Natalie's Birth Story

Every birth has a story.  Here's Natalie's!

After being induced with Brennan, Gavin and Abigail, we predicted throughout this pregnancy that it would also end with induction.  As we neared closer to her due date, it was discussed again, especially since Natalie wasn't always head down and enjoyed dancing around in Mommy's belly.  At her 39 week OB check on May 6, Mommy was instructed to keep Natalie's head down over the weekend, eat a light breakfast in the morning and show up at the hospital at 6:00am on Monday, May 9.

Daddy and Mommy arrived at the hospital, registered, and were escorted to the Labor and Delivery ward.  Mommy was hooked up to monitors and asked a series of medical questions.  Dr. Rinkes performed an ultrasound to verify Natalie's position.  Luckily, little lady cooperated and was head down!  Mommy was 3-4 cm dialated but Natalie was still very high.

Previous deliveries had taught us that Mommy has "valve-y veins", causing IV placements to be difficult.  Two nurses attempted to place an IV, but were unsuccessful.  This is not a very pleasant experience.  They explained that Mommy has "deceivingly beautiful" veins -- they appear to be cooperative and then, boom, the IV fails.  They called in the CRNA, who performed his CRNA tricks and was able to insert the IV without difficulty.  Pitocin was started at 8:00am.

9:10am: Dr. Rinkes broke Mommy's water.  No sign of meconium.

11:30am: 4-5 cm, 70%.  Time is passed chatting, watching a television show, and playing card games.  Mommy is offered an epidural several times, but Mommy declines.

12:00pm: Epidural is administered.  Contractions were still tolerable, but enough to cause Mommy to stop briefly stop her card game and grimace.  It was decided to get the medicine before things accelerated.  Mommy was assured by the nurses that she wasn't "cheating" by getting the epidural so early in the game.  It was administered without incident by the same CRNA that worked his IV magic.  It provided relief, but Mommy was still able to feel some contractions.

12:45pm: 5-6cm, 70%.  Mommy was still able to feel the contractions and Dr. Rinkes' check.  The CRNA was called back and administered additional medicine through the epidural line.  The same situation occurred with Abigail's delivery.  Mommy quickly becomes completely numb from the waist down and her legs feel very heavy.

2:00pm: 6cm, 80%.  Mommy is placed on her side, occasionally switching positions with the help of the nurses, with a peanut ball placed between her legs.  She feels better laying on her right side than her left side.  Natalie's heart rate occasionally drops during contractions.

3:00pm: 7cm.  This check took a while -- a check by Dr. Rinkes, a learning check by the nurse new to Labor and Delivery, draining Mommy's bladder, and another learning check.  Mommy began to feel very light headed and nauseated.  She is given oxygen to help with her blood pressure and Natalie's heart rate.  Mommy feels better when she is returned to her side.  Mommy has the "shakes" and wonders if it's almost time for Natalie's arrival.

3:55pm: 10cm!  It's go time!  Mommy is prepped for delivery and needs prompting on when to push as she's unable to feel contractions.  Three pushes during the first contraction.  We converse and laugh while waiting for the next contraction.  "Whoa!  You may laugh her out!", exclaimed Dr. Rinkes.  We continue to laugh and Natalie continues to move.  One more push during the next contraction, Mommy helps to pull Natalie out and she's here!

4:08pm: Happy Birthday, Natalie!!  Welcome to the world!  Natalie is placed on Mommy's chest and has several minutes of skin to skin contact.  Daddy cuts her cord.  It was explained that her cord was loosely wrapped around her neck once, possibly causing her decreased heart rate during contractions.  Natalie is weighed and measured -- 9lb 7oz and 21 inches long!  Everyone is amazed with her size and beauty.  It's love at first sight!

What's in a name?
Natalie: Frequently known to mean "Born on Christmas", but also means "Gift of God".  She certainly is a gift from God and such a blessing!
Elizabeth: Mommy's middle name is Elizabeth.  It's also a name used frequently in our family history.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our newest miracle!  Natalie Elizabeth was born on May 9 at 4:08pm.  She weighs 9lbs, 7oz and is 21 inches long.  She's perfect and we are blessed to welcome her to our family!

22 Months!

Our sweet Abigail is quickly transforming from a baby to a little girl!

~We've hit a language explosion!  She's using many two-three word phrases and enjoys repeating words spoken to her. Some commonly heard phrases: "Mommy/Daddy help", "Daddy/Brennan/Gavin night", "More Paw Patrol" (she has toothpaste with Paw Patrol characters on it), "Mommy/Daddy's shirt/shoes/etc.", "Mommy/Daddy book" (asking us to read a book), "Mommy/Daddy/Brennan/Gavin/Grandma/Grandpa go?" (Asking where we are), "Tracy house" and "Love you"
~She's becoming quite the exhibitionist!  She frequent takes her clothes off, including her shirt, pants and pajamas, and roams the house in only her diaper.  We suspect she likes being able to remove her clothes independently more than being without clothes. She's also becoming a little particular about the clothes she wears, especially her pajamas, so she'll remove the pajamas we put on her and retrieve the desired pair.
~She's going to be an awesome big sister in just a few days!  She likes to carry around her babies and has recently wanted to change their diapers/clothes.  We may need to keep a close eye on her after Encore is born, however.  After bringing out several baby seats, Abigail began to put her babies in the seats.  Then, she likes to cover them with a blanket, cover them with books, and then cover them with many toys!
~Abigail has begun to gallop around the house. She really kicks the cuteness up a notch when she gallops around with her ringlets bouncing up and down!
~She enjoys telling her brothers and Daddy goodnight before being put to bed by Mommy.  She wants to go into the boys' room, tell them goodnight and give them all a kiss.
~When asked her name, she'll calls herself "Babby"
~She's starting to show some interest in potty training.  She has asked to sit on the potty, and does so happily, but has yet to go while sitting.  It's a start!

