Like most weeks, I'll start at the beginning and work my way into the fun stuff!!!
So, Sunday afternoon (yes, Sunday), TW finished up his geography lesson. He and I each made a room map... I picked my bedroom, and he picked the school room. Then I took a nap and he kept going... for fun :)
Daddy spent his time studying... Pretty girl decided to help after her nap
Because of the low pressure system Hurricane Irene sent our way, we had relatively cool and humid-less weather. Since Daddy wanted to study a bit more, I took the kids for a very slow walk... TW is in the distance on his bike!
Okay, so here starts the Baby Story:
Love, marriage, blah, blah, blah, baby, blah, blah, long story, blah, triplets, blah, blah, more long story, pregnant! Ta Da!
Anyway, two Tuesday nights in a row were spent with highly annoying contractions... painless, non-increasing, but every 6-10 minutes, making me hot, sleepless, and wondering if I'd be able to recognize the real deal when it came, hoping my water would break early on, so I'd know to pay attention. Why mention this... because by Sunday evening (pre-walk), I could tell it was going to be one of those nights, again. My prayer this time was that Baby would hold off until after Daddy's test, I mean he'd had his nose in the books/computer allllll weekend! I finally fell asleep around 2 or 3, and got up around 5:30 for my normal walk. I felt cruddy... okay, so a few hours of sleep would explain that... but I also felt... I guess I'll say crampy, but that's not right. On my walk, I made my mental list of things to do, just in case today was "the day". This list included school work and a shower... after which, I put on my make up... I got distracted with somebody and came back to find a pretty Pretty Girl...
Then, after a face wipe down, I slowly packed everyone in the van and we headed to Target for last minute stuff, still wondering if this unease would be fruitful, or if this was my new state of being for the next few weeks.
So we make it home, I feed the kids, clean up the kitchen, make sure my instruction lists are in order, put the kids down, more schoolwork, eat lunch myself, and debate whether I'll be able to nap while TW plays in the toy room... but first, I must finish E's quilt, because it was on my list :) Low and behold J comes home minutes before I finish (I will get a nap!!!). I warn him now that he may not (I hope) make it to work tomorrow...
Evening rolls around and we have TW's soccer meeting. I try to bow out... contractions are more frequent and stronger, though not "painful". J insists I go with him, that way I'm not left without a van... okay, I debate putting my packed suitcase in the van... nah. But, I do realize that if I go, we can pick up food and I don't have to cook, or re-clean the kitchen!
Okay, here comes the long part of the story, and then pictures :)
We get home from the meeting and put everyone in bed... I'm almost certain that I am in labor, and we debate whether or not we should call S & R to warn them of a possible midnight call... we decide against it, we don't want to keep them on their toes, and then not call until morning... or a few days later. We then settle in to watch the season finale of Expedition Impossible, and I eat my bowl of ice cream ;) I make it through the ice cream and 1/2 of the show... by now, I'm kind of figuring the show is going, but I can still smile, and "talk" through contractions, so it's not time yet, right?... but then again, the contractions are stronger and coming about every 6 minutes. My brain keeps talking to itself, and J and I had discussed wanting to be at the hospital more than 30 minutes before delivery this time (which was our method for TW). So, I finally say, "J, I think we need to call S & R". J asks "are you sure?", while scrutinizing my face for the "serious" look. "Yes". So, I head to the bathroom to change shorts (yes, it was important), go potty, grab my suitcase, etc. In the process I had to lay down on the bed twice... these contractions better be working :) We leave within about 15 minutes (an improvement from the 30 it took with TW)... we'll make it!
Fast forward to the hospital (J "sped" a bit this time, but did not run a red light)... we get upstairs (thank you Lord we did not have to roll through the ER with lots of stares this time)... and the nurse asks, "What can we do for you?"... I have to put my response in because J thinks it's hilarious... "I'd like to have a baby"... ya da da da da da... triage. The nurse declares I am 3 cm with a bulgy bag. I am disappointed... I mean, I was hoping for a 5 at least... but happy that the bulgy bag helps explain some of the unease, and happy that we have a few hours in the hospital, just in case something does go wrong and I need a repeat c-section after all! Due to the bag, she says I can stay and we waddle to my room (834 if you're wondering).
I get changed, settled in, strapped down, meet the epidural guy (just for kicks, since I don't plan on using his services), get IV'd by the corpsman, and meet the on-call doctor. He then proceeds to go through all the risks/complications of VBAC and labor, and the stuff they're going to do. J makes sure everyone knows I would like to squat (yah! J... at least we mentioned it)! I sign some papers. In the middle of all this, we have to stop many times for contractions... the doctor just says... we had a good routine... I just held up my hand saying "just a 'second'", and he'd say, "okay, let me know when your ready to go on". Then another doctor came in (the one who had approved my VBAC/TOLAC)... more be-labored yakking, etc, etc, etc. And then I'm unable to keep from wiggling my feet through a contraction and I must have grunted or something... "do you feel a need to push"... I don't know what I said, but I know somebody was "down there" and said, "Oh, that's because you're complete"... next contraction, I say "Something is coming out" (there are people scrambling everywhere by now)... I feel warmth and gush and make the observation "Oh, it's my water" (like they couldn't tell)... 2 1/2 pushes later (I was a bit irked, because last time, with TW everyone had to remind me to breathe... this time they kept telling me to stop breathing, oy)... out popped our new baby boy (insert an aww here). Then I got stitched up (a bit of tearing thanks to the speedy arrival), got over the hormone-leaving-shakes, called home, and snuggled with Littlest Man. He came in at 10:02 pm, 20 inches and 8 lb 2 oz (technically 8 lb 2.9 oz, and Florida is the only state to round down)! And, according to the front desk, we checked in at 9:10 pm... woo hoo, almost an hour this time :)
The next morning, J came with the sick kids to hear the hospital "ring in" the new kid "Baby Boy, Navy, Arriving" (or something like that, we recorded it). Everyone loves him! But, coughs send the girls home :(
TW and Daddy come back during nap time (thank you S & R again)!
We all snuggled for a while!
And, on Wednesday, we got to head home!!!
TW had wanted to have Lunchables at the hospital for dinner, but since the girls were coughy, and Pretty Girl was obviously under the weather, we waited until we were home!!
TW put on a cooking show for us :)
Our van is full... don't worry Mom, we have 1 spot left for you!!!
Berry is getting her meds... too bad she can't do the whole treatment by herself!
Tropical Storm Lee came to visit this weekend... yesterday, the kids found the gutters and had a blast!
And this is what they looked like afterwards :)
In Other News: Have a good week! I did :)
