Calvin's Birth Story Part II

After a very hectic and confusing morning, the big moment had arrived! 

But Chris hadn't yet. 

There was no going back. I had told the resident doctor to break my water and she didn't waste a second. 

It was at this opportune moment that the attending decided to introduce herself to me. You know, just to reassure me that she was around. But unless she was going to help get this baby out of me, I really didn't care. I'm pretty sure I had a "that's nice, but get out of the way" look on my face. 

And right after that, Chris ran into the room. Now there was a face that I was glad to see. 

Apparently Chris got to live out the epic pregnancy scene you see in all the chick flicks. He screeched up to the valet in front of the hospital and threw his keys at the young employee. "You need to fill out some paperwork," the employee shouted after him. "My wife is having a baby RIGHT NOW," Chris shouted back! After a second hesitation the valet told him to go. Chris ran to the elevators (then had to wait because there are no stairs to the labor and delivery unit) and then sprinted to my room. 

And he made it. He made it for everything that mattered. He made it to hold my hand as I screamed like a wild animal. He made it to tell me I could do it even though I kept saying I couldn't. And he made it to offer his dose of comedic relief by making fun of me and the poor medical student who was being scarred by watching me give birth. He made it to see his son born and he made it to cut the umbilical cord. 

The nurses told me that we checked into the hospital at 5:30am and Calvin was born at 5:57. Everything went by so fast. I was pushing and screaming and then they were laying this beautiful, messy baby on my chest. When they took him away to be weighed and measured I was feeling so overwhelmed. I was so amazed and happy to have baby boy with us. But I was also simply shocked. I don't think I was mentally prepared to have a baby yet. Chris and I sat in awe at this totally unexpected birthday gift. 

I got over the shock very quickly when they gave me my clean baby for some skin to skin time. He was perfect! 7 lbs even and 21 inches long. He nursed right away and you could tell he was ready to be here. 

After running all of the usual tests, the nurses left us alone to enjoy these precious first moments of life with our baby. That is always a special time that I cherish with Chris. After about an hour I was transferred to my recovery room and it was time for Chris to go class. Calvin was so thoughtful to come before Christopher's class started. :)

Since I didn't have an epidural and I didn't tear, I was feeling pretty good after delivery. Chris was in class and we don't have family out here so my room was pretty quite. But I have to say that I enjoyed that. It was so relaxing to just sit and cuddle baby boy. Another benefit - lots of time to think about what to name this baby! We had a few ideas but we hadn't decided on a name yet. Our choices: Calvin Scott, James Tanner, and Jakub Scott. Each of them had specific meaning to us. So while Chris was in class I had time to think. I decided that I wanted the middle name to be Scott, after Chris's middle name. So that narrowed it down to Calvin or Jakub. But as I held baby boy, the name Calvin seemed to suit him more than Jakub. Plus, I knew that Calvin was Chris's favorite. He grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes (and owns multiple comic books). So Calvin it was! We filled out the birth certificate forms right before it was time to leave.

You know, I always said the only way I wouldn't have an epidural when I gave birth was if it happened so fast that there was no time for it. I just didn't think it would ever actually happen. But after the fact I can say that I was really glad I had the experience. Our bodies are amazing things that have ways of coping with pain and making us forget it almost the very next day. :) I'd like to say I would do it again. But let's face it, I'd probably need to have another crazy surprise for that to happen. 

But any way they get here, we are just so happy to have two beautiful, healthy children. Each one has brought a fun dynamic to our home and we love them and all their craziness! 

Professional photos taken by Hillary Muelleck Photography

Calvin's Birth Story Part 1 - Birthday Surprises!

Penn State Medical Center
Photo by Hillary Muelleck Photography

Many of you know that Chris's birthday was on November 6th. We had some fun things planned for his birthday. However, as with everything in our life, nothing went as planned. It was better!

At 3:00am on November 6th I woke up feeling a little crampy. My stomach hurt, but it didn't feel like any contractions I had felt before. I just thought I had eaten something weird. So I did what my dad always says to do when you have a stomach ache - go to the bathroom! TMI alert - I spent the next hour trying to go to the bathroom with moderate success. But I still didn't feel any better!

