Chris went out of town today for work. He is in Florida for the week. My parents, who have been staying with us until they leave on their mission, went to Logan last night to help my sister Lindsey for the week. You see, since Keenyn was born there have only been a few days that I have been left to care for all three kids alone and of those few days Chris came home from work. I really don't mind having to take care of them by myself. It is my job and all. But last night I was feeling anxious. For many reasons I think. I am still in a state on uncertainty with a new baby, school starting, etc. It has been really nice to have more adults around to help out when I needed it.
This morning went smoothly. We got Eli to school on time and continued on a walk to the cemetery. We saw several rabbits on the way so that made Isaac happy. When we got back I fed Keenyn and shortly after we were done I got a call from the secretary at Eli's school. She said that he had fallen at recess and cut his head and that it was going to need a few stitches. She also reassured me that he was fine, not crying or anything, just sitting in the office.
So, I packed up the other boys and headed down to the school. We got Eli and went straight to the pediatricians office where he got 7 stitches to close the wound on the right side of his forehead. He is doing fine and has been doing fine throughout the whole thing.
You see, things like this DO NOT happen when Chris is home. This is the third time now that I have taken Eli to get stitches/staples. Chris has never had the pleasure. Two of the three times I had a baby with me that was under 2 months old. So, I blame Chris. And I will never again feel dumb for being anxious before he goes out of town.
(On a related note, Isaac has never had to have stitches or any type of emergency medicine, except for the pea up the nose. Knowing the two of them I would totally think that Isaac would have more scars but nope, so far he just has a lot of bruises.)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Day of School
Today was Eli's first day of first grade. The day went really well. He seemed to like everything. Of course I had to hear all of the details of his day through his phone conversation with Auntie Polly. I guess she knows the right questions to ask to get him to talk. It's strange that in just one day it can go from being and feeling like summer to feeling like fall. The weather has cooled off the last few days and now that school has started it seems summer is over.
I hope we have a great school year.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Growing
School starts on Tuesday. Eli will be in first grade. I can't believe he is already 6 and going to school. It was weird and sentimental when he started kindergarten but I think first grade may be worse. Kindergarten wasn't much different than preschool, just a few extra days a week. Now he is going to be at school for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. The thought makes me sad. I feel like I should be happy for him, happy for me, happy for many reasons but the truth is I'm sad and anxious. I feel like there was so much more I wanted to do with him this summer, so much more I wanted to do with him in general before he was gone at school all day.
I am excited for him to have more opportunities to learn, to make friends and gain more independence. There are just so many things that I can't control. I think that is the root of most of my anxiety. He will now be going to recess with all of the older kids. Who is going to help him if someone is mean to him? What if he doesn't know how to get school lunch so he has to go hungry? I know that these are things that happen to kids, it's part of being a kid. That doesn't mean it won't tear my heart out if/when it happens to my kid.
Now that he is growing up I know that the hard, emotional battles are coming up. The problems that don't seem to have a good solution. The times when you just have to hug your sad child and know that there isn't anything you can do to make the situation better. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet.
On top of all of that, Eli is in a French Dual Immersion program where half of the day he is taught only in French. It is a well known fact that the first few weeks are hard. The kids have no idea what the teacher is saying and it's frustrating. He hasn't had to do too many hard things in his life and I'm not sure how he will respond to it. I know that this will be a great program for Eli but it just adds to my school starting apprehension.
I'm sure we will fall into a routine quickly and Eli being in school won't be so bad. There are teachers there to help him, he has good friends, and most likely won't spend too much time with older kids. He will learn and grow and become even smarter than he already is. I will enjoy the time to go grocery shopping without all three boys and Eli and Isaac fighting less among other things. It will become the new normal. I guess it's true what people have told me since I started having kids; enjoy them while you can because before you know it they will be grown up.
I am excited for him to have more opportunities to learn, to make friends and gain more independence. There are just so many things that I can't control. I think that is the root of most of my anxiety. He will now be going to recess with all of the older kids. Who is going to help him if someone is mean to him? What if he doesn't know how to get school lunch so he has to go hungry? I know that these are things that happen to kids, it's part of being a kid. That doesn't mean it won't tear my heart out if/when it happens to my kid.
Now that he is growing up I know that the hard, emotional battles are coming up. The problems that don't seem to have a good solution. The times when you just have to hug your sad child and know that there isn't anything you can do to make the situation better. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet.
