The Whole Story and Then Some

For the sanity of those not dreadfully interested in the labor tale, I'll put that part in between the asterisks, and you can skip over the gory details if you like. Don't worry, there are still a gazillion pictures and a few silly anecdotes!

Here we go!

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It went like this:

I was scheduled to be the charge nurse on the Mother Baby Unit on the night of September 30th. I spend my time about half and half either there or on Labor & Delivery, but I rarely get to charge since I'm often the float nurse (the float is the gopher who works both floors at once depending on who has the greater need. We affectionately call the float nurse "The Turd," because you effectively get crapped on when you float- that's just how it works.) Thus far, I'd had a completely uneventful day, so was looking forward to an uneventful night with that added bonus of an extra dollar and some change per hour for charging.

The walk from the employee parking lot, although probably only a tenth of a mile or so, was what started it. From the time I walked onto the unit at 1800, I started contracting about every 10 minutes. They kind of hurt, but not enough that I was worried about it. I was already walking around dilated to 4 cm at this point, but I didn't think they were doing anything, so I kept working.

By around 2200 they were starting to bug me, so I waddled down the hall to the labor unit and asked Steph to check and see if my cervix had changed. I figured if it hadn't, I could suck it up and get back to work. I was secretly hoping it hadn't changed, because I wanted Jana to wait a little longer. The monitors showed me contracting every 8-10 minutes, but I was still 4 cm and 80% effaced. Good. I went back to MBU.

They kept coming a little stronger and a little closer, but I kept telling myself I just had to make it to 0600 and then I could go home and lay down and live to work another night.

I went to check on all my patients at about 0130. The little gal in 3019 was awake and had some questions, and I think I actually managed to hide my grimace from the contraction while I talked with her. I remember walking out her door, shutting it, and gripping the door frame tight to get through the next contraction. That probably should have tipped me off that things were starting to move.

By 0200 they were every 5 minutes and really hurt. I told myself I was being a wimp, but I couldn't help but stop whatever I was doing and just breathe through them. My tummy was hard as a rock with each one. The funny part is, I KNOW THIS STUFF. These are signs of labor. I was pretty tired by this time, so in my cloudy mind, I figured I could just hang on and think myself out of labor. Ha.

By around 0330 the people I work with were getting a little nervous- I was clenching my fists and my jaws every few minutes. Then it came-the contraction so strong, I just wanted to scream. So I gave up. I called Lee and said those fateful words: "It's time!" He called Karen to come rescue Wyatt, and he packed the rest of my bag to bring with him to the hospital.

Bless Amanda for giving me a wheelchair ride down the hall to labor, I honestly don't think I could have walked! I got in the exam room and got changed, and Nancy checked me. I was almost 5 cm, and the contractions were every 3-5 minutes apart. At 0409 (I am privy to all the exact times now) they moved me to room 3003 (where I had Wyatt!) and Nancy got my IV started while Robyn did all my admission stuff at the speed of light. I am so glad they were so quick! They paged anesthesia, and as luck would have it, Tony the Anesthetist was already in the hospital from an appendectomy case. YAY!

I had my epidural in by 0420- Lee walked in just as they were finishing up. The timing could not have been better, because by this time I was almost out of control. I know sometimes it can't be helped, but I don't particularly care for it when my labor patients scream and cry and stuff, so I chose not to do it to my friends and coworkers either. I was doing my best to turn it inward, but by so doing, I was shaking so hard I was afraid I was going to fall out of bed. However, by 0430 I couldn't feel a thing and was loving life again.
Really.
It was the best I'd felt in about four months.
:)

Nancy checked me again at 0438- I was 6 and 90, and what do you know? My water broke! Things usually go quickly after the rupture of membranes, so she said she'd come check again in 20 minutes or so. I remember I asked everyone (repeatedly) to remind me to fill out a Variance Request sheet so I could explain that I stopped working at 0330 and couldn't clock out because I was in bed with an epidural. It's funny how silly little things tend to dominate your thinking when you are overwhelmed with bigger stuff- like impending birth.

