I went into labor Friday, July 31, 2009, sometime in the morning. I had contractions the night before, but they were very far apart and stopped by the time I got up Friday morning. I went for a walk after eating breakfast, and sometime after that was when my contractions started again. They were ten minutes apart and lasted around thirty seconds all morning and almost all afternoon. David came home from work early and my contractions were starting to last longer, though they were still only ten minutes apart. As the late afternoon progressed my contractions became more intense and slowly came closer together. My sisters decided to make their way over from Atlanta, and we decided to go ahead and take Emmaline up to her Nona's apartment. By the time we got back home my contractions were about five minutes apart, lasting closer to a minute and much stronger.

I guess Ian had been waiting for my sisters to arrive, since right after they arrived my contractions suddenly went from five minutes apart to three then to two. The exact time of everything is pretty much a blur to me, but I do remember that dusk had settled in by the time we decided to head to the birthing center. It took me a few minutes just to walk to the van because every step I took seemed to bring on a contraction. Ian would squirm and wiggle which only made the pain worse. I was so afraid I was going to give birth to him right then and there. We made it to the birthing center, none the less, and I was 6 centimeters dilated. My contractions were now one right after the other and they were soooo painful. My midwife encouraged me to sit on a birthing ball, but the labor process had taken so much out of me that I could not hold myself up. David and Erin ended up having to support me at my sides and Elin kept me from rolling backwards. Eventually, I just decided to lie in bed. My midwife decided it was time to push, and I was starting to feel the impulse to push, so we set to work. David and Elin helped hold me up while I worked on pushing. It was hard work, and there were two moments when I thought I couldn't go on. Thankfully, I had my sisters and David there to encourage me, and Amy my midwife told me very firmly that I could, so push on I did.

It took about half an hour to push Ian, which was fifteen minutes less than it took Emmaline. However, Ian's pushing out process seemed a lot more painful in my mind. Once his head crowned it was a little easier to push out the rest of his body. After that Ian was placed on my chest and he then proceeded to pee on me. David cut his umbilical cord and we spent some time bonding together. Then Ian got cleaned up, weighed and measured, and like I mentioned before, he was 7 pounds and 20 inches long. Erin and Elin went out and got us some food to eat (thank you very much, guys!), then headed back to our house. David, Ian and I finally went to sleep around 2 am. I woke up around 3:30 needing to use the restroom and panicked because I couldn't tell if Ian was breathing. I made David wake him up to make sure. David assured me everything was fine, and I went back to sleep. I woke up again around 5:30 completely anxious to see Emmaline again. I felt like I had betrayed her somehow by having another baby, and I wanted to make sure she would be okay with the adjustment. Lucia brought Emmaline to the birthing center around 10 and Emmaline took to Ian pretty well. She didn't really want to have anything to do with him, which was better than her being jealous that David or I were holding him. After that Amy checked on me and Ian and approved us to go home, so go home we did! It was so good to be home!

So, a bit of a PS here:

I forgot to mention that my second GBS test came back negative, so that is a big sigh of relief for us.

Also, I have gained 30 pounds so far. I gained almost 40 with Emmaline, so it will be interesting to see if I put on as much this time around!

I went for my 38 week appointment today. I asked my midwife about how big I was measuring since the past two appointments I had been measuring three weeks behind. She said I was measuring two weeks behind this time around, which she thinks means my due date is off, at least by a week, since I have been consistantly measuring behind. Complete and total bummer!!!

On the positive side, Amy (the midwife) did say she felt comfortable with how big Ian is actually measuring and the possibility of my delivering him soon wasn't a concern to her! Yea!! So, I am still trying my best not to get my hopes up and to keep my mind on other things. I'll have knitting projects galore to distract me, plus Emmaline.

Here's my latest belly shot. Baby's getting bigger, I'm getting bigger. Sooooo ready to have this over and done with!

You'll have to forgive the frumpy clothes. I wasn't in the mood to look pretty today. LOL!

As so many women may remember with their pregnancies, there is a wall that every pregnant woman slams into. It doesn't always pop up at the same time, but one is guaranteed that it will pop up. I have now hit that wall; time is slowing down, my body is falling apart, I am grumpy and irritable, and did I mention time is slowing down? I feel like I have been 34 weeks and some pregnant for a few weeks now, and I am ready for this week to be over. I'm hoping this is just an anomaly, and time will get going again soon.