On top of all of that, Eli is in a French Dual Immersion program where half of the day he is taught only in French. It is a well known fact that the first few weeks are hard. The kids have no idea what the teacher is saying and it's frustrating. He hasn't had to do too many hard things in his life and I'm not sure how he will respond to it. I know that this will be a great program for Eli but it just adds to my school starting apprehension.
I'm sure we will fall into a routine quickly and Eli being in school won't be so bad. There are teachers there to help him, he has good friends, and most likely won't spend too much time with older kids. He will learn and grow and become even smarter than he already is. I will enjoy the time to go grocery shopping without all three boys and Eli and Isaac fighting less among other things. It will become the new normal. I guess it's true what people have told me since I started having kids; enjoy them while you can because before you know it they will be grown up.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Labor Story
It seems that people like to hear other peoples labor stories so I figured I would indulge any of you who care and record Keenyn's for you to enjoy.
I had an appointment with the midwife of Wednesday the 14th. I was dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced. I have had high blood pressure at the end of all of my pregnancies and this one wasn't any different. Up until this appointment it had been high but not over the worrying point. Today it was over that point. I had also not been feeling well off and on for weeks and it was getting more frequent. So, the midwife had me do a 24 urine test and come back the next day to get my blood drawn. I did that and then waited to hear the results.
The midwife called me on Friday, the 16th, at 2:30 and told me that they had my lab results back. The protein in my urine was a little high but not enough to worry but I also had elevated liver enzymes. (Or something like that. I know if had to do with my liver.) She said it wasn't high enough to be dangerous at that point but if it got too high it could be fatal. Then she said that she had consulted with the doctor that she works with and decided that given the circumstances they didn't see any reason to keep me pregnant and they wanted to induce me that day. She told me to start preparing and she would call the charge nurse at the hospital and get back to me on when to be at the hospital.
Luckily it was a Friday so Chris was home from work. He had rented a small excavator to dig our some stumps in our yard and was out working. I told him to load the thing back on the trailer because we were going to have a baby. Luckily also it was the day before Emilee and Ben moved out so we were able to leave Eli and Isaac home with them.
The midwife called back and told us to be at the hospital between 3:30 and 4:00. I got a bag together with some clothes and my camera while Chris loaded up the excavator and showered. We ended up leaving our house about 3:30. We stopped at Ace Rentals on our way to the hospital to return the rental equipment. We ended up getting to the hospital right at 4.
They wasted no time once we got there. They brought me right back into a room and had me change. They started and IV and all that fun stuff. The midwife came into check me and I was still at a 3 but 80% effaced. While she was there she broke my water. I had actually been having contractions since I talked to her on the phone earlier but I wasn't tracking them because they weren't really strong and I didn't see a need since I was going to the hospital anyway.
After they broke my water they started the Petocin. By this time it was 4:30-4:45. I'm not sure exactly. The contractions came pretty quickly. I had decided that I would get an epidural. About 6 I asked how long it took for an epidural to be completed and start working. They said about 30 minutes. At this point the contractions were pretty painful so I asked for an epidural. If it was going to take 30 minutes to work I figured I better get it sooner rather than later so help with some of the pain. They called the anesthesiologist in and he was done at 6:35. I remember because I was watching the clock. They said that it would take about 10 minutes to be affective and I wanted to know when that was. At 6:45 the nurse asked me what my pain level was. She was surprised when I told her a 4. Apparently that she thought that was high. She said she was going to check my progress which she did and her response was "There is a head." That explained the pain I was feeling. I was totally dilated and ready to have a baby.
The midwife had actually left the hospital and gone to the other hospital that they deliver at because she had another patient in labor there. The nurse called the midwife then got the room all ready while we waited for her to get there. It took her about 15 minutes. Pretty much as soon as we got there I started pushing. A few pushes later, at 7:16 pm we had a baby boy.
They put him right on my chest and did all of their apgar tests with me holding him. It was really cool. One of the first things I noticed was his fingernails were long. When I think back that's kind of weird to notice but I did. I held him until they asked if they could weigh and measure him which they did. He was 7 lb 9 oz and 18 in (although I think the length measurement was wrong. A week and a half later he was 19.5 in. It seems weird to grow 1.5 inches in a week and have clothes fitting the same as before.) He is our smallest baby.
We didn't decide on a name until the next day. We had a few, one in particular, that we were thinking of and leaning towards but it just didn't fit. We decided on Keenyn but didn't tell anyone until Eli and Isaac came to meet him for the first time. We told them his name first.
