I went to bed Tuesday night thinking it would be a typical night. I'd be up 3, 4, 5 times using the restroom. Ella might wake a couple of times. Jack might have a bad dream. I did have a couple of potty runs, and Ella might have woken once and gone right back to sleep, but I was definitely not prepared for what happened next.  Around 4:30, I woke to fluid rushing out of me. I jumped out of bed, and the fluid continued gushing as I stood there in disbelief. I've never had my water break on its own. Such a surreal moment. I grabbed my phone and took many deep breaths as I tried to reach The Husband. After several attempts and a text or two, I gave up and called my parents and asked them to come stay with the kids. I called The Husband's work and asked them to let him know as soon as possible.  I finished packing the bags that I had packed the day before (I was in total nesting mode and had no idea that I had done those things just in time), and I changed into clothes th...

We'd like to introduce the newest member of our family. I will write up a full birth story for him in the coming days, but this is all I'm up to right now. Weighing in at 5 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 17 3/4 inches long with a wonderfully strong set of vocal chords,   Is our boy --  Oliver Flynn 💙 Olli, to the four of us who have gotten to know and already love him well.   

34 weeks gestation on Sunday.  I should be posting about my weekly things.  Instead, I'm introducing you to our Ella Hope.  The nurse said she was born at 3:32am.  I was told she's 5 pounds, 17 1/2 inches long and has dark, thick hair.  I wouldn't know.  I was completely under.  I missed her first cry.  I didn't get to hold her, touch her, see her. No skin-to-skin or breast feeding.   None of my wishes for this birth came to pass.  Ella's birth story The last anyone knew, I was going to be sent home Sunday afternoon having been contraction-free all day Saturday. Sunday morning around midnight I woke in discomfort and needing to urinate. I asked The Husband to help me up and told him I thought I was having a contraction. We got settled back in our sleeping arrangements, but I continued to hurt. From midnight until 2:30 I laid in agonizing pain thinking she was trying to turn since no contractions we...

Here's a picture of the big guy catching some rays as I type. This blog post is sub-titled:   The story of how my birth plan was scrapped and then almost completely put back in place Or alternately titled:   How God answered my prayers over and over.  Why should I be surprised!  Or also known as:   The best day ever What a difference a week makes! Here is the account (or at least what I recall) of last Monday morning and the 21 hours that followed.  Although it won't be much, I would like to say here that I will be telling about some pretty gory stuff. My point is not to gross you out but to share honestly my birth experience.  It would have helped had I known some of this stuff beforehand :) A little before 4:30 that morning, I awoke to a gushing sensation.  I thought that maybe incontinence had finally struck, especially since I had been going to the bathroom 4 and 5 times a night.  I ran to the bathroom only to discov...