Kenzie's Baby Blessing

38 weeks pregnant

Well, here we are at 38 weeks with baby #3.  This pregnancy has flown by because I've been so busy with two-year old twins!

A few months ago Sydney began referring to the baby as a "Pink Baby" because she learned that pink is a girl color.

This has been a fairly easy pregnancy-- they have just monitored me because "pink baby" measured small.  She has been EXTREMELY active the whole time.  On the NSTs she moves constantly.  Lately, she has been stretching out in opposite directions with a foot in my left side and a big bum poking out on the right side of my tummy.  She is head down and keeps dropping; which is causing some pain/pressure in my low back/tailbone area.

I've also had some nerve pain on my right leg- feelings of numbness and stinging.

I haven't had too many cravings.  But the one that I've had for most of the pregnancy has been for pie/pastries.  Mostly apple and cherry filled ones.  I haven't eaten very many; but i've had the craving often.

At 38 weeks pregnant I weigh 139 lbs.  I weighed 141 lbs the day Sydney and Brayden were born.

My mom arrived on Thursday night and Chris went with me to my 38 week appt (and met Dr. James for the first time) before I dropped him off at the airport.  He'll be in Phoenix until Tuesday night at a Thoracic Surgeons conference.  My dad drove up today from San Diego and will be here until Monday morning.

I haven't been in a hurry for this baby to come; until today.  Yesterday I washed all the baby clothes/blankets and set up drawers for her.  Today I washed the car seat and bouncer and got a few more things ready.  I'm hoping she stays put until Tuesday when Chris gets home, but by then I'm ready to have this baby!

This past Wednesday night the Young Women threw me a baby shower and everyone was so generous!  I got a rock n play sleeper, baby wrap carrier, several cute outfits and headbands and burp cloths.

I am getting so excited to meet this little lady.  She has been so active, but I still don't have a sense of who she is.  I am ready to meet her and become her mommy.  Sydney is very into baby's and I know she will be a great "helper", maybe a little too helpful.  But I am really excited to see Sydney and Brayden meet their new little sister.

Here's a snapshot of what our life is currently like:

daily routine:
chris wakes up for work and brings the kids into our room (between 7-7:30)
I get up and quickly brush my teeth, throw on a bathrobe, put in my contacts and maybe put on some make up
-go downstairs and wave goodbye to daddy then eat breakfast (typically oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt and fruit or pancakes)
get dressed for the day and go outside/ for a walk to the park/run errands in the car or I go to the dr. (mon & thur at 10:30 for NST)
We play for a few hours and then the kids eat lunch and take a nap between noon-1pm
I lay on the couch and check my phone/read and then take a nap
Wake up 3-4ish.  Play, clean up the house, read books, or watch Netflix and I start dinner.
Chris gets home 5:30-6:15
Eat dinner around 6:30, then the kids take a bath, brush their teeth, jammies, say prayers and in bed 7:30-8.
After we put the kids to bed, clean up the kitchen/downsatirs and collapse on the couch on snuggle with Chris and watch a few shows until 10ish and go to bed.

I am so excited to meet this new little spirit.  I am looking forward to discovering her personality and who she is.  I know that our lives have been led and guided.  I feel incredibly at peace with where we are in live.  Looking back over the past year, I know our lives are being directed, and there is a bigger plan at work.  Last January we had no idea we would be moving; and yet here we are a year later, living in a new state, Chris is in a new position at work, about to meet a new baby.  I know doors were opened in our life that brought us here to California, and it wasn't by chance that I miraculously got pregnant the very first month we lived here.  This baby was supposed to come to our family at this time and in this place.  I am so grateful for my life.

Chris was called to be the Elders quorum president in October, and in Nov/Dec they had the shuffling around of departments at Edwards.  He could have easily been laid off with the changes, but his bosses and directors felt strongly that Chris would be a good fit in another position and we are so lucky that they found another spot for him.  I'm hopeful he will enjoy this new spot as a "downstream product manager".  He really enjoyed the upstream position he was initially hired for.

Sydney and Brayden are in another "golden" stage.  Their speaking abilities have exploded in the  past few months.  They are both talking in full sentences and it is a blast!  I love listening to them and getting a glimpse at what is going on in their little minds.  The other night after we put them to bed, Chris and I listened to them outside their door and giggled as we heard them singing together "row row your boat."  They both know the lyrics to several songs.

Each night when we put them to bed they request us to sing either "rainbow song" or "blue skies" and they know all the words.  Sydney tries to sing along, and sometimes Brayden just howls or blurts out random words/sounds.  It is a crackup.  I love it when they wake up in the morning or from a nap and they see me they both say "hello" "good morning" or "boo" (like peek-a-boo)
Sydney is obsessed with the big sister book and has it memorized.