So about 0505 Nancy checked me again and I was "nine and a half." She had me push once to see if I could sneak Jana past the last little bit of cervix, and mid-push Nancy said, "Ok, stop. You're complete and she's +1." That means she's just short of crowning, so I stopped pushing and they called the doctor.

Dr. Allred walked in at about 0513, set up, and I pushed two whole times (the sum of about 20 seconds). Jana came at 0516 the morning of October 1st, and that was the end of my pregnancy! Woo hoo! I heard her apgars were 9 and 9, but later heard they were 9 and 10. Either way, she was doing fantastic from the first minute of her life, and now she's a whole week old and is still just ...fantastic!

And that's the end of my labor story.

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Life with my two little ones is just fun. Jana reminds me so much of Wyatt! I spend a LOT of time around newborns, so I feel like I can say with some authority that the expressions she makes and the way she cries are exclusive to our family- they are just like Wyatt when he was tiny.

Wyatt is adjusting fairly well. He hears "NO!" far more often than he used to, but is taking it all in stride. I even walked in the front room yesterday to see him trying to give Jana her pacifier. It was so sweet- although she was dead asleep and he was poking her in the eye with it- but it's the thought that counts, right?

Skeeter knows how to handle new babies- all he does is look curiously at the bassinet when it starts squawking, and sniffs and sniffs and sniffs her, her clothes, her blankets, and most especially her used diapers. He already senses she's one of us, I think, since I laid her down on a blanket to take some pictures today, and he immediately came and laid protectively next to her- honestly I had to shoo him away so I could get some pictures of her alone. Good boy, Skeeter!

Daddy got to spend a few days home with us, and that was so nice. He is back to work and we are all trying to settle into a modified routine now, and so far we are doing all right! Grandma Anderson came and stayed with us for a few days, and she helped SO MUCH! She left me with my laundry all done and put away, my kitchen and bathrooms clean, and about a week's worth of meals in the fridge and freezer. What a wonderful blessing!

As for me, I almost feel guilty because I feel SO good. By this time with Wyatt, I was just thinking I might be able to put together a normal life again. This time around though, things are going really well. I have no complaints (not even the standards you'd expect being a week postpartum), and since I only tore a little bit, I'm not even in much pain at at all. All in all, we are pretty happy!

Here's the gazillion pictures I mentioned:




Daddy has already nicknamed her "JanaBean." Since her name is Jana Kay, I quickly turned that into JanaCake. Wyatt is my Muffin Man, and Skeeter is my SkeeterPie (derived from Scooter Pie, I think). It would seem I have an unhealthy obsession with bakery goods...


Mommy and her babies


Wyatt wouldn't hold still, so Daddy tried a different tactic.


Jana and her Guardian Dog


*sniff sniff sniff*


You don't get to accessorize with little boys, so I've had some fun!



Jana at 6 days old


I love this outfit- little strawberries on the bottom of each foot!


She looks so much like Wyatt to me, except I think her hair will probably turn out about the same color as mine.


Wyatt found some mischief when Mommy was otherwise occupied.


Thankfully, Grandma Anderson saved the day with a new firetruck!


I caught this just as Skeeter was stretching, and I laughed so hard it made my stitches hurt!


Jana's first manicure.


Wyatt's other mischief- crawling through the coffee table to get to things I wanted him not to!


We found out Wyatt really likes corn dogs. He says, "Yum-mah!"



I think that new baby smell is what heaven must smell like.

Daddy, Jana, and Skeeter snuggle during conference.

The harvest! Most of the pumkins are all orange now, and it seems I'll have enough spaghetti squash to last me...forever...

The garden all empty and cleaned out!

Wyatt helping Daddy and Grandma with the tomatoes and little cantalopes.

We got a new couch cover, and Daddy had some fun sticking the labels on the kids.

Enough pictures, Mom!!!

We hope all of you are well and happy and loving these fall days. I hope you all get a chance to walk through some crunchy leaves and admire the dazzling colors and enjoy warm pumpkin bread in the very near future!