At this point in time I started to realize that my "cramps" were coming in regular intervals. I woke up Chris so he could share in my pain. I started timing my "cramps" and how far apart they were. I started to think that something else might be going on. So I called the triage nurse to explain my symptoms and see if I should go to the hospital. But of course, since it was the middle of the night I was routed to some obscure call center in Alabama or somewhere. It took over half an hour to get through all the bureaucratic red tape. When I finally talked to a nurse I was in a lot of pain and getting frustrated with all of the talking and waiting. She confirmed that we should go to the hospital but didn't say anything about labor or what was possibly going on. So Chris and I piled into the car, still not certain of what to think. I think we were in denial that I was in labor because my due date still seemed far away. I mean, I hadn't even packed my hospital bag, made freezer meals, or deep cleaned the house yet!

Driving to the hospital I was in a lot of pain. But when Chris offered me a wheel chair I adamantly declined. No way was I going to be caught in a wheel chair - I mean I was just pregnant! (More on the irony of this later.) We made it to the third floor where I collapsed into a chair in the waiting room because there wasn't anyone at the desk to greet us. When Chris finally got someone's attention they began to admit me into the hospital.

I remember feeling surprised that everyone was so calm. I mean, I was definitely freaking out inside. Here I was, going into what I thought was preterm labor, and everyone was treating it as though this was a routine thing. Which for them, I guess it was. But this was all new to me. I had never felt anything like this before. (Remember, with Olivia I was in blissful ignorance due to an epidural.)

Chris left me at this point to drive back home and give instructions to our friend who had so graciously come over to watch Liv. I still was in denial that I was in labor so I told Chris I would call him if anything important was going on.

And it turned out that something very important was going on! I was laid on a temporary bed, asked a few questions about my medical history, and checked for dilation. Turns out that I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 9! So they moved me into an official labor and delivery room and prepped for the little guy to come.

But Chris wasn't here! I had tried to text him and call him but he wasn't answering. Finally, the nurse called him on the hospital phone and was able to reach him. I was in a lot of pain and felt a little out of it. But I remember hearing the nurse telling Chris that I was in labor and that he better get to the hospital PRONTO! She told him that the baby might be born before he got here.

I couldn't believe this was really happening. I was gripping the sides of my hospital bed and trying not to move as they put the IV into my arm. The doctor was going to break my water when one of the nurses asked if we should wait for the husband. I asked them how long we would have after they broke my water before the baby was born. The answer - this baby is ready to come out right now. As soon as we break your water, you'll be ready to start pushing.

So I said we should wait...

And then I had another very painful contraction...
                                                    ...and I told them to break my water!

Chris had better hurry because this baby and I weren't waiting any longer!


To be continued.

Pumpkins and Parades

I think the Hershey natives love October. Of course, I agree with them wholeheartedly. I mean, all the best things happen in October. The leaves are fully changing into vibrant reds and oranges, pumpkin-pie-spiced concoctions pop up everywhere, riding around on a pile of hay suddenly becomes cool, and All Hallow's Eve is celebrated by dressing up like a crazy person and eating ridiculous amounts of sugar. Oh, and it's my birthday month. So like I said, best month of the year!

And Liv and I have fully taken advantage of this month! She has been a great friend to pal around with in all of the autumn glory. After our Harry Potter outing, Liv accompanied me to a local farm where, for a mere $5, we enjoyed a walk through a cornmaze, a hayride in the crisp morning air, a small cup of cider, and Liv got to pick out her very own pumpkin! One of the members in our ward organized this fun outing, so a whole herd of kids and moms were able to enjoy this together. I think pictures will do a better job of relating this experience than I can! 

Arriving at Risser Farm. Liv was so happy to be running around outside!

She even sat very nicely through an explanation of all the different kinds of pumpkins found on the farm.

Walking through the cornmaze (which she actually didn't enjoy at all. I attribute it to uneven ground and feeling claustrophobic.)

Picking out her very own pumpkin. 

It was just the perfect size!