Sneak Peek Again!

We were able to have one last sneak peek of Encore before she arrives!  Due to her larger size and inconsistent position, we were scheduled for another ultrasound at 37 weeks.  She continues to measure big (86th percentile, estimated weight 7lb 9oz) and was head down!  Hopefully she'll stay that way!  We were able to see her hair, although it didn't appear to be extraordinarily long.  We were also able to see her adorable rolls forming on her wrists!  Encore was extremely camera shy and didn't show us her beautiful face.  Instead, she had her head turned inward, covered by her arm.  We can't wait to cover that sweet face with kisses!

During the exam with the doctor, it was confirmed that she is still very high and Mommy continues to measure 2cm dialated, which has remained consistent for the past 2 weeks.  Should she decide to turn (which she hopefully will NOT!), there is a lot of fluid, which will help if she needs to be repositioned to be head down. Induction date (aka Eviction Date!) was scheduled for May 9th, unless she decides to make her grand debut before then! 

21 Months!

Our sweet Abba-giggles is 21 months old!

~Her language explosion continues.  Abigail is using new words, repeating words with improved intelligibility and shows understanding of what we are saying to her.  She occasionally combines words into 2 word phrases.
~We're starting to see glimpses of Toddler Abigail.  She gives a few "looks" and, while it's said in a cute voice, says "no" often.  She's still a go-with-the-flow kind of gal, but will make her opinion known.
~We've started introducing colors.  When it's not labeled for her, she'll typically call objects purple or blue.  Purple seems to be her current favorite.
~She loves to be a helper!  She'll retrieve and deliver objects.  Abigail will also find small pieces of objects on the floor, bring them to us, declare them to be "yucky" and will throw them away in the trashcan.
~Abigail enjoys coloring and playing with stickers....and doing whatever her brothers are doing!
~Abby loves her babies!  She's going to be a great big sister!
~She has quite a sweet tooth.  She loves anything sweet.  When Brennan or Gavin inquire about the possibility of dessert after dinner, she proclaims "Cookies!" almost immediately!
~She is trying to wink, but it is more of an exaggerated I-Dream-of-Genie-style blink.

20 Months!

Little Miss Abigail is 20 months old!

~Abigail continues to learn new words and her receptive language is very impressive!  She frequently repeats words that we say and is very proud of herself.  While she still omits some sounds, her pronunciation is improving.
~Abigail is now pacifier-free!  She only got her "ginky" (binky) at bedtime, but we decided to take the plunge over a long weekend.  We started by cutting off the tip.  She noticed it immediately and began to giggle after looking at it.  On the second day, we cut off more, making it too short to keep in her mouth.  After laughing at it again, she showed it to Mommy.  However, she wanted to hold it rather than having Mommy keep it.  On the third day, the pacifier disappeared.  She calmly asked for it a few times, but accepted "No more paci".  The process was much easier than we anticipated!
~She is going to be a great big sister!  She enjoys playing with her baby dolls. She also loves to give Mommy's belly a kiss (complete with a "muah!")
~Abby is very expressive!  She makes hilarious faces!
~She loves to wear dresses!  She'll get excited when we put one on her and occasionally sways side to side after she is dressed.  She's not a huge fan of not being able to remove her tights that she's wearing with her dresses.
~Continuing her love of dogs, a new favorite toy is figurines from Paw Patrol, a cartoon featuring dogs.  Each figurine has a separate shield that matches the color of the dog's clothing.  While playing with her "Pa Poll" toys, Abigail enjoys matching the dogs with their corresponding shield.  She does  a great job matching them!

Another Sneak Peek

Mommy had another ultrasound today to check the placenta placement due to it being low at the last ultrasound.  Consequently, we were also able to check on Encore's growth and get a few more pictures!

While it seemed to move even during the 30-40 minute ultrasound, it was determined that the placenta is higher and in a better location.  

Encore is growing quickly!  She went from being in the 66th percentile at the last ultrasound to the 86th percentile and is an estimated 2 lbs 6 oz.  Despite her larger size, I'm measuring on track.  She also has an "impressive" amount of hair for 26 weeks!  She was laying sideways and seemed to be shy, but the ultrasonographer was able to get a few good shots of her beautiful face!  Encore was active for part of the ultrasound, but then appeared to fall asleep.  She even gave us a bit of a smile!