In Charge?

 "Hello there.  I'd like to speak with whomever is in charge please."

1000 Words

 1000 Words

Strike a Pose

 This past weekend, Tracey decided that she and Caroline would have a "Runway Show" -- I guess that's the what the next generation calls a Fashion Show.

I played some music and Tracey, Caroline, and (as it turns out) Howard took turns strutting up down the stairs and around the family room.  Hunter commandeered the microphone and had fun announcing his siblings over and over as loud as he could while Lee Lee offered critiques and Brady giggled.

At the end of the Runway Show, I told my crew to "strike a pose" -- and this is what they gave me:

Brady Birth Story Part 5

  This post will be continuing on with Brady's birth story.  You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here and Part 3 here and Part 4 here.

...

Remember my previous births — they broke my water with the twins, and they were born within an hour. They broke my water with Lee Lee and she was born within about an hour. My water broke naturally with Hunter and he was born in less than a minute. So, I really had delusions that they would break my water, around 9:00pm, and I’d be holding my baby by 9:15 or so. Really, you’d think this was my first labor by how wrong I was. 

My labor went on for hours — very similar to my birth with Lee Lee.  I remember asking the doctor to check my progress around midnight and she said I was dilated to 4cm, and I wanted to kill her.  I had no patience with this labor. I had no position that was bringing relief (even mental relief). 

Our nurse was wonderful and it turned out  that I had met her husband and we teach at the same school (one of my schools) and their last name is Miller and our last name is Miller and we have kids the same age and all our kids go to the same school… that part was great except I didn’t want to make new friends right then. I wanted to have a baby — preferably not in front of a new friend. 

After midnight, I just couldn’t believe every hour that passed. 1:00 am still no baby. 2:00am still no baby — and the doctor checked my progress again and said I was measuring at “4+cm”… that time I really could have killed her. 3:00am still no baby. 

Finally about 3:30, I asked the doctor to check again and she said I might be at 5cm now and I just pleaded with her about what to do. I was exhausted and I was not progressing (at least not as fast as I had come to expect from my body). 

I remember looking at her and saying, “Whatever you tell me to do, I will do. If you tell me to stand on my head, I will stand on my head. If you tell me to get an epidural, I will get an epidural. If you tell me to have a C-Section, I will have a C-Section. Please tell me what to do.“ 

Now, it is worth noting that I did not want a C-Section, and my doctor knew this. Also, I did not want an epidural, and my doctor knew this. 

This physician had been my primary OB for all my pregnancies and so far, all of my babies had been born naturally without an epidural and no C-Sections (INCLUDING my twins) and that was largely due to my rapport and relationship with this OB. 

She suggested I get in the bathtub. 

I had not gotten in the bathtub before this point for several specific reasons — some are valid and some are silly.

First, the hospital tub is a standard bathtub and not particularly comfortable to move around to different labor positions. I labored in the tub during my labors with Tracey, and Lee Lee, both for hours.  I knew that the water felt good, but the dimensions of the tub did not. 

Less important was the fact that I had makeup on and my hair curled and I didn’t want to ruin in appearance in the bathtub. 

I Know. STUPID!

But, in all of my first pictures with my babies, I had looked like I had had a rough day. Makeup running, hair wet, exhausted — I looked like I had a baby. All except Hunter. Hunter’s birth was so quick and no bath tub was involved, and I looked great in those pictures after he was born. I wanted that again so I was avoiding the bathtub. 

But, my OB advised getting in the tub, and I had vowed my allegiance to whatever she said. I got settled in the bathtub as comfortably as possible.  This time, I kneeled in the tub with my back to the spout and shower, facing the back of the tub, which has a little ledge where I could rest my arms.  This allowed me to kneel in the tub in between contractions, and during contractions, I could lean forward and lay my arms on the ledge of the tub which put me in a modified all-fours/hands and knees position kind of half-in/half-out of the tub.

As I got in to the tub, the doctor made sure that Chris knew where the call buttons were in the restroom, and our wonderful nurse told me she was going to use the restroom and grab a sandwich and would be back to check on us in a bit. 

