sister as I moaning through a contraction in the bathroom - they were not letting up. Luckily daddy explained to her what was going on and she fell right back to sleep. Around 5 I told your dad we should probably head for the hospital as I assumed the contractions would pick up as soon as I was up and walking.  He took a shower and I packed a few more things to take with us and the contractions started coming every 3-5 minutes.  We woke Nana to come downstairs to be there when your sister woke up, got in the car and texted everyone else to let them know we were headed to the hospital.  I ate an apple on the way there.  We checked into the registration desk for the 3rd time this pregnancy and hoped like crazy this would be the last time.  The nurse came down and got us and I told her I might cry if I wasn't at least 4cm, as the contractions were quite intense!  I gave the urine sample, answered 20 questions, they checked your heart rate which stayed a health 140, breathed through contractions and then found out I was already at 6 1/2cm dialated and completely effaced and your head was way down.  We were so excited!!  The end was in sight - we were going to meet you very very soon!!!  They admitted us to the hospital and took us to our room.  Dr. Slack was called as we are on his special list. He had just finished his on call shift and had patients in his office that morning, but still was able to come.  We had arrived at shift change and there was apparently not much going on so our room was full of like 6 nurses getting things ready.  They got the IV antibiotics going and I relaxed through contractions - they were all strong enough that it was easiest to moan through them.  The one nurse called it labor singing - that sounds so much nicer than moaning.  Our labor helper Rachel arrived - she is a good friend of ours that is a Junior in HS and interested in nursing - she took really great photos for us too!!  As soon as the antibiotics were finished they ran a nice warm bath. Since I was dilating without having to walk around and we were in no hurry, relaxing in the tub sounded the very best.  My contractions slowed to every 8-10 minutes, but were very powerful.  It was kind of odd to be lying there just having conversation with Rachel and Aaron and then take 90 seconds to 'sing' through a contraction and resume conversation again.  Dr. Slack came in around 8 and checked me in the tub and I had progressed to a 8 or 9.  He reminded me that he did not bring his fishing net and so here soon the nice bath was going to need to end!  I had a couple more good contractions and told Aaron we had best be getting me out.  Right after another contraction ended I got to the toilet - I expected to have a whooper contraction getting out, but didn't really have another until I was settled in bed.  The nurses had pretty much disappeared until we got out - there were 3 of them there, one training from a small banner hospital, one supervising and a CCU nursing student. The one training checked me (let's just say she needs a bit more experience or a women on an epidural - ouch...) and the cervix was a completely open 10cm and ready for pushing!  Aaron and I looked at each other and were surprised as we didn't really have a transition moment - seemed too easy!  I was still having contractions 8-10 minutes apart so we just chatted between a couple more, turned  on the slack key guitar Sonny Lim pandora station and waited until Dr. Slack came in and they got everything together.  Now for the tough part - I'm not really a fan of the pushing stage from Autumn's birth, it really is one of the most painful experiences. Doable and not really very long, but quite intense.  I asked Dr. Slack if they could just slide you on out of there! The first contraction came and I pushed as hard as I could, but also did a fair bit of screaming.  The next one I did the same - we made some progress but not enough.  Because the contractions were so far apart there was still plenty of time for chatting between. Now there were 3 nurses and 2 nursing students as the baby nurse and student had arrived.  We had enough time between contractions that Dr. Slack told the students the story of Ignaz, a Jewish Dr. that linked hand washing to decreased maternal and newborn deaths from puerperal fever in 1848.

I decided maybe I'd try squatting to push.  They changed the bed around but it was a far cry from the Brazilian births I'd seen on video in Bradley class where they simply squatted on the bed.  They wanted my feet in the stir ups which was at an angle and were too low and I had to drape myself over the bar to keep my balance.  It was just silly and did not work at all.  So back to the bed, which wasn't so bad, I had just hoped maybe if my pelvis was more open in a true squat it might hurt less.  So another contraction came and I pushed, screamed and stopped and said it hurt too bad.  Because my contractions were so far apart and I wasn't being super successful at pushing hard enough to get you out, Dr. Slack pretty much told me that I either needed to hold my breath to have enough force to push you out or we would need to start pitocin to get some more contractions to help me push.  The next contraction came, I held my breath and pushed way past 10 on the pain scale and your head came out!  The hardest part was over and we were almost there! He had me reach down for you and slowly push some more to get you out!



They helped me get you to my tummy and I took a minute to get over the pain before pulling you up to cuddle.  Ahhh... you were here, delivery was over and we could just snuggle, enjoy you and figure out what we were going to name you!
After they got you cleaned up you latched right on and went for it no problem - you have been a champion eater!
All the after birth stuff went well, I didn't tear at all and with in a few minutes I was feeling so much better!

I guessed you would weigh 5lbs 14 oz and the nurse guessed you would weigh 6lb 2oz - she was right on.  You looked to be about the same size as your sister was, and you were.  I wonder if they had weighed you right away before feeding and all the tags (the Hugs anklet is quite large) if you would have been 6 even like Autumn?

Rachel holding you before heading back to school

We had narrowed your name down to Abby Leia, Abby Grace or Kate Leilani.  We both thought it was really fun that Autumn told us that you were a girl named Abby long before we found out you were indeed a girl and in the end Leia won because it is Hawaiian and the meaning is Child of Heaven.  Sorry if you get Princess Leia jokes your whole life - we think it is perfect and beautiful!!
About an 45 minutes after you were born they checked you, weighed you and put you under the warmer and got me to the bathroom to clean up so I could come join the fun at the warmer.


You were just so beautiful!  Right after I was up and going Autumn arrived to meet you for the first time.  She was so excited to see you - I can't remember what all she said, but it was cute and we have it on video!

Then Nana, Grandma and Papa Jerry came in to meet you too!  A bit later after they checked your vitals again Nana gave you a bath while Autumn helped.
 

We dressed you in a cute sleeper and cuddled you the rest of the afternoon!




Later that night all the family that was in town came to our room and we sang you happy birthday and enjoyed cupcakes for you!  It was such a wonderful day! Abby Leia we love you with our whole hearts and can't wait to spend the rest of our lives loving you!

Daddy Praying over you.

Weight: 6 lbs 2 oz (after tags and feeding)
Length: 19"
Head Circumference 13 inches
Chest 12 1/2 inches
Apgar 1 min - 8, 5 min - 9
Temp 37 degrees
Pulse 140

You found your hands less than 2 hours after being born

Dr. Quintana gave your first check up - he was so kind and funny