Nolan is probably our last baby but he, just like the other three, is proved so much he is such a happy baby and brings me so much joy.
His birth story
This pregnancy was a surprise to me. It wasnt a good time to get pregnant. We were still living with James parents. We didn't really know what was going to happen for us. We were in limbo. We did not need another baby. But of course inlonged for another baby for a long time. I didnt want a huge gap between our kids and knew we were not through with just three kids. I would secretly cry each month I got my period. Then one month I knew before ever finding out. I kept track of when my period would come, the exact day. We were visiting friends in Utah for a maybe move. It was a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I told myself I wouldn't take the pregnancy test with me, as not to get my Hope's up. I would also take the necessary items if I did start my period. But if I didnt happen to get my period I would probably be pregnant and i would take a test when we got back. Well the couple of days past. My period never came. Maybe I was actually pregnant. Maybe there was a new baby growing inside me. All of these thoughts were my own. James wasnt really sure he was ready for another baby. When we got home the day before Thanksgivings I took the test and it was positive. I was overjoyed.
I waited till the afternoon to tell James. Who didnt be live ne at first.
The pregnancy was much like my other pregnancies. It was easy not much sickness or nauseous as long as a ate and st aw yes hydrated. Towards the end it was so painful. My sciatic nerve took a turn for the worst the last couple of months. So bad that there were days I couldn't walk and stayed in bed. Luckily it was summertime so the kids and I didnt have anywhere to go.
The kids were all excited to have another baby. Most of us hoped it would be a girl to even it out Elizabeth especially wanted a little sister. I wanted her to have a sister as well. She is such a kind and loving soul and I know she would cherish the love of a sister.
He was due on Jult 30th. I still held lit hope that I would have one baby come naturally but knew it was probably inevitable that I would have to be induced. Though I was given the option to get indicted as early as 29 weeks I decided to go a week overdue. My midwife and I set my induction to the 6th. The hospital, which was new to me, had the policy that they call anywhere between 12 am to 12 am the next morning. I was anxious the whole night that they would call me. I was ready and willing but the 6th. I just wanted to be done with this pregnancy and more importantly get this sciatica pain under control.
Well the morning of the 6th came. I like to get ready and do my hair. So that's what I did. 8 o clock rolls around and we still hadn't had a call. We just went about our morning. I ended up calling the hospital. I had first priority to others since I was a week over due. But some to find out they did t have any rooms open. So at this point I resolved I was never having this baby. They called me just after noon and told me to come in and be there in an hour.
Yeah, the time had come to go to the hospital. Ad I got there, the excitement was overwhelming. I was meeting my baby today.
I don't dilate very much, so I was only 3 FM dilated. But my midwife came and broke my water just after 1. Nowmits go time. My contractions started. They continued to get stronger but theybeere never really hard. With my 3 other deliveries it took about 9 hours from the time I had my water broken to the time I pushed them out, so I was expecting 9 o clock in the evening. Well they say went on with me walking and walking and walking some more. My friend came and walked with me some more. We had a lot of fun. I didn't wa t to get checked because I dont like a lot of interventions. My new midwife was very insistent on things like that. I told her this was how all my other deliveries were and it was 9 hours of this till the baby came.
The only really scary time was when I decided to take a nap. I was napping, which should of been a sign I wasnt progressing much, and the nurse rushed in. She ran in and was like I have got to check you. I think the cord might be prolapsed. Meaning the cord was in the way, or blocking the cervical opening. As the baby ascends it would be pushing on the cord. Which if it was a would have an emergency c-section because there would be a risk for losing the baby. After checking me, no the cord wasnt prolapsed but I also hadn't changed much in the several hours of laboring.
The nurse and the midwife suggested doing pitocin. I did not want to go that route because I knew it would make my natural labor and delivery so much harder. So I avoided it. They were also very insistent on checking me. I however was very insistent that I did not want to be checked. So we played a game of sorts on how long we could fend them off. When 9 o clock came and went and my contractions were still not getting any stronger my midwife suggest pitocin again. At this point I was just so tired.
My awareness for times was passing. About 10pm the pitocin was started. The co reactions changed immediately. I could feel a difference. As time went on they got stronger and stronger. They never turned it above a 4. So just that little bit of pitocin helped jump start me.
By this time my mom had come. The show was about to begin. I did not want them to turn the pitocin up, so I was determined. I could tell our was working and my contractions were getting stronger, more regular and they were getting longer. I was hoping for another breeze delivery like olivers, but that wasn't happening and that was ok.
When 12 am came I knew we were so close. I told my midwife I would have this baby before 1 am. The nurse hair wanting to check me, at this point nobody ear going to check me. I was very forn I would just then know when I read east to deliver. I remeber telling the nurse that she needed to call the midwife assay 12:20am. That's when she needed to come in, and I would be ready. She probably thought I was crazy. But my midwife came in at 12:22am to "check me". I already knew at that time u was ready to start the delivery process.
