1 Week Old

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Jacob Edward was born on Wednesday, August 19th at 1:34 pm. He weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 21 inches long.
Tom and I went to the hospital at 7:30 am Wednesday. We got settled then the doctor broke my water and the nurse started the pitocin. Once the contractions got going and I got more uncomfortable, I got an epidural. I like to enjoy my children's birth. Unfortunately, it only fully worked on my left side. I could still feel the contractions on my right side. It wasn't too bad, so I decided to wait it out and see if it got better. I had a button to push to get some extra medicine if I needed it and it took the "edge" off for awhile. Around 12:30 they checked me and I was about 4 1/2 cm. We felt safe to let Tom go get some lunch at the cafe. At 1:00 the nurse checked me again and I was 6 1/2 cm. Tom came back in and we let him know. About 10 minutes later I told the nurse that I was in a lot of pain. I wanted the Anesthesiologist to come and fix my epidural. The nurse said that she would call him back, but first wanted to check me again. Baby was right there - I was 10 cm and ready to push. But my doctor was at his office, not the hospital. The nurse called him and for about 25 minutes I had to breathe through the contractions. I must say that I think I handled the contractions very well. It really did help to stay calm, focus on my breathing, and remind myself that each contraction meant I was about to meet our newest son or daughter. That is what really got me through the pain. When my doctor got there and got set up, it was one push and the head was out. One more and the shoulders were out. The next thing I heard was Tom telling me we had a little boy. And little Jacob came out crying. Beautiful baby boy! I held him for a moment then they took him to check him out and weigh him. His Apgar scores were 9 and 9. When they handed him back to me he nursed right away. Amazing that they know what they need right after being born.
Later that evening, Tom went home then brought back my mother and all of Jacob's siblings. They didn't get to spend a lot of time because visiting hours were almost over. They were running late because there had been a tornado warning. When I had called to see why they weren't at the hospital yet, Tommy answered his phone from our basement. But everyone did get to come and meet Jacob. Our other children were very excited to meet him - except Sarah. She was happy to see mommy, but not so sure about the new baby. Rachel told me I did a great job - Jacob was so cute. They all took turns holding Jacob and getting their pictures taken.
Tom went to church with our oldest 2 on Sunday. Tom saw a couple we know from our Couple's Bible Study. They were also expecting a baby. Turns out, they had a son on August 19th too. Same hospital and were in the recovery room next door to ours. Too bad we didn't realize that while we were there.
And yes, our son's name is the 2 main characters from Twilight. I am a Twilight fan - read all 4 books, but that isn't who he's named after. Jacob is a great biblical name that's been on our list. We have 2 daughters named from the same biblical story. And Edward is my daddy's name. Jacob is named after my father and has the same birthday as Tom's father. That's fair :o)
Plus, got to love Jacob's initials. "JES" then you just add our family or "US". Remember December 8th? Ties in nicely with the story of Mary finding out she'll have a son named Jesus on the same day that I found out I was pregnant. And my "Bench Dream" - I do have a boy. We'll have to wait and see if he looks like the little boy in my dream as he grows.
Jacob is 1 week old today and is a wonderful baby. He sleeps in a cradle next to my side of the bed. He wakes up, eats, goes back to sleep. Only cries when he needs something. Gets lots of attention. Even Sarah held him today. She cried when I had to take him from her to feed him. She loves him - we all love him. Tom cleaned out the basement and we found lots of boy toys and some clothes. I'm excited to have a little baby boy again. I am a bit emotional right now. I cry a lot, but they're happy tears. We may not have planned a 7th child, but I am so thankful that God did. I am so in love with this little boy. He is going to get so much love and care!
A little bit of funny: Sarah points to me when I nurse Jacob and says "Jacob's Juicy?"

Baby Update

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Tom went with me to my NST and appointment this morning. NST looked great - once they gave me a brownie to eat. Yum. Then the doctor checked to see if there was anything going on and I was 3 cm! So excited! I started clapping, which Tom thought was kind of a weird visual :o) So now we are waiting to see if I go on my own tonight, otherwise we will check into the hospital tomorrow morning at 7:30 to help get this labor going. I am very excited, but also a bit nervous. All of a sudden I don't feel prepared enough.
Tom went back to work and I went shopping with my dad this afternoon. I bought a few more things for school - lunch and snack items. Came home and found all the lunchboxes and labeled them with their names. I am now giving the girls a bath (boys can bathe themselves) and we're going to pick out our "1st Day of School" outfits to help make Thursday and Friday morning a little easier for their daddy.
Friday is Leah's very first day of school and I was hoping to be home to get her on the bus, but I won't be coming home until later that day. My doctor said he could send me home Thursday night if baby and I are healthy, but I told him no. I want my 2 days. Tom can handle it and can take lots of pictures. I'm not trying to be selfish, I just like to have those 2 days to bond with our new baby and I think it's safer to let us be observed for at least 48 hours. (Especially if this is a boy and he has a "c" the next day.)
The laptop will be staying home, so I'll have to add a post when I get home. I want to focus on baby - plus, we'll be busy I'm sure. I'm hoping Tom will bring all the siblings to visit tomorrow night. He usually does. You can hear them coming down the hall at the hospital :o)
My mom will be staying the night at our home tonight so we can either sneak out in the middle of the night if we need to or get up and leave bright and early. I hope I can get some sleep tonight.
Oh...there go those butterflies again - or maybe that's just baby :o) LOL All will be ok.