Love love love,

Lee, Melody, Wyatt, Jana and Skeeter

She's Here!

Welcome Baby Jana!

She made her debut at 0516 on October 1st. She's 6 pounds 13 ounces, 19.5 inches long, and her apgars were 9 and 9 (for you curious nurses). YAY!

More to come later, but I need sleep now! It's a pretty funny labor story, since I was still on the clock getting paid when she was born- there are some perks to going into labor at work, I guess.



Jana Kay Anderson


Daddy, Wyatt, Mommy and Jana

Still Kickin'

Well... here I am at 37.4 weeks, and while there is no baby on the outside yet, I have a suspicion this little girl won't wait until October 14th. In fact, I don't even know if she'll wait until our induction- scheduled for October 9th-although that would be nice, because it would allow Mommy's maternity leave to extend all the way to January 2nd. If not, we'll go back to work before then, and regardless, we'll be glad to get our baby Jana! As we speak, the washer is running with the last of the 0-3 month things, plus the car seat and bassinet linings. After those are ready, she can come any time.


While the pregnancy is wearing on Mommy, I think it's starting to wear out Daddy too. He is so great to help with Wyatt, and he even fixed us all dinner tonight (YUM). Even so, I think it's hard for him to work all day every day and come home to an incapacitated wife and a slightly crabby baby and a wound-up puppy. We ALL just need to hang in there a little longer!



When Mommy's too tired to do anything at all, this is what happens: a cup of Teddy Grahams, a sippy cup of water, and a Baby Einsteins movie on the "repeat play" setting. And of course, we're still in our jammies.



The other day I heard a little voice from the nursery: "No, Wyatt. No!" I immediately went to investigate- and found him on his toes on the edge of a crib like a balance beam, his bib on backwards like a cape, and the thermostat cranked up to 90. Grinning from ear to ear.




In case you were wondering, there's the missing "W" from the last picture. He has a long reach!

This was during lunch the other day- Wyatt was being so cute counting all his little pieces of bread, "One...two...THREE!!!" He wouldn't do it anymore once I got the camera out, but it's still kind of cute- Wyatt's Grammy hasn't seen him in a while, so here he is in action! :) He only squeals this much when he's really excited.

Catching Up!

It's a rainy, quiet Saturday morning. Wyatt is napping, Skeeter is sleeping under the computer desk here, and Daddy went in to work on a project car. So here I am, with my peppermint tea, all ready to catch up!


Lately Wyatt likes to put on Skeeter's collar (we call it his "jingle"). It's funny because I'll hear a jingling in the front room, and then Skeeter comes looking for me with this martyred expression on his face, like he's saying "Mom! Wyatt took my jingle again!"


I was a tornado-sleeper as a child. Apparently Wyatt is too- not only is he buried in stuffed animals, but the crib sheet is pulled off and all wadded into the corner.


Is he reciting Shakespeare to his macaroni and cheese?


Skeeter and Wyatt

He also really likes to play with the broom these days.

I was sorting out the 0-3 month things for Jana, and Wyatt found the pink Lovey we got for her (Wyatt has a blue one). He immediately started breaking it in for her- what a good big brother! Notice he's wearing Skeeter's collar again.

Mommy and Skeeter (and Jana, but she's a little harder to see...)

This just makes me laugh. What is that face?!?

I love the head-tilt dogs do when they hear a funny noise.

If it's even sort of round, it's a "ball."

Skeeter enjoys a snack of a paper towel with Poptart crumbs on it.

Huh. I guess he was full.

Wyatt helping Daddy mow the lawn.

We went to the Gardens up on campus a couple of weeks ago and our friend Monica took a bunch of family pictures for us. Wyatt was not in a very good mood, but they still turned out really cute. Thanks, Monica!

Ha ha, Crabby Wyatt!

Wyatt, Mommy and Daddy

Handsome Beast

Wyatt was, of course, much happier running free.

Wyatt has Pyper eyes- he reminds of my brothers and Dad in this picture.