Lo and behold I was ready. I was able to manage my pain perfectly. K breathed through each contraction and focused solely on the pain. Feeling the contractions and focusing on the climb when I hit the climax and as it descended. The descend was my relax time. Anybody could tell just from my breathing where I was at in the contraction.
The delivery was much like Jackson's. When I was ready I knew it and pushed. He came out fast like the others just after a couple of pushes. Maybe it was the time or that I had anticipated him for so long or just the emotions from birth but I was really emotional after he was born and placed on my chest. It was announced that it was a boy. Another little bouncing boy. Another perfect soul. He was here finally.
I hoped that he would be the biggest baby. I really wanted a 9 pound baby. Though he was the smallest of the all. He was 8 lbs 9 oz. He measure 20.5 inches long. He was perfect. I handed him off to James, my mom and Lora as the shock of birth came over me. After each child I get super cold and shake almost uncontrollably. This is the time others get to hold him
He was q perfevt nursery and he has been a very delightful and amazing baby. He is such a happy soul and lights up when anybody is close. He has been the best sleeper and has spoiled us with 5 hour stretches right from the beginning.
I dont know if we are in fact done with having kids. But he sure is loved by us and his siblings.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Oliver Seth Cook
So with my third pregnancy we never found otu what we were having. We wanted a surprise. With the other two I had "feelings" of what they were. With this one I no feelign one way or the other, it just depended on the day. Jackson was certain it was a girl that we could name "Sissy Girl". It wasnt until the end that I told him a little brother could play with him. Then he wanted a brother he could play cars with. Though for the record Elizabeth plays cars with him.
I was due February 23rd, I was hoping to have it on time but accepted the baby would be late. We decided if I was going to be induced I would be induced on February 29th. It was perfect, a Monday six days after my due date (my earliest baby). SO as it turns out I was goign to have the baby late...
At my 40 week check up (which was a Wednesday) we met with my midwife. I was only like 2 cm dilated. We decided then that we would just sign into the hospital for the following Monday. She called the hospital to book a room and to our surprise they were completely full for the morning, but told us to call that Morning at five and then if they had room they would let us in if not we might have to wait to later in the day.
Monday came and we got to go to the hospital bright and early int he morning. And just so you know th ehospital was not bussy at all. All the peopel who were shceduled to come in went early so we had the whole hospital to ourselves most of the day. I think there were only two babies born that dya, one was a c-section.
They checked us in and of course nothing had changed and I was only a 2, and no signs of any contractions. The midwife didnt want to break my water just yet. She ended up giving me a pill on my cervix to start contraction. To my surprise they worked. I had to stay in the bed for two hours then I could walk the halls to my hearts desire. The contractions came and didnt hurt but did thier job. Around one my midwife came and checked me, I had dilated to a 3 and she was confident in breaking my water. SHe broke my water and we walked those halls liek it was nobodies bussiness. James and I even went as far to count the steps and figure out how many feet are in a mile and how many laps it would take to walk that mile. Ten laps, and we walked that. There was a male nurse on the other unit who was counting our laps and giving us encouragement. We just labored for a couple of hours, they were getting dtronger and close rbut I knew it wasn't time yet. My mother and mother in law came around 3pm, then I just kept watching tv. At this time I was thinking "This is going to take forever these contractions need to get hard".
At around 4:30 I decided I would try a hot bath. For the record I absolutely hated the tub. Some peopel love the jets and the water but lets be honest the water never covered my entir ebody and the jets made too much noise, they just annoyed me. But I was goign to give it a whirl to see if that would get my contractions going. James filled ht ebath probably a little hotter then it should of been but I laid down and had my head resting on my arm. I started counting my contractions. It was weird I have never done that before but as I was laying in the tub and I kind of fell asleep. I think I was kind of doing hypnobirthing or as close to it as possible. I was counting adn asleep but still there. Such a weird feeling but I was so relaxed even though I was laboring.
At arounf 5 o'clock my mom came in to check on me. I told I was doing good, after she left I tried to get back into the whatever state I was in and that when I felt "it". I got out of the tub and had to catch myself on the sink with my next contraction. I had this weird thought that I didnt really want to annouce to anybody that I was ready, just the nurse. So I got dressed and climbed back into bed and asked for the nurse. She came in and I told her I woudln't be ready in the next 15 minutes but probably withitn the next 30 minutes I would have the baby. She wanted to check me but I just said no I was ready to call the mid wife. The weird thing was if you looked at my behaviour and contractions I wasnt ready. My contractions were still 2 and 3 minutes apart but I knew I was ready and the baby was coming.
My midwife came and she asked if she could check me and I told her the same thing, that I was ready and she said ok you know your body lets have this baby. I labored int he bed whiel she helped compress my knees. The different thign with this labor is that I did not want a single soul to touch me at all. Not James, nobody. At tim,es I was ok with my midwife but even then I didnt want the touch it was too much in a way. I was so intune with my body and the labor that other people touching me was just disturbing it.