As I said, our nurse was wonderful… and remains a good friend of ours to this day.

But… her telling me that she was going to use the restroom and grab a bite to eat made me so angry.

It infuriated me that my OB was going back to sleep and my nurse was getting dinner because they both thought I was going to be in labor for who knows how many more hours.  They left about 3:40. I had about 3 contractions and I kept telling Chris that I couldn’t do this anymore. I also told him that I was going to push this baby out the moment I had the chance — which he completely supported. As he saw with Hunter, when my body is ready to have the baby, I’m having the baby.  He encouraged me the entire time.

The next contraction, with Chris beside me, positioned half in/half out of the bathtub (remember, on my knees in the tub but leaving my arms over the back ledge of the tub) with no warning to my surrounding people, I began to push the baby out (approximately 3:44am).

When Chris saw what was happening, I heard him yell (with a tone of panic I’d never heard from him before) for the doctor. No, he did not use the call button she so nicely pointed out to him. 

To Be Continued...

This Mug

 Anyone else need a mug like this in their life?

I mean, I don't want it as a Mother's Day present... or an anniversary present... or a Birthday present... or a Christmas present.

But, for Fat Tuesday, this would make an excellent present to give me for Fat Tuesday.

Great Idea

 I read this and thought it was a really great idea... I may even pass it on to my parents or grandpa.

Brady Christopher -- 11 Months

  Brady turned 11 months... a few days ago.  My baby is going to be one year old in less than a month.  Wow.  That flew.

Here is Brady at 11 months of age -- it is very hard to get him to sit still for a picture these days.

Here he is as a newborn...

And here is the comparison of all six kiddos at eleven months of age:

Top left to right - Tracey, Brady, Caroline

Bottom left to right - Hunter, Howard, Lee Lee

Weight: 

Unofficially - 20 pounds (and just FYI for anyone interested... Hunter is 25 pounds)

Length:  

I'm not sure... but probably 28-29"?  He's growing.

Clothing size: 

Twelve month or 18 month clothing.  He's mostly wearing 12 month clothing, but 18 month sleepers, and a few pairs of 18 month pants.  The 18 month clothing is big on him... but the 12 month is getting snug (especially because his clothing are all hand-me-downs which have been washed and dried hundreds of times already).

 

Eating:  

Brady is a terrific eater and there is very little he will not try.  His 2 bottom front teeth are fully grown in, and his 2 top front teeth are just poking through.  He eats anything he is served, and is quick to grab a siblings plate if he runs out of food or if they have something on their plate that he thinks looks good.  

Sleeping:  

Brady is in a very good sleeping routine at the moment -- in bed around 7:00pm with a bottle, and sleeps until around 8:00am or so.

 

 

New Things/Discoveries/Accomplishments/Places He's Gone/Special Memories

• Two new teeth
• Pushing toys around while walking
• He will walk while holding someone's hands, but he doesn't really like to do so.  We're working on it.
• First Easter Egg Hunt
• First Easter Sunday church service (well, nursery) and home Easter egg hunt
• Speaking of which -- first time successfully staying in the nursery every week (with Hunter), which means its Mama's first time in the adult church service on a regular basis since before Hunter was born
• First Spring break - home spring Break having fun with his older siblings
• First time attending wrestling meets
• First time attending soccer games
• Loves giving hugs and kisses with his mouth wide open
• First time helping with his siblings' lemonade stand
• First time attending a circus
• Fun times watching Michigan basketball (until they were eliminated from March Madness)
• This isn't a milestone for Brady... but I'm proud to say that this month I've reach my weight from before I became pregnant with Brady (yay!)

  

Likes: 

• His siblings
• Crawling on the floor
• Trying to climb up stairs
• Kisses
• Food
• Baths with siblings
• Mama
• Door-stops
• Bottles
• Our trampoline
• Playing outside

Dislikes:

• Stuffy noses
• Diaper rashes
• Pulling up on something and accidentally hitting his head on something above him

 

Nicknames:

• Brady
• Buddy
• Brady Boy
• Brady Blue Eyes
• Braidster
• Braid
• Brady Buddy

Pictures in no particular order: