Welcoming Olivia Louise

I know this is a little late, but here is the story of Olivia's birth.

It was raining that night. After one of my many potty breaks during the night I felt something strange - kind of like my water breaking. (They say "you just know" when your water breaks. And its true. I can't really explain it, I just knew.) However, I didn't know quite what to do. I wandered around my house, trying to fix a leak, changing the laundry, and wondering whether or not to wake up Chris. In the end, I woke him up and told him to pack our hospital bags.

When we got to the hospital they only had two rooms left.  It appears that the weather really can affect pregnancy and birth.  The nurses told us that when the barometric pressure lowers, uterus pressure rises and can cause water to break.

Once we got to the hospital, Chris was nice enough to jot down a quick play-by-play.  Here it is, in all its raw glory. :)
 

2:09 The huge storm breaks Kara’s water and she wakes me up.

2:10-3:00 We hurry and throw all our stuff in our hospital bag and get in the car.

3:00-3:20 Chris drives to LDS hospital sad that he did not receive even one police escort on the way. Trying to lure the police along he goes 75 on Beck street and even runs the red light by the capital. I guess even the police don’t like to stay up too late.

3:20 We are admitted to the hospital to reduce the risk of infection from Kara’s water breaking and they tell us she is 90% effaced and 2 cm dilated and the baby is LOW.

3:30-5:30 We go for walks around the labor and delivery unit and Kara gets to munch on some juice and crackers because everything looks great with the baby. Other than that we try and fail to catch a little sleep before the real fun begins.

5:30-6:30 More of the same stuff. Our nurse tells us that Dr. Holmes (OBGYN) has a 4 hour policy, where after 4 hours of broken water if contractions are not substantial then pitocin is administered.

6:30 Kara's four hours are up.  She gets an IV inserted in her wrist and pitocin added, and the waiting game begins…and continues…and continues.

7:30 After one hour of oxytocin Kara is starting to feel some stronger contractions and our nurse was replaced off of her night shift for Susan, our new nurse. Any chance of sleep is now a thing of the past so they say, unless you get an epidural which is looking better and better to Kara.

Contractions started to happen regularly after the oxytocin and Kara was not liking the feeling of them. At first they weren’t too bad and Kara was feeling confident in her strength. The nurse asked if she wanted an epidural and she said she thought she was going to be ok. By 8:30 Kara was totally done with this pain and said she was ready for the epidural, however the anesthesiologist was in a C-section.  We were told we were the first on his list after he finished. They told us he would be done around 8:45. So, we waited, and 8:45 came and went as did 9:00 and 9:30. By this point Kara was in so much pain. When a contraction came around she would just bear down and squeeze my hands and practice all of her breathing techniques…at once.

Kara after getting the epidural

Finally the epidural came around 9:45 but even then it took a while to take effect and Kara was having a hard time getting comfortable. After finding a position and elevating her in the bed the epidural was at full force around 10:30. At this point she was checked again for progress. She was dilated to 6 centimeters and was 100% effaced. We were both wiped from being in the hospital this long and blessedly fell asleep for a couple of hours.

At 12:30 when we woke up, the nurse came to check on Kara again and said she was dilated to a 10 and at a +2 stage - translation, ready to push!

After getting all the equipment and doctor there Kara started pushing at 12:55 and at 1:23 beautiful Olivia was born. 6 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long!

Immediately after Olivia was born, the nurses whisked her away because she had a lot of fluid in her lungs.  They suctioned out her mouth and throat and made sure her vitals looked good before bringing her back to Kara. 

Olivia getting the fluids suctioned.

Probably the best part of the entire day was the time that we spent just after with each other. All the nurses and doctors had gone, our parents were outside waiting, and Kara and I were alone with our beautiful new daughter, together, supporting and caring for one another. There wasn’t a lot of talk or conversation, I just remember looking at Olivia and Kara and realizing how great my life truly was. It was a time to ponder each other and this new addition to our family. Of course I made up cheesy tunes to sing to Olivia to keep her entertained and welcome her to our family.

 
 

After this moment of bliss came a whirlwind of family to see the new baby. It was tiring but very welcomed, and I was grateful to see that the entire family was so welcoming of our new addition. Kara’s parents came, my parents came, Kara’s brothers and sisters came, it was amazing to see all the love that this brand new baby was getting from all these strangers.

It was an amazing day that has changed our lives and we feel so blessed!  More of the story to come (along with pictures)!

I AM...

I am a dog person--big dogs only.  For some reason little dogs scare me. They are so yippy and they bite at your heels and have a small-man complex. No good. So...I only like big dogs.

I have an active imagination. When I was little I would imagine I was stranded in the woods with only my big dog and a hatchet as my protector (recall the book Hatchet).  Or that I was an Indian princess, running free between the trees. Or that I was a fearless bronco rider, holding onto my tree branch for dear life as my little brother shook the limb vigorously.  Now, however, my imagination usually brings to life more realistic future scenarios such as babies and medical school and life outside of Utah. :)

I plan for the future, but I don’t stress out about it until the present.  For example, when I decided to go on a mission my mind was set.  I planned and prepared and was very excited.  It wasn't until I was lying in the hard bunk bed of the MTC that I realized the weight of my decision. This may seem somewhat irresponsible, but I like to see it as a survival technique. See, once I finally realize all the stress that should have come with my decision, it's too late to turn back.  There is nothing left to do but accept it and move forward with a good attitude. And that's what I do...usually. 

I wish I could live on the beach all day.  I look like the antithesis of a beach bum – red hair, fair skin, freckles – but I love the sun, beach volleyball, swimming, and bon fires. The closest I get here in Utah is Bear Lake. 
I love going to the cabin with my family. I love wakeboarding, swimming, and watching the sun go down over the lake as we come into the marina. And that exhausted, sandy feeling at the end of the day…is there anything better?

I love ice cream to a fault.

I have a knack for picking out the most expensive item.  Doesn't matter what it is; jewelry, clothes, dessert, faucet head, you name it. This can be both a blessing and a curse...but mostly a curse.

I’m not the best at showing emotion, although I’m working on this.  I get embarrassed if I show too much emotion over a gift or an event.  I have no idea why, but I’m just a little British this way I guess.

But most importantly, I am constantly changing. I am not completely who I was five years ago, and I hope that in the next five years I will be someone new...and better.

April Showers!

I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my baby shower last Saturday! A special thank you goes to my wonderful mother who planned and hosted the event.  She is a fabulous party planner and the best mom a girl could ask for!  Thanks to my sisters and moms for providing all the delicious food!  Thanks to the family and friends who came to visit and were so generous in helping Chris and I prepare to welcome little Olivia to our family.   And thanks to Nikki Jacobson who took these pictures so I could have a few memories! (I always forget my camera!)

Everyone wrote down a small "Joy of Children" for me to read and remember when I'm having a rough day.  These cards will help me remember the small things in life and learn to look for the joys in raising children.

I was also given this pail of diapers.  These were not just plain diapers, however.  No, these had special messages for me to read during those 3:00am diaper changes when all I want to do is sleep.  Some especially hilarious messages were:"Does anybody have a match?" or "Isn't it Daddy's turn?"

THANK YOU!!

 

 

 

It's Friday Night!

Sometimes Friday night rolls around and Chris and I haven’t made any date plans. (Okay, this may happen almost every Friday night.) But that doesn’t mean we’ve lost all spark of creativity.  Last Friday night Chris and I decided to revert back to our childhoods and build a massive fort!  Armed with all the blankets and sheets in our house, an ironing board, card table, and kitchen chairs, we were able to construct this beauty…

The entrance looks small, but the space opens up wide in the middle. We encompassed our TV in the fort so we could enjoy an old Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes. I propped up my pregnant self on about ten pillows and a big fluffy blanket.  Chris even made his famous Butterfinger shakes to complete the night. Delicious!  It’s funny how a makeshift tent can make movie night all that much more enjoyable.  (Not quite enjoyable enough to spend the entire night there, even though Chris did suggest it.)

 I think we’re reverting back to our care free days because we know that, in just another month and a half, our lives are going to change dramatically.  It may even be another four years before Olivia is old enough to enjoy a good fort. 

So next Friday, what’ll it be?  Night games, toilet papering, hanging out at IHOP until 5:00am?  Who’s in?!?

Happy Easter!

This Easter weekend was GORGEOUS! The weather was fantastic and spring was here in full force.  I think it even made it above 70 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

I had a great weekend, starting out with a fun baby shower that Stacy threw for me. She had her house decked out in pink, welcoming the little girl coming this June.  And of course, the spacey prego me forgot to take pictures!!  I'm so grateful to have generous friends like her!

