Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Update on Delaynie

Well, just like her pregnancy and birth she had to do things a little bit different than her siblings.  :)

When we left the hospital we were given orders to come back the next day and re-check her bilirubin levels.  When we went back the levels had risen so we were sent home with a bili-blanket.  We re-checked them again today and they went down a little bit but we are still on the blanket.  We will go in again to check her levels again tomorrow and I am hoping that we won't have to have the blanket for too much longer.

Here is a cute little pic of my little glo-worm.  :)



Hope you all are having a great week!
<3 Alison

Monday, June 27, 2011

Announcing the arrival of ...

Delaynie Elizabeth!

Delaynie was born on June 25th at 9:22am.  She was 7lbs 5oz and 20 inches long.  

She is a beautiful little girl and we feel so blessed that God has given her to us.  

Here is her birth story...

Friday was a normal day.  A day with contractions, which had been there for at least a week prior, but no real concern from me to get to the hospital.  All the other contractions I had been feeling hadn't been doing anything so I wasn't too worried.  The girls were at my parents house and Bubby was the only little person here.  

We went to the grocery store to find something for dinner.  While we were looking for dinner I had a couple of strong contractions but thought nothing of it because of the other contractions I had been getting that week.  We picked up dinner, came home, made it, and ate.  While we were eating I started to get more strong contractions.  They got to the point I had to get up from the table and walk around to deal with the pain.  I quickly realized that this could be "it".  So I started gathering things so that if we did go in, that someone could easily come take care of Bubby.  

I wanted to make sure that the contractions weren't going to go away so Hubby, Bubby and I took a short walk.  During this walk the contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart and lasting about a minute long. I knew we needed to get going.  Hubby made a few phone calls and we found someone to come look after Bubby until Hubby's parents could get here.  

Hubby and I left for the hospital and made pretty good time (I later found out how fast we were going...oy...good thing I didn't know then...lol!).  I was still getting strong, regular contractions as we entered the hospital.  The receptionist at the ER desk quickly let us go up to labor and delivery without doing any paperwork.  After I got settled upstairs Hubby went and did all the paper work for me.  

From the time I was admitted until about midnight my contractions started to space out and get less intense.  By this point, I was a mess.  I was crying because I knew they were going to send me home.  I just knew it.  Thank goodness for my wonderful Hubby who was my support through the whole thing.  He walked around the L&D floor with me at record pace (for a preggo lady!).  At some point I let Hubby take a nap and I just waited.  Around 2am the doctor came back in.  He checked me...I KNEW I had to have made some progress...but it was very little.  So he presented me with 2 options.  He could either sedate me or he could break my water.  I bet you will never guess what I chose...lol...I asked him to break my water.  :)

After he broke my water he kept watching the monitor and noticed some decels from Baby D.  So I had to be internally monitored from then on.  He also had to start pitocin very soon after because even though he broke my water my contractions did not pick back up.  I lasted about 2 hours before I needed my epidural.  By 4am I was ready for the epi and was very glad for some relief.  I was then able to rest for a couple of hours before things started to get moving.  

At about 7:30 they came in and checked me again...I was a 6!  YAY!  I was thinning out and baby was dropping again.  Over the next two hours (roughly) I was able to feel more of the contractions (which I wanted as I got closer to delivery time) and could feel baby making her way.  The nurse kept checking me to make sure that she called the Dr in time.  By about 9am, I was ready and so was baby.  

As I started pushing the Dr said something that concerned me.  He said something like, she is posterior.  So, being a mom who had heard the term but didn't comprehend it (I was in labor after all...lol) I asked, "What does that mean?!"  The doc said, "She is sunny-side up."  OY...soooo not what I wanted to hear. But being the good girl she was during the next couple of contractions she began to turn into the proper birthing position...nothing like waiting until the last minute.  After she got into position, it was only a few minutes until she was born.  I remember waiting for the Dr to lay her on my belly and it seemed to take forever!  But he was clamping the cord and waiting for Hubby to cut the cord.  

