It's a GIRL

On Friday, June 22 the five of us filed into the ultrasound room and waited eagerly to ensure this baby was healthy and to discover the gender. I felt a wave of relief and excitement as the technician revealed that we would indeed have another daughter coming to our family this November. 

The anticipation of waiting 20 weeks to know my child's gender has been excruciating. Thankfully the other three littles have been keeping me occupied. I'm not sure whether Paul and I will choose to add any more children to our family after baby #4 so I was especially hopefully to have another girl. From the beginning of this pregnancy I had the feeling that this little one was a girl. Vince was the only one who guessed it would be a boy this time. He was open to the idea of a sister though, stating, "If we have a sister we will have 3 boys and 3 girls," and that just made sense in his head.

Kate has been referring to my growing bump as "Baby Sister" ever since she found out I was pregnant. I continually reminded her that it could be a baby brother... but she remained confident that it was a girl. 

Drew, of course, has no idea what's going on. 

I cannot wait to swaddle, rock, and love on this baby girl. She is going to be adored by many.

 

Bebe #4

The Fourth is With Us

Andrew William Hannibal

Vincent Paul- 39 w 0 d, water broke
Kathryn Olivia- 39 w 4 d, induced to avoid 4th of July craziness
Andrew William- 40 w 4 d, induced... but only after begging and promising my body could totally handle induction before 41 weeks

In Utah, they are just ready to pop your baby out once you hit 39 weeks. My experience in Michigan was very different. Whenever I mentioned setting up an induction at 39 weeks my OB would deflect and talk about the importance of not letting women go longer than 42 weeks. Ahhhh! With a bit of luck and a lot of asking, I secured an induction at 40.5 weeks. This was my longest pregnancy by a week, but it felt like an eternity! Whether it was the hot Summer or the exhaustion from chasing two other kids I was ready to have the baby.

With Kate I went in the morning of my scheduled induction. They cranked up the pitocin, totally supported my choice to get an epidural, wouldn't let me eat or drink anything, immediately bathed and cleaned her following brief skin-to-skin, and let me stay in the birthing suite until I got over the shakes and nausea. Keep that in mind when you see how different my experience was in Michigan.

With Andrew I went in the night before around 9 pm for cervical dilation. It took a long time to track down the needed people and we didn't even start the first round until midnight! The bed was hard and I did not sleep well. Thankfully, I was given the clear to get myself up to pee without help (the IV was cruel to my smashed bladder). We got very little sleep and the ripening agent did little to progress my dilation. Then I was told we had to wait for my OB to talk to me before I got the clear to start pitocin.

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. The clock was ticking and nothing was happening. I had been prepping the kids and told them they would meet Andrew on the 15th. With the slow start I was concerned that he wouldn't be delivered early enough for them to visit before bedtime (these were my worries at 8 in the morning! geeze!).

We got the green light and started the pitocin... at the slowest rate ever! I didn't realize there were 2 methods for using pitocin. In Utah they used a high dose to really get things going and would turn it up every 30 minutes. In Michigan, they started with hardly anything and took decades to increase the dose. I wasn't aware that a low dose could be just as effective so I became increasingly anxious about the timeline for the day.

My nurse was a hoot. She was a good mix of quirky and nice. She didn't hide the fact that she was more into natural births and whenever I brought up an epidural she would give me different options: bouncing on a ball, walking around the room, leaning on top of a ball (awkward!), applying pressure to my back, etc. When she went on her lunch break Paul spoke up and said now was the time to get an epidural before she could "push me" into another method of coping/relief. I cannot tell you have thankful I am that Paul advocated for me. Often the doulas and support are given the spotlight for natural births, but in this case he saw that what I needed was pain relief and rest, not another go on the ball. The epidural was a breeze and I was instantly much happier.

Holy cow, I almost forgot to mention that they let me drink sprite and eat jell-o! During my first two labors I was so weak by the end and I attributed it to being NPO the entire time. I took it easy and only had sips of pop and one jell-o, but it made all the difference! Another difference was not having a foley catheter once receiving my epidural. I thought that was totally weird and was worried that my bladder might explode or something but (spoiler alert) I was just fine.

I'd been there since the night before and I was almost dilated to 5 cm. With the epidural going my doc stopped in and broke my water to speed things along. You guys, I am glad I got my epidural first because within minutes of breaking my water, I felt so much pressure! I hesitantly asked my nurse if something was going on because I already felt like I needed to push. I felt so stupid because just minutes before I was hardly dilated.