Easter Sunday was so enjoyable.  We didn't paint any eggs this year, but we did manage to give each other small Easter baskets. The highlight of my basket? Measuring cups! Silly, I know, but I only had a mismatched set of measuring cups and the numbers had washed off of them so I wasn't ever quite sure I had the right measurement.  These awesome new measuring cups have the numbers etched in the plastic so they will never fade.  And they include every measurement, including a 2/3 cup!  Oh, the small joys in life. :)

We had a wonderful Easter program in Church, commemorating the resurrection of our Savior. I was able to play the piano for the primary children as they sang the song Gethsemane by Sally Deford. It is a very hard song for children to sing, but they loved it and they did a great job!  Chris also sang in the choir, singing some of my favorite songs including This is the Christ.

Easter dinner was spent with the Hill family. I declare there might be little better than ham and yummy potatoes on Easter. Angela also flew in from Kentucky and we were able to spend time with her and her kids through the evening.

And what Easter is complete without a little photo shoot?  Unfortunately, the photos were only of me and my belly this year. Chris took me to the park near our house and we took these pictures amidst families' Easter egg hunts.

Here I am, 31 weeks and counting! 

Waiting for Spring

The second trimester has been lovely!  I started to feel little Olivia kick around week 22 and I love feeling that little bubble pop inside of me (that's how I describe it). Chris felt her kick for the first time last Sunday.  It was so fun finally to be able to share this feeling with him. Every time he would feel her he would say, "Ow, Olivia, ow."

Oh and yes, I think we've officially decided on the name Olivia Louise. At least, that's what we call her all the time.  I suppose it would be funny to call her something different when she's born.  So Olivia Louise Hill it is.  I love it!

I have started to make a baby quilt for her.  I've chosen a few fabrics, but I'm having a hard time deciding on just four.  I'm taking my inspiration from this beautiful quilt I found on The Whimsey Tree. Mine won't be exactly the same, but I love how this design is delicate and feminine, yet has a little spunk. 

Chris is busy busy preparing for medical school. He is taking the MCAT in May and is studying all the time. He volunteers at LDS Hospital and shadows a pediatrician every Monday.  This week is his Spring Break (way too early) and he is down in Provo shadowing doctors for three days, leaving me alone tonight.  And that is why I have time to blog! So there is a bright side to everything I guess. :)

Life is good and I feel very blessed!  I cannot wait for Spring and then for June. It's a crazy feeling, waiting to become a mother.  I am nervous, excited, stressed and happy all at the same time. Cross your fingers for me!!

Pregnancy Tidbits

Week 11 - 15: 

Morning sickness (or evening sickness for me) didn't quite skip me entirely.  From about week 12-14 my stomach didn't like to keep all my food in.  Plus I had a cold, so maybe that had something to do with it.  But evening sickness seems to be subsiding again, so hopefully all is well. 

Week 16 – 18:

I have been feeling much better. My sensitive nose has subsided a little bit, and although I can still smell stinky things, it doesn't bother me as much. My stomach feels better and I am not as nauseous. However, even though I know it's normal to feel better during the second trimester, my lack of symptoms actually started to scare me. I hadn't gained any weight and I was constantly afraid that my use of heating pads for my lower back pain or my over-consumption of Mac & Cheese was hurting my baby. After a few paranoid nights of crying I felt a little better.  However, my mind was not completely eased until I went to my doctor’s appointment and heard the little heartbeat again.

Week 19:

I finally started wearing maternity clothes. Nothing fits anymore... 

 Week 20:

I woke up in the middle of the night with a very excruciating leg cramp in my right calf. No fun. I think I scared Chris to death, waking him up in the middle of the night screaming, but we both lived through it by walking it off.  Week 20 also meant we got our fetal anatomy ultrasound!  Chris and I went to LDS hospital excited to find out the gender of our baby and make sure it has all ten fingers and toes. They were able to find the "girl parts" very quickly and showed us on the screen.  It kind of looks like a blob to me, but I'll take their word for it. :)  Chris and I were very excited to find out we're having a girl.  I already had an inkling since I'd had a dream a few months earlier.  My dream played out almost like the real thing.  We went to get the ultrasound and the doctor announced it was a girl. Simple as that.  I also decided this week that it was time to take some official "belly photos". My favorite is the last one (even though I may be puffing up my belly a little more than normal :).

January 14, 2013

 

My GQ belly shot