Due Date

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you as you are to them."

It's baby's due date. Where's baby? I will go in for another NST tomorrow morning followed by an appointment to see if there is any progress. My parents got into town last night so they'll be here to keep an eye on our 6 children and will be here for when baby decides to come out.
I did get phone calls from our children's teachers and went in to meet 3 of them today. My husband took our oldest to get his schedule and locker set up. So now we've met all of our children's teachers and have dropped off all their supplies. We're ready. Let's do this baby :o)
I went to our church, St. Mary's, tonight for Eucharistic Adoration - Benediction. It was a nice, peaceful moment. I sat in the back row next to the stained-glass window of St. Veronica. She is the one who wiped Jesus' face while He was carrying the cross. This is also the name we have chosen if our little one is a girl. Veronica / "Ronnie". I think it's a beautiful name and I like that it is the name of a woman in the Bible who showed great care and love for Jesus. If our little one is a boy we like the name Jacob / "Coby". Follows the story of Rachel and Leah (2 of our daughters) in the Bible.
This will be a short one tonight. It's hard to type on a laptop when you don't have much of a lap. It keeps slipping. I should get some rest in case tomorrow turns out to be an extra special busy day.

Still Waiting

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

Another NST this morning. Baby was comfy, just relaxing. Little movement here and there. The nurse came in and put both her hands on my belly and really shook it. Ouch. Wow! Did that upset baby! The heart rate went from 130's to 160's and stayed over 150 for about 10 minutes while baby rolled and kicked. Doctor came in and was very pleased and took me off the machine. I thought we were going to talk about possibly inducing, but different doctor equals different opinion. My next appointment is Tuesday - 1 day after my due date.
Hopefully baby comes on his/her own this weekend. School starts next week. I would like to be home with baby so Tom can take our older children to their Open Houses and I'd like to be home to see everyone start their first day of school. Especially Leah. She'll be starting preschool and riding a bus to school for the first time. I did call her teacher this week and we did go in and meet her. Leah loved her classroom and is very excited to go back. I just have to believe that somehow everything will work out ok.
I will miss the slow mornings around here. Our oldest boys have learned that I'm much happier when I wake up to coffee, so they've been making me half a pot and bringing me a cup when I wake up. Tom has been making them do chores every morning too. Brandon and Ethan need to do 2 chores each before they can play video games or get on the computer. And these have to be "real" chores. Feeding the cat and dog is a necessity, not a chore. Cleaning their room is an expectation, not a chore. They have been very helpful with doing dishes, vacuuming, dusting, laundry, cleaning the bathrooms,...The younger ones even get into it now. They want to help. Leah likes to help empty the dishwasher. Noah and Rachel actually fight over who gets to clean the windows. This morning I was woken up by Rachel going into my bathroom to get the trash out. She had "baby" Sarah following her. It was cute. Rachel was sweetly saying "Come on Sarah." And they went around to all the rooms together. I'm going to miss my little helpers during the day - or as I like to jokingly call them - my little dwarfs :o) I do have 7. Guess that makes Tommy my Prince.
Our pets seem to know there is a new little one arriving soon. We have a 19 lb cat named Moose and a German Shepherd named Cody. Cody started protecting me more than usual when I first got pregnant. Now that baby is almost here, he doesn't leave my side. Sweet. Now Moose is curling up next to me more often too. They're both very good around our children. Moose lets children crawl all over him and he doesn't like to sleep alone. He cuddles up to one of us at night. I think Cody thinks we're all just part of his pack.
After pizza - movie night tonight I think Tom and I should go for a long walk. Tomorrow would be a good birthday for our child. August 15th is a special day in the Catholic church. It is the Assumption of Mary. One site that I looked at said that it is also known as Mary's Heavenly Birthday. Kind of a "full circle" since I found out I was pregnant on December 8th. That is the day the Catholic Church celebrates the Angel Gabriel telling Mary the news that she is pregnant with Jesus. Plus, Tom and I finally have a boy and a girl name picked out :o) Now we just wait...

Where's The Baby?