With this baby I could feel and almost visualize the head comign down and I would voice "I cann feel the head coming down". When the midwife finally did check me she said I was right on que with my body. I was a nine with a tiny lip. Then as I reached a ten she said I could push, but I couldnt my body wasn't ready. I wanted with all my might to push so the pain woudl end but I just knew I couldnt, I did not have the urge at all and the head was biug and beeded tiem to ascend the canal before I could push. The amazign thign about labor was that they were still two mintues apart. I had time after each contraction to rest and really compose myself for the next contraction.
So as I was labouring my midwife expalined what would happen. That we would deliver the baby and james can anncoune the gender adn then cut the cord after it stopped pulsing.
At six, finally the urge came and with all my might I pushed that head out. I tend to not stop when I push so James and everybody around me have to remind to breath. It's easier to push and have the baby then to take breaks but I did... As the baby head came out I reached down and was able to pull and deliver him.
I was so excited that after I pulled him out I opened his legs and said "It's a boy" I didnt even give James a chance to annouce it. He was ok hopefully not too offended that i did htat. Then a the baby peed all over me. Whci in the moment was the funniest thing to happen. The cord was so short that I had to hold him near my hips so I was ready to have the cord cut a soon as possible. The cord ended up only being like a foot long which is really short.
We hadn't totally settled on a name either way, boy or girl. We did have the name Oliver picked out as our number one choice. When I looked into his little face I knew that was his name that this was my baby boy.
He was 8 pounds and 12 ounces of pure joy and 22 inches long. Also his head was the biggest of all three babies. I didnt tear though which was nice. He was such an amazing baby and such a blessing to our family.
The kids were able to come before bed and they just gushed over him. Elizabeth when she first came in wanted to me and came in the bed with me and then she saw him. "BABY!!!!" she wanted to hold him and love on him. As Oliver was being passed around she would follow him. When he made his way back to me she wanted in the bed and I asked he rif she wanted mommy or the baby, she promptly said the baby, and from that day forward just wants "her baby" and loves him so much. Jackson was more reluctant at first but now loves his baby brother so much.
Three kids is hard but I woulsn't trade any of my babies. They bring so much joy and happiness to my life.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Birthday Celebration
So Elizabeth turned one. We had both our parents come down for the celebration. It was such a fun time. I'm going to mostly show pictures and maybe explain a little here and there. These are from her one year old shoot, cake smash and actual party. We had so much fun and enjoyed all that came.
Cake Smash
One Year Old Photo Shoot
Birthday Party
We had so much fun planning and actually having the party. We love our Elizabeth bug so much. We are so blessed for all she brings to our family.
xoxo Nicole
Elizabeths First Birthday
This is so late, but I dont really care. It is still important to me at least to write this momentous occasion down and to express the feelings I had on her birthday.
Birthdays are so bittersweet to me, more sweet than bitter. It is so joyous to see my babies get older but so sad to see that they are getting older and as they get older the less they need me.
Elizabeth is such a spunky child. She is a sure spitfire. Though she is mello and calm like Jackson was she is so much more than he ever was. She knows what she wants. and when she wants it theres nothing she wants more and will let you know it. she arches her back and screams. I dont know if are going to be able to break her of that habit but the screaming, its nothing we had before.
She is so much like me its funny. My mom always told me before I got married that my kids will be just like me but ten times worse, well she was right. i love tasting and eating other peoples food. Itsa just how I am i like to try everything even if it doesnt belong tome but rather my relatives. Elizabeth is the exact same way, she will go from person to person trying to get food. In her blessing when she was first born James was giving her the blessing and as he is talking I coudlnt remember the exact things he was saying but in my mind I kept thinking she is going to be exactly like me, I cant believe it but she is. It will be exciting to see hwo she is when she is older.
She is the best little baby I could of asked for. She puts up with Jacksons rough housing and at times she can be so mischevious. Without a doubt if Jackson is sleeping and she can reach him she always without a doubt will try to wake him up. Weither she pulls his hair (if she can reach it) or pats his legs. Also if he gets a little too rough she has figured out a way to stop him, pulling his hair. Though I dont like it and we are trying to teach her to be nice it is so funny, and quite a way to preserve her happiness.
though she is fiesty she is still a sweet little baby. She loves mom and dad the most. She has her moments when each of us are her favorite. She is so funny, she will point to the person she wants. I think it is si cute when she is in her high cahir and she likes I choose you. She is definently a snuggler compared to Jackson who is also a big snuggler. She would snuggle all day if you are willing to as well.
She is such a blessing to our family and is such a great addition. This past yar has been so amazing for us. The amount of love that has grown is so overwhelming.
I'm going to post birthday pictures in another post but I am going to add her month photos so we can all see how she has changed over the months.
xoxo Nicole
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