Lo and behold, I was a 10 and the baby was coming! It was like less than 30 minutes that I went from a 5 to a 10! All of the sudden things got real and I could hardly believe that after all of the waiting, it was time. My nurse did a practice push with me and instantly told me to stop because the baby was almost there. She asked if I wanted a mirror. That was something I didn't want to see so I declined. Remember how I told you she was quirky? She rolled the mirror over and said, "I'll leave it here just in case you change your mind and want to look." Haha! That lady just cracks me up. She was so certain she knew what would give me the best experience and she wouldn't take no for an answer. Had it been something like totally denying me an epidural I'd be ticked, but since it was just odd things it provided a good laugh.

The room filled and it was time to meet my sweet baby. Since there was meconium in my amniotic fluid we had extra staff on hand prepared to take care of any potential respiratory issues when the baby was delivered. The delivery went incredibly fast and before I knew it Andrew was laying on my chest and all I could do was say, "I love him. I already love him. I love him so much." With his birth brought all of the precious memories of my two previous babies. I could already feel how much I was going to grow to love him over the years.

Andrew William Hannibal was born at 4:38 pm on September 15, 2016 weighing 7 lbs 7 oz and "measuring" 19 inches long (insert quirky nurse while measuring the baby, "what!? He can't only be 18 inches... I'm going to say he's 19 inches")

I was expecting Andrew to receive a bath but in Michigan they don't give the baby a real bath because it increases the chance of taking home "extra" bacteria from the hospital. So he was gently wiped down with a towel, Paul put on Andrew's first diaper, then he was wrapped up and returned to me. I was given time to nurse him and bond through skin-to-skin while the doc taught some youngin' how to sew me up. 

The kids were able to make it in time to visit but the circumstances were less than ideal. My nurse didn't have anyone coming to replace her so I felt rushed to make it up to my recovery room. Meanwhile, my post delivery nausea was in full force and because of that wonderful jell-o and sprite, there was actually something to hurl this time around. So with my mom and kids in the room, I sat there puking while trying to show them how excited they should be about the new baby.

They moved me upstairs and I let my family stay for a little longer before my head hurt so bad and my stomach was churning so violently that I asked them to let me rest. With the lights off and the baby by my side I began to recoop and recover from the terrible awfulness I feel after every delivery.

I loved the different emphasis they had on breastfeeding. It wasn't about how long you nursed the baby, it was about how many times they would suck and swallow. This made me feel more relaxed about the process. I didn't have to stare at the clock and freak out because the baby fell asleep again. There were no repeated pokes to check his blood sugar and no pressure to supplement with formula. It was so nice! But do you remember how there was meconium in my amniotic fluid? To ensure he didn't get any stuck in his lungs they suctioned him vigorously after he was born. This created an aversion to anything in his mouth afterward and he didn't really want to nurse because of it. I was blessed with the best lactation consultant who gave me the confidence I needed in such an emotional time. It took some practice but within a few days we worked through it and overcame the trauma from all of the suctioning he went through.

Since this wasn't my first time at the rodeo and everything went relatively well during my delivery, I was itching to leave the hospital. Andrew cried the entire drive but stopped the moment we got him out of the car seat. The kids were thrilled to have him home and constantly wanted to hold him. My Dad even surprised us with a visit (on his birthday, no less) to see Andrew and spend time with us. It meant a lot to me that he would travel on his birthday and be away from his own home so he could be with us at such a special time. I also can't imagine how rough the transition would have been without my mom there to help us survive. Thank goodness for family!

Here's the play by play that Paul recorded for me:

2100: Arrive and register at the hospital, change into gown, blood draws, IV in
Waiting for doctors...(for 3 hours!)
0000: 1.5 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station. Start Cytotec.
0400: 2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, 0 station, cervix in middle (no longer posterior, not yet anterior), 2nd dose of cytotec
0530: Experiencing some contractions now, got maybe 2 hours of sleep that night
0830: After waiting to hear from the doc we started Pitocin at 1ml/hr
0930: Pitocin @ 2 ml/hr
0945: Bounced on birthing ball for 20 minutes
1015: Pitocin @ 4ml/hr
1050: 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station (she took away my 0 station!)
1105: Pitocin @ 6 ml/hr
1315: 3.5 cm dilated 70% effaced, -1 station. Feeling discouraged about lack of substantial progress
1325: Contractions are getting more painful. Tried laying on ball on hands & knees with Paul putting pressure on back
1355: Libby: "I don't think this is a good idea."
          Paul: "...Having a baby?"
          Libby: "Yeah" *quickly nods head with concerned face*
1415: Anesthesiologist in for epidural
1430: Epidural in and working! Relaxing while we wait for Dr. Rhone to visit

1530: 5 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station. Dr Rhone breaks water
1545: Begins feeling pressure, asks nurse to check but hold off to reduce introduction of bacteria
1609: Feeling urge to push but resisting it, check by nurse- Completely dilated & effaced, baby descending
1620: Room set up, practice push, mirror incident
1636: Head delivered after one push. Cord around baby's neck (like Vincent)
1638: Baby born! Dad cuts the cord, skin to skin with mom, then Dad puts on first diaper

Do you see that?! Just over an hour from 5 cm dilated to delivery!

A Bun in the Oven.

I'm 26 and soon to have three children. Occasionally, I stop and ask myself if I'm crazy. Come September I will have three kids that are four years and under. These days are exhausting and beautiful, messy and exhilarating. It's easy to get bogged down in the mundane tasks of picking up the play room over and over and over. But whenever I stop, like really stop, and look at my beautiful little humans, the fatigue melts away and I'm overcome with joy. 

All true accomplishments in life require effort. Climbing a mountain, running a marathon, getting your undergrad, masters, or doctorate degree, excelling in your career, etc. You have to balance your workload, manage the stress, grow, learn, and become. You set goals, you have set backs. But in the end it all comes together and you achieve what you've set out to do. 

It was during a rare, but relaxing, morning shower when it sunk in that motherhood is a true accomplishment too. Yes, you could say that "anyone can be a mom" but each day that I nurture, break up fights, make meals, and play in the sunshine-- I learn. I grow. I change. This accomplishment takes an entire lifetime, but it shouldn't go unnoticed. I'll never have a graduation, a pay raise, or a medal, but I realized how important it is for me to recognize my progress and importance as a mother. 

So yes, maybe I'm a little crazy. Perhaps I never change out of my yoga pants. And it wouldn't be a lie if someone told you I don't shower every day. But I am thrilled (and frightened) to add to my brood. My life won't look glamorous and you may wonder why in the world I do what I do, but I love it. I am becoming a better me while helping my little humans be the kind of people that make the world a better place. 

Bring it on #3!

Boy or Girl?!

Truth be told, we've known the gender of this little one since January! We just wanted to wait for our routine ultrasound to be extra sure before announcing it. So here is Vince in January revealing if he is going to have a brother or a sister:

Feel like hurling... again.

Normally, the second trimester is full of bliss, energy and a decrease in nausea. Unfortunately, I haven't been so lucky. For the second time this year I'm queasy as all get out-- keeping only liquids and small amounts of food down. I had a break between these bouts of nausea... in which I had a cold that lasted over a week. I guess you could say 2014 has been a pretty "sick" year for me.

Paul has been picking up the slack caused by my extreme exhaustion and illness. I couldn't do this without him. And in other good news, Paul auditioned and was accepted into the Millennial Choirs & Orchestra! After neglecting his trombone for years he picked it up, practiced for a month and BAM, he's practically famous (at least in my book). He'll have a performance up in SLC in late May.

Vince is still our little whippersnapper. He adores his daddy is every way and loves to tease his momma by stealing her chair (whether it be dinner time, reading time, or family movie night... if I move to get something I can guarantee that when I return a little boy will be in my spot). He loves to help in every way, which is both difficult and adorable. I can't wait for him to be a big brother; he is constantly hugging his bears and whenever he sees a baby he runs up to pat their back or hug them.

Despite being sick, I can't help but see the blessings that surround this little family.

...

My brain and body are so tired. Hence, no posts.

But here's a cute picture of Vincent anyway:

Merry Christmas!

Are We There Yet?

Boy have I been busy! 

School has been absolutely insane.

However, I finally feel like things are under control.

I now have 70 hours under my belt. About 50 to go!

That's only 10 hours a week. 

I can totally manage that.

Other than school, I have been soaking up the sun and enjoying the weather.

Last Sunday, Paul and I spread out a blanket in the backyard and had a picnic.

Awesome BLT sandwiches, chips and an apple. Yum!

On May 3rd we celebrated Grandma's birthday by going to Chuck-A-Rama.

It was our first time there and we were pleased.

Paul's cousin works there so we were sure to snag a pic with him too.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Other than that, I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of our baby boy.

My friend, Mary, was due the day before me... and she had her baby this week.

I was doing okay waiting, but once I saw pictures of her baby I couldn't handle it anymore.

I have been walking like crazy... but to no avail. 

To pass the time I've been hitting up garage sales with Paul.

We find so many fantastic deals! 

I absolutely love finding little boy clothes for him to wear.
(Paul's edit: I love it when Libby folds his clothes and giggles because they are just so tiny)

We also found a bunch of board books for him too.

Less than 2 weeks, folks!

Almost 39 weeks

36 Weeks & Nesting.

Pregnant brain has finally kicked in.

I can't focus on anything that takes real brain power.

(don't even ask me how I made it through finals)

So, instead, I have turned to preparing every little thing for the arrival of our baby.

Cleaning, shopping, sewing, the works!

I'm starting to get anxious.

Discomfort has set in which makes me want to get this baby out ASAP,

but there is still so much to do for school before he can come!

Although I'm due on the 13th, I keep telling myself he is coming on the 9th.