Playing in the corn box

This was actually her favorite thing at the farm. She loved "riding" the tractor. When other kids wanted to get on, I would take her off and then she would just stand around touching the tractor until the kids were done. Immediately she wanted to get back on. :)

The very next day we heard that Hershey puts on a parade for Halloween! I had never heard of that before, but boy were we excited.  So we bundled up again and this time we convinced Chris to come with us.  (He is a sucker for parades.) It was everything you think a parade should be. Shameless advertising by local companies and shameless begging for candy by local citizens. A win-win for everyone really. :) Only this time everyone is dressed up in their most elaborate Halloween costumes as they walk down the street. Even the high school marching band had impressive get-ups while playing spooky Halloween songs.  I now think that every town should have a Halloween parade. They are so much more fun than 4th of July parades (sorry Independence Day), not to mention much cooler! I will take a bundled up autumn night over a scorching July morning any day! And here are the pictures! (Much worse quality because my phone can't take night shots.)

We got a pretty good spot right next to the road! It was at the end of the parade, but I don't mind that. Far fewer people!

Our friend Kayla. That's right, Kayla, you couldn't escape all the pictures!

Liv's friend, Sorren, dressed up like a giraffe. The Chen family definitely got into the right spirit for the Halloween parade with full costumes for every member of the family!

Liv and all her loot after the parade. I'm sure mom and dad will steal a few pieces here and there. ;)

And just for fun, here is a picture of Liv painting her perfect pumpkin. I think she has some true artistic ability. ;)

Now do you see what I mean?  We love October!!

Harry Potter-mania!!

Can I just say that I LOVE the fall! Especially here in the East, everything seems so much more vibrant. Even just taking a walk down our street brings feelings of awe and wonder. This last weekend we drove to Philadelphia on the back roads to avoid tolls. It seemed like every five minutes I was exclaiming, "Oh my goodness, this place is just sooo pretty!!"  Chris was in just as much awe as I was so it wasn't annoying. :)

What were we doing in Philly, you may ask? Why, enjoying the annual Harry Potter festival of course! Yes, for two days the city of Chestnut Hill devotes all their man power to hosting thousands of muggles dressed up as witches and wizards, and transforming their town into famous places from J.K. Rawlings' magical world. They had all kinds of activities available, including psychic readings, wand shops, face painting, defense against the dark arts classes, and of course, Honeydukes Candy Shop. (We just had to indulge in that last one.)

We are one cute wizarding family!

Snape and Hermione walking down the street.

Chris had a great time creating a costume for Liv. She is Dobby the house elf! We tried to make her look "authentic" by making a skull cap out of my old nylons, but I thought that made her look creepy. So we just went with the headband.  She illicited many ohhs and ahhs from all the passers-by.

We all had a great time, but I think Chris enjoyed it the most. He was able to let his true kid come out as he enjoyed Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (and yes, this did include vomit and earwax flavors), drank butter beer, and exchanged spells with a Harry Potter who looked eerily like the real thing.

Who's ready for a Harry Potter movie marathon?!

Pregnancy Hormones

That's right.

I am going to talk about those lovely things that we as women like to pretend that we don't have, or that we are somehow "above."  We'd all like to pretend that we will be the perfect pregnant woman. We will still exercise regularly, we won't get sick, and heaven forbid we let pesky little hormones dictate our mood.

But no matter how hard we try,
I think we all fall short of this
perfect,
pregnant
harmony.

Let's talk about reality here for a moment.  According to HealthLine.com, "a woman will produce more estrogen during one pregnancy than throughout her entire life when not pregnant."  What?!? That's insane!!  (But it does explain a lot...) Women experience a sudden and dramatic increase in both estrogen and progesterone and a bunch of other hormones. These changes can cause morning sickness, affect our exercise and our mood. Incidentally, they are also responsible for the famous pregnancy "glow". At least we get one good thing from them.