Update 2/2/2016
39 weeks, 5 days along
Well, I am definitely feeling big and tired and tired of being pregnant!  ha ha.  However, I really do love feeling this baby move; and she moves constantly!!  I do feel like I am the most beautiful while I'm pregnant.  I love having the "glow" and the big round belly.  I know I will miss being pregnant once the baby is born.  There is something incredibly magical/spiritual/special about pregnancy and having a connection with this little one.
The past few days I have had several contractions (at least I think, this is my first time doing this).  I have been bouncing/rocking/swaying each night on an exercise ball.  It helps to relieve my back and hip pain and also just relief the pressure and heaviness of pregnancy.  I'm hoping that it is also working to put the baby into the right position and start labor.  Last night I started to have a few intense, "deep" (internal) contractions before I fell asleep, but they must have stopped while I slept.  I've had a handful today intermittently, usually 2 or so together then several hours between. So hopefully sometime soon they will pick up.
(Sydney has started mimicking me bouncy on the birthing ball.  She found a beach ball and sits on it and "bounces like mommy" and she holds her belly and says she has a baby in her tummy too! So adorable.)

With my mom here the past week we've gotten done a lot of things!  I've been busy and we've gone to the park/farmer's market/lots of stores/hikes/the beach/the zoo/out to dinner with the kids. I am trying to savor this last little time left with just Sydney and Brayden and to focus on them before our world completely changes.  Altho, I am definitely getting baby hungry!  I am so excited to meet this new little one.

Today I bought a babybook at TJ Maxx and I had fun tonight starting to fill it out.  I'm still not 100% sure on her name/how to spell it.  Chris isn't in a hurry to figure it out.  Every time I bring it up he just says, "oh we'll talk about it at the hospital."  I like the name, but I'm not positive that its the "right" name for this baby.  I like Mackenzie/Makenzie but I'm still open to other options if something else pops up that I like better.

Welcome Mackenzie Paige!!

Little Miss Mackenzie Paige is now two weeks old!  She is such a sweet, mild-tempered baby.  I cannot believe what an angel baby she is.  She really is such a calm, sweet soul.  We feel so incredibly blessed that she is here and we can't imagine life without her.

I am absolutely loving the newborn stage again.  The snuggles and her soft head full of dark hair.  She has been a natural at breastfeeding and latched on right away without any problems!

At her two week appointment she had already passed her birthweight at 7 lbs 5 oz!  The girl knows how to eat and is a great eater. (plus my milk came in quickly and i've had plenty)

We are so in love with Baby Kenzie and I am loving everything about having a baby in our house again.  I've definitely been bitten by the baby hunger bug now that she is here.

So, for the birth story.

We due date came and went with no real contractions.  I stayed pretty active and we went on several long walks/hikes.  I bounced on my birth ball almost everynight, and while it helped ease my tired, sore back, it did nothing to bring on contractions.

I continued to go Dr. Kurtzman's office each Monday and Thursday at 10:30am for NST's and doppler ultrasounds.  The nurses got to know me really well and each time I came in they teased about me having the most active baby, and that the baby liked to show off on the monitors.  She moved CONSTANTLY during monitoring and always looked absolutley perfect, as did her ultrasounds.

My due date was February 4th, and it came and went with no signs of baby coming.  On Friday, the next day, I went to Dr. James' office in Laguna Beach.  My mom came with me with the twins, who just waited in the waiting room.  Dr. James discussed that our plan would be by the next Wednesday, if i hadn't gone into labor on my own, i'd come in for a Foley balloon to help dilate me.  I wasn't dilated or effaced at all.  He said I could choose between being induced or just going with the scheduled c-section.  He was 100% confident that i could do a VBAC, but he explained all the risks and complications and left the choice up to me.
I told the front office to go ahead and schedule the induction for the following Thursday, but I left the office feeling very conflicted.
My mom and I took the kids to the beach again to play in the sand.  While there I laid out all my concerns:
-recovery time from c-section
-possilibiluty of tearing from VBAC

We all got sick that following week.  It started with Brayden who had a green, runny nose then Sydney got it.  By Monday i had developed a lot of gunk in my chest and had a pretty nasty cough.

By the next Wednesday nothing had happened so Chris came home from work early on Wednesday.  It was a hot day.  80+ degrees.  We brought our hospital bags with us, just in case we needed to go to the hospital that night. (wishful thinking)
We drove down to my appointment early and stopped at the Rainbow sandals outlet so i could get a new pair of flip-flops and we picked up a new pair for the twins.  We drove on PCH up to Dr. James' office in Laguna Beach and enjoyed the scenic drive because we were pretty early for the appointment.  We still got there twenty minutes early but decided to head on in.
Dr. James came in to do the Foley, and said I still wasn't dilated at all. It was pretty painful as he tried to insert the balloon catheter.  He only left it in for a minute, then said he's try again.  But when he went to put it in, he said just from attempting it the first time and the pressure, i had already dilated to a 2.  Thank heavens because I didn't want to walk around all night with that in!  So we left the office with the plan to show up at the hospital at 7am the next morning to be induced.