I am starting to wonder if my wall popping up this week had something to do with the fact that I have stopped taking the White Oak Bark my midwife prescribed. One is only supposed to take it for four weeks, and mine were up. This past Sunday was when I stopped taking it, and Monday was when I suddenly felt like Ian had grown a lot overnight, stretching me to the point of discomfort. Who knows? Just something else for me to ask the midwife about.

The veins in my leg are continuing to get worse, so I have started wearing two of my stockings on the same leg. That has helped, but we shall see how long that lasts.

The muscles in my abdomen and back are suddenly feeling incredibly stretched out and tired. Standing for an extended period of time (say 20 minutes) causes a soreness in my upper abdominal and middle back muscles. Also, sitting with my feet resting on the floor causes the same soreness and tiredness. I mentioned this to David this evening, to which he tried to comfort me by starting to say, "Well, you're how many weeks along now, 35?..." I knew what he was going: "You only have a few more weeks to go.", so I cut him off by saying, "I don't want to talk about it!!" Oh, my poor David, he puts up with so much abuse! To my defense, I have tried telling him as kindly as I can that I do not wish for any encouragement that reminds me of how much further I have to go. I just want him to say "Oh, honey, I'm sorry you feel that way.", or something of the like. I have told him this, a few times, but...it doesn't quite seem to be sinking in. Oh well.

On a positive note, my early GBS test came back NEGATIVE!!!! I am going back for another test on Monday; let's hope for the same results! Although, I am still not sure if I am going to take precautionary steps anyhow. I'll have to discuss it with my midwife.

It is so hard to believe I am going to be 34 weeks pregnant tomorrow! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly, for which I am very grateful! Emmaline has been a great distraction, not only for me, but for other people. Since Emmaline is almost always with me I haven't had as many people asking about, or even noticing for that matter, my pregnancy this time around; they are all distracted by how "cute" Emmaline is. Since I haven't been forced to discuss it with every person I meet, this pregnancy hasn't really been on my mind constantly. It has been a great relief to me.

I had a day of panic when it hit me that I am now possibly six weeks away from going into labor. It just kind of snuck up on me. After my dismay and anxiety passed, I found myself actually excited about feeling the first twinge of a contraction. Maybe the Lord settled my heart and spirit, somehow assuring me that this labor was going to be different. I am sure it will still be hard and painful, but at least it will be different. I have all my bags packed and am just waiting to deliver some items to my sisters sister-in-law before I get the van loaded up and ready. I will save one small suitcase to load up last minute, but mostly I am ready to go. I am supposed to bring four pillows with me to the birthing center, which I had loaded up and ready last time about two months before Emmaline actually decided to come. This time around I am going to have to put those in the van last minute as well; either I have lost some pillows along the way, or am using a lot more of them this time around. Who knows?

It has been a while since I have felt miserably stretched out and uncomfortable. I am somewhat surprised at how small Ian is for as far along as I am. I have had the few people who do ask about my pregnancy respond with surprise when they find out just how far along I am. My midwife said I was measuring three weeks behind, "Like last time" when I went to see her last week. For some reason this information didn't really register with me at the time, so I failed to ask her if "last time" meant when I was pregnant with Emmmaline, or the last time I had been measured. I will have to try to remember to ask her about it the next time I see her.

My vein problems are still worsening. It has now progressed to the point where sitting on chairs that keep my feet from resting on the floor properly causes pain, discomfort and lack of circulation in my legs. My feet start to swell up and my legs begin to ache. If I sit at all now I pretty much have to keep my feet up on something and lean back a bit. Otherwise keeping my legs up puts pressure on my belly which in turn puts pressure on my stomach, which in turn makes me feel sick.

Despite these complications/discomforts I am feeling pretty well, and do my best not to complain. I may have circulation problems, but at least I am not throwing up all the time. I still consider myself blessed by God to be carrying another child and to have another opportunity to be a mother. However, with all that has happened I have seriously been thinking about whether this is God's way of telling us this is as many children as we were meant to have biologically. I must admit that I have begun to wonder if it is wise to put my body and life at risk for the sake of bringing another child into this world when we could and want to adopt other children. Would it be better to be a mother to many children, even if they are not my own, or have more of our own children but possibly not be around to be their mother? I am leaning toward the first part, but David and I do not want to make this decision lightly. We still have a lot of praying to do before a decision is made, and we will trust in the Lord no matter what to take care of us as He has so far!

This past weekend was my baby shower! I had such a blast with my sisters and their families in the house. Emmaline played her little heart out with her cousins. She was so excited to see kids. As soon as she saw Amber she said, "Kid! Kid!" But what's so funny is she puts extra emphasis on the "d"! And she recognized Andrew right away and pronounced his name "Awndrew" the whole weekend. This was surprising to me, since she has never once attempted to say his name, so far as I can remember. Rod and Elin were great about playing with the kids, so they all enjoyed the attention. Meanwhile, we parents just sat in the living room chatting, knowing that as soon as Rod and Elin have kids they will be doing the same: letting all the children play together while you get a short respite with peace and quiet.

I laughingly challenged my niece Amber to go two minutes without asking a question: "Amber, I double-dog dare you to not ask a question for two minutes!! Watch the clock and see if you can do it!!" She thought this a neat idea for about 10 seconds then asked me, "What's a double-dog dare?" Hahahaha!!! You gotta love 'em!

Anyhow, my sisters love me so much they made a cake, from scratch!!!!, for my shower. It was so delicious!!! They even made their own fondant to go over the top of the cake, and it was way better than any fondant I have ever had! And the icing was to die for; I made Erin leave behind the leftovers. That can be my altogether healthy night time snack.

I had a wonderful time at my shower, and enjoyed being able to chat with all the ladies without having to watch Emmaline. Everyone was so gracious and generous. I am so thankful for the women the Lord has brought into my life. I have so many friends and acquaintances, which is highly unusual for me. I am slowly becoming more and more social, and have really enjoyed the feminine support and friendship I have encountered through our new church family. I am so blessed!

Erin, Elin and Lisa did a wonderful job throwing this shower for me, and I am just so grateful that there are people in my life who care enough about me to do such a thing! Thanks you guys!!! The only thing that could have improved the day is if my parents could have been here! I miss them so much!

After the shower we went out to eat, then came back home. The boys played a game that David bough recently and has been dying to have someone masculine play with him. We girls decided to wind some yarn and had a good time doing. More times than not I ended up getting tangled in it. My one claim to fame will never be grace!

While we were gone at the shower the boys were kind enough to watch our little chicadees for us. They had a good time playing in a tiny pool and making an improvised slip'nslide. I told David that one of the wonderful things about leaving children all alone with their fathers who are left to their own devices, is finding out what incredibly outrageous thing(s) the fathers have done without adult(mom) supervision. I won't even tell you guys how David got the children to slide down a tarp in our front yard. It's just something we mothers would never even think of doing! LOL! Well, all of our children are in one piece and uninjured, so it can't have been all that bad. Thanks to the guys, too!!

OK, I've hit my irritable, reclusive stage! I just want to stay home and avoid people I know who will ask me obnoxious questions, or make irritating remarks. I honestly have been trying to stay positive and gracious, but my body is starting to fall apart, which is making me very grumpy. Oh well, seven more weeks!

Well, my 32nd week is almost finished, just two more days! I can't believe how quickly this last trimester is passing. Believe you me, though, when I say I am very grateful! And, believe it or not, I am also very excited about giving birth to this baby. Call my crazy! I am so looking forward to bringing another bundle of joy into this world. Another squawker to hold and cherish.

Despite my new compression stockings, I have noticed that my leg is still getting worse. However, the pain is much more bearable with the stockings on. One of the veins in my leg has gotten to the point that, upon rising, I must either put on my stockings immediately, or not stand still. Once I am still for even a few seconds the pain is so intense it is hard for me to put any weight on my leg in order to start walking again. I really hope this problem disappears after this pregnancy is over!

While talking of pain, my hips have started separating, which is another source of pain. Thankfully, though, it is only painful after sleeping on my side for an extended period of time. Usually I can spend half the night turning from one side to the other, but at some point in time I end up having to go sleep on the couch; it's much cushier! OK, David is bugging me for the computer, so I guess I'll leave this post at that!

Well, I got my compression stockings this past Friday! Let me tell you, they are already making a world of difference. I don't get a stinging pain as soon as I stand up, I don't get sore when I stand still, my veins aren't popping out as much, and I overall have more energy. The lady who measured my leg for my stockings told me my legs were swollen, and the stockings would help a lot with that, too. She said, "You are going to have so much more energy and feel so much better after you get your stockings!" Boy was she right! Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a while. It didn't hurt that I left Emmaline with her father while I went to a baby shower for a few hours, either!

I am almost packed and ready for our trip to the birthing center. I just need to pack towels, some wipes, gloves, and my going home outfit, oh yeah, plus my pillows and blanket, but those may have to wait a little while longer. Saturday morning I woke up realizing that I had completely forgotten to pack a bag for Emmaline, in case we have to take her over to someone's house. Guess I had better get that done, too.