Last night I had a run-in with these pesky hormones that was just too funny not to document. You see, I am finally coming to terms with the fact that my new little apartment is probably not going to look like everything that I pin from designer blogs. I have kept my decorations hidden away in boxes for months as I've tried to find ways to update and beautify my home with no money. This past week I have decided that I just need to work with what I've got. So I unloaded all my decorations/pictures/knick knacks onto the floor and went for it. I hung a few shelves on my walls and decided to make a few fall crafts for the season. I went on a walk with Liv and collected sticks and leaves. (Side note: I felt a lot like the elf in this Sifl & Olly song. "So much more for free!")

I made a little bouquet of sticks with the intent of adorning it with acorns.

Something like this:

This is how far I got:

(Well, okay, when you put them side by side...)

But anyway, back to the point. Chris was helping me hang my shelves above our dining room table. For some reason, hanging decorations is something that we can never do peaceably. (It may have something to do with the fact that I am incredibly indecisive and make him hold five different things up against the wall in impossible positions.) After we hung the shelves I asked him to see if my little "stick bouquet" would fit on the higher shelf.

It didn't.

I'm still not sure if what Chris did next was out of frustration or a sincere desire to help. But, you see my tallest stick there in the photo? Well he just upped and snapped the top right off! Without even asking me! I was so appalled I couldn't say anything for a second. And then...it happened. The infamous "cry-laugh". I felt the tears beginning to flow and immediately turned away. Seriously?! Was I crying over a broken stick I found in my backyard??

Yes. Yes, I was.

"Doesn't Chris know that when composing an artful stick bouquet there needs to be variation?! Not least of which, variation in height? Now all my sticks were the same size! Didn't he know that there was a lower shelf that I could put the sticks on and they would fit? Why would he do such a rash thing without asking me??"

All these thoughts were running through my head.

Along with, "Kara, you are so ridiculous! Just find yourself another stick! Why are you crying over something like this?!"

And so there I sat, blubbering and laughing at the same time. Poor Chris didn't know what to do. Should he laugh with me, taking the risk of upsetting me more? Should he apologize? Should he say anything at all?  Eventually he could see that, despite being genuinely upset, I could see the humor in the situation. He promised to fix my broken stick, which he did nicely with some wood glue. You can't even tell it was broken!

After five minutes of me looking like this, we had a good laugh about it.

So, in conclusion, I would like to thank the lifetime supply of estrogen pumping through my body for the wonderful breakdown I had last night. It will be one that will bring a good laugh to Chris and me for years to come.

Unless you're pregnant

Winners never quit and quitters never win...unless you're pregnant.

Let me start off this post by saying that redoing a table is actually extremely easy...unless you're pregnant.

Let's back up for a moment. The past few weeks I have really been feeling the "nesting bug." I still have a lot of my home decorations in boxes because we have yet to figure out our furniture situation. (However, we did score a sweet free bookcase this weekend!) So, with this nesting urge and few things to do with it, I decided to dive right into a project I have been wanting to do for years. 

Deal with this baby...

This table was a hand-me-down from my wonderful sister-in-law, Amanda, and it has served us well over the years.  But the wood and the color scheme are just a little out-dated. It was definitely in need of a some love. So I drove myself down to Home Depot to pick up a few supplies. 

When I got home from the hardware store Chris took one look at my spoils and started laughing. I was too shy to ask any of the Home Depot employees for advice so I had come home with an interesting assortment. The next day I took my hardware handy friend Hillary to Home Depot with me. With her help (and after actually asking an employee) we came home with the right tools: sand paper, stain, primer, paint and polyurethane. 

Chris made me take a belly shot here.

My pregnant self and I got right down to work! I sanded the finish off the top of the table and lightly sanded the legs so that the paint would stick. Then, I added a few layers of dark walnut stain to the tabletop. 

Work in progress...

I was ready to get down and dirty with the painting when Chris decided to read the back of the paint can. After seeing a warning label saying "COULD CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS" he decided that I was no longer allowed anywhere near my beloved project. After double checking with my doctor, who also told me I should "find someone else to do the project," I reluctantly handed over the reigns. Chris was kind enough to paint the bottom of the table for me. We had to do a few coats to cover up the black, but it looks great!