Once I had baby on my belly I knew everything went just fine.  She was such a little peanut!  She squeeked a bit but she didn't really cry...but you could tell she was just fine.  When they took her off of my belly was when she started to wail...lol.  She didn't want to leave her mommy.  :)  

My recovery is going well.  Baby D is doing well.  We do have to go into the hospital tomorrow to do a billi level check.  She is looking a little yellow-y so they just want to make sure the levels are going down and not up.  

We hope to have all of the kids back in the house (with help of course) by the end of the week.  My sister is coming to help for a few days at the end of the week/beginning of next week.  I plan to just take care of me and the baby and let her take care of most everything else.  :)


Well, if you made it this long you deserve a cookie (or something...lol!).  I have to say that this birth experience was my favorite of all of my kids.  The hospital staff was great, the nurses were fabulous and the doctors very helpful.  I can't imagine a better experience for me and Baby D.  

<3 Alison

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

To Do Bags!

Well, since I haven't had the baby yet I thought I would put this post together.

As my kids get older I find that having little bags of things to do while I am nursing the baby is key.  A friend of mine a couple children ago either gave us a bag or gave me the idea...I can't remember at this point.  But I think that is part of what I am going to work on today.

The goal of the bag is to have a few things that the kids can do BY THEMSELVES while I nurse the baby in the beginning days of being a family of 6 (or whatever your family size is).  I have three ages that I need to account for with our bags.  An almost  6 year old, an almost 4 year old and an almost 2 year old.  Here is what I am thinking for each of their bags.

Almost 6 year old (girl):
~ early reader books (she can read them to herself and her siblings!)
~ crayons
~ blank paper
~ coloring book
~ princess/Barbie type toys

Almost 4 year old (girl):
~ coloring book
~ crayons
~ blank paper
~ Polly Pocket type toys

Almost 2 year old (boy):
~ cars
~ small "tools" (ie: Hammer, Screwdriver, etc)
~ play cell phone
~ board books
~ mini magna doodle

Thankfully we still haven't unpacked most of the toy boxes from the move so I can just go raid those to find things to put in the bags.  It will all look new to them!  :D

Have you done this for your kids?  Has some one done this for you?  What did you think?  Is there anything else I should add to the bags?

<3 Alison

Baby Update #2

Well, no baby yet.

We spent Father's Day in the hospital with contractions.  I was getting contractions allllll daaaaaay looooong.  They started on Saturday night on the way home from my in laws house.  We had been up there celebrating Father's Day with them and stopped in to say Hi to Hubby's grandfather who was in the hospital.  Thank goodness we did some celebrating that day because Sunday was no picnic for Hubby.

I woke up at about 3am with contractions I couldn't sleep thru.  I thought to myself...YAY!  This is gonna be a Bubby type labor, which was by far my shortest and easiest labor.  We got my mother in law to come down and watch the kids and were at the hospital by 6am.

I was contracting regularly and they were strong enough!  Again, YAY!  So they got me hooked up to an IV for fluids and an antibiotic (since I am group B strep positive).  Things stayed pretty consistent all morning.  Then afternoon hit and the regular contractions started to get a bit wonky.  I hadn't been checked since I was admitted so about this time they checked me to see how things were going.  Well, come to find out...things weren't going.  I was no more dilated than when I walked in the door.  Talk about a shocker!

I "labored" for more of the afternoon until about 4 (I think, I wasn't staring at the clock) and they checked again.  Again, no change.  :(  So they decided it was time to do some pain meds and some sleepy meds.  I was worn out and ready for labor to either be for real or go away.  So I got some sleep and my contractions turned into some very minor ones and again, no change.  So about 8pm we gathered our things and headed back home.

Monday was a lazy day for me.  I had a pity party for myself and hung out in bed for most of the day.  By the end of the day I was bored with that so I took a shower before Hubby got home.  He got home and suggested that we go out for our anniversary, which is coming up on Sunday.  So I got ready and we went down to Okoboji to a little restaurant, Yesterday's.  It was good food and a fun atmosphere, just a little over priced from what we are used to in Ohio.  But it was still fun.  We then went for a walk by the lake.  It was a great night.