So, there you have it. We are now a family of 5 and are adjusting to the changes well. Eli and Isaac both love their little brother. They especially love when he is awake. They get right up in his face and say things like "Hi, Keenyn. I'm Eli, your biggest brother." It is adorable. I love it.
Keenyn is a great baby. He rarely cries, only sometimes when he gets his diaper changed or he is really hungry. He sleeps a lot, even at night. I do feed him two or three times a night but for a newborn I couldn't ask for better.
We sure love having him in our family.
I had an appointment with the midwife of Wednesday the 14th. I was dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced. I have had high blood pressure at the end of all of my pregnancies and this one wasn't any different. Up until this appointment it had been high but not over the worrying point. Today it was over that point. I had also not been feeling well off and on for weeks and it was getting more frequent. So, the midwife had me do a 24 urine test and come back the next day to get my blood drawn. I did that and then waited to hear the results.
The midwife called me on Friday, the 16th, at 2:30 and told me that they had my lab results back. The protein in my urine was a little high but not enough to worry but I also had elevated liver enzymes. (Or something like that. I know if had to do with my liver.) She said it wasn't high enough to be dangerous at that point but if it got too high it could be fatal. Then she said that she had consulted with the doctor that she works with and decided that given the circumstances they didn't see any reason to keep me pregnant and they wanted to induce me that day. She told me to start preparing and she would call the charge nurse at the hospital and get back to me on when to be at the hospital.
Luckily it was a Friday so Chris was home from work. He had rented a small excavator to dig our some stumps in our yard and was out working. I told him to load the thing back on the trailer because we were going to have a baby. Luckily also it was the day before Emilee and Ben moved out so we were able to leave Eli and Isaac home with them.
The midwife called back and told us to be at the hospital between 3:30 and 4:00. I got a bag together with some clothes and my camera while Chris loaded up the excavator and showered. We ended up leaving our house about 3:30. We stopped at Ace Rentals on our way to the hospital to return the rental equipment. We ended up getting to the hospital right at 4.
They wasted no time once we got there. They brought me right back into a room and had me change. They started and IV and all that fun stuff. The midwife came into check me and I was still at a 3 but 80% effaced. While she was there she broke my water. I had actually been having contractions since I talked to her on the phone earlier but I wasn't tracking them because they weren't really strong and I didn't see a need since I was going to the hospital anyway.
After they broke my water they started the Petocin. By this time it was 4:30-4:45. I'm not sure exactly. The contractions came pretty quickly. I had decided that I would get an epidural. About 6 I asked how long it took for an epidural to be completed and start working. They said about 30 minutes. At this point the contractions were pretty painful so I asked for an epidural. If it was going to take 30 minutes to work I figured I better get it sooner rather than later so help with some of the pain. They called the anesthesiologist in and he was done at 6:35. I remember because I was watching the clock. They said that it would take about 10 minutes to be affective and I wanted to know when that was. At 6:45 the nurse asked me what my pain level was. She was surprised when I told her a 4. Apparently that she thought that was high. She said she was going to check my progress which she did and her response was "There is a head." That explained the pain I was feeling. I was totally dilated and ready to have a baby.
The midwife had actually left the hospital and gone to the other hospital that they deliver at because she had another patient in labor there. The nurse called the midwife then got the room all ready while we waited for her to get there. It took her about 15 minutes. Pretty much as soon as we got there I started pushing. A few pushes later, at 7:16 pm we had a baby boy.
They put him right on my chest and did all of their apgar tests with me holding him. It was really cool. One of the first things I noticed was his fingernails were long. When I think back that's kind of weird to notice but I did. I held him until they asked if they could weigh and measure him which they did. He was 7 lb 9 oz and 18 in (although I think the length measurement was wrong. A week and a half later he was 19.5 in. It seems weird to grow 1.5 inches in a week and have clothes fitting the same as before.) He is our smallest baby.
We didn't decide on a name until the next day. We had a few, one in particular, that we were thinking of and leaning towards but it just didn't fit. We decided on Keenyn but didn't tell anyone until Eli and Isaac came to meet him for the first time. We told them his name first.
So, there you have it. We are now a family of 5 and are adjusting to the changes well. Eli and Isaac both love their little brother. They especially love when he is awake. They get right up in his face and say things like "Hi, Keenyn. I'm Eli, your biggest brother." It is adorable. I love it.
Keenyn is a great baby. He rarely cries, only sometimes when he gets his diaper changed or he is really hungry. He sleeps a lot, even at night. I do feed him two or three times a night but for a newborn I couldn't ask for better.
We sure love having him in our family.
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