"Some people care too much, I think it's called love."

Went to my doctor this morning. Receptionist laughed (with me) when I waddled in :o) I can hardly walk. The nurse commented on how firm and tight my tummy is - there is no more room to stretch. I am as big as I can get. Had another NST today. Baby was pretty sleepy when we started, but after some peanut m&m's, baby woke right up. Normally the heart rate is in the 130's while resting and 150's when awake and moving. Today (after the candy) baby's heart rate was in the 150's while resting and 170's while moving. Doctor did a check and baby's head is in position & down low. I am about 1 cm dilated. He sees no reason for me to have to wait until next week if baby doesn't start coming on his/her own. I will go back in on Friday if I am still pregnant and do one more NST, then we will make plans for this little one's birthday. I would like to just "go" on my own and not be induced, so I am praying that baby comes this week. If baby is still not here by the end of the week - I am not going to argue with inducing. My nights are very long and uncomfortable and walking around trying to take care of 6 other children is getting diffcult. Just doing one little thing around our home exhausts me. Even driving is getting hard. Last Thursday on the way home from Rachel's gymnastics, I had to pull over and rest, drink some water.
Tom and I are pretty sure we're having a boy, but there is a chance it's a girl. We have a boy's name picked out, but not a girl's name. I think we'll just bring along a list, along with the meanings, and if it's a girl we'll see what name she looks like. But even then, you never know. Leah was born with very thick, dark hair and dark eyes - within a few months, she was bright blonde with bright blue eyes. (Still is.) I'm sure the right name will come along if/when needed.
When I got home from my doctor appointment today, my 3 yr old and 6 yr old daughters were walking around with dolls stuck in their shirts. They were pretending to be pregnant. It was cute until they started acting out that they were in labor - then it was a little weird and kind of disturbing. My 7 yr old son was yelling "Push! Push!" Maybe I've been watching too many daytime birthing shows. The only time I ever watch those shows is when I'm pregnant. I even emailed the show "A Baby Story" when I was around 20 weeks pregnant. They sent me an application. I talked to my doctor about it and he was fine, but wasn't sure if the hospital would allow cameras. Then the more I thought about it, the more I really didn't like the idea of a camera man in the delivery room with me and Tom. Now that I am so close to giving birth, I'm glad I chose not to do it. For me, it's too personal and too precious to share like that. Our own video and photos will do.
So I should be holding the newest little member of our family this week. I can't wait to see what he/she looks like. I can't wait to have those little fingers wrap around my finger. I think our children are all ready too. My oldest 2 have been commenting on Mommy's Mood Swings. One moment I'm singing along to a song and the next moment I'm upset about crumbs on the floor. They usually start pretending to "freak out" with me about the crumbs until I start laughing. Sarah might not be too happy at first. She made me sleep in her room last night. Very mommy-clingy right now. Most of our children have been like this before a new baby - then they become daddy's little buddy when baby arrives.
I have many people praying for me and baby. I have many friends wanting to help at this time and after baby is born. I feel very blessed to have the family and friends that God has surrounded me with. Life is good :o)

39 Weeks

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

I am 39 weeks today. After having Sarah at 33 weeks, I really didn't think I'd get this far with this one. Baby is comfortable - wish Mommy was too. It's getting pretty crowded in there. It's kind of sad when your maternity clothes are really snug fitting. On Friday night the contractions were coming every 7 minutes. Tom was picking up pizza for dinner on his way home from work and I was calling him feeling a little scared that I needed to get to the hospital soon, then the contractions just stopped. I will go in for another NST and check tomorrow morning.
Yesterday was a wonderful family day. Went to mass in the morning (Donut day - always a great way to start.) then went to the IL Tourette Syndrome Association picnic. It was 90+ degrees, but we stayed in the shade and had a terrific time. We met some people that live near us, including one of the original women to start the Association in IL. We talked to her about our positive experiences with a couple of Brandon's teachers - esp. his 7th grade teacher. She has worked with Brandon to educate other students and teachers. This lady thought Tom and I should think about starting a support group for other families in our area. After we get settled with our newest family member, we will have to seriously think about it. Tom and I wanted to find a support group when Brandon was first diagnosed, but there wasn't one close enough to our home. We went to one, but it was kind of a far drive - children couldn't come - and there was a lot of negative stories being told. Tom and I were the only ones who were not angry and upset. I kind of felt bad, but also very blessed. We didn't go back to that group after that first night. I would like to have a group that included all family members and that had some positive stories / helpful advice that would help families to have positive stories. Back to the picnic -- Yummy food, funny magician, amazing balloon man, and fun activities and prizes. The magician liked having Noah as his "helper" and he was making funny comments to Rachel. Every child at the picnic won a prize too. We came home with a box full of beanie babies, hair clips, videos, games, books,...Ethan won a year of bagels and Brandon won a certificate to a hot dog restaurant.
After the picnic we used the Family Fun Bowling Package we won last year. Our children had a lot of fun and I was happy to be in the air conditioning. We then went to use Brandon's certificate and bought hot dogs for everyone. We found a nearby park and had our own little picnic. It was a lot cooler outside, so our kids got to run around and play this time. I sat with my camera and got some great pictures of Tom and our children playing. I think we all needed a day full of fun and fresh air.
Leah and Sarah are napping now. (Sarah is on my "lap.") I should really be doing the same thing. Hopefully my doctor gives me some encouraging news tomorrow.