Tuesday I started getting contractions again, YAY!  Every 5 minutes but since I had a doctor appt later that day I thought I would just take a pain med and get some rest (as I am STILL tired from Sunday's escapade) and I will go in then.  So that is what I did!  And guess what, at my appointment...STILL NO CHANGE!

Now don't get me wrong, I am not upset that I don't have my baby in my arms (ok maybe just a little) but I am frustrated that all of the pain I am feeling is not doing anything.  I feel like part of my body is ready for the baby but the other part just isn't and they can't agree on what to tell the rest of me to do.

Baby will come when she is ready, I know that.  And God's plan is the best plan.  I just want the pain part to go away until REAL labor hits.  Can you blame me???  lol!

Hope that you all had a great Father's Day with those you love.
<3 Alison

Thursday, June 16, 2011

A new "room" in our basement!

Yesterday my parents came down for a visit.  We decided that it was time to create a "play area" for my kiddos.  Since we moved into our house the kids have been playing in their rooms (which are right off of the living room) and the mess all too frequently has been spilling into the "grown up" space.  So, we created a space for the kids to play in the basement.

We have an unfinished basement, so a worry that we had was that the kids would poke holes in the plastic which is on the walls holding the insulation in.  Problem fixed with cardboard (which we still had plenty of from the move) and tape.  The next problem was the floor...plain old cement, cold and VERY hard.  Whoever built this house left 3 rolls of carpet padding in the garage and so that made a nice base.  My dad also had picked up some carpet remnants along the way and we put that on top of the padding.  Perfect solution for a little play area for the kiddos.

We started digging through the boxes and such to figure out what toys were in what boxes and we could bring into the newly created area.  We found the kitchen, the drawers that had all the little toys in it and the kitchen pieces, as well as a little couch and the drawing table and chairs.  We showed the kids the play area last night and they are thrilled with it!  I have a feeling that I won't be seeing much of them today again.  :)

With any luck I can get some action shots of the kids playing in it today and will post them another day.

Happy Thursday!
<3 Alison

Monday, June 13, 2011

Packing my bag

I have been working on packing my bag since last week.  I just felt the need to get it in order.  So I started working on it.

Here is what I have so far:

1 pair nursing jammies
4 pairs socks
2 going home outfits for baby (2 different sizes...not sure which one we will need)
1 deck of cards
1 outfit for me to come home in
nursing pads
nursing bra (1 sleep, 1 regular)
1 lightweight robe

Other things we will throw in at the last minute are:

bag of tolieties (all set on the counter so I can just drop them in the baggie I have for them)
phone charger
iPod
iPod charger
Nook
Nook charger
camera
camera battery charger
my purse and all of its contents

Am I forgetting anything???  I can't remember what I really needed and what I didn't.  The electronic stuff is mostly for Dan so he won't be bored at the hospital while I am in labor...lol.  :)

So what do you think, did I miss anything?
<3 Alison

Sunday, June 12, 2011

They are home!

I am so excited that my girls are finally home.  I missed them terribly this last week.  It was good to have a a week of preparation and a bit of relaxation to get ready for Baby D but I really missed them.  I missed the stories that they tell and the love that they show for their brother.

We went to Pizza Ranch last night for dinner with family and that is where we picked them up.  They were so excited to see us and their brother.  Bubby almost knocked the girls over with his hugs because he was so excited to see them!  The hugs that went around were so sweet.

This morning we were woken up by the alarm clock...a new thing!  Usually it is Bee coming in to see if it is time to wake up yet, an hour before it is time to wake up.  The girls were up but they were happy in their room today.  :)

The girls have been talking about their VBS non-stop since we picked them up.  They have been singing the songs and telling us about their crafts and what they learned.  It is so much fun to hear what they have been learning.  I love it!  They even came home with a CD of music.

Today it is off to church and then to do some cleaning.  I need to get this house ready before Baby D gets here.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!
<3 Alison

Friday, June 10, 2011

Baby Update!