My baby shower is coming up in two weeks. I am so excited about that!! My darling sisters Erin and Elin, and my kind friend Lisa have volunteered to throw a shower for me and Ian, and I am really, really excited. I didn't have a very big baby shower with Emmaline, (again, my kind sisters and mother took me to a nice little coffee shop where we had cake and coffee and they gave me lots of stuff for Emmaline. Which was very nice to have such a small party, as I had no idea what I was getting into, nor did I have many friends. Sorry about the length of these parentheses) whereas this time around I have wanted to involve the whole world. I don't care about getting stuff, I just want to celebrate the wonder of having another child with everyone I know! I can't wait for this baby to come!!

OK, so it turns out I over reacted a bit. I do not have varicose veins, just incredibly ugly spider veins...all over my left leg. I saw my midwife today, and she has suggested the use of medical grade hose for my leg, butcher's broom for the pain, and white oak bark and vitamin c to help strengthen my veins. She said I do have some varicose veins developing in the same area as my really bad spider veins, but hopefully the support hose should slow that down. Other than that everything is looking ok, and I can still deliver at the birthing center! Yea! I so don't want to go to a hospital. Oh well, God has His own plans in mind. I guess we'll wait and see.

This 30th week has been a total bear!! My exhaustion has come back with a vengeance, as well as my nausea. Beginning this past Monday I noticed some soreness in my left leg right around my knee area, and also some loverly spider veins (YEA!!). The pain would be worse immediately after I stood up from reclining. Then on Wednesday morning I got up and felt even more soreness and pain on the back of my knee. I called my midwife and left a message with her assistant about what was going on, and waited to hear back from her. (Which I still haven't talked to her yet, but that's due to playing phone tag.) On Thursday morning I kept wondering what could be causing the soreness, so I actually looked at the back of my knee, and this is what I saw:



HUGE VARICOSE VEINS!!! Altogether, that spot is about the size of a golf ball. Oh, I was sooooo depressed after seeing that. I feel like my body is falling apart and betraying me. I feel like I am WAY TOO YOUNG for this to happen!! I am soooooooooo ready to be done with this pregnancy!!

On a somewhat more positive note, I am convinced that I am going to go into labor early. I am not carrying this child full-term! This conviction is not of my own desire for this to be over; it's almost as if I can feel it in my very marrow. This boy is not going to put up with cramped conditions much longer. This conviction came on Saturday, so I went crazy trying to get my bags packed and ready for my labor and Ian's delivery. There's still so much to do!

Finally, it's here!!! This is me in a dress that I probably won't be able to wear again while pregnant; it isn't a maternity dress and the baby is growing too big for it. On a positive note, I did finish making my first maternity dress!! Now I am working on my second. Hopefully, I will have pictures of those up soon.

Also, another positive note, we have a tentative name for our baby boy now!!! David didn't like Ephraim Nathaniel (which is still my favorite), so he has finally come up with a substitute I actually like: Ian. There is some consideration of Giovanni as a middle name. The two names flow together pretty well, it's just a shame they are both a version of the name "John" in two different languages! Hee hee! We'll see as time progresses.

Well, it has been a while since I posted anything about the pregnancy. I promise I will have a belly picture up soon!

There is, of course, some dispute over the naming of our boy. For many reasons that shall remain unmentioned here, I am partial to the name Ephraim Nathaniel. David, however, is not. So, I've told him for now it is up to him to find a suitable replacement. And, of course, so far none has been found. Hopefully we can come to an agreement soon, as I am tired of saying, "the baby", or "our little boy".

I am getting a lot of the same remarks that I got with Emmaline regarding the size of my belly. Most people react this way when finding out how far along I am, "Wow, you're so small to be that far along", etc.... Part of me thinks it just has to do with my wardrobe. Most of my clothes aren't skin tight, so it's harder to see just how much my belly pokes out. However, do not think me ungrateful for these remarks. It is always a little reassuring to hear that I am small, not for fear of my figure, but for fear of having to deliver a very large baby!

Ephraim, as he shall be known until we settle on a name, is a lot different than Emmaline. He is so much more gentle. He moves so softly within my womb, yet he is almost always active. Whereas Emmaline would kick and punch me so hard you would see my belly poke out at odd angles randomly, but she would only do that a few times a day. (Once I got further along with Emmaline, though, it seemed like she was constantly trying to break free of my uterus by elbowing her way through my abdomen.) It will be interesting to see how Ephraim is once things become a little more cramped. So far he seems to be a lot more patient and content with Emmaline. I hope that doesn't mean he's going to take his time coming into this world!!