Daddy and Wyatt

There's not much else new in AndersonLand. We are just hanging in there, counting the days until Jana comes! We hope you are all well and happy, and are very grateful to have the wonderful friends and family that we do. Lots of love and delicious spaghetti squash (mmm...I know what I'm having for dinner tonight)!

So very pregnant...

We're on the home stretch! Just 3 and a half weeks to go. I have grand plans of updating our blog sometime, I have lots of cute pictures that Monica took for us plus a few funny ones of Wyatt's latest antics. However, the golden summation of time+energy+inclination has yet evaded me. I'll get there, though!

Hope you're all well and enjoying summer's last little fling before the cold! More to come, but in the meantime I wish you a nice slice of homemade bread with butter and honey and a hot cup of peppermint tea to go with these crisp almost-fall mornings!

Remembering

I have had a lot to reflect on today. I remember still exactly where I was standing and what I was doing when I first heard about the attacks on September 11, 2001. I remember the weather that day and the things I was thinking, and I remember watching on live news coverage with absolute horror as the World Trade Center towers fell. It's been hard to watch everything that's unfolded since then, and to have our nation at war. So today, I can't help feeling gratitude for all the sacrifices so many have given for us, and feeling my own gratitude that my own loved ones have been blessed to come home again.

I am curious to see what the future holds for our nation- with the elections and the economy and global warming (so I hear- this has been the coolest summer I ever remember in Idaho!) and oil prices, there is a lot that could happen. And yet, I know that this land is so blessed, and really is a land of promise. How grateful I am to live here, to have food to eat and clean water to drink and a home and a job and my sweet little family. I hope I never take for granted the things I've been blessed with- including our wonderful nation and all those who protect it!

Apparently Autumn

To those of you in Blogland who are enjoying balmy tropical climates (you KNOW who you are!), I am quite jealous of you- more so tonight than usual. We had snow and chilly temperatures clear until May this year. As if the late start on summer wasn't insult enough, we are on freeze warning tonight! It's the first day of September for crying out loud! I am not quite ready for it to get cold.

*sigh*

Oh well. Picture time!


Apparently drinking while dancing comes naturally to some. I can't even SIT and drink successfully, so he didn't get it from me!


Wyatt's first Wendy's Kids Meal. Chicken nuggets, fries and chocolate milk.
He was very happy.



He got a real kick out of dipping his fries and nuggies in the ranch. As I watched though, I realized he dipped the same fry about 8 times and just sucked off the ranch. Pretty soon he was just dipping his finger and sucking it off. Ranch addiction? THAT comes from me.



I wish you could hear the song he's singing in between bites. He is such a funny guy!

I didn't get the garden in until the end of May, so our tomatoes are just little and green still. We reeeally want them, so Lee covered up the plants to see if we can keep them from freezing.

Poor tiny green pumpkin peeking out before we batten down the hatches.

Lee laying cinder blocks over the edges of the tarp so it won't blow away!

Skeeter looks on while Lee finishes covering up the pumpkins and squash.

Nothing much to report other than me being crabby about the cold. Lee had the day off, and we spent it together- we hardly ever get to do that on weekdays, so it was very nice. He got new strings for his guitar today and played for the first time in quite a while. I think he's so cool!

I am awkward and bulky but am enjoying my little family and my busy job...I enjoy my messy house less, but someday I'll get to that, too.

The last few days when Wyatt wakes up, he'll start calling...for Skeeter. (Is it too much to ask for my son to call for Mommy?) I hear his little voice from the crib every morning, yelling the dog's name, and then he makes his version of a whistle. It ends up sounding like a really high pitched, squeaky "Woooo?" noise, and it makes me just laugh. "Dee-tah! Woooo? Dee-tah! Woooo?" over and over and over. I sure love that little guy. And that dog too, for that matter.

Jana is growing like she should, and we can't wait to get her. She has taken up Tae Bo lately, followed by about an hour of Pilates and Yoga. Usually after midnight. :)

And that's all. Hope you're all well and happy! Love and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!