What a week this has been.  :)  On Tuesday I went in for my 35 week doctor appointment   I figured we would do the group B strep test culture and I would be checked for any dilation.   Yep that is exactly what happened.  What I didn't expect was to find out that I am actually 3 cm dilated!  So I spent the rest of that afternoon hooked up to monitors to make sure baby was ok and to make sure that I was not in active labor (although I hadn't felt a contraction in a day or so).  What luck, no signs of labor other than the dilation.  :)  So I got to come home.

I have not been feeling tip top since Saturday, just feeling kinda crummy, but still able to do what I need to.  This week the girls are off to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Their church is doing a VBS and we love that the kids can go do that now with Grandma and Grandpa.  It has been a quiet week around here without the girls and me just having Bubby.

Yesterday I spent the day in Sioux Falls getting a few things done, mainly getting my phone fixed...aka: swapping out the phone because mine just wouldn't work right.  That took the longest out of everything that I did yesterday including a trip to Target and lunch with my friend (YUMMY leftovers from Olive Garden for lunch today!).

Last night I got some sewing done and am working on more of it today.  I got 5 receiving blankets made for Baby D and I am working on making some nursing pads today.  Then when I get those done I am going to start crocheting.  I am hoping that this weekend Hubby and I can clean the bathrooms and kitchen really well as well as getting the vacuuming done in the house.  I guess I am starting to nest a bit and really want things to be in order, just in case.  :)

What have you all been up to?  Anything fun?
<3 Alison

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Budget Meal Planning!

I am 34 weeks pregnant.  And it hits me...I don't have meals made for after Baby D is born.  And frankly, if I did, I would be in trouble with freezer space.  Right now our big freezer is packed FULL of fresh beef.  But I literally have maybe a handful of things to pull out after the baby is born.  This is a little stressful for me.  So I am doing things a bit differently for after this baby is born.  I am making a menu for the next two months and putting ALL the recipes with that menu.  So whoever is here to help can EASILY find the plan for food for that day.  

Here is our meal plan for the month of June.  You can see as the month progresses the menu gets more and more simple, as I near my due date.
2 Thursday: French Toast
3 Friday: Crockpot Meatloaf
4 Saturday: Steaks, mashed potatoes, asparagus
5 Sunday: Roast, carrots, potatoes
6 Monday: Round Steak, Rice Side and veggies
7 Tuesday: BBQ Beef, veggies
8 Wednesday: Chicken Noodle Soup, fresh bread?
9 Thursday: Tacos
10 Friday: Spaghetti, garlic bread, veggies
11 Saturday: Turkey Tetrazzini, salad, veggies
12 Sunday: Burgers, chips, beans
13 Monday: Poor Hotdish
14 Tuesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole
15 Wednesday: Gabriel’s Eggs
16 Thursday:  Macaroni and Cheese with Sausages
17 Friday: Beef Stew
18 Saturday: Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken
19 Sunday: Stroganoff with Egg Noodles
20 Monday: Easy Lasagna Bake
21 Tuesday: Sausage/tomato/pasta thing (Christa’s recipe)
22 Wednesday: Tuna Noodle Helper
23 Thursday: Crock Pot chicken and Rice
24 Friday: Breakfast
25 Saturday: Steaks, potato salad, veggies
26 Sunday: Pizza
27 Monday: Tuna Noodle Helper
28 Tuesday: Tacos
29 Wednesday: Spaghetti
30 Thursday: Poor Hotdish

To go with each week's recipes I have also complied a list of groceries that may need to be picked up from the store during that time.  It is mostly things like fresh veggies and milk...basically the perishable things.  

Over the next couple of months I expect to see that all the couponing that I have been doing will start to pay off.  I know we have enough cereal as well as pastas, sides, and condiments.  Most of our personal care stuff I have enough of to last us much longer than that as well.  

I think our biggest challenge is going to be lunch.  I am terrible at figuring out what to have for lunch.  Many times I am sure we will be eating leftovers, we do have some Lean Cuisines in the freezer as well.  But most of the time I think we will be having PB&J with some fruit.

That is my project for today.  I fear that it will be a Veggie Tales kind of day for my kiddos.  
Hope you all have a fantastic day!

<3 Alison