I also wanted to paint my chairs white to match. (But no, I am pregnant.) I felt bad taking so much of Chris's time away from studying. Luckily, I have some amazing friends who came to the rescue! After a little begging (and bribing with ice cream) my friends came over for a massive painting party! They all got down and dirty while I hovered around from a safe distance feeling useless and pathetic. They did a great job and I am so thankful for their help!

Zoe, Brittany, Hillary, and Kayla slaving away for me.

All that was left to do was add a few coats of polyurethane. This is also a quick and easy job...unless you're pregnant. Chris took over that job for me and finished in one night. We had to wait a few days for it to dry properly because of the humidity, but we now have a completely new table. And I love it! Thank you to everyone who helped me finish this project that I couldn't finish myself! You made this nesting mama bear very happy!

So even though I was a quitter, I think I won in the end. :)

Loving a little town

We have lived in Hershey, PA for almost two months now. Time has gone by both quickly and slowly. I still have to use my GPS to get anywhere besides the university and the grocery store. And I still don't know what a "township" is (we live in Derry Township??).  But one thing I do know for sure...I love it here!!

Here are some of my favorite things about Hershey (in no particular order):

The Color Green

Yes, that's right. Back in Utah I have been known to say, "It's looking so green this year!" Well, I understand that when you live in a desert you need to appreciate the slightest hint of green. But we have no shortage of "green" here. It is so beautiful! 

Everyone seems to appreciate this beauty by taking walks, jogging or running at any time of the day. I see people running hard at 2:00 in the afternoon and can only think to myself, "Bless that dedicated soul." Liv and I have started to embrace this walking mentality, but we will only brave the heat between 9:00 - 10:00am.  (Although, I must say that this summer hasn't been as humid as I was expecting. Nature seems to be easing us into the East. She knows I hate humidity so she toned it down this summer so I'll stay.) 

Here are a few pictures from our regular walking route:

Staying Home

Now that we've moved away from family (aka accessible babysitters) I have the opportunity to stay home full-time with Liv. It has been great! Not to say that it hasn't been an adjustment. I don't think anyone can understand the monotony of constantly cleaning up a dirty house until they have experienced it... However, in between vacuuming and the dishes we fit in some pretty fun times. Like teaching her all about popsicles, how to walk (coming slowly), and playing in the water.

New Friends and Chocolate

Of course, this is the chocolate city and we have plenty to go around. Hershey Park and Chocolate World are just around the corner from our house. Unfortunately, I haven't really experienced "the city smelling of chocolate" as lots of people have promised. Maybe we're just not out at the right time or in the right part of the city, but I think that's a good thing because it means I haven't gotten sick of chocolate yet. 

And who better to share all this chocolate with than some new good friends. Luckily, we had five new first year medical students in our ward this year. We all share a special wives-of-medical-students bond. We even somehow recruited one of the elite second years (Zoe) to be our friend. :) These girls are great and they don't mind hanging out with an old mommy and a baby. 

Left to Right: Kayla, Zoe, me and Liv, Brittany (MIA: Hillary)

The gift shop at Chocolate World. So much candy!

Our "Backyard"

Our apartment building has a large lawn with our own little woods behind it. Liv and I love to spend afternoons in the shade, on a blanket or in the hammock, enjoying books, toys, bubbles, and of course popsicles. We have a small park just up the street with baby swings that we visit once a week. It's so nice to have a little "escape" just outside our door. 

 

And of course...

The Medical School

Chris has really been enjoying his classes at Penn State and it is exciting (and daunting) to be learning new skills that will help him become a great physician. His white coat ceremony took place on August 1st. All the medical students were presented with their own white coat, symbolizing their commitment to their patients, science, and the betterment of healthcare. The ceremony was very inspirational, with many doctors, alumni and students giving speeches. It was a great beginning to the next four years of his life.  (Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures. I swear they make the lighting so bad on purpose!)

The students reciting an oath that they wrote outlining their commitments to medicine

The five first-years in their new coats

And those are just a few reasons why we are really enjoying our new home here in Hershey. Anyone is invited to visit anytime! We'll be sure to show you a grand old time!


Next up...some of the weird things about Hershey.