We drove up the PCH to Newport Beach. We stopped at Fashion Island to do a few returns and walked around the mall.  I was feeling a little crampy, and looking back i think I was having some mild contractions.
We stopped for dinner at Mama D's (our favorite italian restaurant) and enjoyed a delicious, quiet, peaceful meal together.

Before going to bed I curled my hair and finalized packing our hospital bags.  I hardly slept that night between coughing fits, nerves, getting up to go to the bathroom, and "cramps".
I was already awake and sitting in the bathroom when my alarm went off at 6:15am.  I put on a little bit of makeup and got dressed and ate 4 protein pancakes because I knew once i got to the hospital i wouldn't be able to eat.

We left a little bit before 7am and it was already sunny and warm.  When we got to the hospital, we didnt' know where to check in (oops for never going to the hospital beforehand)
I got checked into my room and they had me change into my hospital gown and got started on the IV right away.  They started me on the first dose of penicilin because i was strep b positive.  They asked all sorts of questions then began the pitocin a little bit after 8am.  Initially I hung out on the bed while I answered all the hospital questions.  When I got the clear to stand up and get on the telemetry unit Chris and I went out for an exploratory walk down the halls.  There was only one hallway we could walk down which wasn't very far. The first walk we went on I felt great.  I could tell that some little contractions were starting but they weren't a big deal.  We headed back to the room and I sat on the green birthing ball while Chris qued up a show to watch.  It took him several minutes and the contractions became much more noticeable.  I bounced away on my ball while we watched on episode of Limitless.  The nurse came in and said Dr. James had called and requested that the on-call doc at the hospital come in and break my water.  We finished the episode, but I had a hard time concentrated towards the end.
Around 10:30 the Dr came in and broke my water and said I was still dilated to just a 2. Bummer.
I got back on the birthing ball and bounced again for a while. Things definitely picked up after my water broke.  I started swaying during a contraction then bouncing between.  I was annoyed because the nurse said they kept losing the baby's heart rate while i bounced because the montior would move.  She wanted me to hold it in place, and it distracted me from being able to deal with the pain of the contractions.
After several minutes of that I decided to try walking again.  This time I was much slower than our first walk.  The contractions hurt by this point and I was dreading each coming one.  We got back to our room and I wanted to go sit on the toliet.  The contractions were coming two minutes apart and were getting intense.  In the brief 1-2 minutes that I had inbetween contractions, my stomach still felt crampy and I almost had the feeling of needing to poop.  The idea of sitting on the toliet sounded good.  I went in there and felt a little bit better sitting in that squat position, but the nurse came back in and said the monitors weren't able to pick up the baby's heart rate again.  I was annoyed because another position that offered relieve, they didn't want me to be in.  So I got up and left the bathroom.  I had Chris try the "slow dance" position while I moaned through a couple contractions.  I didn't really like that, so I tried kneeling on the bed and leaning over the birthing ball.  This helped some, but I was getting worried because the contractions were starting to come so fast and intense together that I was worried I wouldn't be able to stay on top of them.  I was still able to just make it through them, but the thought of doing this for hours exhausted and scared me.  The nurse came in a little big after noon and could tell things had picked up.  She suggested the epidural at this point.  I initially protested and thought I could keep going a little bit longer, but between contractions I was so tired I just wanted to fall asleep.  She mentioned that it could take up to an hour to get the anethisologist in to start the epidural.  I asked several more questions, while moaning and rocking on the bed to get through the contractions.  I dediced I'd better request it now.
When the anesthiologist came in it seemed to take forever to prep.  I got into the "cat" position and curled into a ball the best I could.  Right as he put in the numbing needle I had a big contraction.  It took all my concentration to not move and to focus and breathe through the contraction that I didn't even notice the needle.  Same with the actual epidural needle when the put it in.  It was amazing, within second of it being in my legs began to feel warm and heavy.  The aniesthiologist was my favorite person in the world at that moment.

I was so tired from hardly sleeping the night before that it feel so nice to be warm and heavy and relaxed.  I laid down and felt so comfortable.  It was heavenly!!

The nurse checked me then helped me get into a good position to sleep.  5 centimeters!  I had progessed to a 5 on my own, so I felt happy about that.  I sent Chris out to get some lunch at 1pm  because i knew he was starving and I was ready to fall asleep/