I haven't gained much weight at this point in time, and there aren't too many other things to complain about, thankfully. However, the separation of my abdominal muscles has already started hurting, which I may have made worse by carrying in Emmaline's toddler bed last week. I just couldn't contain my excitement. I have been trying to go for walks whenever I can and they seem to help with the pain a bit. I can't think of much else to write about, other than I am just ready to have Ephraim's room all organized and ready for him to stay in. That is something else in the works. Oh well!!! It will get done eventually!

I went to see my midwife today. I am measuring 17 weeks along and have gained 7 pounds. The baby's heartbeat was fine; the baby gave Carrie (one of the two midwives at the birthing center) a hard time by evading her constantly. We finally settled for a weak signal of the heartbeat.

The baby has been moving around a lot pretty much all day long, but at least this one is a lot more gentle than Emmaline was. At least for now! Not much else going on in the pregnancy world...

I forgot to say that I have an ultrasound scheduled for March 18!! Yea!!!

The technical college here in Greenville does free ultrasounds for anyone over 18 weeks pregnant, so that is where we will be going.

ADDENDUM:

I don't see why anyone couldn't come take advantage of this opportunity, however, you should know that they only print out one picture for you, and you don't get any 3-D fancy-shmancy stuff.

Check out this link for more information:
http://www.gvltec.edu/about_greenvilletech/news/110807.html

So of late I have been enjoying the sensation of indigestion by the time 5 o'clock rolls around. Every day. Just lovin' that! However, I looked up some information on indigestion and discovered that if I eat five meals a day at regular times, I will be less likely to suffer from it. Here goes another experiment. Let's see if it works!!

On a good note, I definitely felt the bambino move last night. I am positive this time because it is not possible for gas bubbles to move that violently. I either got kicked and punched, double punched or double kicked. Just the same as Emmaline. Looks like I'm going to have another really active baby on my hands, or rather, on my bladder!

OK, so I went to see my midwife today. Unfortunately, the visit was marred by the fact that I discovered her rates have gone up almost $1000, which sent me into shock for a few minutes. After reviving myself, I finished filling out paperwork and went back to see Amy (my midwife).

Amy, Carrie (the new midwife), and I discussed my LMP, which led to a bit of confusion, figured out the due date and how far along I am. Then Amy had Carrie measure my stomach, because Amy has damaged her wrist somehow. As soon as I lifted up my shirt to expose my belly Amy exclaimed, "You look like your 16 to 18 weeks pregnant! You're already showing!" (Ahhh..."every pregnancy is different"...I'm beginning to hate that phrase) And after measuring my belly, she determined that I am actually measuring up to be about 16 to 17 weeks pregnant. "Let's see what your ultrasound says." So, I guess I will have to wait to see how the beano measures up when I have an ultrasound done!

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was very nice to hear. It's always reassuring to me at this point in time when I can't feel the baby moving to know that I'm not just getting fat and bloated, that there really is a live baby growing inside me. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as nice as it was when I got to hear Emmaline's. When I got to hear Emmaline's heart beating for the first time David and I were relaxed on a couch at home with my midwife in Florida, and everything was peaceful. This time around, it took a while for Carrie to find beano #2, and by the time she had, Emmaline was a disaster and wanted to be included in on the fun. So she was placed beside me on the examining table thingy, and proceeded to distract me by throwing herself at me. Therefor, it was hard for me to actually pay attention to the beano's heart beat. Ahhhhh....the joys of motherhood. I really do love having Emmaline around, even if it means I don't get to enjoy everything I want.

I can't wait to have this baby!! I'm so excited!

Also, I forgot to ask Amy, so I ended up talking to Carrie about my labor with Emmaline. After Emmaline broke my water, I didn't feel any contractions; so I wanted to know if that was normal, and if it was likely to be the same this time around. To which Carrie replied, "Yes" to both questions. Bummer..... Although, she said I was fortunate to not have actually experienced the pain of hard labor contractions. For some reason, that was not reassuring...

Oh well!! I'm going back to my mantra of "God's Grace is sufficient!" I am slowly learning to rely on Him to provide for me, and I trust in Him to get me through another labor and delivery. Praise the Lord I made it through the first one! Ha ha!