Comfy Baby

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

Baby is comfy cozy. On Sunday I didn't feel a lot of movement during the day - I felt enough that evening to feel comfortable. On Monday baby was moving just a little again. I didn't feel the usual rolling around that I was used to - it was more of slow pushing and nudging. That evening when Tom got home I shared my concern with him and we decided to call my doctor and go to the hospital for an NST. When the nurse hooked me up, baby started rolling around. Little stinker :o) Making mommy feel silly. But then s/he stopped, so what we thought was going to be a quick 20 minute test, ended up being over an hour. I had to turn from one side to the other and finally got baby moving again. The nurse took the machine off, but then came and put it back on when they realized the baseline had changed. The doctor was called and they talked about the test - then decided that everything looked fine and we could go home.
On Tuesday I had to go back to my doctor for another NST, which went very well. Baby was back to being active during the day. Since I was 38 weeks (and 1 day) my doctor did an internal exam...nothing. No real signs that my body was getting ready. Baby was up high. I really believe that my baby moved back up. The couple days before I felt like baby was low and I looked like I was carrying lower -- now I look like I'm carrying "up" again. I guess s/he is just not ready. I am physically ready, but that's about it. I am excited to meet this little one, but I didn't get as much done around our home as I wanted to. The only thing I've found in the basement and washed is the carseat. We need to get the tubby, the stroller that goes with the carseat, and the cradle. I guess the clothes will have to wait until we know if this is a boy or a girl. We do have a little white and yellow ducky outfit to bring baby home in. We also have a little stuffed dinosaur that we bought for baby from Brookfield Zoo when we went to their dinosaur exhibit this summer.
Time to eat a little something and focus on baby's movements. I'm supposed to count all the kicks and nudges for an hour after I eat. The nurse told me to make sure I feel 10 movements in 4 hours - my doctor told me to make sure I feel 10 movements in 1 hour. Hmmm...that's a big difference in opinion. I think I'll just go by mommy instinct :o) I am scheduled for another NST on Friday. Come on Baby!

Enough Movement?

"Always Kiss Me Goodnight"

On Friday Leah was watching my tummy roll around and yelling "It's Alive!" as she giggled. She is so excited for the new baby to be born. Yesterday I got some cute video of Sarah talking about being a big girl and being a big sister while she and I had dinner together at the table. She was using a big girl cup to drink her milk instead of her sippy cup. I'm still not sure if she knows what's about to happen to her little world. And today Noah was helping me feel the baby move by poking at him/her and trying to name parts.
Which brings me to why I am blogging at 11:00 at night. Trying to figure out what to do. Baby hasn't been wiggling around like s/he usually does. There is still movement and I'm just trying to figure out if it's just smaller and slower because I am 38 weeks tomorrow and the space is tight or if there is a problem. With Sarah being born early because of my placenta not working well towards the end, it makes me worry. I ate some dinner, drank some milk, and had some ice cream. I've been drinking lots of water and I soaked in the tub for awhile. Now I am sitting in my rocking chair next to my bed not sure if I should go to sleep or not. Everyone else in our home is asleep.
I'm praying for more of a "sign" to know what to do. While I am writing, baby keeps nudging me so I'm feeling a little more relaxed. My bag is packed. My home is fairly in order. My wonderful neighbors are all "on call" for baby time. I am prepared if I feel like we should go.
My body feels ready, but my mind and heart are having a little difficulty with the reality of not being pregnant anymore. The last nine months went by so fast - I feel that way now. Amazing. I am looking forward to meeting this little one and holding him/her in my arms. I love how babies smell. I love their little feet. I love holding them over my shoulder as they snuggle up and sleep.
Maybe I should get a little sleep and see how I feel in the morning. Baby has been moving for me while I've been sitting here. Sarah has been waking me up at 3:00am almost every night, so maybe even just a little cat nap would do me good. I think Sarah is helping me prepare for being up with a newborn. (Oh - that was a wonderful wiggle baby just gave me.) I'm pretty comfortable with how much s/he is moving now. Maybe I just needed to slow down and pay attention. Good baby - and good night.