Just wait... I'm going to end up going to 41 weeks and deliver on the 20th.

It's crazy to me that there is so much uncertainty. 

You can never be sure when the baby is going to come.

It kills me!

I'm such a planner but there is no way to organize my schoolwork/his arrival because there is no knowing when the big day will actually happen.

Good thing I love him already.

He's doing well, by the way.

He is still head down... and he had better stay that way!

His heartbeat is strong and regular,

he loves stretching out and squishing my lungs,

he gets hiccups at night,

and

he loves junk food... 

(that might just be me, but he can take the blame for now)

Just a few more weeks and I can post pictures of a cute baby instead of a big belly!

Nesting = Tasty Orange Muffins

36 weeks!

32 Weeks!

8 more weeks. What?! Can that really be possible?

Pregnancy is still going very well. I seriously feel so blessed that I have had it so easy compared to so many women. Things are definitely getting uncomfortable though! Paul drives me to class in the morning because I walk so slow now. I start off at a good pace but by the time I get to campus I am going slower than an old lady on a leisurely stroll. I'm not sure how much of my back pain is due to my back problem or just the baby getting bigger. Either way, I'm still trying my best to stay active. Working out has been reduced from 2-3 times a week to 1... or MAYBE 2 times a week. Part of this is due to my crazy schedule, but part is due to my struggle to breathe and move my tired body.

Our little man is definitely growing in there. I can't believe how much my belly grows each week. I can also tell that he's starting to get a little cramped in there. Instead of feeling kicks and punches, I now feel lots of stretching and pushing. I swear, he will just hold his legs out for 30 seconds at a time. Doesn't he know he has to share that space with me?! Silly boy. I also felt him have hiccups for the first time. I think those might be my favorite. They're so cute and little (and not uncomfortable like all of that stretching!). 

Our appointment went well this week. The doctor straight up grabbed his head! This confirmed that he is currently head down. It's always possible that he'll flip a few times before d-day, but I'm hoping he remains head down for the majority of the pregnancy. The thought of a breech baby scares me!

A few other things of note-

My belly button is practically gone.

I think I had a Braxton Hicks contraction? I didn't like it. I'm glad it didn't last long.

I have no self control when it comes to sweets.

I'm getting lazy. Seriously. Getting off the couch can be hard.

Compression Stockings. Oh my gosh. They save me during those 12 hour clinicals.

30 weeks

32 Weeks

Oh hello, Third Trimester.

This Sunday marked the start of my third trimester! 

Can you believe it?

I certainly CANNOT.

Where is time going?

My pregnancy has been pretty awesome. Naturally, I am exhausted. But at least I haven't thrown up and I haven't had any nausea since week 9 or so. I am just getting to the point where sleeping is getting uncomfortable. I wake up in the middle of the night, stand up, crack my back, stumble to and from the bathroom and then pass out again. At least I can fall right back to sleep, right?

At my last appointment the baby was measuring just right and his little heart was beating away. Ew... but this was the same appointment where I had to do the glucose tolerance test. When I first started drinking the sugary orange drink I thought to myself, "oh, this isn't too bad!"... then I kept drinking and it got worse and worse. Eventually, I just chugged the rest of it instead of trying to take it nice and slow. Bleh. They informed me that "no news is good news" and I am happy to report that I haven't heard back from them! Yay for not having gestational diabetes.

Here's to hoping that the rest of the pregnancy goes well!

28 Weeks

[A shout out to my sister, Ruth, for letting me borrow her super cute maternity clothes!]

Instead of studying.

I did a lot of schoolwork today.

Now it is time to celebrate those moments when I'm NOT doing schoolwork.

A few weeks ago Paul and I had a date day.

This is similar to a date night... but it lasts all day.

We went to an estate sale, shopped around Macy's, ate at Terra Mia, perused furniture at RC Willey for our "future home", bought a gallon of ice cream and painted with watercolors.

It was an awesome date.

The painting we bought at the Estate Sale

More recently, we drove up to SLC and ate dinner at Biaggi's. 

I ALWAYS get the butternut squash ravioli... it's so good!

Then, we went to a goodbye/birthday party for Brynna.

We're gonna miss her!

When we're not out and about, Paul and I try our best to stay warm in our basement apartment.

(The heat down here is pretty much non-existent.) 

When we can find the time, we enjoy watching HGTV and the DIY network.

We really want a home so we can put our renovation knowledge to the test!

Paul has been busy looking for jobs so we can weigh out all of our options,

and I am busy growing a baby!

26 Weeks

Tonight Paul and I finally got to hang out with some friends in our ward!

Since I'm in primary, I NEVER get to know anyone but the little kidlings.

It was really nice to catch up with Trent and Sheena.

AND

I bowled the best game of my life!

My new high score is 180!

And that has been life outside of school.

Now back to my homework...