The Zoe Story

If you don't want to read this whole thing, for it is long, at least go here (someone let me know if you need the password to get in) to look at the pictures of Zoe that someone took in the hospital (at the foot of my bed).  They turned out great.  I love them.  I listened to that song that plays on the site at least 30x in the hosptial while taking turns staring at the pictures and Miss Zoe herself.  It will forever remind me of Zoe's birth days.   (I added a playlist with it.)

Sweet, sweet baby Zoe Charlotte and I are chillin' on my big unmade bed this Sabbath morning while Daddy and the 4 oldest are at church.  I love these quiet Sundays that I can just love on my new baby with nobody else around.   I love her sleepy little soft self.   She is teeny.  She was 6 lb. 1 oz. when she was born, but has lost 3 oz., which is normal, and is now 5 lb. 14 oz.   I know that a lot of babies have been/are smaller, but I've never had one this small.  Her head in the pictures looks twice as big on the screen as it does in real life.  Well, maybe like 1 1/2x bigger.

So, do you want the rest of the story?  I'll try to make it not so wordy (yeah, for me, not so easy).

Monday night, as I finished up the post that included that pathetic and hilarious picture of the 3 oldest all allergic-fied, I was starting to feel some strong contractions.  I finished up quickly and got into bed, praying that it wasn't going to happen that night.  I was too tired.  Contractions kept coming strong and close together and I started to get extremely nervous and jittery and shaky all over.  I thought of all the things that I needed to do and get together before I was ready (are you ever really ready?) to go into labor.  I should have acted on those thoughts by getting all that stuff ready, right then.   Instead I focused on trying to calm down and thankfully I was able to calm down and go to sleep.

I woke up Tuesday morning thinking, I'm still here.  I had to wake everyone up and get them ready to head out the door at 8:30 (totally early for us these days) for my appointment with the maternal fetal medicine place.  Kate was going with Weston so that I could buy her birthday things after my appointment.  Plus we couldn't all fit in the little car since Grandma and Grandpa had taken the 'burb to drop it off at the repair place that morning on their way into town.

(Side note because I think it is funny: As we were loading into the car, Kate loaded onto the 4-wheeler with Weston.  She had major bed head, so I suggested, "Wes, there is a brush in the top drawer of the bathroom that you can fix her hair with."  Weston turned to look at Kate and asked her, "Do you want your hair fixed?"  She shook her head quickly, and they drove away.  Oh well.)

The boys and I got to my appt. a few minutes late, and as we climbed the stairs (they were bummed we didn't take the elevator) to the 2nd floor, I bribed them with ice cream cones to be good and help with Jiles.  An ultrasound technician did the ultrasound, measuring her, and then left.  I was concentrating on my boys, especially Jiles.  They were being very good, but Jiles was getting a little restless, and Spencer was trying so hard to keep him busy.  

A few minutes later they came back in and said that they were trying to get ahold of my midwife.  

"Why? What's wrong?" I wondered.  

"Your baby's abdomen is actually measuring smaller than it was two weeks ago," the tech said. "The doctor said that you need to have your baby today."

"Today."

"Yes, today."

I felt surprisingly calm.  

We went over to my midwife's office to make a plan, which was to go into the hospital as soon as possible to get started.  Induced!  Nasty word, so I thought before, but I was okay with it now.  I called Weston at home and left a message, but knew that he was out in the tractor in the field, so I called a neighbor to go find him and tell him.  I guess the message came off a little more urgent than needed, and Weston almost skipped going home to get all of our stuff, thinking that he was going to miss the birth.  

The boys and I went to my sister Holly's house where Weston and I were going to meet and leave the kids to stay (between her house and my parents' house 3 miles away).  The rest of the day went like this (I want to hurry and finish this because I reeeeally want to take a nap before everyone gets home from church):

2:00 PM - Weston and Kate get to Holly's house with all of our things (except for Jiles's clothes and diapers -whoops, small detail)

2:15 - On our way to the hospital. Calm.

2:50  - Pull up to the hospital.  For real? Are we really doing this?

3:00 - Check into labor and delivery.  Put on the awesomely flattering hospital gown.

Am I really putting this picture on the www?  Apparently I am.

4:30 ish - Start pitocin.

4:45 - Anesthesiologist lady administers the epidural!  She's my new best friend.  I got the epidural before I felt any contractions, just like I wanted.  Yippy.  Happy. 

8:15 - Things are not going very fast, so my midwife breaks my water.

10:36 - Can't feel or move my left leg, but feel the need to push.  And I do.

10:46 - Zoe Charlotte presents her cute little self.  LOVE! 

And YAY! She came on the 21st and not the 22nd, Kate's 7th birthday.  They missed sharing a birthday by 1 hour and 14 minutes.

Easy peasy delivery?  Well not quite; it is still labor.  But no feeling the painful contractions and no ring of fire!!  PHEW!!!! Totally what I ordered.   

The 2-night-stay in the hospital was wonderful.  My parents brought the kids on Wednesday.  And on Thursday Weston's cousin, Trent, and his wife, Katie, who works at the hospital and was in between surgeries in scrubs and hair cover thing (she's a radiology tech), stopped in to see us.  

Here are some pix of the kids seeing their newest clan member for the first time:

Kate's best birthday gift ever.

So I left home Tuesday morning not knowing that I wasn't going to be home until Friday (I stayed one night with my parents because Zoe had a dr. appt. the next morning to check her bilirubin level), leaving the kitchen a mess (which someone came in and cleaned!  And Grandma and Great-Grandma cleaned our laundry room - MAJOR project - matching a basket full of socks included!) and not bringing anything with us.

But it's all good.  Really good.  Because we brought home with us the most awesome thing - a baby girl.

My heart is so full.  I love the feeling in our home that a new sweet spirit straight from Heaven brings.

Five sweet babes to love.

Sweet and loverly.